โDunc.โSonnyโs mannerism toward Duncan and his father, Hank, was the same.Once Sonny saw Duncan, he shook off Libertyโs hand and scurried toward Duncan.Hankโs expression became graver.His parents and elder sister had always nagged him, telling him that Liberty had a pursuer. If he was not going to divorce Jessica and go after Liberty again, Sonnyโs father would be someone else.Duncan would most likely become Sonnyโs new father.Hank knew full well that Liberty would not accept him anymore. As for Jessica, he still had feelings for her. He also felt sorry for her.He hurt two women because of his unfaithfulness. Liberty was already divorced from Hank and had started her life anew. She was leading a wonderful life. He did not want to hurt Jessica again, especially by divorcing her when she was in jail. If he did that, she would be homeless after she was released.Ever since Jessica was arrested, her brother and sister-in-law had established boundaries with her.Although h
โSonny.โSonny.โSomething seemed to be wrong with Hank. He kept shouting his sonโs name as he strode toward his son.โSonny, Iโll play with you.โHank hurriedly caught up with Duncan and blocked him.He stretched out his hand to snatch Sonny over.Sonny was Hankโs son!He shared the same surname as Hank, namely Brown!He had nothing to do with Duncan at all. There was no need for Duncan to play with Sonny.Sonnyโs biological father was here!โSonny, let Dad play with you, okay?โAs Hank asked Sonny, his eyes were fixed on Duncan. He purposely stressed the word โDadโ.Hank would forever be Sonnyโs father!If Duncan wanted to be Sonnyโs father, he could dream on!Hank failed to stop Duncan from going after his ex-wife. After all, he was still married to Jessica. What was more, Jessica was pregnant with his child, which meant he could not divorce her at this point.If Liberty wanted to remarry, she had the freedom to do so.Besides feeling annoyed, there was really nothin
Liberty watched the situation indifferently.Jessica was faking it, yet Hank could not see through it?Perhaps it was because Hank was concerned about Jessica and her baby.Soon, Hank left with Jessica by car.He did not even bid goodbye to Liberty and the rest.Liberty and Duncan wished Hank could quickly leave.However, Sonny was dejected.Hank said he would play with Sonny. However, once Jess said she was unwell, Hank instantly ignored him and left with Jess.โMom.โSonny walked toward Liberty. He extended his hands to ask for a hug from Liberty.Liberty carried him. Seeing his dejected look, she fell quiet for a moment before explaining on Hankโs behalf.โSonny, Jess isnโt feeling well, and your dad is worried about her. He had to send her to the hospital for a check-up, and thatโs why he canโt play with you. Itโs not because he doesnโt want to play with you or he doesnโt love you.โDuncanโs lips twitched. He felt that Hank did not love Sonny dearly.Hank loved Jessica
โItโs on the third floor, huh? Thereโs a lot of food on the first floor. Do you want to buy something to eat?โSonny shook his head.Currently, he was not keen on eating or playing.With Aunt Ser around, he had all kinds of good food.Upon noticing that Sonny was not interested in buying things, Duncan took him straight to the third floor of the mall.On the third floor, the kidsโ playground occupied one side whereas the other was a fashion store. When some parents came here to buy shoes, they would drop their children off at the playground and leave them to play there. There was an entrance fee with staff members keeping an eye on the kids. The kids would not run out unless they wanted to stop playing.Even if they wanted to run out, the staff members would not allow the kids to do so without the presence of their parents.Therefore, the parents would feel at ease. By placing their children at the playground, they could shop around the mall freely without being annoyed by the
Liberty did not believe that Mrs. Lewis would randomly pass by somewhere near her rented house. Surely, Mrs. Lewis came to meet her on purpose.She took a glimpse of her son who was having fun. Then, she turned her eyes to Duncan and said, โMrs. Lewis, Iโm outside now. Itโll take time for me to return.โโOh, youโre out? Are you alone?โ Mrs. Lewis asked patiently.She did not know Libertyโs number. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis deliberately went to All You Can Eat and jotted down Libertyโs number from the signboard.โIโm on the third floor of Gloria Mall with my son. Thereโs an indoor playground, and Sonny enjoys playing here. We bumped into Mr. Lewis at the entrance of the mall, so heโs here as well.โWhen Mrs. Lewis heard that her son pretended to create the encounter to be involved with Liberty, her face turned grim.However, she was not angry at Liberty. After suppressing her anger, she said to Liberty, โLiberty, since Duncan is there, you can have him look after Sonny. Weโllโฆ find a p
Liberty wished she could keep a distance from Duncan all the time. Nevertheless, he always used Sonny as an excuse, which left her feeling helpless.โYou deserve it. It serves you right. You rejected Lily whoโs interested in you and wants to get into a relationship with you, but you like Liberty instead. You know full well that Liberty has no feelings for you, yet you shamelessly pester her in spite of your status.โMrs. Lewis did not take pity on his son for going through a hard time pursuing Liberty.She even hoped that Liberty would persist in treating her son the same way so he would eventually give up.โMom, I have no feelings for Ms. Harmon. I simply like Liberty.โโTell me in what way Liberty is better than Lily,โ Mrs. Lewis asked her son huffily.The kid really made Mrs. Lewisโs blood boil.โMs. Harmon and Liberty have their own qualities; everyoneโs positive traits differ.โDuncan was not averse to Lily, but he knew that she was not his cup of tea.Lily was a career w
By the time Liberty arrived at the destination set by Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Lewis was already waiting for her.She parked her e-bike and removed the helmet. She walked up to Mrs. Lewis and greeted her politely, โHi, Mrs. Lewis.โAlthough Mrs. Lewis had a row with her son and was furious at him, she remained well-mannered in front of Liberty and gently acknowledged her greeting.โLetโs go in and take a seat.โMrs. Lewis invited Liberty in.Liberty nodded and followed behind Mrs. Lewis. Mr. Lewis did not tag along. His wife ordered him to stay in the car, and he was not allowed to leave.Mrs. Lewis found a table in a corner to sit at, which was away from other customers. It was also quiet enough for her to speak to Liberty. She did not have to worry about other people overhearing their conversation.Once Liberty was seated, Mrs. Lewis hailed a waiter over to order a glass of fruit juice for herself. Since it was nighttime, she did not want to drink coffee.โLiberty, what would you l
โGo ahead, Mrs. Lewis.โMrs. Lewis looked at the beautiful appearance of Liberty who had successfully lost weight, then she praised her by saying, โLiberty, you bear a passing resemblance to Mrs. Stone when she was younger. She was a beautiful career woman back then. Many elders wanted her to be their daughter-in-law. โIn the end, Mr. Stone captured her heart, and she became Mrs. Stone. Now, she is the mainstay of the Stones.โOld Mrs. Stone initially disapproved of her son and Audreyโs marriage. However, she could not take control of it. Her husband and son were fond of Audrey, so Old Mrs. Stone had no choice but to accept Audrey.Anyway, the relationship between Old Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Stone was not the most pleasant.When Stone Group got into trouble, Mrs. Stone was the one who went all out to save the company from crisis. It was only then that Old Mrs. Stone accepted Mrs. Stone wholeheartedly.Elisa mentioned that when her mother just married into the Stone family, her grand
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
Austin replied, โBoth Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. Itโs really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.โSometimes, he himself felt like staying in bed a little longer, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his blankets.Even after the New Year, Satbury remained quite cold. In contrast, over in Wiltspoon, the temperatures had begun to reach a high of over seventy degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, with nighttime lows around fifty degrees.The two provinces and cities were simply incomparable. The temperatures in Wiltspoon were just so very comfortable for Satbury locals.Isabella smiled and said, โPhillip is just afraid heโll get here too late and that youโll assume heโs not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.โThe house was never short of snacks for the little ones. In fact, any goodies were always reserved for them first.Yet,
Even when she attended banquets, she would show up in formal clothing. Isabella did not remember the last time she wore a dress. Perhaps it was when she was in third grade. In fact, she liked wearing pretty princessy dresses when she was young. Her mother had told her that.As Isabella was the first child and extremely adorable, Delphine had dolled her up like a princess. Her pretty dresses filled the closet. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and relatives would always gift her many beautiful dresses. As she grew up, perhaps when she was in fourth grade, she stopped wearing dresses. Regardless of who gave her new pieces, she would refuse to wear them and give them to her cousins instead. After everyone realized she disliked dresses, they gradually stopped giving her them. Delphine had asked Isabella why she disliked wearing dresses. Isabella reasoned that she could not walk quickly enough while wearing one. She valued speed and efficiency. Delphine said she had alway
While the private chefs Ms. Isabella had hired in the past were respectful, they were leaning toward flattery instead of sincere dedication, like how Austin was toward Ms. Isabella.Dominic was experienced. He could sense that Ms. Isabella treated Austin differently. She was also a special existence to Austin. It was normal for young people to be attracted to each other. Initially, Dominic wanted to advise Austin not to even think about dating Ms. Isabella. However, upon discovering that Austin was a young master of a wealthy family, he decided not to interfere. Dominic was glad that he did nothing.Austin returned to the house. Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, he went upstairs. He stopped outside of Isabellaโs room and knocked on the door lightly. No response came from within the room. Perhaps Austin was too soft when he knocked. He knocked on the door again with more force and asked, โAre you up yet, Ms. Isabella? Itโs time to have breakfast.โIsabella w