The whole of Wiltspoon knew Zachary was crazy for his wife. It would be the death of Zachary if anything were to happen to Serenity. “Do you think Mrs. Newman is in on it?” Serenity’s first thought was Mrs. Newman. After a brief silence, Zachary said, “I can’t tell for sure, but I told Josh to keep an eye on Mr. Newman and his wife after your argument with Ms. Carrie. There’s no unusual activity on their end. “Seren, we can only know through an investigation if the mastermind is after you or me.” Zachary put Sonny next to him and pulled Serenity into his arms. Locking Serenity in his embrace, he vowed solemnly, “Don’t be scared. I’m here for you. I won’t let anyone harm you.” Lifting her chin, Serenity looked into his eyes with worry. “If they’re out to get you… You must be careful, Zachary.” “Unfortunately, I hold a status that tends to attract danger. I’m used to it. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” The York family sheltered their descendants from the outside world until t
“It’s a personal choice to take up self-defense if you're an ordinary person, but now… Sonny should learn to fight and protect himself.” Zachary had always held a torch for Sonny. He believed Sonny had a lot of potential and thought about taking the boy under his wing when he was older. Now, Zachary was merely carrying the plan out ahead of schedule. “That’s true. Alright, we’ll go with your idea. Thank you, babe.” For Zachary to help Sonny tap into his potential and creativity, Serenity was happy for her nephew and thanked Zachary for it. Zachary carried Sonny with one hand and dabbed on Serenity’s nose with his free hand before uttering, “You always call me Zachary, but suddenly I’m “babe” when I talk about getting Sonny a coach. Does Sonny hold a bigger space in your heart than I do?”Serenity replied with a smile, “You both hold equal spaces. No, you take up a bigger space in my heart.” Sonny was only a kid, but Zachary was an adult. Of course, Zachary took up more
The pair must have returned from a shopping trip. Lily held Mrs. Lewis’s arm while carrying a few shopping bags herself. “Are you heading out, Duncan?” Running into her son, Mrs. Lewis asked. “Mom. Ms. Harmon.” Duncan said hello before adding. “I have an emergency, Mom. Sorry, I can’t attend to you and Ms. Harmon. You can either wait in my office or go home for now?” “What’s the emergency?” Mrs. Lewis asked with concern. “It’s an emergency.” Duncan may be dense, but he was not going to tell his mother that he was ditching work to check up on Sonny. He was afraid Mom might get the wrong idea about him and Liberty. A lot of people took it the wrong way and believed Duncan had a thing for Liberty. Nobody believed Duncan when he said he took a shine to Sonny. People thought he was trying to earn Sonny’s regard to become his stepdad. “Is it work-related?” Mrs. Lewis asked. Duncan lied, “Yes, Mom. I got to go.” “Alright. Go on then. Come home for dinner. Lily bough
“I’ve been busy with my wedding and will be taking off for my honeymoon. Mr. Lewis can’t go without a secretary.” The secretary gave an air-tight answer. Lily had nothing to say. Duncan had no idea his mother and Lily would interrogate the secretary in his absence. It was a good thing this secretary gave great answers that did not raise his mother’s suspicion. Mrs. Lewis and Lily did not follow the news about the incident at the zoo because it was unrelated to them. Knowing that Sonny was at Brynfield, Duncan made haste there. Zachary and Clive were no longer there by the time Duncan arrived at Brynfield. Only the ladies were at home. Elisa was still there. Duncan gave Liberty a call. With Liberty taking his call, he asked, “Are you and Sonny still at your sister’s place, Liberty?” “Yeah, Seren said she’ll drive us home after dinner. What’s the matter, Mr. Lewis?” “I heard about what happened today.” Duncan uttered, “It was on the news. I asked Zachary, and he t
“Ahem…” Grandma May cleared her throat. When Duncan looked at her, she reminded him, “Duncan, Sonny wasn’t scared by the robbers but by you. Look at how he’s struggling to get off you to the ground.” “Dunc, let go of me,” Sonny asked again. The little guy’s small face was tense. It was obvious that he was mad. Dunc was too strong, hence Sonny could not break free from his embrace. Duncan immediately put Sonny down and squatted as well. He grabbed Sonny’s shoulders instead and said gently, “Sonny, as long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay.” Sonny looked at Duncan with his big twinkling eyes. Dunc treated him quite well. Sonny could sense Dunc’s sincerity toward him. Dunc was not teasing him and really liked him. Sonny lifted his small hand and placed it on the scar on Duncan’s face. He lightly touched it and then retracted his hand as if he was afraid. Seeing as Duncan was not in pain, Sonny reached out his little hand again to touch the scar. “Dunc, does it h
Duncan sat on the sofa by himself and asked about what happened. “It feels like their goal was to abduct Sonny.” Duncan’s intuition was the same as Serenity’s and Zachary’s. “Liberty, do you remember what they look like? If you can draw composites of them, I can have someone find them.” Duncan was no longer a part of the underworld, but his legend remained. If he needed help from those people, they would do anything they could to help him as they used to in the past. “They were wearing black masks and sunglasses, so I couldn’t see their appearances. I only know that they’re tall and strong. They’re not like ordinary thugs and are more like bodyguards.” Zachary always had a bunch of bodyguards with him, so Liberty was used to seeing them. They were all tall and powerful, so she felt that the thugs were closer to bodyguards. Duncan’s eyes darkened. He did not comment on what Liberty said and only asked for more details. Soon, it was time to eat. At this time, his mother c
“You said you’d be back for dinner tonight. Look at the time now. Are you still not coming home?” Mrs. Lewis urged her son, “Hurry up and come home. Lily cooked you some of her best dishes. I tasted them, and they’re delicious. They’re on par with dishes by a five-star hotel chef.” “Mom, I’m not going back for dinner. I’m not done with things yet. You and Ms. Harmon can dine together. Mom, Msr. Harmon is a guest in our house, so don’t make her cook. That’s poor hospitality.” Mrs. Lewis frowned. “You’re not done with things yet? Even if that’s the case, you still have to eat. It’s dark now, so come home to eat first. You can continue to work after dinner.” “Mom, I’ve eaten. I ate outside.” Mrs. Lewis responded, “Lily made a lot of food…” “You’re blessed with delicious food.” Mrs. Lewis choked. She was almost pissed off by her son. Mrs. Lewis tried so hard to create opportunities for her son, but he either avoided them or found excuses to turn them down. Lily was outs
In any case, Duncan’s future wife had to be well-matched with him in terms of their families’ social status. Mrs. Lewis remarked, “Lily is still the most suitable one, but that brat isn’t giving her a chance at all. If he spends some time with her, they might end up being together. I’m going to York Corporation tomorrow.” Mr. Lewis asked her, “Why are you going there?” “Duncan, Zachary, and Josh are a trio. They’re the closest friends. Zachary and Josh are both taken and have tasted the sweetness of love. I’ll ask them to do the thinking for Duncan and get them to persuade him to give it a shot with Lily. “He might not listen to his parents, but he’ll listen to his good friends. He’s even staying at Zachary’s place now. Dear, send me Zachary’s phone number. I’ll call him later and not wait until tomorrow.” Mrs. Lewis thought about asking Zachary and Josh for help. “Zachary’s bad at talking and is worse than your son. Call Josh instead. Josh knows how to talk, so he’ll be mo
Zachary, afraid that his wife might refuse to spend time with him at his office in the future, emphasized that he was not busy today.He had already cleared his morning schedule because he needed to accompany his beloved wife for her prenatal checkup.His secretary was well aware of Serenity’s checkup dates. Whenever he saw Serenity turn up at the office with his boss, his secretary would quietly adjust his schedule.Sometimes, on the day of the Serenity’s checkup, his secretary would not schedule any appointments for Zachary at all.Even if appointments were scheduled, Zachary would request they be canceled or rescheduled.Now, in Zachary’s eyes, his wife’s matters were the most important.With Alex now able to share the workload, Zachary felt that he, as the eldest of his generation who had shouldered the bulk of the burden for so many years, deserved a break.Plus, there was the elite team the company had trained; if not now, then when would they be put to use?Everyone was
Tony turned around and left.Only after hearing the door close did Carrie dare to open her eyes.She had woken up while Tony and his son were on the phone, but she did not dare move, fearing that Tony might suspect her of eavesdropping.Just now, when that old lecher stood by the bed looking at her, there was definitely a murderous glint in his eyes. She could feel it.Sooner or later, he would kill her.Carrie was filled with panic. She wanted to escape but was afraid she would not succeed. No one was there to help her.For a moment, Carrie even considered running to Camryn to confess everything, but she quickly dismissed the thought. The reason she ended up in this situation was entirely due to Camryn.She and Camryn were sworn enemies. Their conflict would not end until one of them was dead. However, even if she died, she would drag Camryn down with her.-Meanwhile, in the CEO's office at York Corporation, Zachary, seated at his desk, kept glancing up at his pregnant wife.
“You should have gotten rid of them all back then and cultivated a network of people loyal only to you.” Manny felt that his father should not have spared those people in the first place.Tony said, “There were too many of them, all relatives and friends with the same goal as us. We couldn’t eliminate them all at once.”Back then, he had incited everyone to join him in wiping out the entire main family, sparing neither the elderly nor the children.It was because they were all from the collateral branches, jealous of the main family’s long-standing control, and shared a common goal that his conspiracy succeeded.He had also spent over a decade waiting for the right opportunity.Who would have thought that even after wiping out the main family, he still could not obtain the family seal, token, or totem? Without these, he could not become the true head of the family and could only act as a proxy. Many of the connections loyal to the head remained inaccessible.Moreover, much of the
It was his father. Manny composed himself and picked up Tony’s call as he walked toward his car.“Hey, Pops.”“How’s it going, Manny? Has there been any progress?”Tony was still in Carrie’s 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 mistress—a 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. Longbottom’s place and becoming the real missus
Tati also finished her plate of pastries.She followed Isabella out.“Isa, you’re always so busy and exhausted. If you’re 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. It’s the same either way.”Tati wanted Isabella to take the day off so Isabella could spend some time with Austin and nurture their relationship.However, Isabella still declined Tati’s kind offer.She said, “Not today. There’s an important meeting today, and I have two important clients to meet. I’m fine, really. Don’t worry. From now on, I won’t touch alcohol.”Given 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 someone’s 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, “It’s all thanks to Ms. Isabella’s guidance.”He 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.“After eating the sweets, I feel much better.” 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.“Just ignore him. Are you really going to skip work because of him?”Isabella added calmly to Tati, “If you let him provoke you, he’ll only cling to you even more. If you act like he doesn’t exist and don’t respond no matter what he does, he’ll naturally give up once he sees that you’re completely unresponsive.”Tati said, “I’m afraid that he’ll go and bother Edith and Eleanor if he doesn’t get anywhere with me. They don’t have the same resolve as we do.”She, therefore, decided to bear the brunt of it.“Every time I see hi
Austin replied, “Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. It’s really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.”Sometimes, 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, “Phillip is just afraid he’ll get here too late and that you’ll assume he’s not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.”The 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 Isabella’s 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, “Are you up yet, Ms. Isabella? It’s time to have breakfast.”Isabella w