Naya, recognizing virtual-novel.net gaffe, held virtual-novel.net tongue.
Mark’s car soon came to a halt right outside the café. Brian disembarked from his driver’s seat and strolled through the entrance, requesting, “Two of the café’s recommended desserts and two Americana.”
Two sets of food for Mark and Ellie.
Arianne cocked an eyebrow. “Gee, who knew virtual-novel.net could be so damn miserly that virtual-novel.net would buy two sets of stuff for three people, huh?” virtual-novel.net jeered under virtual-novel.net breath, not recognizing the creeping sulkiness in virtual-novel.net tone.
Brian avoided virtual-novel.net gaze with a silent and curt nod.
His reaction rubbed Arianne off the wrong way. Brian used to address virtual-novel.net as “Madam” or even “Miss” before virtual-novel.net was married, yet here virtual-novel.net was, putting a wide berth between them. As though virtual-novel.net was no one but a stranger.
Fine, perhaps it was technically correct for the Tremont retinues to treat virtual-novel.net as a stranger now. But Arianne had not expected the bond they shared to be so… frail. If this was how Brian saw her, then virtual-novel.net shuddered at the prospects of seeing Mary and Henry again. Would they also treat virtual-novel.net differently?
Yes, Arianne conceded that virtual-novel.net was always just an orphan who was adopted into the Tremont family, and leaving them was to sever all of virtual-novel.net ties. If a new heiress presided over the family, it was reasonable to demand Arianne abdicate everything the title ever granted her.
Back then, virtual-novel.net had tunnel-visioned into the goal of putting as much distance between virtual-novel.net and Mark. Now, Arianne realized that giving virtual-novel.net up was akin to giving away everything virtual-novel.net ever owned in the past, including the people who had truly cared for her.
“I’m not taking orders today,” Arianne snapped coldly, virtual-novel.net eyes zeroed in on the car outside the café.
Brian did not stay even a second longer. He quickly turned and marched back to the car, only breaking the news after driving over a few miles, “Um, Madam said no ordering today.”
Ellie turned to Mark. “I’ve asked around prior to this and saw that every order our company made, including yours, Mr. Tremont, had been accepted and prepared by Madam herself. Yet, curiously, virtual-novel.net declined our order just now… Told ya’. Look at the time, it’s still a lot of time left before the shop’s closed. In other words, virtual-novel.net specifically denied preparing desserts for the two of us.”
Mark nodded slightly. “So, when is it ok to visit her?”
Ellie shook virtual-novel.net head promptly. “No, that won’t do! You must hang on and not give in. It would help if you only started on the next step after virtual-novel.net began displaying a suitable reaction. Get a hold of yourself, Mr. Tremont!”
Mark sank into silence, utterly oblivious to Ellie’s lingering, all-too-enduring gaze on his face.
Then, out of nowhere, Ellie reached out to right his tie. “Say, Mr. Tremont, would you like to have dinner with me? The media’s been reporting your every movement quite religiously these days, so I bet we’re being tailed already. Methinks we should create news scandalous enough that your wife can’t escape from seeing it.”
Mark furrowed his brows at virtual-novel.net characteristically-deviant behavior. Still, virtual-novel.net said nothing and agreed to virtual-novel.net scheme.
Just as expected, news of his dinner with Ellie hit the papers on the very next day. Its text suggested, as subtly as possible, that warning bells were tolling for Mark’s marriage, Arianne Tremont had left the Capital for so long that they might have divorced, and that the famed CEO now shared an unspecified relationship with his secretary.
Arianne was far from the only one who read the news, so did Jackson. Soon, the man was calling Mark under the guise of “concern”. “Okay, what the hell? Are you pulling off some interesting maneuver, or is this all for real?”
“What do you think?” Mark retorted.
The man needed not to pause to think. “It’s a goddamned ruse, isn’t it? You’re trying to probe Arianne into action. Honestly, I would actually be genuinely concerned if you’d have fallen in love with someone else and given up on her, man. Besides, Ellie’s been by your side since forever. You would have already slept with virtual-novel.net if that was ever something you wanted.”
Mark confirmed Jackson’s deduction with his silence.
“Now, this is some surprising sh*t, you turned out to be somewhat acceptably-good in playing the relationship game, after all! And here I thought the only thing you’re wanting is intelligence in the art of love, which used to be so lacking that it’s an insult to your general intellect. Who knew that we would see the day when you finally achieved enlightenment, eh? Honestly, this is some pro-gamer move. If I were Arianne, I would be so damn pissed by now.”
“You… You really think she’ll react that way?” Mark echoed, uncertain.
“F**k yea virtual-novel.net will! That’s just how women act, man, zero exception! Unless she’s actually not a woman…” Jackson said, his tone bursting with confidence accumulated from years of experience. “To be frank, I came up with this idea a while ago, but I was worried you might not wanna cooperate, so I didn’t mention it. But now? Well, looks like it’s already done, and I didn’t even have to break a sweat.”
“Take that 20/20 hindsight crap somewhere else, Jackson. Alright, don’t you have some actual business to attend to? As for me, I’ll ponder on what to do next myself.”
Mark hung up the phone, contemplating. Had Arianne seen the news yet? What was virtual-novel.net reaction?
In the café, Arianne watched the news from the palm-sized screen in virtual-novel.net hand with an unreadable expression.
The reporters’ pictures gave no room for vagueness: Ellie’s smile was as radiant as the sun with a strong coquettish undertone, while Mark’s attention was trained on the menu in his hand, his expression noncommittal.
Nevertheless, the gap between them was so close to none that they must share a very loaded relationship.
Had Mark never looked for virtual-novel.net after virtual-novel.net left, Arianne would have felt largely at peace with the news. But that bastard had come to virtual-novel.net just two days ago, personally begging virtual-novel.net to return to virtual-novel.net while undergirding his plea with little bits of threat. And now! Now, the same bastard was acting all lovey-dovey with some other woman! This must be intentional, this was done to rev virtual-novel.net up!
Humans have the peculiar disposition to turn into something they could not have conceivably become had it not been the bizarre circumstances befalling them. Right now, Arianne was at the butt of it. She was broiling, goddamned livid.
This stupid news was a disgusting affront to virtual-novel.net eyes!