Helen nodded, expressing the gravity of the situation. “I used to think… that you were only being courteous. So… I avoided bothering you too much. My little sickness isn’t much of a problem. You don’t have to visit me so often. I’ll visit you in the next few days and see how much Smore has grown.”So that explained it. Helen believed that she was simply being courteous to her. That’s why she had avoided visiting her so often. Arianne now understood. “I don’t like indulging in courtesy, and I dislike hypocrisy. You should rest. I’ll be on my way now.”Helen escorted her to the door, personally. “Be careful.”The gentleness on Helen’s face remained as she watched her leave. Years of hurt and pain were finally over.Aery suddenly strode forward. “Mom, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. Could we have a meal with Arianne and my brother-in-law? I haven’t met my nephew yet…”Helen’s expression immediately turned cold. “There’s no need for that. The very thought of your brother-in-law be
She bit her lips and giggled. “If you say so. I won’t object. That Janice Bell, is she still in the company?”Mark squinted his eyes, bent down, and inched closer toward her. He placed his hands on the front of her body, as if ready to push her down at any moment. “She’s probably still around… Have you been thinking about her?”She raised an eyebrow. “I was just asking. Aren’t you overthinking? Go and get your work done. We’ll go home together when you’re finished.”He didn’t release her and continued his oppressive stance instead. He even moved closer toward her. They were now so close that they could feel each other’s breaths. He could see her delicate cheeks oh-so-clearly. They were so fair that he could see the green veins beneath her skin. When she lifted her chin, his gaze trailed downward—it was her smooth neck that released a delightful fragrance, drawing him into a continued reverie.Upon realizing that their situation had gotten too flirtatious, Arianne’s cheeks heated up
Arianne was stunned. So it was alright for him to bring another lady with him since he had informed earlier? Although the objective was clear, who could guarantee that nothing would happen? Who was to say that he wouldn’t have too much to drink or have too much fun, and something happened because of it? No matter how she thought about it, she still felt uneasy.“Tiffany can’t go because she’s pregnant, but I can. I’m not afraid of danger. Even if Alejandro is Ethan, he didn’t harm me when I had met him privately, right? I should help Tiffany keep an eye on Jackson. I’m worried that Jackson wouldn’t be able to control himself…”Mark rubbed his chin with one hand and laughed. “It’s obvious that you yourself are worried, yet you used your best friend as an excuse, saying you intend to stalk her husband. To be honest, I can’t let you come with me. I won’t let you take even the slightest risk. Listen to me, you sit here and wait while I get to work.”Arianne could tell that there was no
The water from the showerhead continuously fell onto them—her drenched clothes had also been cleanly removed. She couldn’t open her eyes for a while since water had gotten into them. At that moment, the embarrassment she felt was no longer important. She only wanted to grab a towel and wipe off the water in her eyes since she felt insecure without her sight.She reached out her hand to get a towel based on her memory, but Mark had grabbed her hand before she could get it. She did not dare to push him away since the floor was slippery and begged him due to the insecurity. “I’ve got water in my eyes, hand me the towel, please… I can’t see…”He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “You can hold onto me if you’re scared, I’m here…”She knew that he was doing it on purpose and replied to him with a slightly urgent tone, “Stop fooling around. I’m feeling very uncomfortable, hurry up and hand me a towel!”Very soon, a towel had been placed on her hands. She heaved a sigh of relief a
Arianne found it both frustrating and funny. She had been wondering what had happened between her and Smore—so Mark had been the problem all along. She seemed to recall that she had not fed Smore his milk last night. Mark had secretly used the reserved milk to feed Smore, right? How did he not find it tedious! Smore had been brainwashed by his father’s nonsense!She furiously stormed into the room. Smore was shocked by the sudden loud noise. His eyes stared at her innocently, his lips curved. Arianne did not have the time to care for Smore and immediately rushed up and grabbed a pillow before slamming it onto Mark. “How could you! I knew I shouldn’t have left Smore with you for the night! I had never known you to be so cunning?!” she said.Mark saw that he had been exposed and said with a straight face, “I’m just worried that he’s too attached to you, and you’d be exhausted because of it. My methods may not have been right, but at least the result’s the same, right? Look, I’m putting
She grumbled, “Who’s going to be your partner for the day? Can you tell me? Since she’s going to be your partner, you will definitely have to have some form of body contact, holding onto your arm, to say the least… So I should have the right to ask, right?”Mark helplessly said, “Isn’t it manners to hold onto our arms? Relax, I will do my best to avoid any form of body contact. I’m not sure who my partner is since I’ve left it to Jackson to arrange. My guess is that she’s probably a university student hoping to earn some cash as part-time, so it should be a simple case of trading. There’s really nothing for me to tell you because I don’t know her. Jackson has always been the one who is most familiar with women.”Arianne snorted without saying anything else.Mark had dropped her off at their house door before driving off. The time was a little past three, and she was thinking if she should give Tiffany a call when Mary suddenly showed up to welcome her. “Madam, your mother is here. S
Arianne asked, “Did she actually mention it?”Helen did not conceal the truth and said, “Yes, that’s why I’m reminding you. Whatever it is, she’s my daughter. But she’s got nothing to do with you, so you don’t have to go soft on her.”To be honest, Arianne liked Helen’s character, not everyone was able to break down all aspects of a situation as clearly as she did. Helen had many merits that not many people would have apart from being a strong, independent, and beautiful woman, and those outstanding traits had made her very attractive. Otherwise, her father would not have been infatuated by her.At Mark’s side, it was past six in the evening. Mark arrived at the luxurious ball event, which was a front for a big party organized by familiar faces, the only difference was that everyone was dressed gentlemanly and more elegantly. Of course, the elegance was just on the surface, as there were a lot of dark shenanigans at play there. Mark had never liked to attend events like these. The m
After receiving the private room number? Jackson eagerly abandoned Janice and rushed right over. At the same time, he informed Mark via text message.Alejandro had been recuperating at home due to his leg wound, so he had no chance to approach him. This time, he wasn’t going to let him slip away!He pushed the door open, and the room went silent. Aside from Alejandro and a fat, oily man, there were two bodyguards and a few scantily-clad women. Jackson eyed Alejandro. “Tell everyone to leave, or else.”Alejandro stared at him calmly. He waved his hand, and the bodyguards and women got up and left. The fat old man tactfully left when he saw this as well.“Your information network is efficient. You’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you? Is Tiffany aware that you’ve brought a date?” Alejandro poured himself a glass of wine, completely calm.Jackson balled his hands into fists. “You knew that I’d find you here, so why come? Lynn didn’t fall to her death because she lost her footing. You