Just as Mark dreaded, Zoey Harris’s scumbag of a husband was so gratified by the ill-gotten money that he was encouraged to demand it again. Mark had optimistically thought that $750,000 could last until Arianne gave birth to the child, but he thought wrong.To get that much money in one go was to compel a man to lose all of his sensibilities. Harris, already a disgustingly greedy man, managed to lose every single penny in a series of gambling fiascos. After a night of spectacular losses, the broke man came back knocking on Mark’s door like a soulless husk.Mark was never known for his patience. He could stretch his limits for Arianne’s sake, but to be threatened by the same person over and over again was just a bare-faced challenge to his control. $750,000 was only enough for a few days? Someone had a hole in their pocket!Mark stared at the man, who emanated the stench of failure, in his office and placed his hand over his nose. “I gave you $750,000, Mr. Harris. I gave you $750,000 j
Davy quickly answered, “Y-yes! I’m on it right away!”The first thing that came into Mark’s line of sight once he stepped into the Tremont Estate was Arianne. Suddenly, all of his stress melted away.Only her presence could dispel every dark cloud swirling in his mind. Relaxed, he cooed, “Has the kid been kind to Mommy? Or are we expecting a little troublemaker, Ari?”His gentle, loving tone struck true to Arianne’s soft spot. Chuckling softly, she looked down and traced invisible circles on her belly. “Oh, the child’s been good. No one could be that much of a trouble at this size and age, right? Now, why are you back so soon today? Don’t you have anything at work? Either way, you’re just in time for lunch. Are you going back to work for the evening?”Mark crouched, placing his ear as closely as he could to her belly, hoping to catch any indication of the child’s movement. All he could hear was a series of burblings not dissimilar to the sound of bubble-blowing.It was nothing interest
“I get it! I get it! I lost control of my emotions back there, alright? God, everything is pissing me off.” Mark leaned back onto the seat and massaged his forehead. “Every time she mentions Granny, my heart skips a beat out of fear and trepidation. Yet, time and again, that baleful good-for-nothing keeps coming to my doorstep, weaponizing that secret against me. I just can’t possibly let her know, Brian. If this secrecy continues to hang by a thread, nothing good could come out of it. No, there isn’t going to be a next time for him. No more threats…“Oh, that reminds me. Make arrangements with the hospital so that they’re now standing-by for her childbirth. Ari’s frail constitution makes premature delivery very possible; I don’t want any complication to occur throughout the process.”Brian let out a silent breath of relief and answered, “Understood.”Night fell, yet Arianne resisted calls for dinner. Just thinking back on Mark angrily lashing out in the afternoon quickly bereft her of
Mary breathed out a sigh of relief at the good turn of events. Since she had kept dinner ready in the kitchen this whole time, she laid all of it out on the table in a flurry, chiming in, “That’s right, Ma’am. You should never skip a meal! The child needs all the yummy food to grow healthy and strong.”Arianne was reminded of her child’s ultrasound image and suddenly felt a little insecure. “Mary, do you think I’m gonna, you know, birth an ugly duckling or something? I mean, I’m not gonna dislike my own kid for it that much, but… if the kid turned out to be a bit too heavy on the ugliness, I don’t think I’d like that.”Mary broke out a chuckle. “Poppycocks! Both you and Mr. Tremont are so handsome, how could any of your genes produce an ugly duckling at all? All the kid needs to do is to take after either of you, and voila, a beautiful child is guaranteed! Oh, Madam, don’t fret over the image in that report; it’s inaccurate. How could it be? The kid’s still enjoying a spa treatment in
When Mark returned home for lunch, Arianne commenced an interrogation around the dining table. “So, how many relationships have you been in?”The question seemed out of nowhere. Nonplussed, Mark asked, “Why do you ask?”Arianne raised an eyebrow. “Nothing. Just curious. Am I not allowed to pursue a topic of curiosity, hmm? Or is your past off-limits?”He did not answer her directly. Instead, Mark cast another tentative question into the court, “You’ve been a witness to every moment in my life since I turned eighteen. Is there even a need to ask?”Arianne started to get irritated. “All I’m asking is this: how many relationships have you been in? Must you swerve so off-course to the topic?” she replied before pursing her lips.Mark’s eyes darkened a little. When had he ever seen her purse in coquettish anger before? And to look so illegally adorable while doing it —He forced down the urge to smooch her puckered lips by feigning coughs. “I don't think it’s something that should concern y
He put his knife and fork down and looked at her. “Now that we’re on the subject, let me clarify this with you, all at once. That’s how I used to think; I never planned on trusting any other woman. Of course, I only saw you as a child at the time, a strange, good-looking child… As you slowly grew older, I realized that my feelings for you had changed. One day, an idea came to me — if I raised you on my own, you would turn out to be pretty obedient and would not betray me. From that day onwards, I waited for the day you would become an adult. Unfortunately… you later fell in love with someone else. How could someone like me possibly put up with having someone else take away what should be rightfully mine? About Will… You’re not still hating me over that, are you? That’s fine too. It won’t matter once you’ve fallen in love with me completely. Let me reiterate once more, I don’t have any weird kinks. The first time I developed feelings for you was after you’d already entered puberty. You
Tiffany casually sat down next to her. “We’re from the working class. We’re too busy trying to earn money to support our families. Unlike you, lying at home with someone who can pay everything for you. We don’t have a choice, do we? If you want me to keep you company every day, tell Mark to pay me for my services in chatting with you, and I’ll keep you company 24/7. I’ll chat with you until you get tired of chatting with me, until you can’t stand the sight of me! Alright… Actually, I was binge-watching last night, ‘cos it was Friday. I nearly didn’t wake up last night. Forgive me, best friend!”Arianne snorted. “I’d love to pay you as my personal companion… You have drive. You won’t come anyway. How are things at Eric’s? Have you adapted to the working environment?”Tiffany glanced at Tanya. “Of course, with Tan around, I got used to it easily. Even the boss is my friend. I’m like a fish in water at the company. How could I not get used to that?”Tanya smiled as she chimed in, “That’s
Mary grew worried at the sight of Arianne laughing with such reckless abandon. “Ari, be gentle. You’re laughing so much that your belly is shaking. Be careful…”Arianne forced herself to stop laughing. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop laughing… I just lost control… Mary, could you bring us some snacks and drinks?”As Mary slipped into the kitchen, Tiffany pulled out her phone and checked out a food delivery app. “It’s been a while since I’ve had fried chicken. I kind of want some. Are you allowed fried chicken, Ari? It should be alright to have just a little bit, right?”After a bout of hesitation, Arianne shook her head. “I don’t think I should. I crave it, but I can control myself… You know. Just order whatever you want.”“I’m not eating either,” Tanya said. “Order what you want. I’ll get fat if I have too much of it.”“Tsk tsk tsk, Tan is about to start a romance,” Tiffany said in a sour tone. “And you’re afraid of getting fat too. You never went on a diet before. Now, I’m the only one who is