Brian took Aristotle away when they arrived. This was Shelly-Ann’s first trip to a beauty parlor since her return to the country. She applied for a card with ease; it was clear that she had done a lot of beauty maintenance when she lived outside of the country too.Shelly-Ann frowned when they entered the private room. “Did you have barbecue this afternoon? The smell is a little strong.”Arianne felt awkward. “Yes…” Her entire body was covered with the smell of a barbecue grill. It was a stark contrast to Shelly-Ann’s body fragrance. The barbecue grill smell on Arianne wasn’t bad. It was just that… she smelled like food.When the pair lay down for their facial, Shelly-Ann suddenly asked, “How long have you been with Mark?”Arianne was shocked. Didn’t Mark mention that? However, she had to answer, “We’ve lived together for more than ten years, but if you consider when we really started living together… It’s been a few years.”Shelly-Ann paused then said, “I can tell that he really
Mark planted a kiss on her forehead. “What are you talking about? She doesn’t dislike you, silly. She even told me that you two visited the beauty salon together just earlier today! Frankly, I think you’re just not used to her yet. Give it some time; it will get better, you’ll see. She’s really an easy person to get along with.”Arianne was hard-pressed to answer him. She was averse to going against Mark’s rosy-colored impression of his surviving relative, so she kept quiet and hoped that he was right about things getting better.While her head was still in a knot, Mark’s had moved on to somewhere else. His lips fell onto hers.She shut her eyes, savoring it gladly. The air became warmer and warmer—until a series of rapping on the door grated against the buildup.Mark frowned. “Who is it?”Shelly’s voice came through the door. “I-It’s me, Mark. It’s pouring outside, and there’s this dreadful thunder right now. It’s affecting my sleep. See, I have a bit of a nervous condition, dear
Mark’s answer flowed out of him in a heartbeat. “Of course! She’s our guest. We can’t leave her at home while we have an enjoyable dinner outside, can we? Let’s bring Smore with us later this evening, too! Oh, the joy of a family dinner!”Arianne let out a drawn-out sigh and closed her eyes. Nope, she would not waste any more time talking if she could use it for sleeping. Mark could do whatever he fancied, for all she cared.Arianne’s nap lasted all the way to the late evening, only waking up when Aunt Shelly carried Smore—who, in turn, was brought to the company by Brian—to Mark’s office, introducing quite the commotion in the room.After briefly considering Arianne’s state, Shelly remarked offhandedly, “Hey, I get that you’re awfully tired, but you should take your nap home instead of sleeping in the office. It just doesn’t bode well with the optics. To be clear, as ‘the’ Mrs. Tremont, you don’t actually have a real reason to work, right? So, why keep up a public front of ‘working
That's what she said, yet Mark could not help but suspect Arianne for being insincere.Still, it was not like he knew any brilliant way to mediate between the two women, so he gave up with a sigh. “Alright, then. I hope you mean what you said. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that, well, we ought to communicate if we want to stop things from going awry, right? If you’ve got anything you’d like to talk about, just tell me in private. Most importantly, we, uh, should refrain from starting any sort of fights with Aunt Shelly as much as we could, got that? You’re my woman, Arianne, so it goes without saying that I’ll stand with you. But she’s my aunt, too, and someone I highly respect, at that.”Arianne cocked her eyebrow. “Mm-hmm? You don’t say, Mark. I’m not obtuse, you know. Alright, you done being jittery and hinky now? Then go and chat away with your aunt, lest she starts hounding for you. I’m not good at socializing with people of older generations, so I’d appreciate it if y
Mark was halfway out of his clothes when Arianne asked, so he adjusted himself before considering her. “What sort of business could possibly command such secrecy that you can’t wait to tell me until after I finished my shower?”Arianne leveled him a severe expression. “Mark, this is serious. Have you gone to your study as of today? Did you notice one of your photos missing? The one featuring your parents on their wedding day—it’s gone. Last night, I went downstairs for a glass of water, and I saw your aunt removing that photo from its frame before crumpling it into a ball of waste. And then today, when I went to check, both the picture and the frame were gone,” she explained. “To be clear, I’m not implicating something dark at work here. I’m just asking a question: did your aunt ever have, well, some unpleasant row with your parents before?”Mark’s eyebrows furrowed. “That can’t be, can it? I know little about their affairs, but can’t we infer from the way she treats me that she prob
No children?Arianne was so embarrassed that she could bite off her own tongue. Any mother who bore no child by Aunt Shelly’s age likely suffered from some kind of conditions, and often, her infertility became a source of lifelong grief and emotional pain. Arianne had no business poking whatever wound Shelly might have like that.“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she quickly retracted. “I didn’t know that, uh… Please forget that I asked.”Shelly placidly returned to her meal. “It’s alright. It was a choice I made, actually. Not a fault of my body. Honestly, I’m quite happy not to be fettered by kids and whatnot at this age.”Arianne breathed a sigh of relief. So, Shelly chose not to bear a child instead of being denied the chance out of unfortunate circumstances! Arianne would have accidentally detonated a bomb, otherwise…When dinner was over, Aunt Shelly took Smore outside to play. She invited Mark to join them, but for some reason, the man—who had never said no to his aunt since her a
Before Mary could react, storm clouds poured over Aunt Shelly’s mien. “Ex-cu-se me? Who taught you to call your housekeeper ‘Granny?’ Seriously, a bystander might not have known any better and thought you really were her grandson!”Mary shot Arianne a grimace of discomfort, who herself found Shelly’s irreverent attitude and tone rubbing her off. Still, outwardly, Arianne mustered her patience and explained, “The Tremont family hasn’t had an ‘older gen’ for so many years, and since Mary and Henry have been part of the family for so long, they’re like seniors to us. In this vein, there’s nothing wrong with having Smore call Mary granny, right? At the end of the day, it’s just a form of address. It’s far from the sort of thing up for debate. Come on, Smore. Mommy’s taking you to the shower now.”Shelly was usually self-aware enough to stop before things escalated, but this seemed to be an exception. She simply refused to let go. “The Tremonts haven't had an actual elder until now, you m
Smore nodded like the confused boy he was. “Okay, Mommy... Um, I will listen to everything Mommy says, so please, no more being mad?”Arianne ruffled Smore’s hair. “Oh, Mommy isn’t mad at you, silly. But! I would love it if you play with Granny and be nice to Granny more often from now on, okay? I know Grandaunt has been treating you very kindly, but it would hurt Granny a lot if you stop hanging out with Granny just because of what happened right before. Granny would feel so hurt and even cry in sadness, you know?”While they were talking, Mark pushed open the door to their bedroom and greeted, “Hello! Giving Smore the washing, huh?”Arianne, who was denied the freedom to blow up in Aunt Shelly’s face, instantly decided that Mark was to be the proxy recipient of her fury. She shot him a nasty stink-eye without answering him.The poor man was perplexed. “What the—? What did I do this time?”She sneered. “Oh, you didn’t do anything, alright. Your beloved aunt did it for you. I didn