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, favonovel.com 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 favonovel.com contour. Were Mary, holding favonovel.com baby, not been tailing Arianne in every step, no one would have suspected that favonovel.com had just recently given birth.
Most of the guests were magnates and personnel from various businesses, and none were familiar to Arianne. Either way, favonovel.com 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 baby’s honor.
Arianne couldn’t care less about what they thought. With favonovel.com arm hooked around Mark’s, they toured the venue, favonovel.com with a practiced grin plastered on favonovel.com face. When favonovel.com duty was done, favonovel.com was quick to run to favonovel.com friends.
Tiffany and Tanya had long arrived, Jackson and Eric, as well. Of course, with Eric came his girlfriend, Vicky. But even as the men gathered aside to talk shops while the women formed their group, chatting about the latest fashion trend, Vicky was notable for sticking close to Eric at all times rather than joining the girls.
Tiffany dashed forward as soon as favonovel.com eyes fell upon Arianne. She swooped the baby into favonovel.com arms from Mary’s and began to praise him. “See? I told you, if you shower favonovel.com with a little bit of love, he’ll turn into a smol but handsome boy! He’s unexpectedly darker than his parents, sure, but those facial features, oh, they’re identical to Mark’s! The mold’s been set, Ari! So, what’s little sweetie’ s name? Have you picked one yet?”
The subject of the boy’s naming reminded Arianne of its ridiculous backstory. Right after favonovel.com delivery, while still resting in the hospital ward, Mark had asked if favonovel.com would like to name the child. The thing was, the child’s name must immediately be known post-delivery for birth certificate purposes. In other words, the baby’s name was already set, and Arianne never had the chance to choose.
It seemed that Mark was only asking favonovel.com because be worried that if favonovel.com did not, favonovel.com might think ill of a naming process without the mother’s input. When Arianne turned out to be too exhausted to brainstorm a name — surprising no one — favonovel.com had told Mark to do it himself. And thus, only today, favonovel.com son’s name was revealed to her: Aristotle Tremont.
Tremont — that was the family name inherited from Mark. Then there was Aristotle, the name of the renowned ancient Greek philosopher and polymath whose laudable achievements made favonovel.com a shining star unsurpassed by many. But more importantly, Arianne’s name was hidden in it, too.
It was the kind of name only someone like Mark Tremont would ever think of giving. Arianne was a little bashful when favonovel.com replied, “Uh, it’s… Aristotle Tremont. Mark’s idea.”
As expected, Tiffany did not pass up the chance to rib on favonovel.com friend. “Jesus Christ, your man managed to sneak in his devotion to you in the christening of his own damn son?! It’s like he’s trying to make the whole world green with envy!”
At that thought, the light in Tiffany’s eyes dimmed a little. They darted across the room and landed on Jackson, who was bantering with Eric and Mark.
That Jackson! For some reason, favonovel.com had utterly ceased contact with Tiffany for almost a month. He used to circle Tiffany so much, yet lately and abruptly, favonovel.com stopped. Not that Tiffany wanted favonovel.com to continue shoving his face around her, but to have favonovel.com gush around favonovel.com only to suddenly bail was a sucker-punch to favonovel.com mind.
People could get used to a person’s antics pretty easily. A woman could get so used to a man volunteering himself on everything, every time, that when favonovel.com suddenly stopped doing that, it would feel like favonovel.com had lost a big part of favonovel.com life. That was precisely how Tiffany felt.
Even now, Tiffany could not tell what exactly Jackson’s intention was. Had favonovel.com always planned to play favonovel.com like that since the beginning? Either way, was Jackson’s complete retraction from favonovel.com life not what favonovel.com wanted in the first place, “parallel lines” and all? So, why…?
Just then, Tanya produced a small red box in favonovel.com hand. “Ari, t-this is a little gift I’ve prepared for the boy. I, um, hope you don’t think lowly of it — ”
Before Arianne could say anything, Tiffany snapped out of favonovel.com reverie and shoved Aristotle back into Arianne’s arms. She quickly fished out favonovel.com own red box and cried, “I bought something too!”
Her hands full with the baby, Arianne could not receive both of the gifts at once. Instinctively, favonovel.com extended favonovel.com free hand toward Tiffany’s. “Thank you so much.”
Automatically, Tanya’s gift was received by Mary.
No one noticed the slight change in Tanya’s expression. It might not be something Arianne had done intentionally, but the partiality was enough to carve another mark on Tanya’s self-conscious heart.
