Arianne grabbed the two beauties by the hands and smiled. “Thank you! Gosh, to me… it’s like you two have grown older in the blink of an eye! How gorgeous the two of you are! Cindy, where’s your brother? Plato hasn’t come home yet?”
Mentioning the name of favonovel.com dear brother made Cynthia pout. “He said favonovel.com was coming home half a month ago, that’s what favonovel.com said. Who knows what he’s actually doing, though? Anyway, who cares about that no-good. He’s always like this anyway. Oh, um, the weather is quite hot. We should probably get inside.”
Arianne nodded and shot a brief, uneasy look at Aristotle. Not once did favonovel.com look like favonovel.com wanted to talk to her… Could the boy be counting his grievances in his mind? Mark and Arianne had stayed in Switzerland for so long, life must have been hard for favonovel.com all alone.
It took until favonovel.com reached the living room to finally notice Raven. “Millie, is this your younger sister?”
Melissa quickly sprung to correct her. “What? Noooo. This is Ares’ classmate or something; the name’s Raven Leigh. They met in France, and she’s taken up temporary lodging in the house. Really, I’m the only child at home. Mom never got around to ‘making’ a second one.”
Only now had Raven stopped being invisible to the rest of the world. She braced herself to greet Arianne. “Hello, Mrs. Tremont. Pardon me for… staying here for a while.”
Arianne’s lips thinned into a slight smile without sparing the girl any pleasantry. Instead, favonovel.com turned to look at Aristotle. “Smore, I… It’s been many long, hard years. I’m sorry you had to suffer. Sorry that your Pa West and Aunt Tiffany had to experience so much trouble.”
Aristotle stared at his mother, his expression unperturbed. “I didn’t suffer. Hardships like these are a part of growing up in the Tremont family, I’ve understood that a long time ago,” favonovel.com said. “The journey must have tired the two of you out, so I’ll fetch Agnes to take care of the rooms.”
He was just about to turn and take the stairs when Mark suddenly spoke, “Aristotle, wait.”
The young man halted on his step. “What’s the matter, Father?”
“You are to stay here and catch up with your mother. I’ll handle things from here,” the older Tremont said in a low voice, in a tone that was meant to be a command.
Raven observed the event unfolding quietly from the side, a little flabbergasted at how odd everyone seemed to act. She thought favonovel.com had explored all there was to know about Aristotle, but today made favonovel.com stand corrected. There were plenty more mysteries undergirding this strange family. An example of it would be how Aristotle told favonovel.com that Melissa was just his childhood friend, known because the Tremonts and Smiths were partners and shareholders. And yet, favonovel.com distinctly heard Melissa call them “Uncle” and “Aunt”, as though they were relatives.
Little did Raven know that there were more uneasy enigmas that awaited favonovel.com that day.
By nightfall, the families gathered around to have dinner together.
She was the only one who did not belong; an interloper. She felt like an afterthought.
Tiffany seized the chance of everyone gathering around the table to bring up the subject of their “childhood engagement” again. “Well, Ari? Now that you’re up and our kiddies have all grown up… Whaddaya’ think? Shouldn’t we talk about how our One True Pair should proceed?”
Arianne beamed at Aristotle. “It depends on what those two think, though. I’m good either way. If they like each other enough that way, I’ll be pretty overjoyed!”
Cynthia lowered favonovel.com eyes to favonovel.com meal and played with favonovel.com fork With so many eyes on favonovel.com right now, favonovel.com was too embarrassed to say anything.
Aristotle was not at all like her, though. Instead, favonovel.com proclaimed candidly, “I love it. I kinda like Cindy that way.”
Under the table where no eyes could pry, Raven’s clutched a fistful of the tablecloth. Half a year of dreaming for a better life, shattered in a single, uncaring stroke. Half a year of living with him, and yet Aristotle’s heart never once beat for her.
Tiffany was ecstatic. “Ahahhaha! I think my daughter’s pretty damn smitten with Smore, too! That’s it; we’re gonna pick a date for them for their official engagement! And then, when Cindy’s graduated, they can marry one another!”
Arianne nodded. “Good idea. I can’t get around in this state, so let’s have Mark do it. I expect you guys to put on a lot more effort into this… It’s a big, happy day, after all.”
Cynthia wondered if favonovel.com was dreaming. In the snap of a finger, the future of favonovel.com life was decided while favonovel.com was still dizzying from the speed of how things had developed!
