#Hayden was most guarded against Kevin. It was dangerous to be around someone like Kevin because interacting with Kevin more would make it easier for her to let down her guard and expose her secret.Her disguise as a man was her biggest secret.“What is Kevin York doing here?”Hayden frowned and asked Albert, “How long has he been here?”“Mr. York just arrived around ten minutes ago. I don’t know why he came here, but he brought a lot of gifts. Mrs. Queen was very happy to see him and had a good chat with him.”After thinking about it, Hayden said, “Our family has a friendship with the Bucham family, who has a good relationship with the York family. Kevin York probably came to Jensburg on a business trip and visited my parents in the meantime. Alright. You can go about your business, Albert.”Hayden entered the house alone.The bodyguards were free temporarily, but they dared not go far because Hayden usually did not stay at Queen Manor for long. Hayden would just visit her mo
Kevin stood up and stretched out his right hand to shake hands with Hayden. He smiled and greeted, “Mr. Queen.”After Hayden shook hands with him, she gestured for him to take a seat.Kevin sat down again, and Hayden sat next to her mother.Mrs. Queen turned her head to look at her imposing daughter, then turned to look at Kevin on the opposite side. She secretly sighed in her heart and thought that her daughter was manlier than Kevin.“Why’d you come back today?” Mrs. Queen asked her daughter gently. “You’re usually still in the office at this hour.”“I just closed a deal and have some free time, so I thought of visiting you and Dad.”Hayden’s voice was low. With outsiders present, she dared not let down her guard for fear that Kevin would discover that she was actually a woman.“Mr. York, when did you arrive?” Hayden asked Kevin.He replied with a smile, “I just arrived today. I need to deal with some business, so I’ll be in Jensburg for a while. Last time when we dined toget
Hayden had a team of bodyguards, so she could ask one of her bodyguards to act as Kevin’s driver and take him back to the hotel.Thinking of this, Hayden responded in a low voice, “Sure, Dad, but don’t drink too much.”“We’ll just have a few drinks. Your mother is watching us, and she won’t let me get drunk.”If Mr. Queen got drunk, Mrs. Queen would have to take care of him. Mrs. Queen was also worried about his health, so she usually would not allow him to get drunk.Hayden stopped talking.Since her parents wanted Kevin to stay for dinner, Hayden, who just wanted to drop by for a short while to see her parents, also had no choice but to stay. However, it was still too early for dinner, so Hayden got bored and a little uncomfortable just sitting there.The main reason was that Kevin would look at her from time to time. Hayden did not know if she was overthinking it or if it was a fact, but she felt like Kevin was looking at her strangely.“Hay, this is Kevin’s first time visiti
After a while, Hayden could not help but laugh. “I didn’t expect your parents to rush your marriage, Mr. York. You’re an outstanding man, so I assume you would have many admirers.”“I do have admirers, but I don’t like any of them, so in the end, it’s none of my business.”Kevin admitted that he had many admirers. In fact, all of the York brothers had many admirers. Even the youngest among them, Rowan who was not yet an adult, often received love letters from girls at school.Hayden agreed with Kevin.She also had many admirers, but she did not like them because she did not like women. Thus, she would never accept those girls’ confessions.Hayden just rejected an actress’s confession before she came here.“You’re just too outstanding, Mr. York.”Hayden praised Kevin honestly. Kevin was indeed a remarkable man. There was nothing wrong with the York brothers. All of them were excellent and independent. Even if they did not rely on their family, they were all entrepreneurs and coul
“I heard from my grandma that my great-grandfather was a womanizer. People in that era had multiple mistresses. Although my great-grandmother was his first wife, she suffered a lot and made sacrifices to keep her marriage and protect her children’s interests.“My grandpa and his siblings also saw how much my great-grandmother suffered and felt sorry for her. Therefore, after my great-grandfather passed away and my great-grandmother took charge of the household, she established that family rule. My grandparents abided by that rule and were all loyal to their marriage.“My brothers and I will do the same. If we get married in the future, we will be absolutely loyal to our partners. Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we must be cautious. We can’t be impulsive and should think twice about it.”Kevin admired the courtyard scenery in Queen Manor while they walked. Although it was not as nice as his family’s Wildridge Manor, it was still beautiful and vast. Kevin still preferred Wi
Hayden stood still as she turned her head to look at the handsome face that was right next to hers, and met Kevin’s smiling eyes. She thought for a moment that Kevin knew that she was a woman.On second thought, it seemed impossible.No one in Jensburg knew that she was a woman. She had disguised herself as a man for more than twenty years, and she was very experienced in doing so. No one could know her true identity unless she took off her pants.Kevin had been to Jensburg several times and had interacted with her many times, but they did not spend much time together, so it was impossible for him to know that she was a woman.“Mr. York, are you interested in men? Will your elders accept it if you bring a man home?”Kevin was leaning in so closely to Hayden yet she remained calm.He praised her for her composure and thought that she deserved to be the young owner of Queen Enterprise.“I’m not interested in men. If I bring a man home, my elders might not accept it for a while, bu
Donald had overdrunk. Kevin, who had good alcohol tolerance, indulged in drinking.Mrs. Queen scolded her husband, “Kevin is a generation younger than you. He could be our son, yet you called him ‘bro’. This form of address isn’t right. There’s an issue with seniority.” At first, it did not concern Kevin. At the thought that his nana wanted him to marry Hayden, Kevin felt there was indeed an issue with seniority if his future father-in-law called him “bro”.He laughed without saying a word. He left Mrs. Queen to scold her husband.Donald burst into laughter and said, “Kevin and I regret not having met earlier. Kevin, I treat you as my friend. We’re good friends despite the great difference in age. You can come over for a meal or drink whenever you’re available.”“Alright. No matter how busy I am, I’ll put my work aside and come over to drink with you as long as it’s your treat, Donnie.”Hayden’s mouth twitched.“Dad, Mr. Kevin is busy with work, unlike you who takes a hands-off
Hayden turned a blind eye to her parents’ act.She initially wanted her bodyguard to disguise himself as Kevin’s chauffeur to send Kevin back to the hotel.Donald said, “Hay, send Kevin home since he drank quite a lot. I’m worried that he’ll feel sick and have no one to look after him during the journey.”Hayden replied, “I got it.”She must be adopted. Her parents were not even this thoughtful and concerned about her and her brother.Under her parents’ request, Hayden had no choice but to let Kevin get into her exclusive car. One of the Queens’ bodyguards drove Kevin’s Maybach back to the Yorks’ hotel.After the car drove out of Queen Manor, Hayden tilted her head and looked at Kevin, who was resting with his eyes closed while leaning against the seat.“Are you drunk, Mr. Kevin?”“I’m not, but the after-effects of the wine are strong. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Even so, I’m still able to think clearly.”After keeping quiet for a moment, Hayden said, “My parents are very fond of
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