Arianne pulled Tiffany into her arms. “Don’t… Tiffie… Just cry if you must. There has to be a misunderstanding. Jackson isn’t that kind of a man. I’m certain of that. Let’s have a calm discussion when he returns, okay?”Tiffany pushed Arianne away, completely losing it. However, she did not use too much force. “What’s there to talk about? I saw it with my own eyes. Why must I give him the chance to lie to me and cover up his actions? I saw it with my own eyes. Why should I lie to myself and tell myself that it’s only a misunderstanding? Ari, I can tolerate many things, but this is the one thing I can’t accept. You know me… Didn’t I break up with Ethan because he indirectly admitted to having another woman on the side? Do you know how I felt at the time? My family went bankrupt, my father died, and I was cheated on. It felt like the sky had fallen on me… Jackson West was not the man who pulled me out from the abyss. He is not!”After many years of friendship, Arianne was well aware of T
Jackson’s chest was heaving. After a long silence, he finally said, “Is that what you think of me? I’ve made it very clear to you that I’m not in the habit of cheating…” Why would she not believe him?Tiffany stared at him with tears in her eyes as she forced herself to stay calm. “Yes, you’ve mentioned that. I remember. But the truth is, you did. Don’t worry, I don’t plan on fighting with you. It’s useless at this point. I’ll return the money from the dowry to you as soon as possible. I don’t want anything from the Wests. I’ll tell everyone it’s a mutual decision. After all, we were once in love. I won’t breathe a single bad word about you to anyone.”Jackson did not expect Tiffany who was usually carefree to have such a determined side to her. She made a clean break when discussing canceling their engagement and had even planned on how to deal with the aftermath. Her deathly calm expression told him it was truly over. There was no turning back. Her pressing on at every stage, her dis
Her silence confirmed the truth to Lillian, who began a garrulous spiel. “You saying that he used to be a playboy was bad enough; he’s only been an honest man for a short while. Your father and I have always hated this sort of thing. Your father has always taught you to be honest from a young age and never to fool around until you’re married. Even when you have someone, you should never be indecisive. I’d been with your father for many years and I never noticed anyone else. I only thought of marrying again after his death. How could Jackson do this? But… Are you really canceling the engagement? It makes sense… These kinds of things are intolerable. You aren’t even married yet and already he’s doing such things. There will be many more days ahead, so how could you possibly stand this? I can’t watch you jump into a fiery pit. I’ll give you the ATM card right now!”Tiffany forcibly held back her tears. She did not cry at the Tremont Estate, and she couldn't cry now. At least, Lillian unde
Summer wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye and sobbed. “Can you at least tell us why? Even if you don’t want to be together, you can still keep working at the company. It’s fine… You’re like a daughter to me.” At this point, something hit her. “Are you angry at me? I’m aware of the issue between Lynn and Jackson. I let Lynn into the house to provoke Jackson into bringing you back to the house to visit me and the sad old man. I was only acting; I’ve already sent Lynn away…”Tiffany shook her head. “That’s not it… It has nothing to do with you.”Summer’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Then why? I couldn’t seem to call you, and I was completely stupefied when I saw your message. I went to see Jackson, but he’s been holed up in that villa in White Water Bay, like you, as if he’s lost his soul. I talked to him for nearly half the day, yet he still refused to answer me! I’m not leaving until you’ve given me your reason!”Tiffany took a deep breath. “I was raped. This happened before Jack
Smith Manor.Alejandro seemed to be in a pretty good mood. He delicately sipped on the different red wines in front of him as Lynn carefully served him by his side.“I never expected for this matter to be settled so quickly. Now, I have a whole new level of respect for you, Lynnie.”Lynn smiled. “I was just lucky. I never thought that it’d be so quick either.” What surprised her even more was how sensitive Tiffany was towards this “betrayal”. Alejandro actually knew Tiffany like the back of his hand.The bandages on Alejandro’s face had been taken off. He wore a baseball cap that covered half of his face. Faint markings of surgery could be seen on his face, as he wasn’t completely healed. “Looks like starting the attack from Tiffany was the right decision. Much easier than destroying Jackson’s ego. Everyone has a deadly weakness. How very interesting. Lynnie… What do you think my weakness is?”“You have no weakness,” Lynn replied instantly.Alejandro smirked and gently swirled the wine
Tiffany eyed him suspiciously. “‘Same as ever’? I don’t think we’ve met before. Don’t act like you know me so well. Not even my own mother knows me that well…”Alejandro didn’t answer and simply stared quietly at her.They locked eyes. Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat. Why did those eyes look so familiar to her? She couldn’t quite describe this feeling. It was as if… they had known each other for a long time. She instinctively lifted her hand to take off his mask, but he turned away with a straight face. “My face hasn’t completely healed, so I’m afraid that I might scare you. I’ll let you look at me as much as you want when I come back to the country.”Tiffany lowered her head, realizing that she had forgotten her manners. “I’m sorry… The last time you treated me to a meal, you only watched me eat. Would it be the same this time as well? You’ve really interpreted the words “treating me to a meal” perfectly…”Alejandro refused to comment, tacitly agreeing to her statement.Tiffany wasn’t
Time flew. Onward came the night before Easter — a time when some families gather for a lovely, hearty meal. At Arianne’s insistence, Henry the butler and Mary sat around the table for dinner together with her and Mark.It was important to Arianne. They were her family, people who had raised her since childhood.As usual, she also received a sum of money from Helen as a gift and some well-wishes under the backdrop of distant church hymns and occasional fireworks. With a pang, she realized that Easter this year was different from its previous iterations. She could not pinpoint the exact differences, but she wondered if it was because the festival felt homelier than it used to be.After replying to Helen’s text, she looked up and considered Mark. “I wonder how Granny iss doing,” she wondered out loud. “I haven’t been able to contact her for such a long time that I’m starting to worry. There’s no way Zoey and the rest could keep that act for this long, but somehow they pull it off this ti
A short while after Easter, Mark decided to travel overseas. It was a somewhat surprising departure from his typical habit; every overseas business was always handed down to his inferiors if he could help it. This time, however, he was left no choice, so he expected to be separated from his wife for about half a month.The day of his flight began with him reciting a long, drawn-out list of instructions to Mary and Henry, encompassing diverse domains including Arianne’s daily life schedule and dietary plans to her sleeping and workout hours. One would begin to wonder if an apocalyptic event was going to befall him after he left, especially after one looked at the palpable trepidation all over his face. Had Henry not reminded him that the plane was going to take off soon, the man’s incessant nagging might never stop.Arianne sent him off by the gate, where the poor man could not stroll toward the car without looking back every three steps or so.“Okay, there’s enough; just stay there. Ye