“Any news, Seren?” Mrs. Stone threw a question at Serenity. Serenity huddled together with Elisa watching reels when her aunt asked her a question. Lifting her chin, she asked in confusion, “What news, Aunt Audrey?” Elisa stopped the videos and looked at her mother. “Are you referring to our investment? The contracts are signed and out of the way, so the work can commence now. I’m hiring a few agriculturists to start farming. Seren, we should get a start on the sales front too.” Elisa was running the sales bit now. However, agriculture was still underway, and nothing had grown yet. Hence, they had not received any orders. Serenity responded, “Sure. Tomorrow night is a good opportunity.” Old Mr. Marshall’s birthday celebration was a business engagement too. Mrs. Stone was speechless. Judging by the scowl on her mother’s face, Elisa realized they got the wrong answer. She gave Serenity a nudge. It dawned on Serenity what Mrs. Stone was trying to get to. “Aunt Audrey,
Serenity gave it a thought before replying, “I don’t take on a lot of stress. My in-laws are not pressuring me either. Nana only talked about having a great-granddaughter every once in a while. Zachary said he’s taking me on a trip to Annenburg once he’s done with his work. We’re going to visit Mr. Young-Johnson.” Zachary believed Serenity did not have many friends, so he was trying to get her and Ben’s wife, Jane, together. Since Remy was part of the Johnson family, and he was in love with Elisa, Serenity could befriend Jane and get an understanding of the Johnson family for Elisa. At least, she could check out if the Johnsons were as nice as the public put it out to be. The way Serenity saw it, Elisa and Remy got along well. They looked good together. Serenity would stand on Elisa’s corner and convince Aunt Audrey if the Johnsons proved to be a good family and if Elisa developed feelings for Remy too. Sure, Remy was hailed from Annenburg, but he had bought a house next to the
After walking Serenity to the door and seeing her drive away, Mrs. Stone turned on her heel and returned to the house. No sooner had Serenity returned to the shop than Jessica barged in. Serenity was surprised by Jessica showing up. “Where’s your sister, Serenity?” Jessica shot the question the moment she walked into the shop. “What business do you have with my sister, Mrs. Brown?” Serenity put away her car keys and faintly asked Jessica. Jasmine kept her eyes peeled, ready with a broom for when Jessica got out of line. Jessica was black and blue in the face. With that black eye, she appeared rather gaunt. She was only twenty-five years old, a year younger than Serenity. Yet, Jessica looked a lot older than Serenity right now. It was probably because Hank did want to foot the bills for her expensive skincare products now that he got the girl. Liberty had a better skincare routine than Jessica currently. Serenity had no sympathy for Jessica despite how she looked now.
Jessica made a long face.A while later, she turned on her heel and walked out. “Mrs. Brown.” With Serenity calling after Jessica, Jessica turned around and looked at her, waiting to get an answer about Liberty’s whereabouts. Serenity played nice and reminded her, “The bruises on your face are obvious. You might want to get something to clear them away. I heard that your wedding with Mr. Brown is coming up. The black and blue would not go well with the theme of your wedding.” Jessica’s wrinkles deepened with a grimace. Without a word, she cocked her head back and strutted out of the shop with her chest out. It was as if by doing so, she could prove her life could not be any better. A delivery person arrived. Jasmine ordered milkshakes to the shop. She took the milkshakes and gave a cup to her best friend. Jasmine gloated, “The Browns must have abused her. I thought she was all that, and her mother-in-law and sister-in-law had nothing on her.” Sipping on the milksha
Although Callum brought Camryn two business deals and revenue, she could not possibly spend all the profits on buying him dinner. “Alright. You can pick the place since it’s your treat. I’m happy if you want to cook for me too.” It did not matter to Callum where he was having the meal so long as his fiancée was treating him. If Camryn could read his mind, she would challenge Callum about her being his fiancée. Likewise, Callum would refute that since his nana made her his spouse candidate, so she was his fiancée. “I can’t see, Mr. Callum. I can’t cook.” Camryn calmly reminded Callum that she was blind.She could move freely in a familiar environment, but cooking was on another level. Camryn would make her own food if she had her eyesight. Despite being a child of the Newman family, Camryn used to do everything herself.The smile on Callum’s face faded. Oh, right. She could not see. How was she supposed to cook? He would probably not taste his wife’s cooking if she sti
Camryn and her aunt had an idea of who fed her the poison, but they had no hard evidence. Ten years ago, Camryn was only a sixteen-year-old teenager. Since her aunt had married and moved out of the city, she could rarely come back to her family home. They could not find proof against the poisoner. All Camryn knew was that her aunt got into a fight with her stepfather. Her aunt left in tears after her stepfather slapped her. Since then, her aunt always stayed at Wiltspoon Hotel whenever she was back in the city. She had not stepped foot into the Newmans’ residence. Callum commented, “You have a positive outlook on life.” Camryn faintly replied, “What can I do? Will crying help me see again?“No matter what happens, I need to face and accept reality.” Impressed, Callum uttered, “Not bad. I like the way you think.” With a straight face, Camryn asked, “What time is it, Mr. Callum? We should go and have dinner if it’s time.” One employee had gone out to make a floral delivery
Camryn walked around the cash register to retrieve the roses for Callum. As if she just heard the footsteps, Camryn stopped what she was doing and turned her head to face Mrs. Newman. She indifferently uttered, “Mom.” Mrs. Newman first checked Callum out. Unable to put her finger on the familiar face, she painted a smiling face and asked, “You look familiar, mister. And you are?” The person with the Maybach was no ordinary man. Straightening his back, Callum turned around and met Mrs. Newman’s gaze. He courteously responded, “Callum York.” “Ah, Callum York.” Mrs. Newman could count the time she had met the nine heirs of the York family because they rarely attended any social engagements. The outside world would probably not know how the York boys look or what their names were if they never joined the corporate world. The York family shielded their children well from the world. Mrs. Newman beamed at the mention of Callum’s name. She wanted to be friendly with the Yor
“Are you here to bring Ms. Newman home for dinner? Is there something you need to discuss with her? If so, I don’t want to intrude on your mother-and-daughter time,” Callum tenderly asked Mrs. Newman, acting like he had no idea of Camryn’s status in the family. Mrs. Newman was not here to give Camryn a hard time for once. She came to notify Camryn of Old Mr. Marshall’s business engagement at Wiltspoon Hotel tomorrow night. Camryn was to go with Mrs. Newman. Of course, Camryn was not there to replace Carrie. Mrs. Newman merely wanted to introduce Camryn to an old CEO who may be helpful to the Newmans’ family business. Although Camryn was blind, she was prettier than Carrie. Camryn’s soft and calm voice was soothing to the ear. Mrs. Newman was sure the old CEO would be captivated by Camryn’s beauty. “You’re not a bother at all. I just want to say a few words to Camryn before I have to leave.” Mrs. Newman kept a friendly attitude in Callum’s presence. She said to Camryn, “Do
Zachary was also worried that Serenity would go into premature labor out of shock. He also persuaded her to go for her checkup in a gentle voice. They could not do anything but wait anyway.Serenity finally decided to conduct her prenatal checkup first. Zachary accompanied her. Just moments after they left, the door to the delivery suite opened. A nurse stood there and shouted, “Is Jasmine Sox’s husband here?”“Yes. I’m her husband,” replied Josh quickly. He dashed to the nurse. “You must save Jas, doctor. Save the mother no matter what.”His family members behind him also echoed, “That’s right. No matter what happens, you have to save Jasmine.”The nurse said, “The mother is fine. It’s just that she wants her husband to accompany her as she’s in a lot of pain.”Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Josh was about to rush inside but was stopped by the nurse.She asked him to change his clothes before taking him inside the delivery suite.Jasmine was wailing in pain. When
With advanced medical technology, a premature baby could still be healthy if taken good care of in the incubator. Serenity said, “Jasmine should be at thirty-five weeks. I just don’t understand why she would suddenly go into labor. Did she fall at home?“Or did she eat something that made her go into labor?”Zachary said, “That’s most likely not the case. Josh’s cousin is Jasmine’s dietician and keeps an eye on her food every day. There’s no way Jasmine would’ve eaten something bad unless she ate it secretly.”Serenity and Zachary suddenly went silent. Pregnant women had weird appetites. Once they had a craving, they could not go unsatisfied. Sometimes, they would even crave fruits that were not in season. Serenity herself was one of them. Once, she woke up in the middle of the night craving mac and cheese. Of course, Zachary, the ever-doting husband, had to satisfy her request. However, where could he find mac and cheese at that hour?Ultimately, he had to drive to the
People would reap what they had sown. They would have to bear the consequences of their actions. Sometimes, interfering in another person’s fate would backfire. After chatting for some time, Serenity said, “I have to go for my checkup now, Liberty. Let’s talk again when you’re free another day.“By the way, I’ll get someone to bring Sonny to you this weekend. He misses you.”“Okay,” said Liberty. After the call ended, Serenity put her phone into her bag and stood up. She told the man behind the office desk, “It’s almost time, babe. Let’s go.”“Okay. I’m almost done.”Zachary quickly signed and stamped a document before closing it. He walked over with the document in hand. Serenity and Zachary left the office together. He handed the document to his secretary. The secretary did not expect him to pass the document to him personally. He had thought of entering Zachary’s office to request it later. The secretary watched Zachary and Serenity leave. He could not believe
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