The after-lunch crowd was filing back into the office at this time. Arianne could not and would not tolerate being made into a joke in front of so many people. Her expression darkened as she said, “Mrs. Ottoman-Sivan, please watch your mouth. I’m a woman with moral integrity, and I’m not afraid of your verbal attacks. You, on the other hand, are humiliating yourself by causing a scene. Would I have allowed him to pick me up from my office if there’s something going on between us? Please use your brain!”Helga sneered and said, “The more public it is, the fishier it seems! You shouldn’t have met in the first place!”Arianne really did not want to continue arguing with Will’s wife, especially with everyone staring at them in shock. “Whatever. Carry on with your delusion then. I have to return to work. Please excuse me.” She marched straight into the building as soon as she finished speaking.Helga did not run after her nor bar her way. Instead, she ran off in a huff.When Arianne ret
Davy had overheard the conversation. He carefully picked up the documents on the floor and said, “Alright, I’ll get to it immediately…”Mark left the office after leaving his instructions and headed straight for Arianne’s office. He sent her a message when he arrived at her office building. “I’m at the entrance. Come down.”Arianne rushed to the window when she received the message and confirmed that Mark had arrived. She panicked. He found out about it so soon? She was slightly afraid of meeting him at that moment. The thought of his angry face terrified her. However, she knew she could not hide from him forever. When she returned home, they would inevitably fight anyway. She had no choice but to ask Mr. Yaleman for the day off before going downstairs.Robin cheered her on before she left. “Don’t be scared, Arianne. You didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”When she arrived outside Mark’s car, she took a deep breath before she opened the door and climbed into
Arianne remained silent. She did not expect Will’s wife to be so aggressive. Not only did his wife humiliate her by causing a big scene, but she even went to Mark’s office to do it. Arianne felt pity for Will. He was such a gentle and elegant man, and yet, he married such an unreasonable and uncouth woman. Moreover, she was not the woman he loved. It seemed like the burden on Will’s shoulders was much heavier than she had imagined.Mark exploded in anger when he saw Arianne keeping quiet. “Say something! What does your silence mean? An admission of guilt?! I’m only in my early thirties, I don’t want to die in anger because of you!”Arianne helplessly said, “What do you want me to say? I’ve said what needs to be said. It’s really just an innocent meal. He asked me out as a friend to catch up. What would you have me do? He’s a nice guy, I can’t find it in me to reject him. As for the past, shouldn’t we face it openly? Running away or hiding only makes us look guilty. I’ve not done anyt
When they entered the office, Mark immediately got back to his work while Arianne took off her shoes and sat on the couch, flipping through a fashion magazine. Occasionally, she would peek at Mark to study his expression. She could tell he was still angry. Although it was not a pleasant expression, at least he was not going to explode in anger. However, his angry gaze still made her uncomfortable.Arianne finally felt slightly more carefree when Mark left to attend one of his meetings. She video called Tiffany on her phone and said, “Tiffany, you wouldn’t believe what just happened. I’m so glad I’m alive and able to talk to you!”Tiffany was in the office. Her gossip radar activated immediately as soon as she heard Arianne’s words. She snuck to the stairwell away from prying eyes and ears. “What’s going on here? Who would dare to put their hands on you? Is it Mark?”Arianne nodded her head fiercely. “Will came to my office earlier in the morning. He asked for your number and asked m
By the time Mark was done with his meeting and had returned to his office, he was shocked to find Arianne had fallen asleep on the couch. Although the radiator was turned on in the office, it would still be cold to sleep without a blanket. He walked up to wake her up. “I’m done with my work, let’s go eat.”Arianne opened up her eyes and sat up in a daze. She felt a little dizzy, and her nose was runny. Who knew that taking a nap for such a short while would give her the cold. She really felt that she was weak and too prone to catching a cold. “What… What time is it?”Mark held out his wrist in front of her and pointed at the time on his watch. “What time is it? It’s after working hours now. Did you catch a cold?”Arianne sniffed. “I think so, but it’s not a big deal. Let’s go.”The moment they stepped out of the company, Arianne was hit by a gust of cold wind and shivered. She instinctively shrank into Mark’s embrace. “It’s so cold!”Mark grinned. He reached out and grabbed her sh
Mark was slightly unhappy at Arianne’s simple response. “Are you that eager to see me go on a business trip? I’ll be gone for a week, don’t you have anything to say about it at all?”Arianne shook her head earnestly. “I have no objections. Why would I object to you going on a business trip? Don’t worry, I’ll stay at home. One week will fly past in just a blink of an eye. It’s not like you’ll be away for more than a month. I’m sure you’ll still be busy during the festive seasons. Well, regardless, we have to be together for our New Year Reunion at least. Saying that, I can understand that you’re busy most of the time throughout the year.”Mark was lost in his thoughts for a moment before he decided to bring up a sensitive subject. “If I find out that you meet Will again while I’m away, things won’t end the way they did today.”Arianne lowered her head and drank her soup. She had some opinions but did not dare to verbalize it. She only said, “Quit nagging. The food’s getting cold.”A
Mark’s eyes had a meaningful look to them. With that, Arianne had a vague idea of the box’s content. She felt her face grow hot. She took the box with her to the bathroom and opened it. She had guessed correctly. It was a very special set of pajamas. To be more precise, it was black silk lingerie. The more she looked at it, the hotter her face burned.Naturally, she was not bold enough to walk out in just the lingerie. She wore a bathrobe over it, feeling uncomfortable. She had stalled for time in the bathroom, wasting forty minutes in there, before she finally emerged from the bathroom. If she were not afraid of incurring Mark’s wrath, she would have stayed longer in there.The moment the bathroom door opened, she met Mark’s gaze. She saw his eyes flashed in anticipation before it vanished immediately as soon as he saw her dressed in a bathrobe.“Take off your bathrobe.”She shook her head and refused, “I don’t… I haven’t worn this kind of apparel before, and I feel uncomfortable
He did. As expected, he had actually forgotten to give it to her last night. However, it seemed like not all of the presents were for her… She only found the necklace. The pair of earrings that signified a perfect love was nowhere to be found. He even left her a note. ‘I got this gift for you, but it slipped my mind, and I forgot to give them to you last night. I’d like to see you wearing it when I come home.’She did feel not happy, most likely because the earrings were not there. Should she ask him about it or should she feign ignorance?Mary strode over, carrying Aristotle, while Arianne was lost in her thoughts. “Ari, what are you doing? You didn’t check on the baby when you arrived. What are you daydreaming about?”Arianne regained her senses and took Aristotle into her arms. “It’s nothing. I’ll take Smore for a walk downstairs. Call me when it’s time to eat.”Mark video-called her during her walk in the garden.She held the phone with one hand, facing the camera toward Arist