It was not that Mr. Newman did not want his daughter to marry into the York family but rather it was a question of whether it was possible.Serenity reached the top without even knowing how, but other people would not be able to step into Wildridge Manor no matter how hard they tried.It was really infuriating.โThen, weโll choose Mr. Stone?โMr. Newman looked at his wife and said, โYou become muddle-headed when you care about Carrie. You only think about marrying our daughter to the best families, but you forget their relationships. Serenity is Mrs. Stoneโs niece. Do you think Carrie will have a good time as Mrs. Stoneโs daughter-in-law?โMrs. Newman was speechless.Yes, she forgot about that.โCarrie is still young, so thereโs no need to rush. We can take our time to pick. Our top priority is to get her out of jail, find someone whom the York family respects to mediate, and let Serenity give up on suing Carrie.โMr. Newman felt that as long as Serenity was firmly seated in th
Even though many gowns were made in that style, they just did not like it.The York men wanted to cover their women tightly; not even exposing their arms.At that moment, Camrynโs appearance made others want to bite into her.โMs. Newman looks very beautiful tonight.โCallum praised Camryn before turning back to the Newman couple. โMr. and Mrs. Newman, I saw an acquaintance of mine and will go to say hello to him. Head on inside. Many bosses are here already.โโGo ahead, Mr. York,โ Mr. Newman spoke politely.He caught the amazement in Callumโs eyes when the latter looked at Camryn earlier. However, Callum only glanced at her twice, praised her, and stopped looking at her. It was clear that he was not charmed by Camryn.Mr. Newman thought that if Camryn could bewitch Callum, he would give her to Callum and let Callum speak up for Carrie. Serenity would definitely spare Carrie for the sake of her brother-in-law.What a shame; even the stunning Camryn could not tempt Callum.They
Wiltspoon Hotel was owned by York Corporation. Josh was the administrative executive and came in and out of the hotel every day, but he still wanted her to take him inside.Josh said, โYou donโt have to rush in. Your friend hasnโt arrived yet. I didnโt see his car parked at the entrance.โItโs not just Zachary. I didnโt see the Stone familyโs car either. Theyโre not as punctual as I am.โJasmine was not convinced. โMaybe their cars are in the underground parking lot.โโIf you donโt believe me, just ask the lobby manager.โJasmine pursed her lips and let go of Joshโs hand to take his arm instead, saying, โOkay, letโs go inside.โJosh contentedly took Jasmine into the hotel.Callum, an old acquaintance, was left standing at the entrance of the hotel. Josh did not say a word to him.Callum was speechless.Oh, the woes of being a bachelor.No matter how close a friend was, once the said friend had a partner, they no longer cared about you.Fortunately, he was just making an excu
The same person also looked down on Serenityโs background.A country bumpkin sprinted up the social ladder just because she saved Old Mrs. York.There were so many elders in the York family, but no one raised an objection and allowed a country bumpkin to become the eldest missus of the family. She would be the lady of the family in the future. Was the York family not afraid that Serenityโs incompetence would disgrace the family and make them the laughingstock of others?If Serenity had married another son of the York family, she might not have attracted that much jealousy.โYouโre right. I also think that Serenity isnโt insightful enough. She doesnโt think things through and is too impulsive. She takes advantage of her husbandโs status and doesnโt show respect to many people, so she casually meddles in other peopleโs business and makes enemies for Mr. York.โThis time it was Mrs. Newman who spoke.โExactly. Serenity is really meddlesome. Youโre Mrs. Newman, right? I remember Sere
Zacharyโs team of bodyguards responsibly opened a path for him and Serenity. They prevented anyone from approaching them as they wished. The husband and wife followed behind their parents and walked toward the Marshalls.Everyone greeted each other. The Marshallsโ gaze focused on Serenity in the end. Serenity was charming. Her aura was not inferior either. She was elegant and graceful without being petty. Zachary and Serenity had gone public with their marriage long ago. However, they had not attended any event of the elite circle together. Serenity usually attended banquets with Mrs. Stone, while Mrs. Marshall did not show up much. Therefore, it was the Marshallsโ first time meeting Serenity.The famous figure of Wiltspoon for the past six months, Mrs. York, was not as inferior as the rumors described so to the Marshalls. On the contrary, they felt she was a good match for Zachary when they stood together. They looked as if they were made for each other. Those who said S
Mrs. Marshall thought Serenityโs voice was pleasant. She held her hand in a friendly manner and complimented her. Serenity responded to everyoneโs compliments with grace, which disappointed those who wanted to see her make a fool of herself. Some people thought Mrs. Stone was indeed good at teaching. Serenity had only attended a few banquets with Mrs. Stone, yet she had managed to train a country bumpkin into a graceful missus of a wealthy family. The York family of four went on to meet Old Mr. Marshall. After looking at Serenity for some time, Old Mr. Marshall did not say a word. However, he gave her a generous gift in front of everyone. He even told Zachary, โYou two must live a happy life. Your nana wonโt go wrong.โZachary was soft toward Old Mr. Marshall. โThank you, Old Mr. Marshall. Iโll cherish and love Seren a lot.โOld Mr. Marshall smiled kindly. He was much older than Old Mrs. York, and his energy could not compare to hers. He would only meet youngsters of higher
After greeting the hosts, everyone started looking for their friends to chat with or discuss business. At first, Serenity stayed by Zacharyโs side. He did not have to go to other people to discuss collaborations as there were many CEOs who wished to collaborate with him. Serenity watched as Zachary became the spotlight no matter where he went. Everyone revolved around him. She whispered to her husband, โI overestimated myself when I said I wanted to be on equal standing as you.โRather than thinking of being on par with him, running behind him would be good enough for her. Zachary raised their interlocked hands. He stared into her with smiling eyes and said gently, โWeโre holding hands and standing shoulder to shoulder now.โHoney, to me, thereโs no distance between us. If there were any, it would be me being a man and you being a woman.โSerenity smiled. She had learned socializing from Aunt Audrey for some time. She figured out and learned many things along the way and gai
It turned out that Zachary had been using Serenity as an excuse for some time. No wonder he smelt nice and fresh when he came home recently. Of course, Serenity did not want Zachary to drink so much alcohol. His stomach had been unwell before, and she had spent time nursing him back to health. It would be better if he avoided drinking whenever he could. However, he deliberately created an image of him being bossed around by his wifeโฆZachary held onto Serenityโs waist. He scolded Josh with a smile and said to Jasmine, โYou shouldnโt be laughing happily, Ms. Sox. Josh uses you as an excuse too.โJasmine said, โIโm okay with it. He can use me as an excuse as much as he wants to as long as heโs healthy. You two are the same. Serenity and I have never been strict and given you guys enough freedom. Youโre the ones labeling yourselves as men whoโre afraid of their wives.โ Serenity grinned. โTheyโre not even scared of being ridiculed.โโNo one dares to laugh at me for being afraid
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.โHowโs Sonny been lately?โLiberty 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.โSame as usual, but it seems like things have soured again with the Browns.โSerenity added, โSonny still answers when Hank calls him, but he doesnโt seem happy when his grandparents visit. He doesnโt like going to the Brownsโ place, and he doesnโt want to take their calls either.โHankโs mother and sister are truly incorrigible. They must have been badmouthing you and Duncan in front of Sonny again, which is why heโs upset with them.โDuring 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.โBabe, with you here, the baby and I will be just fine. Donโt worry too much,โ Serenity comforted softly after kissing him.โYou are my rock. If even you are nervous, Iโll start feeling anxious too, and that wonโt be good.โHearing this, Zachary immediately said, โSeren, donโt worry. Iโll protect both of you. Alright, I wonโt be so nervous anymore.โHe gently touched her rounded belly again. โLilโ Bun should be a calm kid. Heโs not that mischievous.โHe felt that the babyโs 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
โJust hit the gym a few more times. Lately, youโve been spending less time there.โEvery 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.โOw.โ Serenity suddenly cried out in pain.This startled Zachary so much that he nearly jumped up, asking anxiously, โIs it stomach pain? Are you going into labor? Letโs go to the hospital right away.โHe was about to pick her up, but Serenity stopped him by pressing his hand.โDonโt be so nervous, Zachary. It's not time yet. Itโs not happening so soon. Itโs just the baby kicking again. His kicks are getting stronger.โAs 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 Serenityโs 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 Serenityโs 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 Zacharyโs eyes, his wifeโs 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.
โYou should have gotten rid of them all back then and cultivated a network of people loyal only to you.โ Manny felt that his father should not have spared those people in the first place.Tony said, โThere were too many of them, all relatives and friends with the same goal as us. We couldnโt eliminate them all at once.โBack 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 familyโs 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 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