When they arrived at the entrance of the elevator, Mark suddenly pushed Arianne against the wall with both his hands beside her, trapping her in between the wall and himself. Mark stared at Arianne straight in the eyes. âHave you and Sylvain always been on such good terms? I allowed you to get close to him so that you could pick up some skills, not so you could have a loverâs argument, especially during working hours.âArianne firmly denied it and said, âWhoâs had a loverâs quarrel? How am I supposed to explain things to Robin if she heard what you just said? We were just fooling around, isnât that what friends do? Are you jealous?âMark slightly turned his head to scan his surroundings. When he saw that no one was around, he lowered his head to kiss Arianneâs lips.Arianneâs first reaction was to push him away. âIâm still recovering from my trip to the dentist, so wouldnât kissing make it even worse? Furthermore, weâre at the officeâs elevator entrance; somebody could show up anyti
Tiffany was like a happy child, burying her face with food and eating very quickly. By the time she was full, Arianne had only just taken a few bites. Tiffany then put down her cutlery. âIâm full already, Jackson. You should eat some yourself instead of feeding me. Not only are you like this at home, but youâre like this when weâre outside as well. Others might misunderstand and think that Iâm torturing you.âJackson slowly removed his disposable gloves and laughed as he said, âWhat do you mean by torture? This is entertainment, but itâs too bad that you will never get to understand the joy from this entertainment. Thereâll never come a day when I need you to take care of me.âArianne suddenly realized that Jackson was slightly dazzling in her eyes. âWho wouldnât fall in love with a man like him? Not only can he manage business on the outside and cook at home, but heâs even able to pamper his wife until she is over the moon. Not only that, heâs handsome as well. Tiffany must have sav
Tiffany was laughing so hard that she almost slid from her chair. âHaha⌠I bet you never saw this coming. Do you feel anxious, Mark? Itâs good that youâre feeling anxious. Letâs see if you still dare to make Arianne unhappy. Youâve never courted her properly in the past, but itâs not too late for you to court her all over again now. In fact, I really do want to see how you court girls. No matter how cool a man is, he still has to bow his head down in front of the woman he loves, he still has to⌠Like how you are now⌠Haha⌠This is so funny!âArianne brought over some food and placed it on Markâs plate. âAll right, I know you arenât actually angry. I was joking as well just now. How could I possibly bear to give you Smore? Come on, letâs eat.âMark was slightly cajoled before he took up his cutleries and began to eat again, deliberately ignoring what Arianne said. Jackson saw an opportunity and butted in. âMark, since when did you become like a sunflower? You brightened up as soon as
Jackson bobbed his chin slightly to mean âokayâ.Watching Mark vanish into the distance, Tiffany could not help but grumble under her breath, âHis goddamned aunt again? For Christâs sake! Honey, you have the patience of a goddess to tolerate this bullsh*t to this extent!âArianne flashed her a faint, slight smile. âTrust me, itâs alright this time. He always does what he promises me, and honestly? If I had no problem enduring this for so long, enduring this a little bit more is nothing.ââŚAs soon as Mark returned to the Tremont Estate, he sprung up the stairs to where Shelly was.Henry was in the middle of wrapping the womanâs hand with bandages. He had been the one to call Mark about what happenedâapparently, in a desperate bid to avoid being institutionalized, Shelly had slit her wrist when none of the retinue was watching.Although her gash had been properly addressed and was now wrapped snugly by rounds and rounds of bandage, there was still a bit of blood staining the outer
Henry whipped his eyes to Mark in the hope of an order. As the days went on, Shellyâs condition consistently nosedived. If they delayed her treatment, they might be setting themselves up for something more baleful.Mark was quiet for a beat before finally giving his verdict. âHenry, send her away right now. You have found and contacted the premier institution for this, yes? Tell them to arrange a personal nursing assistant to look after her, and that I expect only the best care and treatment for her. Finally, keep me posted with updates of her condition.âWith an affirmative hum, Henry left the room and began preparing the ride.Later that day, only Henry and Brian drove Shelly to the institution, as Mark had eschewed seeing her off. He worried that he would regret his decision if he went with them, especially when his stance could not help but soften and wither whenever Shelly mentioned her past of living like a prisoner in a cage, with a look of abject terror and despair.Why did
It was at this moment that Arianne let go her hatred toward Shelly.She loved Mark so much that she could not bring herself to hate anything that was his. If Shelly could recover, Arianne decided that she would not mind living under the same roof as her like family.You cannot cling to the past if you want to live beyond it. If the past is all you care about, then you have doomed your future.She sighed. âIâll stay here by your side, okay? Letâs have the kitchen crew make something for you. After a hearty meal, go to sleep. And throughout this period, Iâll be here with you.âMark said nothing. In his silence, she gently withdrew her hand from his shoulder and turned toward the stairs.âHenry, please tell the kitchen crew to make some fulfilling but simple dishes for him. He hadnât slept at all last night, so he needs all the rest he can get.ââWill he really eat it?â Henry whispered. âWere anyone else to try to talk him into it, he wouldnât possibly have listened. Only you know h
Arianne paused for a beat before clarifying, âActually? She isnât your Grandaunt, because sheâs really your actual Granny⌠Bah, never mind. Youâre too young to get me even if I explained it to you. Just wait till youâre all grown up, and youâll get to dive into all of these juicy, messy things about the world. For now⌠wanna go downstairs and play outside? Your favorite slide is still out there in the yard. Mommy will play with you.âMentioning the slide instantly commanded the young boyâs attention. Living outside the Tremont Estate for so long had made him miss all of the fun doohickeys in his old home.While the boy was knocking his socks off by himself, Mary and Arianne made themselves comfortable on the outdoor lounge chairs. âPhoo, now that a certain someone isnât here anymore,â Mary said in the middle of their causerie, âThe air has never tasted sweeter!ââMaryâŚitâs all in the past now. Letâs not talk about it anymore, okay?â Arianne intoned helplessly. âWho knows if sheâll t
The first thing that came to Arianneâs mind was, âWhy? Youâre planning a wedding between you and Robin?âSylvain smiled cryptically and danced around the answer. âAsk me no questions, mate. Just be my co-conspirator.âArianne deliberately turned her eyes away from the magazine. âNope, you canât make me unless you tell me what this is for. You canât afford to not get my opinion, right? We women know each other the best, pal, which means anything you pick for Robin might not hit her sweet spot. Am I right?ââAlright, alright! Sheesh, itâs true, okay?â Sylvain relented. âRemember how Robin asked for nothing when we married? Lately, Iâve been thinking about it, and Iâve come to the conclusion that you just gotta have an actual wedding, you know? Itâs the kind of thing that usually happens only once in a lifetime; quite a pity if a pretty lady never got to put on a gorgeous bridal gown at least once in her life, man. Sometimes, skipping the ceremonial trappings isnât always the right cal