At that moment, Arianne had a serious thought as to what would happen in the future. In the past, when Shelly was still healthy, it was very likely for her to move out and live elsewhere. However, now that she’d lost her mobility and was most likely going to be a cripple forever, without any hope of recovery, it was very likely that she would have to live in Tremon Estate forever.Arianne was in no position to object. Shelly was in that situation because she had saved Mark. She had just joined Tremont Enterprises not too long ago but was already in such a situation. It would be impossible for her to continue working there when she was unable to move with one leg. Mark owed it to her, so he should naturally take care of her.At midnight, Arianne set her alarm to wake up later in the night to check and see if Shelly needed any assistance.As she walked to Shelly’s room in a daze later, right before she was about to knock on the door, she suddenly heard Shelly’s voice from inside the r
Shelly muttered something very softly and Arianne could not make out what she was saying. Just when she wanted to ask in more detail, Shelly had already passed out on the floor and was completely drunk.Arianne had to put in a lot of effort to try and put her to bed. When she returned to her bedroom, she had a very hard time keeping her eyes open and dozed off to sleep very quickly.The next day, when Arianne woke up, Mark was already gone. She looked at the time and realized that it was past 10 AM. Arianne thought that she might as well lay down for a while longer and procrastinate since she was late for work anyway. Arianne had not been able to get to work on time since Shelly’s incident.When she walked downstairs, she saw that Shelly had a children’s storybook in her hands and was reading to Smore. Shelly seemed much kinder whenever she was with either Mark or Smore. Smore seemed to like her company as well, since he could sit quietly beside her and listen to her story intently.
What could she possibly not dare to say? Arianne casually said, “You can tell me if you want to. I’m listening. There couldn’t be anything that you wouldn’t dare to say. I’m sure it’s nothing terrible, is it? I truly hope that you’d feel better with a peace of mind once you’ve gotten rid of everything from your chest. Frankly, you’ve got a really strange personality—you’re truly kind and sweet when you’re in a good mood, but anyone would have to be very careful around you when you’re in a bad mood.”Shelly shook her head. “Alright, enough of this. Mark brought me to the hospital for my checkup and to get an X-ray scan this morning. He should be retrieving the report this afternoon. I really hope that my leg will heal, or otherwise, I can only rely on Mark to carry me around for the rest of my life. I don’t want to become a burden to him.Mark returned home with Shelly’s report in his hands after 1 PM. He headed straight to his bedroom with a dark expression and asked Arianne to follo
Mark walked towards Shelly and stopped in front of her before kneeling down. He took her hand and said, “Aunt Shelly, how much have you suffered in the past? Did that man lay a finger on you? Why didn’t you leave him?”Shelly’s face instantly turned pale as though she had flashbacks of the past. A hint of horror flashed through her eyes. “What are you talking about…?”Mark’s grip on Shelly’s hand slightly tightened. “Aunt Shelly, we’re your family, so there’s nothing that you can’t tell me. I just want to understand your past and know why you’re mentally ill when you should be living a normal and happy life instead.”Shelly panicked and struggled to remove his hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop asking! I’m fine now… really… please stop asking…”Mark paused for a moment. Arianne, knowing that he was being soft-hearted, gritted her teeth before she said, “Aunt Shelly, what are you hiding from us? It’s only us here, so you can talk to us. You’ll feel much better if yo
Shelly was dumbstruck. “What, that bastard’s made some impressive name for himself already? Why else wouldn’t he be seduced by the sheer wealth and power of Tremont Enterprise, huh?” she questioned. “Do the two of you talk to each other sometimes? Maybe you should invite him to dinner and let me check him out.”Arianne was at a loss of what to say, but Mark saved her from answering altogether. “It’s fine. We aren’t exactly good buddies.”How would Shelly react after knowing Mr. Tremont’s supposititious son went on to become Alejandro Smith, who now also possessed shares in Tremont Enterprise? One thing was for sure—she would be very, very miffed. The entire event would still be too convoluted to expatriate even if Arianne or Mark tried.Thankfully, Shelly did not insist on her idea. “Fine, then. I hate the bastard just for existing, anyway, so maybe it’s better if I don’t see his face. He’s a living reminder of that disgusting affair between your father and some wild, uninhibited wo
Melanie might have brought up points of curiosity in passing without considering the possibility of chicanery, but Alejandro brought that under focus. If the lighting accident was manufactured, then who could have been behind it? What could their goal be?Was it… to kill Mark Tremont?Melanie drew in a sharp breath. “Alex, listen to me. You can bicker with him all you want, but he’s still your brother. You better not just stand there and not help.”Alejandro furrowed his eyebrows. “And I’ve started seeing him as my brother since when, exactly? If the man himself isn’t worried, then why the hell should I be? I’m not in a hurry to brownnose him. Besides, the one who got hurt is his aunt, so he’s probably already onto the whole thing already, right? Hell, I bet they’ve concluded it as nothing more than an accident. And what if it really was just some freak accident, huh? It’s a thing that happened like what, a while ago or whatever. Who’s into reopening a case?… If you’re so worried ab
Mark could hear the undertone in Arianne’s question and held her gaze. “If there’s something you’d like to suggest, then say it out front, please,” he stated candidly. “Ever since Aunt Shelly’s accident, I’ve been bogged down by not just work but also her recovery. I could spare no more energy to postulate if that incident were a ploy or an accident or God-knows-what-else. The way I see it, the whole thing has the hallmarks of a typical freak accident, and isn’t that what these things are wont to do? Misfortune is a lottery sometimes. We can’t start suspecting that everything in the world is out to get us just because something like that happened once or twice before. Being overtly allergic like that can’t be good.”Arianne sighed quietly. “It’s Melanie. She called me moments earlier, and I think she wanted to bring this to attention. So, I brought it up to you; that’s all there is to it. If you really lack the time, then you don’t have to investigate this, okay? We’ll let bygones be
Shelly, gleaming the subdued aggravation in Mark’s eyes, decided to stop. “Alright, alright. Go ahead. Brian’s gone home, hasn’t he? Be careful while driving, okay?”She looked out of the window and watched Mark’s car vanish into the distance, the softness in her mien gradually receding. Finally, she summoned Mary to her.The housekeeper balked at any interaction with her, so she made no attempt at hiding her irritation. “What is it, Mrs. Leigh? I’m in the middle of cleaning duty.”Shelly sized Mary up before exposing her guise with a deadpan expression. “Please, you’re just looking for a way out of talking to me, aren’t you? All you do all day is take care of Smore for a while; you’re not even required to do much actual housekeeping. But of course, that is neither here nor there. I just wanna ask you something, so why don’t you take a seat?”Mary reacted by straightening her back and standing tall. “No, I’m not gonna,” she declared in a steely tone. “I’m just a lowly worker who ha