Arianne couldn’t eat anymore, so she picked up the plate of salmon and went upstairs.Rice Ball seemed to be very fond of salmon. After cleaning the plate in just a flash, the white ball of fluff started rubbing itself against her leg.Kneeling down to stroke Rice Ball’s soft fur, Arianne felt her mood significantly lift. “Little Rice Ball, you were a stray cat before, but why are you this chubby?”A cold snort came from outside the studio. Arianne snapped her head around and caught a glimpse of Mark’s figure passing by followed by the sound of his study room’s door being shut.She didn’t take him seriously and even secretly rolled her eyes. Sometimes, even animals were more humane than humans. At least watching Rice Ball made her happy.After Arianne was done playing with the cat, she went back to the bedroom and slept. Since it was too boring at home, she decided to return to work at her office tomorrow.It was midnight when Mark felt a little tired from sitting in front of his
Arianne was too lazy to be bothered about Mark. She pulled the blanket over her head and proceeded to sleep. All of a sudden, she felt a dip in the bed. Was Mark going to sleep in this room tonight? If she wasn’t mistaken, he came out with only a towel just now.She got up awkwardly and found another quilt. Just like that, the two of them slept the night away on the same bed but under different blankets.The next morning when Arianne got up, Mark was still asleep. His blanket had slipped down to his chest, and she stared at his sexy collarbone with guilt. Although it wasn’t her first time seeing it, looking at it early in the morning still made her blush a deep shade of red.Recalling how he treated Rice Ball last night, Arianne wickedly pulled Mark’s blanket over his head. To further secure it, she even threw her blanket over him so that he could taste the feeling of waking up from suffocation!Having done all that, she happily went downstairs for breakfast and instructed Mary to
Eric, who was about to leave the company, burst out into laughter when he heard what Arianne said. He called Mark as soon as he stepped out of the elevator and repeated what she said without missing a beat.Mark looked impossibly brooding on the other end of the line. “Laugh all you want, Eric. I’ll make laughing impossible for you later. Do you still want that contract signed?”Eric forced himself to stifle his laughter. “Cough, cough… Uh, it has nothing to do with me. I just heard her in the passing. Haven’t I been kind enough to tell you?”The corners of Mark’s lips curled up thoughtfully. “Eric, ask Arianne to sign the contract with me. Otherwise, I won’t be attending the appointment. I won’t meet anyone from your company either, for that matter. You have an hour and a half until office hours end to decide.”All traces of humor left Eric. “Big bro, don’t do this to me. What can I possibly do to Arianne if she refuses to go? Fire her? She’s your wife, what can I do? Besides, she sai
Arriving at the forty-sixth floor of Tremont Tower, Mark Tremont’s secretary, Ellie Amore, placed two pairs of slippers in front of the two ladies. “Please change into these.”Lily changed into the slippers as told, but Arianne ignored the order. Of course, she still knocked before entering the office and only went in after Mark gave permission. She was here to sign the contract, after all, not to quarrel.“Mr. Tremont, this is the contract from our company. You can have a look first. There’s no hurry to sign it. Let’s have a meal together later and you can take the time to consider,” Arianne said with a formal tone.She stood tall and straight with a smile. Other than her shoes that she had not changed, there was no fault.Mark scanned the document that she had passed him seriously, leaning against his chair. His somber front surprised Arianne, as she thought that he would make things difficult for her. It seemed like he really didn’t intend to mix work and personal affairs; although,
When the dishes were served consecutively, a hint of a smile grew more apparent at the corners of Mark’s lips. It felt like a breath of fresh air.Arianne was rather puzzled. Was something wrong with him today? She knew that he always had a façade in front of everyone but something did not feel quite right.After a moment of observation, she picked out a detail. No matter how he smiled in the past, his eyes looked like they were covered with ice. There was no emotion in them. Today, however, even his eyes were beaming…Mark did not come up with absurd requests during the meal, which kept Arianne on edge. The contract was soon signed. The process was so smooth that it felt like a dream to her.It was around eight at night when they exited the restaurant. The night breeze during this season was still a little chilly. Lily asked, “Arianne, are you going back with Mr. Tremont?”Before Arianne could answer, Mark replied, “She’s my missus. Of course she’s going back with me. Ellie, let Miss
Arianne was sober at once. “Which part do you mean?”For a moment, Mark did not know how to reply. After a short period of silence, he heard Arianne faintly say, “The accident’s injury has healed, and the miscarriage surgery was successful too. It stopped hurting a while ago. Aery Kinsey is having fun with a group of friends in the bar now, she must not have gotten hurt in that accident, right?”Mark did not say anything. That marked the end of their conversation.Soon, Arianne’s even breathing could be heard. Mark tucked her in and closed his eyes.The next morning, he woke up feeling like he was being stepped on. There was a distinct weight above him that was stepping around and moving. Opening his eyes, he realized with a startle that it was Rice Ball. The white ball of a body was moving freely on him.Not daring to exhale deeper, Mark carefully stuck his hand into Arianne’s blanket with the intention to wake her up so that she could take care of the lump of fur on him. Unfortunatel
How could Mark not understand what Mary meant between the lines? He pursed his lips before saying, “I’ll be heading out later and won’t be back for lunch. I’ll come home around four in the evening.”Mary hustled out to prepare his clothes for the outing and went to the backyard after that. “Ari, sir is going out shortly and will only be home at four in the evening. Don’t stay in the wind out here. It’s not even a month yet. What if you get other illnesses in the future from being so weak?”Arianne replied in a whisper, “I’ll head inside first. Let Rice Ball in for me after Mark leaves.”Mary nodded and couldn’t help being delighted. It wasn’t for much other than her feeling that Mark was concerned for Arianne. He never told the house staff that he was going out in the past, nor would he inform his return time. Even his dinner at home was an impromptu call back after a spontaneous decision. His anomaly today was obviously for Arianne and Rice Ball’s ‘space’.Just when Mark was prepared
Arianne snorted softly. “It’s a stray cat that I picked up. Mark didn’t allow me to keep it, but I insisted otherwise. After we fought several times, he agreed to allow me to keep it in the yard. I only let it come into the house when he isn’t home.”Tiffany gave her a thumbs up. “You are freaking awesome for having the guts to fight with Mark. I didn’t expect you to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”Not wanting to talk about Mark anymore, Arianne changed the subject. “So, what is this about you having a lot to grumble about and your blood boiling at the mention of your mom?”The expression on Tiffany’s face turned bitter and hateful. “I’m so vexed right now. I feel like the rest of my life is bleak if I’m going to live with my mom. It’s too exhausting… I’m working at Jackson’s company right now and also working part-time at night. Even with two incomes, I can’t support my mom. She just can’t get rid of her obsession with luxury goods and her habit of spending frivolously. Not only th