“That’s how children are.”Mrs. Lane said, “It’ll get better once they grow up. Although Sonny doesn’t want to attend school, he doesn’t make a big fuss about it. At most, he would purposely move slowly to waste time. Even someone as good-tempered as Ms. Liberty could not stand his dilly-dallying.“She said despite Sonny’s slow movements, he was afraid of being late because it was embarrassing.“Sometimes, Ms. Liberty deliberately leaves Sonny behind and walks off with his bag. He would then panic and cry.”Elisa said, “I guess it’s better to watch other people’s kids than have one myself.”Sonny was an obedient kid to her. She could not believe that what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg. She would probably go crazy from looking after a child every day. Mrs. Lane laughed. “That’s true. We often find other people’s children adorable and want many of our own. However, when we raise our own, they’re like little devils.”Elisa decided she would let Remy be in charge of the c
Serenity laughed. “Of course. Not just anyone can handle Julian’s special condition.”“He found the woman destined for him,” Elisa said. “I know. Julian told Zachary about it a few days ago. He wanted to bring Ms. Crawford to our manor for a visit and Zachary agreed. Nana said Ms. Crawford was smart and sporty, a perfect match for Julian. She mentioned that only a woman of Ms. Crawford’s caliber could be the Bucham family’s head missus.“Nana also talked about Ms. Crawford’s exceptional skills in martial arts. Zachary would not be able to win against her. She had been training since a young age, and her family had been involved in martial arts for generations. How can an amateur like Zachary beat her?“I’m an amateur too.”Elisa smiled, “Zachary’s face might turn dark upon hearing our words. He’s overconfident and arrogant, always thinking he’s the best man in the world. He won’t be satisfied if you label him as an amateur in martial arts.”“If he’s unsatisfied with it, he can c
Serenity could not convince Elisa. At the same time, she was moved by Elisa’s devotion to sisterhood. Elisa had been nothing but kind to her before they found out they were cousins. She was a true friend because she would do just about anything for a friend. However, Elisa did not consider just anybody as a good friend. Apart from her long-time best friend, Serenity and Jasmine were also in Elisa’s close circle. “You need to sit down and talk to Remy. Get his take on it. If he isn’t on board, I don’t want you to have a fight with him because of me, Elisa.” Serenity took Elisa’s hand and said, “I want you to be happy. I don’t want to be the reason that comes between your marriage to Remy.” Elisa held Serenity’s hands and replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, Seren. We won’t fight. I believe Remy will understand where I’m coming from. Besides, our plan is to get engaged and not rush into marriage.” Remy could not wait to start a new chapter in his life, but he did not bring tha
The only competition Remy saw was Andrew. To Remy, Julian was only acting because his acting was way over the top. “Mrs. York.” Mrs. Lane approached and said to Serenity with a smile, “Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Young-Johnson are here with the kids.” Ben’s family was staying at Wildridge Manor. Zachary and Serenity hosted the Johnson family before she moved to Liberty’s place because the wedding was around the corner. The bridal party would be doing all the wedding preparations there.If Liberty was still married to Hank, Serenity would not choose to organize such an intimate event at the Browns’ residence. However, things were different now. Liberty had the time and place to host the bridal party for her sister. Since Liberty was the maid of honor, she had the final say in all wedding preparations.“Please invite them in.” As Serenity was staying with her sister for the time being, Antonia, Jane, and her little ones dropped by to catch up with Serenity. Jane was new
Serenity said amusedly, “I think it was an accident. Chloe didn’t mean to hit her brother.” Jane smiled. “The little guy is a crybaby. Connor and Oliver can have a crying match.” Serenity knew that Lilian’s son, Oliver, was a fusser too. Lilian was afraid of his cries, and was always tempted to run and hide every time he shed tears. In fact, Lilian came all the way to Wiltspoon and stayed for a while after treating Camryn’s eyes. She said she would only return to FC Manor after Serenity and Zachary’s wedding since Oliver was in good hands with her mentor. The legendary doctor had more experience caring for babies than Lilian did, having raised her himself. Lilian also left her student, Laurence, in his care.She adopted a hands-off approach with Laurence, only testing him every once in a while. Laurence was about the age of Sonny, but his memory and comprehension were much better than Sonny’s. Otherwise, Lilian would not have chosen him as her student. Lilian had met So
Mrs. Lane served the guests beverages, fruit, and snacks. Elisa took a seat and found the courage to carry the baby one more time. She asked for Chloe from her future mother-in-law once again. The baby stared at Elisa with her bright eyes and flashed a smile. “Chloe smiled at me.” The infant’s toothless grin brought Elisa so much joy that she gave Chloe multiple smooches. Antonia was very pleased with Elisa as her future daughter-in-law. Although she loved Jane as her daughter-in-law too, Elisa’s personality shared more similarities with hers, so she found Elisa easier to get along with.She smiled and said, “Chloe rarely smiles. I think she likes her new aunt.” Jane jumped in. “Chloe is like her father. Although it’s too early to tell for sure as she is only a few months old, her personality may become apparent in a few years. She doesn’t cry much and usually keeps to herself.” Chloe would not smile at those she only met a handful of times. Elisa was Remy’s love, and
Antonia looked at Elisa lovingly and said with a smile, “I’m happy to have you and Jane as my daughters.” Elisa felt shy. Even though she had not married Remy, Remy was the only one for her. Everybody burst into laughter. Soon, Remy arrived at Liberty’s place. His beloved woman and women he respected were there, so he did not want to miss out on the fun too. Hearing that Remy had arrived, Elisa mumbled, “Why is he here when he’s supposed to be at work?” Remy must have skipped work again. Jane smiled and teased her, “Remy can't focus on his work since you're away with Serenity. His mind and heart are with you, even when he’s in the office. He might as well join you before he gets even more distracted.”“You’re making fun of me again, Jane.” Serenity said with a grin, “I’m close enough with Remy, so it’s fine if I don’t open the door for him. Elisa, you should go.” Elisa stood up. “I’m your cousin. I should attend to the guests for you.” It was clear that Elisa was eag
“Thank you.” Elisa accepted the bouquet and thanked Remy before saying, “You knew I was with Serenity, and yet you bought me flowers. I feel embarrassed to carry the flowers into the house.” “There’s nothing to feel embarrassed about. Serenity is the witness to our love story. She’ll be happy for you that we’re closer than ever. She won’t laugh at you.” Remy held her hand as they walked into the house together.“That’s true. Seren only wants me to be happy. I know that she blames herself that Zachary and I couldn’t be together, believing she stole my happiness. I can tell, even if she doesn’t say it.” Elisa added, “She got the wrong idea. I have never placed the blame on her. Zachary and I are not meant to be. Besides, Zachary has never loved me or promised me anything.“To be honest, I don’t think Zachary would even give me a second glance if I wasn’t related to Serenity.” Remy understood and said, “I get why Serenity would think that. She can only let go of the past when
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
Austin replied, “Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. It’s really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.”Sometimes, 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, “Phillip is just afraid he’ll get here too late and that you’ll assume he’s not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.”The 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 Isabella’s 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, “Are you up yet, Ms. Isabella? It’s time to have breakfast.”Isabella w