“Do you hope that Alejandro is really Ethan?” Arianne suddenly asked.Mark fell silent, slightly unsure of what she meant when she asked him this question.Having received no reply, she did not continue her question. “I’m going to check on Smore. You should get an early night.”Mark returned to his senses when he heard the room door close. Tonight, he had been abandoned once again. Ever since Aristotle’s arrival, his presence had been relegated into extra space in the house. Even Mary seemed more important than him. At least, Arianne would ask Mary about Aristotle after work every day, and he wasn’t of any use at all! The weekend had finally arrived and Arianne was still the same, her world revolving around Aristotle.A tinge of jealousy rose from within Mark’s heart. How could he possibly sleep in peace now? In the past, he could always call Eric and Jackson to go out for a drink with him. Now, however, Eric was gone and Jackson was busy taking care of the pregnant Tiffany. He had
She could feel his alcoholic breath drawing closer and closer towards her. She turned her head to the said. “What are you doing? Go to sleep if you’re drunk. I’m tired…”He suddenly caught her chin and forced her to look straight at him. Neither of them could see each other’s expressions clearly. Arianne’s heart was still racing. Every time she tried to leave, he would tighten his hold on her. She was left with no choice but to submit to his will. She did not want to show up at work on Monday with bruises.Her soft lips were sealed. Her mind was muddled by the alcohol in his breath. Actually, he was still the same Mark, but for the fact that he had tried his best to put on a face that she liked in front of her. She didn’t know what she did to draw his ire. Was she not supposed to ask that question, or was she not supposed to snatch his liquor glass away?Finally, he broke away. She heaved large, labored breaths to take in some fresh air. She was close to suffocation. Kisses were sup
She strode forward, acting as if nothing had happened, opened his collar, and checked. One look at it and she jumped in fright. For some reason, the area around her bite now had a red, swollen bite mark. It was a ghastly sight.She returned to her senses and asked, “Maybe you should put some medication on that? It’s all red. Your skin must be overly sensitive…”Mark stared at her flirtatiously. “No need, it’ll get better on its own. My skin isn’t usually that sensitive, but it becomes sensitive after alcohol and getting bitten… It’ll be fine tomorrow.”Jackson immediately understood, guessing, “You two have gone overboard with your games…”Arianne blushed. “What are you saying…”Tiffany’s laughter was the most abrupt of all. “Stop pretending. Your pretense only confirms it. We’re all adults here. There’s nothing wrong with some dirty talk, haha…”Jackson changed the topic with a straight face, saying, “By the way, Mark, I have something to do tomorrow morning. Could you take Tiff
Arianne pretended to play with Aristotle. “It must be something work-related. Mark is used to discussing business in the study. Men have a lot of bad habits that will never change. We’ll just have to get used to it.”Tiffany curled her lips. “You’re right. Hey, your husband is taking me to work tomorrow. Are you jealous?”Arianne smiled helplessly. “Why should I be jealous? Of you? A pregnant lady? Of course not. I’d be enraged if it were any other woman, but you? Even if Mark himself drove the car, I’d let you sit in the front seat, no worries… We’re best friends, aren’t we?”Tiffany suddenly peered sneakily towards the staircase and lowered her voice. “Ari, Jackson suddenly asked me a question while we were eating at a restaurant once. He asked if I’d be affected if Ethan came back. Even though he explained that he was trying to figure out if my first love would be unforgettable, it still didn’t feel right. He knows what Ethan has done to me, and he’s never mentioned Ethan in fron
Mark stared at her with a half smile on his face. “Would you like me to take a vaccine too?”The corners of her lips twitched. “Are you really going to treat me like a cat? You’re the one that scared me first! Who told you to drink and fly into a drunken rage?”He looked completely innocent. “When did I go into a drunken rage? I was showing my displeasure. I’ve mentioned it to you before, but you didn’t care about the problem! How could I possibly get drunk with that amount of alcohol? I’ve already mentioned your constant neglect towards me, more than once.”Arianne was immediately rendered speechless. It’s true, he had mentioned it, but she didn’t really pay much attention to it. He had always held a lofty and resolute presence in her eyes. He was loathed to receive anyone’s consoling and also loathed receiving value. He clearly looked down on everyone from the top of the world, but he actually needed her attention?She sighed. “Fine, I won’t do it again. I never thought that you
He told Mark about the results of the report, but Mark seemed skeptical. It could be that Mark had been mentally prepared to find out that Alejandro was actually Ethan, hence the skepticism when he heard of the test results.After thinking about it for a while, Jackson contacted the nurse that had helped him to obtain the blood samples and said, “Did anything happen while you were helping me retrieve the blood samples?”The nurse replied after a moment, “Yes, a man bumped into me. He was a tall man with a slender figure, quite handsome, who is normally with Alejandro. But the blood sample was still in my pocket when I reached out and felt it. I don’t suppose there could be something wrong? Why did you ask me to get Alejandro’s blood sample? Now that I’ve done it for you, shouldn’t you be buying me dinner?”Jackson was dumbfounded. There was no way he could buy her a meal; he was handling some serious business, not courting ladies. “It’s nothing important. Remember, you mustn't tell
After a moment, Don Smith put down the folder and looked at Mark without batting an eyelid. “Mr. Tremont, what’s the meaning of this? I don’t know this man. Who is he to you?”Mark casually tapped on the table with his long fingernail, but his eyes flashed a hint of coldness. His thin lips raised as he spoke. “My father’s bastard.”Don Smith’s heart throbbed in pain as he got slightly agitated, but he retained a straight face and ignored the pain to not prevent any slip ups. “So, this Ethan Connor… He’s your family? Never would I expect that the Tremonts would have a bastard in this area. You would probably know why he disappeared in South Africa, wouldn’t you? Are you… suspecting that he’s alive and has returned here?”Mark snorted emotionlessly. “I’ve recently learned that your grandson, Alejandro, was with Ethan at the same location and had an incident at the same time as well. I never knew that it was public knowledge that Alejandro was a cripple, but now, it seems like there ha
Don Smith’s anger gradually subsided as he listened to what Alonso said. He was right; there were no cowards in the Tremont family, even if he was a bastard. He never would have thought that the person who had pretended to be his grandson was originally a Tremont, but this revelation wasn’t a bad thing to him.When Mark returned home, he did an unprecedented thing. Instead of heading for the shower straight away, he rushed to his study to call Jacson. “I’ve just gotten back from the Smith estate to interrogate Don Smit. He did react when he saw the file on Ethan. I was also able to discern from his behaviour that he knows that the current Alejandro is a fake but chooses to accept and conceal the truth. This could also mean that the real Alejandro Smith is possibly dead. Now that the current Alejandro Smith is under the protection of the Smiths, it won’t be easy to confirm if he really is Ethan.Jackon’s reply was more of a whisper as he said, “Are you serious? Have the Smiths really