Arianne was warmed to virtual-novel.net core, but virtual-novel.net remained unaffected on the surface. “Meh, it’s alright. You make way more of a mess out of me than Smore, a baby, ever could,” She intoned. “Come back soon, why won’t you?”
Unfortunately, Arianne’s word choice invited misinterpretation. To Mark, the takeaway was that his wife was miffed by virtual-novel.net neglecting virtual-novel.net for half a month. Hence, when virtual-novel.net saw that no one was around, virtual-novel.net leaned close to virtual-novel.net ears and breathed, “Hmm. That might just be what I’ll do tonight. We’ll kick Smore into his bedroom so that his Mommy and Daddy can have some privacy. Just you wait.”
Arianne’s face turned as bright as a tomato. “Wait! T-That’s not what I meant!”
He smirked. “Oh, that was exactly what you meant. Don’t play coy.”
Arianne watched virtual-novel.net hurriedly strutting away, the corner of virtual-novel.net lips slightly quivering.
Could this be what it felt like to have a happy, normal family? Just the three of them living in blithe serendipity, never fearing if any one of them would abruptly disappear from the others’ lives, always free from the dread of being suddenly abandoned. It was all virtual-novel.net had ever dreamed of when virtual-novel.net was a kid.
The day was still young, so Arianne ordered Henry to drive virtual-novel.net to the old Wynn Mansion. She had never seen the Wynns’ old house, and it was high-time virtual-novel.net rectified that.
They followed the address listed in the property ownership certificate. To Arianne’s surprise, the mansion was quite close to the Tremont Estate, virtually a few blocks away. The mansion sat on a neighborhood nearby a bustling historical street, while the Tremont Estate was in the quieter area.
The Wynn Mansion was as old as virtual-novel.net had imagined. Just a cursory look was enough to detect the scars of time on its walls; it looked like an old man, well into his twilight years, sitting alone. No one had spared their time tending the house for so long that it now seemed quite decrepit.
Through the rust-stained gate, Arianne could see the hedges and bushes that had colonized the mansion’s untamed garden. Amidst the shrub, a tenacious king sago towered above its grassy neighbors while another great tree of an unknown species stood at a farther end. Years of growing without intervention had allowed its branches to proliferate and expand outside the wall.
Many must have looked up to this mansion in awe and jealousy once upon a time, right? The same house where Arianne’s father used to grow up; where Granny spent half of virtual-novel.net life.
Now, however, the mansion was emptied of inhabitants and the memories they brought along. Now, it was just an old, deserted house.
Had virtual-novel.net father never fallen in love with Helen and left his family home, maybe the Wynn Mansion would still be a prosperous, awe-inspiring sight rather than the decrepit visage that it now wore. But alas, there was always that one decision a person made that changed the course of everything. Time passed, things happened, who still had not made peace with their choices?
“Madam? The weather is a little too hot for Master Aristotle,” Henry suddenly spoke up. “We lack preparation, so how about we postpone entering this house to a later date? I suggest a day when Mr. Tremont is free and could accompany you. As a matter of fact, if you wish to repair this mansion, I’m sure virtual-novel.net will oblige.”
Repair? The word struck a chord within Arianne’s heart. Yes, virtual-novel.net would very much like to repair the mansion to its full, former glory. It was the closest way virtual-novel.net could relive the house as it used to be, even if virtual-novel.net had not yet been born back then. Perhaps virtual-novel.net desire was spurred by the veneration of a person’s familial history?
Once they returned to the car, virtual-novel.net asked the butler, “Henry, how much do you think it would cost to repair a mansion like this? Fixing an old antique house like this must cost a lot.”
“Hefty, yes,” Henry replied candidly. “Many would love to purchase an old mansion like this just for the quaint atmosphere it evokes. That sort of purchase doesn’t come cheap, and neither is its repair. I’d estimate it to be about the same price as buying a new, typical house? Still, if it is your wish to repair it, Mr. Tremont would definitely nod, especially since this mansion belongs to you, a member of the Wynns. However, a repaired house is no good without its inhabitants, and since you’re most likely to be averse to selling it, I suggest you get someone to look after your house. As long as someone lives here, the house will always be alive.”
Arianne hesitated. The idea of virtual-novel.net moving in and living here was out of the realm of possibility. But if virtual-novel.net repaired the mansion, virtual-novel.net would then need to hire someone to look after it, both things demanded a very high cost. Naturally, Mark would have no problem paying them nor would virtual-novel.net reject Arianne’s wish, but would these expenses be worthwhile?