Unfortunately, Ethan couldn’t hear her and continued showering; most likely, the bathroom was sound proof.Soon, the bodyguard snatched the room card from Tiffany and unlocked the door. Arianne was now face to face with Mark—it was like looking at a field of snow. The look in his eyes made her feel very guilty, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. She timidly backed away...Tiffany struggled out of the bodyguard’s restraints, rushed forward, and shielded Arianne. “Mark Tremont, if you have something to say, be civilized about it. I’m just as anxious as you are! However, can we wait for Ethan to come out of the bathroom before straightening this out? I’m certain that Ari isn’t that kind of a person, and neither is Ethan!”Ethan finally noticed that something wasn’t right outside. He put on his bathrobe and walked out, only to find a large group in his room. “What’s going on?” he asked, taken aback.Mark’s gaze turned cold. Tiffany snapped irritably, “You’re asking me? How sho
Arianne didn’t respond and simply tightened her grip on the towel around her. She shut her eyes, refusing to look at him. Perhaps she wouldn’t feel so afraid if she avoided looking at him…Mark’s gaze landed on the scar on her shoulder. She was left with this scar because of him… But now, he saw it as a mockery. “You disgust me!”Mark left and didn’t do anything else to her. This was different from his usual way of dealing with things.The bedroom door slammed shut. Arianne sat stiffly on the bedside like a soulless puppet.She stayed up the entire night, and no one called her to collect a dead-drunk Mark Tremont. He wouldn’t turn into a completely different person in his drunken state and paw at her neck like a cat, either...At eight in the morning, Mary knocked on the door. “Ari, are you up? Would you like something to eat? What happened… between you and Mr. Tremont?”Arianne huddled further under the covers. “I’m not eating. And it’s nothing.”Mary sighed and didn’t ask any
Arianne didn’t reply. How could Mark Tremont possibly trust her? He’s never trusted her…Mary’s heart ached at the sight of her looking like this. However, she was powerless too.That night, at Arianne’s insistence, Mary went home to rest. There was no need to stay with her at the hospital; she’d simply caught a cold and could take care of herself. At most, she would have to stay in the hospital for one day under observation. She would be discharged the very next day.She couldn’t seem to fall asleep, probably because she had too much sleep in the day. She shut her eyes and lay on the hospital bed, a myriad of thoughts plaguing her mind.“What are you doing?!” someone outside the ward cried out all of a sudden.Arianne jumped in fright. She opened her eyes to catch a quick glimpse of a man’s face disappearing from the small window above the door. Who was spying on her in the dead of the night?!She was too frightened to stay any longer. She packed up her things and left the hospi
Arianne gently stirred a bowl of steaming porridge with a spoon; she didn’t respond to Mary’s suggestion.Did Mark go looking for her for so long last night because he felt responsible? She never felt that she could influence his behavior. If Mark wasn’t willing to come home, then he would only feel disgusted even if she got on her knees and begged him.The news continued brewing on the Internet, but Mark never directly responded to it. He even donated to an elementary school on New Year’s Eve.Arianne accidentally discovered the latest article while she was flipping through the news. It was a photo that was taken secretly when she was in the hospital. She was lying on the bed, looking pale and lifeless. The content of the article was questioning whether she had been hospitalized due to domestic violence and if Mark Tremont’s gentle nature was nothing more than a facade. Now that she thought about it, the person outside the hospital ward must’ve been the one who snuck a shot of her.
“You wouldn’t have come if you were truly worried,” Mark's voice was cold.Aery pouted at him. “Aww, come on.”Butler Henry looked at Arianne but swallowed back his words. He went up and greeted Mark, “Sir.”Mark acknowledged him then asked, “Have you taken care of everything at home?”“Yes, they have been rewarded accordingly,” Butler Henry replied.Mark took out a card and handed it over to Butler Henry. “This is yours, thanks for all your hard work this year.”Mark did this every year; he was very generous to his servants. Butler Henry didn’t refuse it. “It’s my job.”Food was quickly served on the table. Mark sat down at the table with Aery. Arianne involuntarily lowered her head and tried not to look at them. They just had to sit so closely just across from her. It was as though… she was an outsider...“My parents have gone on a vacation abroad. I was bored out of my mind alone so I came with Mark dear. Hope you don’t mind, big sis!” Aery deliberately showed off the huge d
Aery’s heart sank. She rarely saw Mark looking this serious and terrifying.She just couldn’t understand why Arienne wouldn’t leave Mark even though she didn’t love him. Nor could she understand why Mark didn’t want to give them his blessings even though he didn’t seem to care about her. Was this all because of his pride as a man? If this continued, she would forever be Mark’s secret lover. She, more than anything, wished to be Mrs. Tremont. Arianne got this so effortlessly, yet she didn’t value it at all. Aery couldn’t help but be incensed at the thought of it.While Mark was working in the study room, Aery strutted into his room to take a shower. She then picked out one of Arianne’s silk pajamas and put them on. Looking as though she was the mistress of the house, she walked into the living room and haughtily commanded Butler Henry, “Go get the guest room ready.”Butler Henry remained standing still and directed his gaze to Arianne.Arianne was nonchalantly reading a magazine on
Arienne got up and went upstairs, but stopped again when she was in front of Mark’s room.While Arienne was hesitating, Butler Henry pushed open the door, leaving no room for her to mentally prepare herself.She reflexively averted her gaze from the room. How would she react if she saw something she shouldn’t?“Sir, madam isn’t in good health, so she needs to rest now. Please send the insignificant person to the guest room.” Butler Henry’s tone was humble, yet carried the weight of authority.Mark was smoking a cigarette on the chair before the French window. He merely cast a silent glance at Arianne.“Who are you calling insignificant?” Aery was quick to retort. “Mark dear is still smoking. If you don’t feel well, then why don’t you sleep in the guest room, big sis?”Arienne said nothing. She only looked at Mark.Butler Henry gently nudged her into the room. It was his silent push that reminded Arienne that she shouldn’t continue being a coward. “You’re not fit to sleep in this
Mark mistook her confusion for hope. The anger in his eyes burned even more intensely. He clenched his hands into fists before silently unclenching them again. In the end, he left and slammed the door behind him.As his car drove away from Tremont Estate, Arianne sat on the cold floor with her back against the bedside. She hugged her legs and buried her face in her knees. Maybe that would take some of her loneliness away...Mary came back three days later. “Ari, why did sir choose to go on a business trip during New Years Eve? Didn’t you try persuading him to set aside work for a bit? You must be feeling lonely now that you’re left all alone.”Arianne sat on the sofa and didn’t reply to her. All of a sudden, her phone rang. It was a greeting message from Eric, and a holiday bonus sum attached along with it.Arianne didn’t accept the money. She only replied to him with a smiley face emoticon and attached her letter of resignation. She turned her gaze back to the magazine in her hand