Mrs. Lewis felt like she was going to explode from anger.They were not together yet, but Duncan already wanted to be Sonny’s father.Was Hank dead?“Duncan, I’m telling you, I don’t accept Liberty. I won’t allow you to be with her! She’s divorced and has a child. You’re from completely different worlds. The right person for you is a strong and capable woman from an influential family; someone like Lily.“Putting aside the Lewis family, even if we just look at your own achievements, don’t you think that Liberty is still unworthy of you?“You’re the CEO of Lewis & Co., and she’s just the owner of a small breakfast diner. Even the store she rents belongs to you. You two are worlds apart. That’s not me looking down on her. It’s the truth. Duncan, both families have to be well-matched in social status in a marriage. You and Liberty are not suitable for each other.“You should give up on her and go out with Lily. Didn’t you have a great time chatting with her during the Marshall famil
Duncan did not care how adamant his mother was and said with a smile, “Mom, you should worry about whether your son can win over Liberty first.”Liberty suffered in her first marriage and no longer longed for love. She would not be easy to pursue.Mrs. Lewis said angrily, “Are you really going to pursue her?”“I didn’t know my feelings before, but when I found out that Liberty got injured, I was so afraid and heartbroken. Although I’m rough and not as attentive as Josh, I’m not stupid. I know that this is care—this is love!“I care about Liberty and like her! Since I like her, I have to pursue her. I can’t just secretly harbor feelings for her while waiting for her to take the initiative to marry me. That’s wishful thinking.”Mrs. Lewis slapped him and warned, “Duncan Lewis, I’m officially warning you now. You’re not allowed to pursue Liberty. Otherwise, don’t blame me for taking action.”“Love that has braved through storms will last longer. Mom, you can come at me if you’re dis
After returning to the Lewis residence, Mrs. Lewis did not want to wake her son up. However, she could not carry her son as she did when he was a child, so she had no choice but to wake him up.“Duncan, we’re home. Wake up.”Duncan only woke up after a few nudges from his mother.He was still a bit dazed when he opened his eyes. He looked at his mother for a while before coming to his senses and getting out of the car.Lily just came back from outside. The car she drove was lent to her by Mrs. Lewis.“Mrs. Lewis, Duncan,” Lily greeted as she got out of the car.The two of them got along well at the Marshall family’s banquet. She thought that was the beginning of her good relationship with Duncan, so she was friendlier with him.“Lily, where did you go?”Mrs. Lewis was full of smiles when facing Lily. She really liked Lily and wanted Lily to be her youngest daughter-in-law.Her best friend thought the same, and the two family’s elders were all looking forward to it.Mrs. Lewis
Lily looked at Mrs. Lewis.Mrs. Lewis asked the servants to carry all the things that Lily bought into the house while she took Lily for a walk around the yard.She sighed as she walked.“Tell me what’s on your mind, Mrs. Lewis. Maybe I can help. Don’t sigh. There are many people around you to support you.”Mrs. Lewis took Lily’s hand and looked at her, saying, “Lily, you’re a capable and understanding girl. You can take care of both your work and family at home, and you also dominate the business world. In my eyes, you’re the ideal daughter-in-law.“I really don’t know what’s wrong with Duncan’s eyes. How can he have feelings for Liberty? Our greatest worry came true. Liberty got injured, and he stayed in the hospital all night to watch over her. He only came back now to rest because I dragged him out.“On the way back, he also admitted that he cared about Liberty and liked her too. Lily, you have to fight harder. You’re superior to Liberty in every way, so you have to defeat he
The York family bodyguards blocked them from entering the ward.“We heard that Liberty woke up and came to see her,” Olivia said to the bodyguard with a smile.Serenity did not tell Hank that Liberty woke up.However, the kidnapping was too high-profile, and there were too many people involved. News about the incident instantly went viral, so everyone in Wiltspoon knew about it.Naturally, everyone also paid attention to Liberty’s injury.The media found out that her life was no longer in danger and she was released from the ICU.Countless people were moved by her maternal love and prayed for her, hoping that she would recover. The media reported her overcoming the critical period, which was how the Brown family found out.“As our missus said, Ms. Hunt still needs to recuperate. There shouldn’t be noise disturbing her. It’s enough that you know her life is no longer in danger. There’s no need to go in and disturb her.”The one who spoke was Jim.Chelsea said loudly, “We’re jus
“Serenity, this is a little gift from me. Keep it for your sister. When people visit someone at the hospital, it’s customary to bring a gift.” Chelsea brought up the social custom.She insisted that Liberty accept the gift card.Olivia also gave Liberty a gift card.Serenity refused, and in the end, the mother and daughter shoved the gift cards to Sonny and let him hold them. Then, they quickly ran away.Mr. Brown ran along with them, not letting Serenity return the gift cards.Only Hank stood there, watching Liberty awkwardly.Serenity wanted to let Hank take the gift cards away, but Sonny refused to let go. He clung tightly to the cards and said, “Grandmom and Aunt Chelsea gave these to me!”Serenity said gently, “Sonny, you have to return these gift cards to them. We don’t want their money.”“Grandmom and Aunt Chelsea gave them to me!”Sonny refused resolutely. His grandmother and aunt gave him gift cards in the past, but his mother would always exchange them for cash and p
“Thank you,” Camryn said to Serenity.“Serenity,” Callum greeted.Serenity hummed and helped Camryn sit down in a chair.Callum placed the fruit basket and bouquet on the bedside table and said warmly, “Liberty, these are from Ms. Newman. We wish you a speedy recovery.”Liberty thanked them.She did not know Camryn well, but she knew that her sister and Camryn got along with each other. Her sister told her that Camryn was the wife chosen for Callum by his grandmother. Judging by Callum’s attitude toward Camryn, he had accepted his grandmother’s arrangement.“Liberty.”Camryn faced Liberty.“I’m sorry.”She apologized.“Why are you apologizing to me, Ms. Newman?” Liberty’s voice was a little weak. After the anesthesia wore off, her wounds and the surgery incisions hurt so much that her face was pale. She could not even raise her voice to speak louder.Camryn said guiltily, “This all started because of me. In order to save me, Serenity lent me a hand, which was why my mother h
After a moment of silence, Camryn said, “It’ll trouble Mr. Callum.”“You don’t have to call him Mr. Callum. That sounds so distant. Just call him Callum. We’re friends, and he’s my brother-in-law. You two have known each other for a while now, so you’re considered friends too.”Callum cast a grateful look at his sister-in-law.Camryn just smiled and did not answer.Liberty still needed to rest, so Camryn could not stay too long.After Audrey and Elisa arrived, Camryn and Callum left together.“Seren, you take Sonny and Zachary back for lunch and rest at home in the afternoon. Elisa and I will stay here to watch over your sister, then you two can come back at night to take over.”Audrey wanted to watch over Liberty at night too, but she could not win against Serenity.She understood where Serenity was coming from.Her children were also worried that she could not hold on in her old age.Serenity looked at her sister.“Listen to Aunt Audrey, Seren.”Liberty said gently, “My h
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