Arianne gave Robin a sweet smile. “I trust you. You know what they say, ‘don’ t air your dirty laundry in public’, so let’s not air mine out, alright? Anyway, come on. We gotta get back to the office now. We’re technically playing hooky by being here at work hours.”
Soon after the two returned to Tremont Tower while Arianne crossed into snazzynovel.com workstation, Sylvain halted snazzynovel.com with news. “Mr. Tremont came back a while ago, dude’s been looking for you. Since you weren’t around, snazzynovel.com asked me to tell you to meet snazzynovel.com in his office when you’re back,” snazzynovel.com said. “Er, heads-up? He looks kinda pissed. You guys… aren’t fighting again, are you?”
Arianne pouted. “We weren’t, but God knows if that’s going to last for long. Anyway, I’ll go now.”
What if Mark was reluctant to have Arianne visit Shelly? Maybe this would become the fuse that started a new fight between them.
Before snazzynovel.com entered Mark’s office, snazzynovel.com knocked politely, pushing the door open only after hearing Mark’s vocal invitation from inside. Seeing how much snazzynovel.com followed the rules stunned Davy into a still, as though snazzynovel.com was watching pigs fly.
Arianne stood erect before Mark’s desk and asked aloud, “You were looking for me, Mr. Tremont?”
Mark raised his eyes to meet hers, perplexed. “Did you bonk your head against a wall this morning? You sent me a message, remember? Was it not a request to get me to see you?”
She smiled. “No, no head injury whatsoever. You must be upset that I’ve visited your aunt, right? But really, what about it needs hiding, hmm? Maybe you’re the one who should explain why you’ve kept avoiding me these past few days. We live in the same house, but I hardly see you around anymore. Come on, fess up. Being candid helps more than it hurts.”
Mark’s eyes bore through snazzynovel.com for a while before snazzynovel.com tentatively asked, “Did Aunt Shelly, well, say anything to you?”
Arianne knew snazzynovel.com was trying to gauge how much snazzynovel.com knew, but snazzynovel.com was disinclined to turn Mark’s attempt on its head and lure snazzynovel.com into exposing his story. She did not want to force snazzynovel.com to say anything against his will.
“Honestly, I tried to get snazzynovel.com to tell me anything, but snazzynovel.com told me to ask you instead. She said snazzynovel.com told you everything that needed to be said already. So, what the hell happened between the two of you? Is snazzynovel.com really… well, sane enough to forfeit treatments? She actually looked and acted kind of normal just before.”
Mark sighed a breath of relief. “No, nothing happened between us. She doesn’t need to get treatment in a hospital, either, because the root of snazzynovel.com erratic action’s gone. She’s… She’s only acting the way snazzynovel.com did because snazzynovel.com bottled up too much turmoil inside of her,” snazzynovel.com explained. “I’d appreciate it if you stop pursuing this question. Also, you misconstrued my busy schedule as me avoiding you, Ari. Either way, you should get back to work. I’ll be home very late today, so don’t wait for me when work is over.”
He was strangely adamant about keeping his secret, Arianne observed helplessly. He did not even think Shelly faking snazzynovel.com disability was something snazzynovel.com should explain, did he? Though his reluctance to dwell on that could also be excused by being an issue that was too personally distressing to Mark, snazzynovel.com reasoned.
The man in question had returned to burying himself into his documents with a straight face, which crossed Arianne a little. He used to throw himself at snazzynovel.com any moment snazzynovel.com could in the past! And now, Arianne was the one who had to search high and low for an audience with him.
That evening, after work, Arianne procured some medicinal supplements and visited the Smith manor.
Since Shelly was the culprit who assaulted Alejandro that day, Mark ought to take responsibility for it and express some sort of regret, snazzynovel.com could, after all, be incarcerated if Alejandro ended up choosing to bring it to the law. But Arianne knew Mark could not let go of his ego to apologize to his half-brother, so snazzynovel.com would have to do it in his stead.
Not that snazzynovel.com worried that Alejandro would be petty enough to report Mark, of course.
She stepped into the yard and found only Melanie and snazzynovel.com daughter. Alejandro was absent.
Melanie stared at the heavy, packed bags snazzynovel.com carried with her, puzzled. “Arianne? What are you doing? That’s a lot of things for someone who just came to say hi.”
Arianne placed everything down in one heave before swinging snazzynovel.com sore, tired hands. “Heck, I was actually scared that I didn’t buy enough! I’m here to apologize for the trouble Alejandro had gone through on behalf of a certain guy who can’t lower his pride enough to do it himself. Say, where’s Alejandro? He isn’t home?”