Hank’s family found out about his affair and did not rebuke him for it. Hank said, “Liberty kept gaining weight after giving birth to Sonny. She lost her figure, and I just couldn’t stand her anymore. Jessica is considerate, young, and beautiful. I think she’s my true love.”Mrs. Brown said frankly, “Your mistress is only eyeing your status and income. If you’re just an ordinary employee like before, will she like you?”“Although Liberty is ruthless and beats you up, she has taken good care of you throughout your marriage and managed the household very well. She has endured hardships, so she knows how to live within her means and manage a family. That woman you’re dating doesn’t seem to hold a candle to Liberty.”Although Mrs. Brown was partial to her son, her evaluation of Liberty was pertinent.“You need a virtuous wife. Hank, you can fool around all you want and I won’t say anything, but if you marry that girl, you must be careful lest you regret it in the future.”Most men who
Serenity said, “Thanks, Jas.”Jasmine smiled. “Don’t mention it! You’ve always closed up for the night in the past, so I’ve been taking advantage of you. I’ll only feel better now by making up for it.”Serenity accepted her friend’s offer and picked up the clothes she bought before bidding Jasmine goodbye and walking out of the bookstore. When she opened the car door, she placed the bag of clothes on the passenger seat and said to Zachary, “You can head home first. I need to go to the market to buy some vegetables. If you can, cook some pasta while waiting. Otherwise, just wait till I get home.”Zachary glanced at her e-bike and said, “Where’s your new car?”“I left the house later than usual today, so I was afraid of getting stuck in traffic. That’s why I took the bike.”Serenity put on her helmet and said, “I’m leaving.”Without waiting for Zachary to reply, Serenity rode the bike away.Zachary was left speechless.Serenity did things in a hurry sometimes, which was a contras
Jasmine looked at her cousin suspiciously and asked, “Shawn, why are you asking about this?”Shawn would not admit his feelings for Serenity and that he was looking forward to Serenity’s divorce, so he lied. “I just care about Serenity. I don’t mean anything else. Serenity is a nice girl. If her husband doesn’t treat her well, it’ll be better to get a divorce sooner so she can find a man who will appreciate her. That way, she can live a good life.”“That’s true. Serenity is great! I believe Mr. York will fall in love with her. He might even fall for her sooner than the other way round!”Jasmine only wished the best for her friend.Shawn’s heart ached.He could not tell his cousin that he had a crush on Serenity because he was afraid Jasmine would tell his mother.Not to mention, Shawn was a little younger than Serenity. Even if Serenity were to divorce, his mother would never accept Serenity as a daughter-in-law.Before Shawn had full confidence in pursuing Serenity, he was care
Zachary was in dismay. However, on second thought, Callum recommending Serenity’s handicrafts would only mean more money for Serenity. Since Serenity was his wife, he could still reap some benefits from it. With this in mind, Zachary no longer felt too depressed about it.When Serenity finished cooking, she brought all of the dishes and placed them on the table.The couple took their seats and had dinner together.Zachary was in a good mood and ate with much gusto.He had to admit that Serenity had great cooking skills and he was blessed to have her.After the meal, Serenity washed the dishes and picked up the bag of clothes from the couch. She retrieved the clothes from the bag and handed them to Zachary. “Mr. York, try these two sets of clothes and see if they fit?“You’ve been of great help to me, so I think treating you to a meal isn’t enough. That’s why I bought you two sets of new clothes and ties to match. They’re all in black, your favorite color.”Zachary had guessed lo
A lot of people were taking a stroll in the neighborhood. Most of them were parents bringing their children out for walks while others included young couples holding hands intimately.Despite seeing how affectionate other couples were, Serenity and Zachary just walked side by side, without taking the initiative to extend their hand to the other.However, many people turned to look at them because they were a good-looking couple.Finally, Serenity stopped by a children’s playground and said to the man beside her, “Let’s sit here to watch the kids play.”Serenity liked children.She loved her nephew, Sonny.Zachary did not speak and followed her silently to sit on a stone bench.“If Sonny was here, he’d definitely have a good time.”Zachary hummed in response.Serenity tilted her head to look at him. Zachary felt weird that she was looking at him like that, so he asked her defensively, “Why are you looking at me like this?”“You look exquisitely handsome, so I thought of soothi
Zachary was speechless again.He had no idea what he should talk with her about.The young couples around them were newlyweds and behaving intimately, interlocking their fingers as they walked together. The couples with children were focused on their kids, so they had more things to talk about; unlike them, who had neither feelings nor children.It was an onerous task for them to chat.Seeing that Zachary was at a loss for words again, Serenity smiled and stood up, before pulling him up too. “Let’s go back so you won’t feel uncomfortable, wondering if I’ll jump you at any moment.”“Serenity, you’re a girl!”“So what if I’m a girl? I’m just saying…”Serenity pulled him away, but she only pulled on his sleeve without touching his hand for fear he might wash his hands a hundred times when he got home.“Didn’t you see the trending story two days ago? It was about Ms. Stone and Mr. York. Ms. Stone really likes him, so she confessed to him and wooed him openly. Men will pursue the wo
“You’re a manager in the company, yet you barely have the chance to meet your boss. Your boss is truly… unattainable and mysterious,” Serenity said.There were no photos of Mr. York on the internet.Mr. York was followed around by a security squad. Last time at the dinner party, there were so many tall and brawny bodyguards surrounding him to the point where Serenity and Jasmine could not catch a glimpse of Mr. York’s face even when they tiptoed.Now knowing that Zachary who was a white-collar employee in York Corporation and yet he rarely saw Mr. York, Serenity felt much better about herself.Zachary did not carry on with the conversation.He did not care what others say about him and acted according to his own wishes.The couple chatted about Mr. York and returned to their block.Zachary’s bodyguards wandered nearby. Although they did not follow Zachary and Serenity closely, the guards were always watching the young couple and kept them within range of vision, wherever they we
Zachary finally felt the benefits of being married.He left for work with the insulated lunch box.While on the way to the office in the car, he savored the breakfast that his wife prepared for him with love.He ate it with much gusto and felt satisfied.The driver and the bodyguard who sat in the same car as Zachary were a little puzzled. The breakfast Serenity prepared was extremely simple, yet the picky Zachary relished it. Perhaps, Serenity’s cooking skills were excellent.After Zachary left, Serenity routinely called her sister and left the house knowing that her sister was fine.When she got out, it was already rush hour, so there was traffic congestion which eventually got heavier as she was halfway into her journey.Many who were rushing for work were feeling utterly anxious till they almost went berserk.Elisa Stone was one of them.While her brother and sister-in-law were behaving lovey-dovey during breakfast, Elisa quietly slipped out of the house and secretly packe
Lilian often messed with the medicinal herbs her master cultivated, which led to her being chased and scolded by him.It seemed her son had inherited her restless nature.“How’s Sonny been lately?”Liberty had been on edge these past few days because Caroline had been preparing to lure her three brothers into a trap and had not had time to call her son.“Same as usual, but it seems like things have soured again with the Browns.”Serenity added, “Sonny still answers when Hank calls him, but he doesn’t seem happy when his grandparents visit. He doesn’t like going to the Browns’ place, and he doesn’t want to take their calls either.“Hank’s mother and sister are truly incorrigible. They must have been badmouthing you and Duncan in front of Sonny again, which is why he’s upset with them.”During the holidays, Sonny had stayed with the Browns for a few days and started to warm up to them.However, who would have thought that the mother and daughter would start spouting nonsense in f
Once the baby was born, he would apply the knowledge he had learned over the past few months to care for the baby. He was determined to be a competent and responsible father.Serenity released her arms from around him and shifted to her side.Zachary let go, too, allowing her to turn.Then, she planted countless gentle kisses on his face.“Babe, with you here, the baby and I will be just fine. Don’t worry too much,” Serenity comforted softly after kissing him.“You are my rock. If even you are nervous, I’ll start feeling anxious too, and that won’t be good.”Hearing this, Zachary immediately said, “Seren, don’t worry. I’ll protect both of you. Alright, I won’t be so nervous anymore.”He gently touched her rounded belly again. “Lil’ Bun should be a calm kid. He’s not that mischievous.”He felt that the baby’s movements were not too intense.Serenity wanted to tell him that there were times when the baby kicked more vigorously, but she decided against it, knowing it would only m
“Just hit the gym a few more times. Lately, you’ve been spending less time there.”Every day after work, he would come home and orbit around her. As a result, he had less time to work out.It was normal to gain a few pounds eating well and exercising less. Did he really think he could eat anything without gaining weight?The reason he could maintain a model-like physique before was that he exercised daily.“Ow.” Serenity suddenly cried out in pain.This startled Zachary so much that he nearly jumped up, asking anxiously, “Is it stomach pain? Are you going into labor? Let’s go to the hospital right away.”He was about to pick her up, but Serenity stopped him by pressing his hand.“Don’t be so nervous, Zachary. It's not time yet. It’s not happening so soon. It’s just the baby kicking again. His kicks are getting stronger.”As she entered the later stages of pregnancy, the little one inside her was growing stronger. Sometimes, a couple of kicks from the baby could actually hurt.
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