Arianne’s mind was in a mess. She momentarily lost the ability to make any decision. All she could think about was investigating whatever happened that year. “This… Let’s not talk about that yet. I have to do a complete investigation of the matter concerning my father. I’ll have a good look at this letter tonight after work. I’ll pay a visit to the address on this letter and see this “Mr. Sloane” this weekend. Perhaps everything will be clear then. “Tiffany nodded. “That’s a good idea too. Get this sorted out first, don’t think of anything else for now. You have a little one in your belly now. Don’t go alone, I’ll come with you. I don’t think this address is anywhere in the city. I’ll worry if you go alone.”Arianne returned to the office after her meal but couldn’t concentrate on work. Every word in that letter provoked her emotions. She was sorely tempted to immediately uncover whatever happened that year. Who was this “Mr. Sloane” in the letter? How could he have possibly known a
After confirming that crabs were not completely off limits, but should only be eaten in moderation, she relaxed. She had been particularly interested in seafood as of late.At the dinner table, Arianne ate two crab legs and stopped eating any more crabs. Instead, she focused on eating other dishes.“Is the taste not to your liking, Madam?” Mary asked when she saw this.Arianne shook her head, “No, they’re delicious.”Mary frowned, “Based on the amount of prawns you’ve previously had, this crab shouldn’t be enough for you. You should have some more…” Mark did not like seafood, so if Arianne didn’t eat them, they would be thrown away. Mary was both hardworking and thrifty in running their household, so her heart ached at the thought of waste.Arianne glanced at Mark and awkwardly explained, “I don’t really feel like eating today…”This was the only excuse she had to fumble through the situation. Hence, she was too afraid of asking for a second helping and was only half full.After
Arianne trembled in fright, causing some soup in the bowl to spill out, scalding her. She gritted her teeth and rushed towards the coffee table in the dining room, which was much closer. Then, she put down the bowl. Of course, that meant that she put it in front of Mark. The soup splattered into every direction. The disgust on his face was obvious.She summoned her courage and pulled out a few pieces of paper towels. Then she wiped the soup clean under his watchful gaze. “What are you doing back so early?”Mark paused, got up and headed upstairs. “It’s 1AM.”Arianne bit her lips and did not reply. Her scalded hand was in great pain. To her, his return was simply too early. She had initially believed that he wouldn't be coming back at all… After her meal, she washed everything clean then walked around the living room for a while before heading back to the room.Mark was dressed in house clothes and was sitting in front of the French windows with a cigarette in between his fingers.
”Hello, vice chairman.”Tiffany spiritedly turned her head towards the door, following the uniformed direction of gazes from everyone in the office.As a newcomer, it was required of her to give her superiors a good impression. However, when her eyes landed on Jackson’s frivolous expression, she wanted to die. “What kind of vice chairman is he?” she asked someone next to her, muffling her voice.“The boss’s son. Our vice chairman. He manages the entire company. The old chairman is now an arm-flinging shopkeeper. Bright Incorporated is the West family’s head office…”Tiffany couldn’t hear the rest of whatever her colleague had said, nor was she in the mood to listen anyway. She never thought that she’d end up in Jackson’s grasp. She had fully intended on leaving a good impression on her superior, but it seemed like there was no need for it now. After everything she’s been through, it was obvious to her that Jackson West did not have a good impression of her. It would be impossible t
Arianne spotted Tiffany sitting by the window with one glance when she arrived at the restaurant. She recollected her emotions then slowly walked towards her and sat down.Before she could begin, Tiffany began jabbering on and on, “I’m done for, I’m done for. I thought that I had found a good job, but I never thought that my boss would turn out to be Jackson West! I’ve knocked into his car and said a few hateful words to him too. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t hold a grudge! I definitely won’t last very long in his company. I might as well pack up and leave instead of waiting for him to fire me…” Arianne was a little rattled. She was thinking about Ethan’s reasons for seeking her out. If she gave this card to Tiffany, she would undoubtedly believe that Ethan was doing well in life, the kind of life that meant that he could spend millions without batting an eye. There was no greater slap in the face than telling someone that their ex was much better off than they were… Tiffany g
Tomorrow, she would finally get to clear up things with ‘Mr. Sloane’ who sent the letter. Perhaps after that, she would finally be able to sit with Mark and enjoy a peaceful meal together...After dinner, Arianne strolled around the garden before she went back and laid down in her room. Since the pregnancy made her easily fatigued, Arianne turned in early for the day. The quality of her sleep was better than ever, so she didn’t even realize that Mark had come back and taken a shower. It was only when she stirred awake in the middle of the night that she realized that Mark had been sitting in front of the French window all this while.“You’re back…?” she asked in a daze.Mark didn’t respond but she didn’t care. She only wanted to take care of her personal business as quickly as possible so that she could return to her warm blanket.As she headed toward the door, his cold voice suddenly rang out. “Why did Ethan give you money?”Arianne stopped in her tracks as her mind suddenly beca
Three hours of train ride was neither a long nor short journey. The moment the train stopped, Arianne immediately stood up with her backpack, feeling eager to get off. Tiffany followed closely behind her. “Hey, slow down! You still have a little one in your tummy!”It was almost noon when they reached a small, dilapidated town based on the address. This was where the letter was sent. The entire town was lifeless. Aside from a few elderly people tottering along the streets, they didn’t really see any energetic young people around.The economy of the town was bad so the young people were mostly working in the surrounding cities, leaving only the elderly behind.After making several enquiries, they finally arrived at ‘Mr. Sloane’s house’. A two-story house that was so run down that it looked inhabitable greeted their sights. The front door with overgrown weed was left ajar. It seemed like no one had lived here for a long time.Arianne couldn’t shake off the bad feelings in her heart.
She refused to believe that Mr. Sloane was dead. How could a dead person send a letter?“Stop thinking about it for now, Ari. Let’s take this matter slowly. I’ll help you analyze it too. I passed this letter to you shortly after I received it. Given the distance from here to the capital, it wouldn’t take a long time for the letter to be received. The sender must be alive, or at least, when he sent the letter. He might have used an invalid address to send the letter because he didn’t want you to find out where he lives now. Hmm, I’m not quite sure what’s going on here, but Mr. Sloane is definitely not dead. Don’t be discouraged. Since he sent the first letter, he will send another one for sure. We’ll just have to wait! He may not want us to track him down, but he can’t just leave us hanging like that, right?” Tiffany tried her best to comfort Arianne.“Don’t worry, I’m fine, Tiffie. I’ve waited for so many years, I can continue waiting… I’m fine really…” Arianne put the photo away and