It was morning when Serenity finally woke up. She thought the sun had not set before looking at the time only to realize that she slept through the night when she saw her phone screen.On the other hand, Zachary was already awake. She knew he was preparing breakfast for her downstairs. Serenity was hungry after having slept for so long but feeling recharged from the sufficient rest she had. When she was about to get up, she noticed someone lying at the end of the bed. It was Sonny. Serenity was dumbfounded. Why was the little guy in her room?He had changed out of his suit and was sleeping without a blanket on. She guessed he might have entered after Zachary woke up earlier and probably fell asleep while waiting for her.Serenity went to the edge of the bed to shift Sonny into a more comfortable sleeping position. However, he opened his eyes the moment she lifted her. When he saw Serenity, he said softly, “Aunt Ser.”Then, he hugged her with both hands. “Do you want t
Sonny immediately shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go back with you tomorrow. Mom will send me to school.”Serenity was speechless. She reminded Sonny, “It’s Saturday tomorrow. You don’t have to go to school even if you go home. How much do you dread going to preschool, Sonny?“You were so happy when you first started. Do you dislike it after just a month?”Sonny pouted and whispered, “I don’t hate it. I just think it’s much more fun staying at home.”“You’ll get scolded if your mom hears that. You should work hard and play hard.”Sonny lowered his head and replied, “I know, Aunt Ser. Mom said the same thing. I’ll be hardworking in school and be better than Laurence. I’ll also play hard when it’s time to have fun.“Will you take me to Laurence when the next holiday comes, Aunt Ser?”Sonny missed his playmate. “The next break will be in winter. You have to study hard. When winter break comes, I'll take you to FC Manor if I don’t become too bulky by then. Laurence will be
Serenity was already entrusting their children’s education to Zachary before the baby was born.She would rather take care of her children’s daily lives than be in charge of their schoolwork while he could put on a stern face and teach their children well. Zachary smiled. “Okay. I’ll be a full-time dad.”He had already bought many parenting books to prepare himself to be a stay-at-home dad. “Are you hungry? I made breakfast.”“I’m famished. You came in when I was about to take Sonny downstairs.”Zachary lifted Sonny with one arm and held Serenity’s hand with the other. “Let’s go and have breakfast.”Serenity noticed the house was still silent once they left the room. Everyone was still asleep. She asked Zachary softly, “What time did you return last night? Did everyone party until late at night?”“I came back as soon as night fell. This morning, the butler told me that many guests were wasted last night. The alcohol was good and strong, so it was easy to get drunk with it.”
“Go on, Nana. I’ll have a stroll outside later too.” The good thing about marriage leave was it granted Serenity and Zachary from waking up early to work or bother with work. All they needed to do was rest and eat well. Grandma May said with a smile, “We can enjoy a nice walk together after my breakfast.” Serenity happily agreed and Grandma May went out. By the time Zachary and Serenity had their fill, Grandma May returned from outside. As Serenity waited for Grandma May to have her breakfast, Sonny fell asleep in her arms. “The boy just woke up, and now he’s asleep again.” Serenity caressed Sonny’s face lovingly and said, “The last two days must have been tiring on him.” “Since he’s asleep, I’ll carry him upstairs to rest. You can go for a walk with Nana. I’m not going. I’m going to enjoy my time in bed with Sonny,” Zachary said.He went to bed early last night but was too excited to fall asleep. It took a while before the sandman took him away, and he woke up early t
“Let’s go out for a walk. It’s not sunny today, but it’s a little windy. We can walk around the yard and enjoy the breeze and the scenery. That’s the life.” “Nana, you just had your breakfast.” Grandma May said, “We can take it easy. It won’t be around the estate. We’ll just take a short walk nearby.” Since Grandma May insisted, Serenity accompanied her for a stroll. “Did you have morning sickness today?” Grandma May asked with concern. Serenity was about to give her usual answer when she realized she had not thrown up this morning. She exclaimed in surprise, “Nana, I don’t think so. I didn’t feel nauseous when I woke up this morning.” She changed her clothes, washed up, then left the bathroom, and took Sonny downstairs for breakfast. She was so busy with the routine that she did not realize she had not puked. Did this mean that her nausea days were over? Grandma May said with a smile, “It’ll get better. It seems you won’t have morning sickness until your due date like Al
Serenity said, “Nana, I’m not giving myself pressure. I’m just keeping an open mind.” Grandma replied, “Yeah, just stay open-minded. It’s a blessing to have a child, regardless of gender.” “You have nine grandsons, Nana. You will have nine granddaughters-in-law. I’m sure one of us will give you a great-granddaughter.” Serenity comforted Grandma May. Grandma May said with a smile, “I might not live long enough to see them get married and start a family.” Rowan was still a student. It would be another decade before he would marry. Grandma May was not sure whether she would be around ten years or so later. She believed she had another eight to ten years before she was reunited with her husband. Her sons and grandsons had their destinies. She could only do so much for them. It was their path to walk now. “Nana.” “Alright. I won’t talk about that.” Grandma May said dotingly, “Let’s walk to the foot of the hill.” “Will you be tired?” “No. You’ll be tired sooner than I
In fact, Duncan could have returned to his place. He owned a property at The Oasis. He was simply worried about Liberty. He did not want Liberty to be alone, so he stayed the night at her residence. Liberty did not kick him out, and this made Duncan happy. Although Liberty had not taken their relationship further, she had gradually gotten used to him being around as time went by. He did not talk about love, and neither did she. However, anybody could feel the chemistry between them when they were together. “I’m used to getting up early. I went to bed early last night anyway. I woke up the moment the sun was up. I can’t even sleep in even if I try.” Duncan smiled at Liberty. She seemed to be in a better mood today. He was relieved that her eyes were not as swollen as yesterday.Liberty had been carrying a heavy burden for a long time. Now that it was finally gone, she felt like she could collapse all at once. Liberty cried, letting out all the pain and sadness that she had
“Don’t rush yourself. Just take it easy. You have made great progress. Many people like you find it hard to stand up on their own. You’re amazing that you can take a couple of steps. Don’t push yourself too hard. Take care of yourself. Nothing is more important than your health.” Liberty wheeled him to the lawn and added, “You can try to walk on the grass. Even if you fall, it won’t hurt as much.” Back at the Lewises’ residence, Duncan usually practiced walking on grass too. Duncan lifted his head and looked at her before uttering, “I will fall, and I won’t look good falling. Don’t laugh at me, Liberty. Don’t feel sorry for me either. It’s the pain I have to go through to get better.” Liberty knew he had a strong pride, so she nodded and replied, “I won’t laugh at you. If you feel my presence here is giving you a lot of pressure, I can leave.” “It’s okay. It gives me pressure and motivation when you are here. I will hang in there for you.” If it was not for Liberty and to
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