Zachary clinked glasses with Josh, but he did not drink. He replied, “Clive’s wife is pregnant. You didn’t just find out about this. If it were you, would you have brought your wife to such a venue tonight?”After a moment of silence, Josh said, “I forgot about it. People of no importance are none of my concern. If my Jasmine were pregnant, I wouldn’t even let her walk. I’ll carry her around.”Zachary found it funny and said, “Being pregnant isn’t the same as falling sick. There’s no need to be so nervous. Pregnant women have to have sufficient exercise too.”Josh pouted. “You’re talking now, but wait till your wife gets pregnant. If you can maintain the same opinion when that time comes, I’ll treat you to a meal.”“You’re talking as if I don’t have food. I cook for Seren whenever I have time. My cooking skills have leveled up.”They chatted in low voices as they walked toward the crowd. Many people raised their glasses in their direction as a form of greeting. Josh smiled and
Otherwise, even Mrs. Stone would have wanted to bring Jasmine and her son together.Josh would have thought, ‘I was lucky that Zachary introduced me to Jasmine first.’Zachary deserved a reward for playing matchmaker. Elisa breathed a sigh of relief after getting away from the mothers. She complained that Serenity and Jasmine rescued her too late. “You’re exaggerating.”Serenity found it funny. She said, “You even used the word ‘rescue’.”“The ladies seemed easy going though.”Jasmine smiled and said, “Their gazes on you were so gentle.”Elisa shuddered. She said, “They were looking at me as if I was their daughter-in-law.”That statement made Serenity and Jasmine laugh. “Seren, look.”Elisa suddenly nudged Serenity and stuck her lips out in a direction. “What’s wrong?”Serenity and Jasmine looked in the direction Elisa indicated. Jasmine saw Duncan was with an unfamiliar woman. Serenity did not find anything unusual because she had seen Duncan and Lily before. She
“Mrs. York.”They were stopped by Mrs. Newman and Camryn just after taking several steps. Camryn was being dragged by Mrs. Newman. When Serenity saw Camryn was about to fall, she instinctively stretched her hand to support her. “Be careful, Camryn.”Serenity steadied Camryn before looking toward Mrs. Newman. Mrs. Newman squeezed a smile. “Thank you for helping Camryn, Mrs. York. She can’t see, so she falls easily.”Elisa said, “She’s blind, yet you keep dragging her.”Mrs. Newman’s smile faltered. “I guess the sun will rise from the west tomorrow,” Elisa said sarcastically. She gave Mrs. Newman a sidelong glance. “This is your first time bringing Camryn to a banquet, Mrs. Newman. How rare. Do you guys think the sun will rise from the west tomorrow?”Elisa’s mockery infuriated Mrs. Newman, but she did not let it show on her face. She maintained her smile and said, “Camryn is blind, and I can’t always be by her side even if I brought her to banquets. I was afraid of her ge
Serenity asked Camryn softly, “Is she trying to arrange a marriage for you and some rich man’s son?”After pressing her lips together, Camryn replied softly, “She won’t let me get married to a rich man. She’ll only give me to someone else. She can give me to anyone who’ll benefit her.”Serenity was furious upon hearing that. Sensing her anger, Camryn smiled unexpectedly. She said, “Don’t worry. I can protect myself.” She had a small blade with her wherever she went. Serenity still wanted to say something, but Camryn poked her palm again. Therefore, she did not say anything else. Mrs. Newman chose a quiet and relatively remote spot. She gestured to Serenity to sit. “Do you want anything to eat, Mrs. York? I’ll take some food for you.”“No, thank you. You can talk about what you want, Mrs. Newman.”Mrs. Newman laughed sheepishly. She said, “Mrs. York, you and Camryn clicked right away and are friends. Carrie is Camryn’s biological sister. Can you not sue Carrie for Camryn’s s
Serenity said seriously, “Mrs. Newman, I’m not insisting on having your daughter sentenced. Your daughter committed a crime. Whether or not she’ll be convicted, I don’t want myself to get hurt anymore. You should know your daughter well. You said she knows her mistake and guarantees not to hire someone to hurt me again. “You might believe her, but I don’t.”Mrs. Newman glared at Serenity with a dark expression. Her husband kept telling her to build a good relationship with Serenity and plead for mercy for their daughter. Did he think she did not want to build a good relationship with that country bumpkin? Did she not apologize, offer compensation, and plead for mercy for their daughter?She even asked Camryn to look for Serenity. However, Serenity was stubborn. She was determined to sue Carrie. Hatred boiled in Mrs. Newman’s heart. Since Serenity would not make things easier for them, she would not let Serenity live a peaceful life either.Mrs. Newman stood up and said wit
Serenity used to see scenes of people being drugged and set up in novels or TV shows. She did not think that that would actually happen in real life. Moreover, it was a younger sister drugging her elder sister to ruin her life. After a moment of silence, Camryn said, “It’s not once or twice that she drugged me.”Serenity was speechless. “They’re treating you so poorly. You can move out.”The risk of living together with them was too huge. Camryn was silent again before saying angrily, “My father left me that house. Why do I have to move out? The people who are supposed to move out are them! They used to bully me for being a kid, and now they’re bullying me for being blind.”Serenity’s eyes gleamed. That was a lot of information. Zachary analyzed the situation for her before. Camryn’s biological father might have been killed. Camryn almost died from being gravely ill when she was sixteen years old, but no one in the Newman family sent her to the hospital. It was obvious tha
Callum said cheekily, “It’s only a matter of time before she becomes my wife. I’m just doing this to get in some early practice. I wouldn’t want to end up like my brother who had trouble doing so.” Serenity chuckled, “That’s a strange lesson you took from your brother.” “Using my brother’s many mistakes as a guide allows me to avoid many pitfalls in my relationship.” Serenity was speechless. When was the first time Zachary addressed her as his wife? She barely remembered. Perhaps it was not a very significant experience for her, which explained why it did not leave an impression. If it was something impactful, she would have remembered. Fortunately, Zachary would never find out that this was her impression. It would have plagued him with countless sleepless nights thinking about it. Serenity walked away. She was going to see her business partner. Elisa took Jasmine with her to introduce Jasmine to her best friend Tasha. Tasha’s cousin was joining them as well
“You! Certainly.” “Doesn’t that make me the matchmaker?” Josh thought about it and answered, “Yes.” “I’m giving you my bank details so you can send me a little token of appreciation for pairing you two together. Come on, I’m not going to give you money as a wedding gift, I have better things in mind than something as impersonal as that. However, I will admit that I am a shallow man and would like some money as a way of thank-you for my role as a matchmaker..” Josh was struck speechless. Serenity had transformed Zachary into a man who kept checks and balances even when it came to his interpersonal relationships. This banquet continued well into midnight. In the past, Zachary would only show up for ten to fifteen minutes at most, just as a formality. After that, he would immediately excuse himself. Tonight was an exception. He waited until the banquet was over before leaving with his beloved wife. His actions were a testament to the love and affection he had for his
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