To Arianne, a question as direct as that was like a sharp knife stabbing through her heart. She took a deep breath and answered, “Yes, it’s a fact that the boat sank. However, it’s still too early to say if he’s actually in trouble or not. At least, there’s no… body... “The policewoman raised an eyebrow. “It’s pretty much confirmed that he’s in trouble given the circumstances. How much do you know about this incident?”Arianne, not liking how the policewoman was being so direct with her words, began to feel angry. She tonelessly said, “Only one person who was with Mark returned safely from the ship—the CEO of Smith Enterprises, Alejandro Smith. Alejandro said that the ship sank due to the storm. He found that all the life rafts had been destroyed deliberately when he was trying to flee.”The policewoman continued to question her. “So, it was no mere accident that the ship sank? What do you think about the news reports that have been going around on the internet?”Arianne answered
The policewoman did not know what she was thinking prior. She gave a sigh and said, “The police will arrange for Alejandro to go through a DNA test with regards to the rumors going on around the internet. If he is actually an illegitimate son of the Tremonts… things would become complicated, which I’m sure you are already well aware of.”Arianne did not say anything. Alejandro’s involvement would definitely complicate matters. However, aside from his true identity, the police would not be able to secure any other evidence, hence they would not be able to judge Alejandro, in the end. The fact was, Mark had gone out to sea with Alejandro and only the Smith’s ship had sunk. What was obvious was that the ship had not sunk by natural means, which was evident because of the sabotaged life raft that ultimately caused the demise of the passengers on the ship. The revelation of Alejandro’s identity would make her become the prime suspect. However, other than having to face the pressure from pu
Jackson found it a bit hard to bring the words to his mouth. “Cheer up, Arianne. We haven’t received any news about Mark’s death, so wouldn’t it be likely that he’s still alive? Also, I heard that you were taken to the police station along with Alejandro for questioning. How was it? Did they mistreat you? The person who posted the news was very careful, so I’m unable to pick up any useful information on him at the moment. I’ve even ruled out all the suspects, but I haven’t got any leads at the moment. The truth that Alejandro is Ethan must never be revealed now. It didn’t matter when it was revealed in the past, but now’s definitely not the time. It would be very troublesome and you will definitely be dragged into it. The whole world now thinks that you and the Tremonts’ illegitimate son are the ones who have killed Mark.”Arianne said in a daze, “Alejandro’s been taken by the police to get his DNA tested. I did not wait around for his results to be released.”Tiffany was shocked. “H
Tragedies and accidents are so common, they are happening at any moment and anywhere in the world. It’s easy to gloat and laugh at others when such incidents do not happen to oneself. However, when it does, the amount of despair and helplessness they have to suffer is very tortuous. Jackson, Sylvain, and Robin left together after staying until midnight, leaving Tiffany and Plato to accompany Arianne at the Tremont estate.The next day, Arianne had gone to the office. She could clearly feel the strange gazes the employees of the office gave her thanks to the news report, some even gazes of disgust. Given the chance, the latter ones would probably want to criticize and hit her badly, wouldn’t they? Humans are sometimes very foolish beings, choosing to believe such ungrounded rumors. There is a saying that some people just like to watch the world burn.Arianne ignored everything around her and headed towards Mark’s office directly, shutting herself in solitude. Summer had arrived at
Arianne clenched her fist and shook her head. “It’s fine, please brief me everything later since you’re able to understand. I’m having a bad… headache.”Summer nodded her head and looked at the screen, turning her focus to the meeting. However, Summer herself was having a hard time coping with the meeting as well, since she had not followed Mark’s management style previously. Further, Summer was too aged to be able to get used to such modern working styles. Summer was mentally exhausted from listening to the agendas of the meeting. Evidently, it was not only Arianne who was having a hard time, but Summer as well. Throughout the meeting, Summer only half understood everything that was discussed and needed to estimate what the employees had presented. Back at the office, both women went through each other’s notes of the meeting and managed to understand the majority of what had happened in the meeting.At night, Summer followed Arianne back to the Tremont Estate because she wanted to
Helen was good at hiding her emotions, just like Arianne. No matter how sad she was, she would be perfectly capable of acting as if nothing had happened. Arianne had already sobbed herself into a puddle of tears. If Helen were to burst into tears now, it would only make the situation even sadder. Helen could only play the part of a listener and consoler.This time, Helen did not leave so soon after her return. She decided to stay in Tremont Estate for a while. Arianne needed her now.Life has a cruel way of making people face reality. In the third month after the shipwreck, Arianne was still in pain over Mark’s death. She now completely believed that he was not coming home anymore. He couldn’t bear making her and Aristotle wait for so long, if he were still alive…On a day when it wasn’t snowing, a moderately sunny afternoon, she locked everything related to Mark into a lonely room. She needed to move on from this trauma with Aristotle and face the future. For example, if she didn’t
Seaton nodded. “That’s good… I thought that a lonely little woman like yourself would be helpless. You’ve really impressed me. I’ve read the comments about you on the internet. Don’t mind them. Just don’t look at them. What you don’t see won’t hurt you.”“I know, I can’t be bothered to read them,” Arianne replied courteously. “It’s all just slander with different names. Not enough to make me hit the ceiling.”“Those rumors on the internet… They’re fake, aren’t they?” Seaton suddenly asked in a careful tone.Arianne stared at Seaton for a few seconds. “You can’t possibly think that they’re real, could you?”Seaton smiled. “Why would I? I’m just asking. I’d never believe that you’d do such a thing. I’m just suspicious of Alejandro’s identity. The Alejandro I knew was a cripple. The current Alejandro has a good pair of legs. Is he really not the Tremonts’ b*stard? I’m merely curious. Mark and I used to talk about everything, but he hadn’t been able to update me on much, due to our dis
Seaton nodded. “That’s right, sell it. It would be much easier on you. You looked so much better back when we met at the party. I’m just concerned that you’d end up breaking down. If you want to sell Tremont Enterprises, I can help you.”“No need,” Arianne promptly refused. “Thank you for your kind offer, but I won’t sell Tremont Enterprises. Mark left it behind. I’ll take good care of it.”Seaton paused then got up. “Alright then. I’ve gotta go. Goodbye.”Arianne got up and walked him to the door. She waited until he was long gone before reaching up and putting her hand over her chest. Her heart was beating wildly!She shakily called Alejandro and Jackson, asking them to come over immediately. Tiffany happened to be carrying Plato downstairs and found her clutching her phone strangely. “What are you doing?” she asked apprehensively.“I know who killed Mark!” Arianne replied in a trembling voice.Tiffany widened her eyes. “Who?”Arianne didn’t answer. She was trembling all over,