After some hesitation, Zachary told Serenity the truth.“Seren, I’m not going over anymore. If the food has been delivered, you can dig in first. I… I’m at the hospital. Duncan met with an accident.”Upon hearing the news, Serenity’s expression changed. She quickly asked, “How did it happen? Did it occur when you two were together? Did you both drink and drive again?”Zachary explained, “No. We didn’t drink today. That was yesterday. All of us didn’t drive. I still don’t know what happened. I came to the hospital right after Josh informed me. Duncan’s still in the emergency room. They say his legs were injured the worst, and it’s uncertain whether they can be saved.”Toward the end, his tone turned heavy, and his speech slowed. He sounded sad. “I’m done with my work now. I’ll head to the hospital after closing the store.”Zachary did not stop his wife from coming over. He reminded her, “Drive slowly.”“I’ll have a bodyguard drive. Don’t worry. Mr. Lewis is a good person. He’ll
“I’ll bring him with me.”Liberty could not find anyone to babysit Sonny at that moment. Therefore, she was taking Sonny to the hospital with her. She hung up, carried her son, and started walking. As she walked, she told her son, “Sonny, we must go to the hospital now. Dunc got into an accident. We’re going to visit him.”“How’s Dunc? Nothing will happen to him, right?”Upon hearing that Duncan had gotten into a car accident, Sonny imagined lots and lots of blood. His small face turned pale instantly. Liberty’s bloody figure back when she was stabbed traumatized Sonny. He would feel dizzy when he saw lots of blood. “Dunc will be fine.”Liberty reassured her son and herself. Sonny hugged her neck tightly. He hoped Dunc would be okay and not bleed so much as Mom did. In the hospital, the number of people waiting outside the emergency room grew. When Serenity and Liberty arrived, Zachary’s bodyguards brought some food as instructed. He asked everyone to eat something fi
Mrs. Lewis’s body swayed. Two of her daughters-in-law quickly supported her. “Mom.”They exclaimed worriedly. “Duncan out of the woods is a good start. He’ll recover eventually.”Mrs. Lewis hit her chest out of remorse. She said guiltily, “It’s my fault. I caused his misfortune. Why wasn’t I the one who got into an accident? I’d rather it be me in the accident.”If Duncan became disabled…Mrs. Lewis did not dare to think about what would come after. “Mom, Duncan will get better. The doctor said he can recover.”Emmett consoled his mother. Mr. Lewis’s expression was grim. He told his sons and daughters-in-law, “Take your mother to rest. I’ll watch over Duncan.”“I’m not leaving. I won’t leave. I want to wait for Duncan to come out and take care of him.”Mrs. Lewis refused to leave. Her son’s operation had ended, but he was not out of the emergency room yet. She was worried. He had gotten into such an unfortunate accident because she had been extreme as a mother. How c
Josh was considerate not to smoke because his wife was pregnant.“What happened, Mr. Lewis? Why did Mrs. Lewis say that it was her fault for what happened to Duncan?” Zachary asked in a low voice.Josh also looked at Mr. Lewis, waiting for him to tell them the truth.“Sigh… It’s our fault. Duncan went out drinking yesterday. After you sent him home, Duncan didn’t answer Corey’s call, so she called the housekeeper only to find out that Duncan was drunk. This morning, Corey insisted on going to his house, so I went with her.“Duncan only woke up at noon. He saw us at his place and quarreled with Corey again shortly after. Duncan didn’t want to get into a row with his mother, so he got up and left.”Derek recalled the scene at that time. If he knew that it would cause Duncan’s accident, he would have dragged Corey back with every ounce of his strength.As Duncan’s father, he felt he did not do well in persuading Corey to be more open-minded, which caused the conflict between the mot
Zachary supported Duncan after finding out about his feelings for Liberty. However, Liberty was not interested in remarrying anyone, and she did not have any romantic feelings for Duncan. In addition, Mrs. Lewis was strongly against Liberty and Duncan together, so Zachary wanted to persuade Duncan to give up.He felt that even if Liberty agreed to be with Duncan, they would not be happy in the future because of Mrs. Lewis’s objection.Duncan was Zachary’s best friend, and Liberty was his sister-in-law, which put Zachary in a tough position. If he persuaded Duncan to give up, Duncan would think that he was not a good friend. On the other hand, if he persuaded Liberty to accept Duncan, he would feel like he was pushing his sister-in-law into a fire pit.Zachary felt that his relationship with Serenity was not as difficult as Liberty and Duncan’s.Duncan discovered his feelings for Liberty when she was injured. Liberty fully recovered after around three months. This was the duration t
Liberty put Sonny down.Sonny walked to the hospital bed and said to Duncan, “Dunc, you’ll be fine. You’ll get better, just like my mom.”Duncan smiled weakly and did not speak.After the doctors and nurses came to check on Duncan, the doctor suggested not crowding the ward because the patient needed to rest well. Since the patient was awake, everyone should go home and rest too.It was not necessary to cram up the ward because it would affect the patient’s recovery.In the end, only Duncan’s parents insisted on staying with him. The others left the hospital one by one after making sure that Duncan was alright.The sky was getting darker.Everyone was in a heavy mood because of Duncan’s car accident.Under Serenity’s insistence, Liberty took Sonny back to Serenity’s hilltop villa with Zachary and Serenity.Along the way, Serenity silently held Liberty’s hand. The two sisters did not speak, but they understood each other’s feelings.The next day, Wiltspoonians learned that the
Mrs. Lewis sat by the hospital bed like she did yesterday. When she saw Liberty coming in, she quickly got up and said softly, “Liberty, you’re here.”“I came to see Mr. Lewis.”Liberty also spoke in a soft voice for fear of waking Duncan, who was lying on the hospital bed.She handed the bouquet to Mrs. Lewis, who took it and put it beside her son. This was so Duncan could see the bouquet from Liberty as soon as he woke up, and it would definitely cheer him up. That way, Duncan would have the confidence to go through rehab.As soon as Mrs. Lewis put the bouquet next to Duncan, he woke up.When Duncan opened his eyes and saw Liberty standing in front of the bed, he was silent at first. Shortly after, he turned cold and said some harsh words.“Mom, kick her out! I don’t want to see her!”All three standing in front of the bed were stunned when they heard this.Mrs. Lewis looked at her son and then at Liberty. She suspected that her son did not see Liberty clearly.She carefully
Mrs. Lewis had not revealed her intentions yet, but Duncan knew that the moment he was discharged from the hospital and did not persist in continuing his rehabilitation, his mother would definitely look for Liberty.Thus, Duncan wanted to stop that possibility ahead of time.As the ward door closed, Mrs. Lewis let go of Liberty’s hand, turned around, and cried as she leaned against the wall and covered her face.Liberty was silent, took two steps forward, patted Mrs. Lewis on the back, and comforted her. “Mr. Lewis will get better. Don’t worry too much.”She took out a napkin and handed it to Mrs. Lewis.Mrs. Lewis accepted it, turned around, and apologized to Liberty while wiping her tears.“Liberty, this accident has nothing to do with you. It’s all my fault that Duncan got into a car accident. I stopped him from going to see you. It’s all my fault…“After Duncan found out about the severity of his injuries last night, he looked dead inside. I think he just can’t accept this f
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