“Don’t worry, Boss. We’ll hold the fort.” The diner was relatively empty at this hour. Barely any customers came in after ten for breakfast but the early morning rush could be quite busy.Of course, the servers hoped the business did well as their livelihoods depended on it. All You Can Eat was located near Lewis & Co, a commercial space Liberty rented from Duncan.Mrs. Lewis was strongly against Duncan and Liberty being together when Duncan first confessed his feelings to Liberty. Liberty once thought about moving the diner elsewhere to avoid Duncan. In the end, Liberty decided to take the bull by the horns. Liberty drove to Lewis & Co., reaching the office building in mere minutes. The security personnel of Lewis & Co. immediately opened the gate for Liberty and watched with a smile as she drove past the gate into the compound. The security guard then shut the gate and returned to his post to say to his colleague, "Liberty just joined the company when I started working
Liberty turned up right outside Duncan’s office. She knocked on the door and only entered the room once given permission. Duncan sat behind his desk while his wheelchair was parked to the side. If he needed to leave the office, Duncan could leverage the table to transfer himself to his wheelchair.His two personal bodyguards were nowhere to be found. They were probably on standby in the lobby. Duncan was back in the office to take care of business, so his bodyguards could not possibly stay by his side all the time. He had his secretary when he needed help in the office. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Duncan lifted his head and saw Liberty. He stood up with the support of the table and tried to make his way around. Liberty immediately stopped him. “Sit there. Don’t move. I don’t want you to fall.” Duncan said with a grin, “Alright. I'll stay put. My legs aren't quite cooperating yet.”Nevertheless, Duncan's recovery was progressing, and he was doing much better than whe
Liberty said, “The novelty has worn off, I guess. He has to wake up early for preschool every day and has homework after school too. He doesn’t have time to go to his aunt’s place for some fun.” “You can't cram too much into Sonny's schedule. He already has self-defense classes on weekends. Three-year-olds learn through play. We want to make sure he has a happy childhood. Putting too much pressure on him to study will take the joy out of it.”“I don’t think I’m pushing him too hard. He only has to complete a page of homework every day. I signed him up for self-defense classes before preschool started. My hope is that he plays and enjoys his childhood years. I didn’t sign him up for other classes unless he’s interested to learn.”Duncan said with a smile, “You know, kids. They can’t make up their minds about preschool. Give it time, and he’ll get used to it and stop talking about not attending.” Liberty remembered how the young Elisa refused to go to school so much that her parent
Duncan had his own selfish reason too. He wanted to bond with Sonny like father and son, and be a better father than Hank had been, even though he was already ahead of him. He wanted all Wiltspoonians to know how fond he was of Sonny. Duncan wanted to be Sonny’s stepfather. If his dream came true, he would be the father that Sonny deserved.In fact, Liberty was aware of Duncan’s little sneaky plan. Still, she did not stop him. Liberty responded, “You can pick Sonny up from preschool later if you don’t mind Sonny bugging you.” While enjoying breakfast, Duncan said, “I will never mind. Sonny might have his moments, but he’s a sensible kid. He plays with himself when the adults are at work.” Three-year-olds were curious and emotional creatures, so it was understandable that they would act up sometimes. They were still learning how to control their emotions and express their curiosity in a constructive way.Sometimes, Duncan would receive silly and strange questions from Sonny that
“Sonny’s fine, but I don’t think it’s safe to live there anymore. Don’t be mad. The drunk man didn’t do anything to me,” Liberty comforted Duncan. Duncan tensed his facial muscles. “He has targeted you.” Many men would have their eyes on Liberty since she was young, single, and beautiful. Though most people were interested in Liberty, they would back off knowing that Duncan was courting her. Only the unsuspecting others, like the drunk man, would go after Liberty. Liberty was his! Duncan had waited so long for Liberty to accept him. The last thing he wanted was for somebody to step in and take her away from him. “You should move, Liberty. You should do it right now. I’ll contact a moving company for you,” Duncan uttered. If he had his way, Liberty would move out of East Hill Apartments right away. “I told Zachary that I will buy the property off his hands, but I can’t pay in full. I don’t have a lot of available funds since I need some operating funds for my two outlets.
Since Liberty had the ambition to establish a chain of restaurants across the country, she needed to have her own signature dishes. Hence, Liberty needed to dedicate herself to learning and push forward with determination while Duncan would have her back all the way. Liberty soon left Duncan’s office and once she was gone, Duncan quickly finished his breakfast. A full stomach improved the mood. Duncan grabbed his phone to call his best buddy. He said to Zachary, “Liberty just delivered breakfast to me. She told me about the villa. Just take the payment since Liberty is insisting on buying the place. At least then she would feel right to accept the property. Buying a house with her own money gives her a sense of ownership and belonging. However, living in someone else's house can make her feel like she’ll always be a guest.”Zachary held the phone in one hand while twirling his pen in the other, chuckling. “I expected you to tell me not to accept Liberty's money, or that you wo
Liberty arrived at All You Can Eat Restaurant. The doors were already opened for business by the manager she hired while the employees were at their stations, ready for the lunch hour rush.“Ms. Hunt.” “Ms. Hunt.” Everybody happily greeted the boss upon her arrival. Yesterday was the restaurant's grand opening. The business was great, and everyone was excited to welcome valuable customers. They believed their future was bright with a boss like Liberty, and could expect a better income or a promotion if they worked hard.If Ms. Hunt were to expand her restaurant chain, the first employees could potentially be assigned to managerial roles in the new branches. Everybody was highly motivated by this.Liberty nodded with a smile. She entered the kitchen to check on the purchased grocery, making sure the ingredients were of the finest quality. She then returned to her office. Liberty would rather earn less than compromise on good ingredients. The breakfast diner and restaura
Olivia and Chelsea were still trying to make things happen between Liberty and Hank. Hank was not even divorced. Even if he was, there was no turning back for them anymore. Hank knew that, so he never talked about getting back together with Liberty. The mother and daughter were trying to interfere in Hank and Liberty’s lives as always, which was indeed a major factor in their divorce.Olivia embarrassedly smiled. “We will call to order the food. Liberty, business is looking good for you. Are you hiring?” “Not at the moment. I told Chelsea the same thing.” Chelsea forced an awkward smile, remembering how Liberty had turned down her request for a job.They did not know how to carry on the conversation, so they picked up their glasses, taking their time to sip on their drink. After staying for a few minutes, Olivia could not stand the awkwardness and said, “I don’t want to keep you from working, Liberty. I should go back and take care of Hank. It’s the weekend in another two d
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