Sonny was pretty well-behaved, but he was less than three years old after all. He had a cheeky side to him. Hank took Sonny to a nearby park the other day, and the playful and active child ran everywhere. Sonny would wander off far away if Hank took his eyes off the boy for one second. It frightened Hank as he thought he had lost his child. Since then, Hank did not want to take his son out anymore. In fact, the first time they went to the park together was because Hank ran out of excuses not to go. Sonny sensibly asked, โOh. Do you need to work?โ Hank lied, โYeah. I need to work and make money.โ He still had no luck in the job department. Since it appeared Liberty was doing well with her business, it got Hank into thinking of setting up a business with Jessica after the wedding. They could be their own boss.Without needing to take orders from other people, they could work on their own schedule. Would Zachary come after him if Hank were to set up a business though?
Sonny might not understand that it was a business, but he knew that no one else but Aunt Ser and Uncle Zack were the only exceptions to the paying rule.Hank was dumbstruck for a moment before remarking, โIโm your father, Sonny. How can you compare me with Mr. Lewis? Heโs an outsider. Besides, Mr. Lewis isnโt a good man. Heโs scary.โ Sharing the sentiment, Sonny bobbed his head and replied in his childish voice, โDunc is scary, but heโs not a bad man!โ Hank did not forget the time he told his son to kick a fuss every time Duncan came looking for Liberty. Refusing to dwell on the same topic, Hank took the hint and talked about breakfast again. His son was stubborn. The little man said that Mr. Lewis was scary, but he was not a bad man. Despite Hankโs efforts to change the boyโs mind, Sonny stuck to his guns about Mr. Lewis. โAlright. Iโll pay. Happy now? I feel like itโs all about money for you after the divorce.โYouโre so petty. You hold every dime against me. We were once a
Hank admitted that he was a bad man. He wanted to force Liberty to grow disconnected from society with no source of income and become a faded woman in her early thirties.Compared to many housewives who had suffered the same situation, Liberty was a very brave person. She decisively cut off her relationship with Hank.She never compromised just because of her child.Although divorce might be harmful to the child, it would be equally detrimental if they fought all day while remaining together and there would be no peace at home too. It was better to get divorced and raise her son alone. As long as she taught him attentively, she could raise him to be a confident person.Mrs. Lane took a plate of eggs and bacon and placed it in front of Hank.Hank was pulled back from his drifting thoughts. His life now with Jessica was also happy and sweet. Although there were some family conflicts, the husband and wife were still in the break-in period. He would live a better life than with Libe
When Serenity previously lived in his home, she handled all the household chores...โJ-Jessica, I-I just came here to have breakfast.โHank picked up the fallen fork and threw it into the trash can under the table.He stood up and explained to Jessica that he was just here for breakfast.Jessica looked at Sonny.Sonny looked back at her. His face took after Liberty, and his eyes were bright and clear. He was a lovely child.Jessica could not bring herself to continue looking at him.Hank quickly explained, โLiberty was very busy earlier, and there was no one to look after Sonny, so I let him sit next to me and looked after him while I ate. Sonny is still my son, after all.โHe knew that Jessica greatly disliked it when his family brought Sonny up in conversations, and she hated it when he visited Sonny.Jessica took a few deep breaths and suppressed her anger. She did not like her husband and his family always coming to visit Sonny and talking about him at all. Her in-laws alw
Hank gave Jessica a sideways glance and joked, โJessica, did the sun rise from the west today?โI went to Libertyโs diner early in the morning to have breakfast and accompany Sonny. When I saw you, I was afraid that youโd quarrel with me and embarrass me in front of Liberty. I didnโt expect that youโd be willing to let me bring Sonny home to stay for a few days.โYou treated Lucas badly, so I thought you hated children.โJessica hated Lucas since he broke her cosmetics. However, he was Chelseaโs son. As long as Chelsea and Hank did not break off their sibling relationship, they would still come over and meet up.Jessica hated the boy, but the only thing she could do when Lucas came over was to lock their bedroom so that Lucas could not get in.Lucas would make a mess of the place, and his grandparents would not care. They were happy to let the little brat do whatever he wanted.Jessica knew that Chelseaโs three children were raised by her parents-in-law. They treated their three
โItโs conducive to our familyโs happiness. Iโm not a petty person. When allโs said and done, youโre Sonnyโs father and have to pay for his child support, so you have to maintain your bond with him. Otherwise, itโll be a waste if he isnโt close to you despite him growing up with your money.โWeโve been together for so long, but I havenโt gotten pregnant yet. Maybe Iโll be able to conceive if you bring Sonny over. There are many people who remain childless after years of marriage, but after they adopt a child, they have one of their own after a year or two.โHank was overjoyed to hear this and praised her. โJessica, I was right about you. Youโre a wise and sensible wife and mother.โโWhat woman doesnโt think about making a good life for herself when she marries her husband. I was forced to become a shrew because your family bullied me. Your sister, especially, is a troublemaker.โShe stirred up your marriage with Liberty, and now she wants to stir us up too. Hank, Iโm not trying to s
Jessica wisely dropped the topic.No matter how terrible Chelsea was, she was still Hankโs sister.Hank could not really cut ties with his sister.In any case, Jessica made her stand. Her purpose was to let Hank and her get closer to Sonny, and to break down Libertyโs defenses. As time passed, Liberty would not object if they wanted to take Sonny out to play.Then, she would be able to complete the task given to her by that unknown lady.She was not being ruthless. Her familyโs lives were on the line. All she had to do was bring Sonny to a crowded place so that the other party had the opportunity to strike. Sonny would be fine as long as he behaved well.If anyone was to blame, it was Serenity.That person was targeting Sonny because Serenity offended her.The woman also said that she was just using Sonny as bait to lure Serenity out. The person she wanted to deal with was Serenity....Spring Blossoms always opened earlier than others. Camryn had already opened the store bef
Camryn maintained her smile and answered, โI also sell flowerpots, fertilizers for flowers, potting soil, and so on. What do you need, sir?โCallum pursed his lips. The woman in front of him spoke with a constant smile, but she gave off a wispy feeling. However, her words were sharp.โIโll just take a look.โCallum walked past Camryn and entered the store to wander around.After making a round, he turned to find that Camryn was following him not far behind.Why was she following him when she was pretending to be blind? Was she revealing herself?โSir?โ Camryn called out to Callum when she did not hear his subtle footsteps anymore.Callum felt uncertain again when he saw her expression. Was she blind or just pretending to be blind?He decided to test her.After looking around the store, his gaze finally locked on a potted cactus. He took the pot and put it on the counter, asking, โI want this one. How much is it?โCamryn turned toward the direction of his voice and walked towa
It was his father. Manny composed himself and picked up Tonyโs call as he walked toward his car.โHey, Pops.โโHowโs it going, Manny? Has there been any progress?โTony was still in Carrieโs room at the moment, but had gotten up and walked to the balcony to call his son.Carrie was still fast asleep, though her face was set in a frown. She was obviously discomfited.Tony had pestered her for the majority of last night, so it would be weird if she did not feel any discomfort.Despite her begging, Tony would not let her go. He even forcefully drugged her to make her mess around with him while out of it. He was simply an old pervert.Before she passed out, she cursed him in her heart. However, she knew that Tony only treated her so roughly because she was just his mistressโa tool for him to vent his frustrations on.If she really was his wife, he definitely would not treat her like this.In the past, she had ambitions of taking Mrs. Longbottomโs place and becoming the real missus
Tati also finished her plate of pastries.She followed Isabella out.โIsa, youโre always so busy and exhausted. If youโre feeling even a little unwell, you should have a good rest. Stay home for the day. I can handle the work you have on hand. Itโs the same either way.โTati wanted Isabella to take the day off so Isabella could spend some time with Austin and nurture their relationship.However, Isabella still declined Tatiโs kind offer.She said, โNot today. Thereโs an important meeting today, and I have two important clients to meet. Iโm fine, really. Donโt worry. From now on, I wonโt touch alcohol.โGiven her current status and position, no one would dare to force her to drink during social engagements.Many people also knew that Isabella would not drink outside her home, fearing that she might fall victim to someoneโs schemes.However, Isabella would occasionally make an exception. When she was in a good mood, she would have a couple of drinks.Hearing this, Tati stopped t
Austin still smiled gently and said, โItโs all thanks to Ms. Isabellaโs guidance.โHe felt that he had indeed improved a lot.Grandma May really understood him well. The wife she picked for him could actually help improve his culinary skills.โAfter eating the sweets, I feel much better.โ Tati picked up another piece of pastry and ate it.Austin quietly retreated, not wanting to disturb their conversation and also to avoid overhearing their private matters.โJust ignore him. Are you really going to skip work because of him?โIsabella added calmly to Tati, โIf you let him provoke you, heโll only cling to you even more. If you act like he doesnโt exist and donโt respond no matter what he does, heโll naturally give up once he sees that youโre completely unresponsive.โTati said, โIโm afraid that heโll go and bother Edith and Eleanor if he doesnโt get anywhere with me. They donโt have the same resolve as we do.โShe, therefore, decided to bear the brunt of it.โEvery time I see hi
Austin replied, โBoth Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. Itโs really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.โSometimes, he himself felt like staying in bed a little longer, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his blankets.Even after the New Year, Satbury remained quite cold. In contrast, over in Wiltspoon, the temperatures had begun to reach a high of over seventy degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, with nighttime lows around fifty degrees.The two provinces and cities were simply incomparable. The temperatures in Wiltspoon were just so very comfortable for Satbury locals.Isabella smiled and said, โPhillip is just afraid heโll get here too late and that youโll assume heโs not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.โThe house was never short of snacks for the little ones. In fact, any goodies were always reserved for them first.Yet,
Even when she attended banquets, she would show up in formal clothing. Isabella did not remember the last time she wore a dress. Perhaps it was when she was in third grade. In fact, she liked wearing pretty princessy dresses when she was young. Her mother had told her that.As Isabella was the first child and extremely adorable, Delphine had dolled her up like a princess. Her pretty dresses filled the closet. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and relatives would always gift her many beautiful dresses. As she grew up, perhaps when she was in fourth grade, she stopped wearing dresses. Regardless of who gave her new pieces, she would refuse to wear them and give them to her cousins instead. After everyone realized she disliked dresses, they gradually stopped giving her them. Delphine had asked Isabella why she disliked wearing dresses. Isabella reasoned that she could not walk quickly enough while wearing one. She valued speed and efficiency. Delphine said she had alway
While the private chefs Ms. Isabella had hired in the past were respectful, they were leaning toward flattery instead of sincere dedication, like how Austin was toward Ms. Isabella.Dominic was experienced. He could sense that Ms. Isabella treated Austin differently. She was also a special existence to Austin. It was normal for young people to be attracted to each other. Initially, Dominic wanted to advise Austin not to even think about dating Ms. Isabella. However, upon discovering that Austin was a young master of a wealthy family, he decided not to interfere. Dominic was glad that he did nothing.Austin returned to the house. Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, he went upstairs. He stopped outside of Isabellaโs room and knocked on the door lightly. No response came from within the room. Perhaps Austin was too soft when he knocked. He knocked on the door again with more force and asked, โAre you up yet, Ms. Isabella? Itโs time to have breakfast.โIsabella w
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabellaโs private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austinโs cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louisโs place with his bag. โAustin.โLouis suddenly asked, โDid my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austinโs perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancรฉes. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancรฉe. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve