Arianne paused for a beat before saying, “Listen, Tiffie. You and I are different from Tan. We go way back and have gone through so much together that we can talk about all kinds of things. But she didn’t go through all of that with you. So, you need to be mindful of her feelings, okay? Especially since you two are living together right now. You gotta be less unfiltered, Tiffie.”Tiffany felt that it was a little unfair. “But she’s as much my best friend as you are. We could live with each other precisely because we’re best friends, right? No need to impose so many boundaries between one another and all that, right? Or, have I been overstating our relationship…?”Arianne said nothing. She knew that was the truth — Tanya could never act the way Arianne would. That much was evident in their interaction just now.Just then, the door to her ward was pushed open, revealing Mark’s towering, straight frame. “What were you two talking about?”As always, he was donning yet another business suit
Marks’ eyebrows furrowed a little. “No, we still haven’t managed to track them yet, which lends credibility to the suspicion that someone is pulling strings behind this. But don’t you worry, I’ll make sure it’s handled well.”Arianne hesitated for a moment before casting a tentative question. “Then… what will we do if they’re found?”Her trepidation was palpable enough that Mark thinned his lips before answering, “Doing what they did, despite knowing that their niece, who’s in the late stages of pregnancy and, therefore, in high risks of complications, is a travesty. Worse still, they are your uncle and aunt; it’s unforgivable even if they did it under threat. Of course, I will not forgive that elusive puppet master behind the scene, either. Now, I understand your concerns, Ari. Judging from the series of events, it seems more likely that your aunt’s role was passive, forced. There are reasons to believe that, given a chance, she would choose against it. Your uncle is a different story
The baby had to be left in Mary’s care once the group reached the hotel, as Arianne and Mark were needed to walk around and greet their guests.Arianne’s recovery from pregnancy was quite stunning. Today, she wore a gorgeous white dress adorned with a few artistic splashes of black; it was body-hugging enough to display every perk and curve of her contour. Were Mary, holding her baby, not been tailing Arianne in every step, no one would have suspected that she had just recently given birth.Most of the guests were magnates and personnel from various businesses, and none were familiar to Arianne. Either way, she understood the implicative looks nestled in the eyes that followed her.Mark’s wedding with Arianne had boasted no spectacular pomp. Even though the marriage was publicized, people still could not help but wonder why the wife of the famous Mr.Tremont would have so little attention and pomp. Now that the baby was born, however, suddenly, the family threw a pompous party in the ba
Inside Tiffany’s little gift box was a pair of delicate golden bracelets while Tanya’s featured a golden pendant representing the child’s horoscope bound by a red string.After examining the gifts, Arianne gave a peck on Aristotle’s puffy cheeks and cooed, “Thank your two aunties, sweetie. You gotta remember them when you grow up, okay? They’d love you so much!”Vicky, noticing the hubbub, propped her booty up and sashayed toward them. She had dressed with much splendour today. In stark contrast to her more down-to-earth presentation when she first met Tiffany and Tanya for the first time, she was now dazzling with a veneer of magnificence.“Oh, you guys are here already?… Ah, this must be Mrs. Tremont! A pleasure to meet you. I’m Eric’s girlfriend! Here, this is for the little sweetheart. Ricky and I had bought this little present — aww, look at how adorable he is!”Arianne had heard all about Vicky Nathaniel from Tiffany, so she responded to her with a courtly smile while Mary receiv
Having more people occupying the Tremont Estate did not turn the spacious house more vivacious. Instead, it seemed to have sucked out all of the life in the area.Tiffany, who was firmly on Tanya’s side, did not attempt to hide her animosity toward Vicky. Throw Jackosn’s presence into the mix, and it was as though dangerous undercurrents were charging through the air.Vicky was not the least perturbed. Instead, she freely dove into the men’s group and chatted away, making herself look like the sun while the others were orbiting planets.A woman who acted as though she knew everyone, strangers and friends alike, would always draw ire from some people, but Vicky became particularly egregious when she kept ordering Mary, who was taking care of Aristotle, around like she was the mistress of the house. “Excuse me, Mary, but could you please make me a glass of juice or something? I don’t like tea.”Mary tolerated her only because she respected Eric. “My hands are tied with the baby, dear. Th
Tiffany turned away as her eyes brimmed with tears. Jackson had been ignoring her from the very beginning, acting very intimate with his best friend’s girlfriend instead! A few seconds later, she grabbed her handbag and said to Arianne, “Ari, we’ve still got some time before dinner. The weather is great today. Shall we go shopping? Mary can take care of the baby. You’ve prepared breast milk already anyway.”All women enjoyed shopping, and Arianne was no different. She easily agreed. “Good idea; you invite Tan. Let’s go together. Didn’t you drive today? Let’s take your car…” Before she could finish speaking, Tiffany stiffly corrected her. “That’s not my car. It’s about time I return it to its actual owner. Let me drive one of your husband's cars.”Jackson’s smile faltered. Having dated Tiffany for a long time, he was still keenly aware of whenever Tiffany was angry with him. She had been driving his car for a while and now suddenly insisted on returning it to him. That certainly did
Tiffany gave an “okay” sign. “No problem. Your son’s nickname shall be ‘Smore’! It’s pretty cute.”Smore, Rice Ball. A baby and a cat. Both little ones were Arianne’s saviors. The dreamcatcher with Rice Ball’s ashes had been protecting her from all nightmares. Smore was probably just as gentle.The women wasted no time at the mall, buying whatever they liked. Soon after, the trio’s hands were full of shopping bags.Suddenly, Tiffany’s phone rang. She strained to answer it with one arm. “Hello?”“Shopping?” Alejandro’s distinctively hoarse voice answered. “Do you have eyes on me or something?” Tiffany asked in alarm.Alejandro chuckled, “Hehe… Not exactly. Jett was making some purchases for me and saw you in the shopping mall. I got word that your friend has just had her baby’s one-month old celebration, so I sent a gift in your name. You don’t mind, do you?”Tiffany was surprised. “You’re giving presents again? But I didn’t see you. Were you there?”“No, I wasn't there,” Aleja
Upon entering the baby’s room, Arianne spotted a dreamcatcher hanging over Aristotle’s little cot. She was surprised that Mark had put a dream catcher there. The man could be quite a softie sometimes...The little one was fast asleep, smacking his tiny lips from time to time. It looked so cute. His two little hands were balled into fists, curled on his sides. His arms had grown so chubby that there was a slit in between. It would seem that he did not suffer during his time in the hospital. The milk that she had been sending over to him was just enough. The little guy was pretty good looking. She carefully slipped out after checking on the baby. She arrived downstairs to find Tiffany opening up her spoils from her shopping trip today. “I wasn’t planning on using Jackson’s car anymore, but it looks like I’ll have to for today. I’ve bought too many things. I’ll give it back to him personally after using it. Consider it an end to everything that’s happened between us. Besides, he person