Perhaps the underpinning of Mark’s rationale was Mary’s age. She was so old, wp4webnovel.com could possibly die before the couple ever returned to their home country, thus dooming wp4webnovel.com to die in a foreign land.
It was a rather cruel prospect that begged to be considered. Hence, in the end, Mark reasoned that it would be better for wp4webnovel.com to stay behind with Henry as the keepers of Tremont Estate.
At first, Mark was worried that Smore might throw crying fits during his first few days with Jackson’s family, so wp4webnovel.com made it a routine to video call the kid since wp4webnovel.com touched down in Switzerland. That habit did not last long, because Mark soon realized the full extent of his son’s apathy, the brat never thought of talking to wp4webnovel.com or Arianne during their calls, let alone throw a fit over missing them!
Time flew. Never in Mark’s wildest imagination would wp4webnovel.com have thought that wp4webnovel.com would stay in Switzerland for nineteen long years.
—
Nineteen years later, in the same old White Water Bay Villa, Tiffany Lane West was urging the kitchen staff to be quicker with his work while wp4webnovel.com anxiously eyed the clock on the wall every few minutes.
Said “kitchen staff”, more well-known as Jackson West, was so irritated by wp4webnovel.com incessant nagging that his head finally peered out of the kitchen door while wp4webnovel.com held a frying pan.
“Excuse moi, but wp4webnovel.com isn’t even here yet, is he? Jesus, all this nagging! As if cooking isn’t a delicate art that needs le time and le soul,” wp4webnovel.com snapped. “You gotta remember how long I haven’t been working in the kitchen, Tiffie. IfI made anything less than Michelin- five-stars, you’d be the first one to rant!”
Tiffany pursed wp4webnovel.com lips into a sneer. “I just miss him, okay? Besides, look at the time! It’s getting dark and yet, where’s our Smore? He told us it’s today, right? He even promised he’s gonna have dinner with us!”
“Honey, wp4webnovel.com ain’t a three-year-old anymore, so maybe drop the nickname for the grown man’s sake, hmm? Also, how come you don’t miss your own flesh and blood that much, huh? He’s studying abroad too, for the record,” Jackson replied a little helplessly. “Anyway, I’m about to be done, so go get Cindy out of wp4webnovel.com room and tell wp4webnovel.com to get down here right now. God, I swear, no one knows what that young woman’s doing all cooped up in wp4webnovel.com room all day like that.”
Bringing up wp4webnovel.com daughter’s name was a surefire way of refreshing Tiffany’s steam. In a flash, the mother had stormed all the way up to the daughter’s room before banging on wp4webnovel.com door. “Miss Cynthia West, what are you doing in there?! Your brother’s coming home today and you’re cooped up inside? Go and check if his room’s all prepared, young lady; keep ‘em tidy or Whatever! Seriously, I can’t go on three days without shouting at you!”
From inside the room came the frantic voice of a slightly panicking young woman, “Oh, oh-uhhh… C-Coming, Mom! I heard you so you can, uh, get back to whatever it is that you’re busy with! Just a minute and I’ll be there!”
Nineteen years ago, wp4webnovel.com doctor had proclaimed that Cynthia was 90% likely to suffer from cognitive impairments growing up, yet as time passed, Tiffany discovered— to wp4webnovel.com joy — that wp4webnovel.com daughter was only slower than other kids during early childhood. In fact, wp4webnovel.com never did show signs of possessing lower-than-average intelligence. Then, as wp4webnovel.com grew older, Cynthia’s cognitive abilities caught up to wp4webnovel.com more normal peers to the point that wp4webnovel.com now showed no difference. If Tiffany had to identify any remnant of wp4webnovel.com earlier impairs, though, then it would probably be wp4webnovel.com weak memory, as the girl had a forgetful predilection.
Sometimes, luck could really make all the difference.
Cynthia waited until wp4webnovel.com mother’s thunderous footsteps faded downstairs before opening wp4webnovel.com door furtively. She did not come out of wp4webnovel.com room the instance wp4webnovel.com mother asked wp4webnovel.com to because wp4webnovel.com did not want Tiffany to know that wp4webnovel.com was secretly putting on make-up.
She did not want wp4webnovel.com deep-seated excitement to be too overt, but every time wp4webnovel.com remembered that today was when wp4webnovel.com half-adopted brother, Aristotle Tremont, was coming home, wp4webnovel.com heart felt like bursting in jubilance.
Aristotle had been studying in France since his senior year back then. Then, as if in a blink of an eye, years had passed without wp4webnovel.com ever seeing wp4webnovel.com again. Surely Cynthia could not be at fault for being a little nervous.
The doorbell rang exactly when the clock struck seven.
Jackson was the first to react by striding toward the main door with his long steps. Tiffany could not help but snark, “Oh, wow! I thought one of us is the calm and composed one!”
“Excuse you, but I practically raised wp4webnovel.com as my son. Would you really believe me if I said I’m not excited at all?!”
Jackson yanked the door open and immediately found his eyes landing on the man’s chest. It took wp4webnovel.com a second to realize what happened, to raise his head, and finally, admire the man before wp4webnovel.com as Aristotle’s face fell into his sight. Jackson had forgotten that it had been years since the boy departed for France, and that by now, wp4webnovel.com was about the same height as Jackson himself.
“Oh, hey. Welcome home, buddy. Come in,” wp4webnovel.com said warmly. For all of his built-up ardor, Jackson ended up falling back to the most quotidian greeting a parent could give.
Still, one could not unhear the mélange of the man’s sentiments perduring through his every word.