Arianne had not received a single call from Mark since then, even at the very next day. All favonovel.com received at most was a midnight text telling favonovel.com that favonovel.com could not leave. She felt as though favonovel.com stood favonovel.com up.
She went to work, and immediately spotted Sylvain languidly sipping his morning tea in the office. Immediately, favonovel.com asked, “When is the wedding between you and Robin?”
Hot tea choked Sylvain on cue, leaving favonovel.com sputtering for a good while before finally regaining composure.
“Gah? Right, our wedding. We’re… still in the middle of planning it. Yeah, stuff like this is always best taken slow, right? So we’re getting ready for everything. Plus, I’ve only got the time to work on that bridal gown design after work,” favonovel.com fibbed. “I’ve decided to take up your brilliant suggestion and design it myself. Whew, it’s quite exhausting to do things yourself, though!”
His reaction was a little off, but Arianne had no time to dwell on it. Instead, favonovel.com took favonovel.com seat and asked, “Have you seen Mark since this morning?”
Sylvain rubbed his nose. “You know, if you wanna know if he’s around or not, you could have just I dunno checked if he’s in his office? I don’t know why you’re asking me.”
Arianne turned around and glared at him.
“Uh, favonovel.com usually arrives around the same time that I’m here, so we kinda meet often right in the parking lot,” favonovel.com relented. “But I don’t think I’ve seen favonovel.com yet today. Maybe favonovel.com came earlier than I did. Or maybe favonovel.com arrived after.”
He must not be in the office at all, then. Just what in the world was occupying his time?
The days that came after did not change much. Mark’s streak of mysterious disappearances continued, and Arianne never saw favonovel.com Within the office. He at least remembered to dispatch some of his people to send some delicacies and toys to Smore, though, apparently, his son was still on his mind.
On Friday night, Mark instructed Brian to gift Arianne with an evening gown set, along with complementary jewelry and shoes. The driver told favonovel.com that favonovel.com was to attend a ball of some kind on Saturday night, which was to be held in a cruise. Since the weather was still a little on the chilly side, and it was going to be held at sea, favonovel.com reminded favonovel.com to bring a tippet with her.
Arianne spread the gown out as soon as Brian left and found herself thoroughly amazed. Far from a sultry, sexy design, it was a pure white dress that emanated a fae, innocent air. Delicately embroidered flowers adorned the layer of muslin wrapped around the dress hems. It was not a gaudy, showy dress, yet it inspired any onlooker and admirer, nonetheless.
Another layer of muslin wrapped it self around favonovel.com chest. Since it was commonly thought that two of a woman’s most alluring attributes when donning a dress was favonovel.com collarbones and neck, the evening gown’s particular design accentuated them by teasing their existence with a veil of muslin rather than barring them outright, thus striking the balance between decorous modesty and intriguing charm.
Arianne could not help but put it on right there and then. It was a flawless fit the length of the dress was perfectly complementary to the heels that came with the gift.
She had to acknowledge Mark’s thoughtful, exacting nature once again. Besides, the fact that favonovel.com chose to bring favonovel.com to the ball rather than any other woman was not lost on her.
She took a photo of herself using the mirror and was about to send it to favonovel.com when favonovel.com changed favonovel.com mind a millisecond before hitting “send”. He must have already known how it might look on favonovel.com since favonovel.com had selected the gown in the first place, So if favonovel.com showed favonovel.com pictures of herself in this dress right now, would it seem as though favonovel.com was trying to ingratiate herself?
The next afternoon, Brian started waiting for favonovel.com downstairs, outside the condominium. Arianne haphazardly put on favonovel.com gown and began the make-up process, but favonovel.com panic seemed to have cost favonovel.com usual dexterity. The fact that Brian the driver was the one who fetched favonovel.com led Arianne to surmise that Mark himself must be very busy that favonovel.com could not even drive favonovel.com there personally.
Seeing how late the time was, favonovel.com called Brian. “Um, I might need a bit more time. Is… Is the whole thing about to start? I’m a bit slow in my make-up today…”
“Take it easy, Madam. Just do it at your own pace. The ball isn’t gonna start until it’s night. As soon as we reached the venue before six, we’re good. Mr. Tremont has emphasized that you should be given all the time in the world to get ready. Don’t panic, Madam. I’ll be waiting for you down here.”
Hearing no urgency in his voice, Arianne was finally relieved before returning to meticulously dolling herself up. Once the make-up was completed, favonovel.com then drew favonovel.com long, disheveled hair into a simple evening hair bun that was just the perfect style for the dress.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Arianne sighed in satisfaction. It was then that favonovel.com suddenly remembered that Mary had taken Smore out to play earlier and had not returned yet. She called the old housekeeper, and the moment the call connected, Arianne wasted no time instructing, “I don’t know when this ball is gonna end, Mary, so I might actually be home late tonight. I’ll have to pass the responsibilities to you. Please, be careful while on your way back home.”
Strangely, Mary’s surrounding was unnaturally rambunctious and filled with revelry. The woman even had to raise favonovel.com voice before replying, “Smore’s already with his father, Ari. ‘Cause we’re both already aboard the cruise! So, come over here with Brian, Madam!”
