“Liberty's fat and ugly. She’ll only embarrass me if I take her there. Everyone will laugh at me.”After Hank finished speaking, he pinched Jessica’s pretty face and praised her, “How can she compare to you, Jessica? You’re the apple of my eye now, and I don’t have any feelings for her anymore.“I can’t forgive her for chasing me down the block with a kitchen knife. Although she apologized and treated me better than before, I just couldn’t forgive her. If I didn’t run fast enough that day, she would’ve stabbed me to death!“She’s vicious. I’ve known her for so many years and only realized how vicious she was that day. If it wasn’t for Sonny, I wouldn’t want to go back to that house. Besides, my mother and my sister mentioned that I bought the house before marriage where I paid the down payment and am paying the mortgage, so why should I let her live there?“She doesn’t have a good relationship with my family. Jessica, you’ve met my parents and sister. What do you think of them?”J
Hank immediately stopped working and brought Jessica out.He was the manager, and Jessica was his secretary. Usually, Hank would take Jessica with him whenever he went out for business, so no one would say anything when the two of them left the office together.The janitor saw Hank driving away with Jessica at the entrance of the office and said to an old security guard, “Mr. Brown and Ms. Yates go in and out together all day long. Is Liberty not worried that Mr. Brown will cheat on her?”Liberty used to work in the same office as Hank, so the old employees still remembered her.The old security guard looked at the janitor oddly.After looking around to make sure that no one else was there, the security guard lowered his voice and said to the janitor, “You clean the office every day and go through the whole building. Don’t you know what happened? Mr. Brown and Ms. Yates are having an affair. How could you not know about it?”The janitor was surprised and asked with interest, “How
In the evening, when the work day was about to end, Josh knocked on the door to the CEO’s office and entered, carrying a stack of documents in his arms.Zachary raised his head and eyed him for a second before he returned to his work. After Josh sat down, Zachary remarked, “What use is your secretary?”“She’s pregnant! I’m being considerate of her. I don’t want her to run back and forth and tire herself out. Her husband might come looking for me then. So I did it myself.”Josh placed the stack of documents in front of his good friend.“I’ve looked through them. There’s no problem with them, so you just have to sign them.”After he set the documents down, he got up to pour himself a glass of water. He sat back down and proceeded to drink his water while looking at the man sitting opposite him.Zachary was extremely handsome. Even if his face was tense all day in a cold and serious expression, it wasn’t enough to mask his handsome exterior.In this age and day where looks were eve
“Want to come along?”No matter where it was, wherever Zachary lived, there would be a large collection of fine wines.“No, thanks. I’m scared of getting drunk again. When you get drunk, you have your wife to take care of you. I am but a single dog. No one would take care of me even if I got alcohol poisoning and died.”“You make yourself seem so pitiful. You could go on a blind date too and have a shotgun marriage to get a wife to take care of you.”Josh chuckled. “With you as a precedent, I think I’d better obediently wait for my fate to come around.”“What’s wrong with me? I’m doing just fine!”“Sure, sure. You’re doing just fine. So much so that your expression hasn’t warmed a single degree for the past few days. Your work efficiency has increased a lot, but you’ve made life harder for those under you. These few days, more and more people have automatically volunteered to work overtime even into the wee hours.”York Corporation would not force its employees to work overtime.
Josh was not surprised that Hank Brown was having an affair.He said, “That sister-in-law of yours changed too much after getting married. When Hank Brown got promoted, he probably thought any other woman would be a better match than her. As time passed, he began losing interest in her.”Zachary’s gaze was cold, and so was his tone of voice. “Why did she change? Because she loved him. She gave birth to a child for him without a care for how her body would change. And to let him focus on his work, she single-handedly raised the kid and took care of the whole household alone. She gave up her youth and her beauty for him.”While Zachary knew that Liberty looked different after her marriage, that was not an excuse for Hank to have an affair. Ruthlessness had long lurked within Hank, but it just had not had the chance to make its appearance before this. Now that he was doing well in his job, he was arrogant and started to look down on his wife, treating her with disgust. If Hank was
”Serenity, what’s all this?”Callum had detected the smell of seafood.“It’s seafood. A friend of mine brought it back after holidaying by the beach. She gave me a lot. They’re all fresh, and your brother and I can’t eat that much, so I’m giving some to you guys to bring home and eat.”Callum stole a glance at his nana. Seeing that she was not declining it, he said, “This is a lot.”Seafood was something their family lacked the least.However, since it was given to him by his sister-in-law, he best helped bring them home.“Nana, don’t forget to give everyone a portion to try.”Serenity had meticulously prepared a portion for each family unit, contained in individual nets. After getting home, all Grandma May had to do was to hand it out portion by portion. They were equally divided.“Alright, I will.”Grandma May waited for Callum to put the seafood in the trunk before getting in the car. She then said to Serenity, “Serenity, I texted Zack earlier, telling him to come over and
Serenity got in her car and sped off.Zachary watched her go before walking into the bookshop. He took a look at the materials that she had not put away yet. He could not make sense of it, so he turned away and went into the kitchen.He washed the wok and put a little water in it before placing the leftovers from lunch into the wok, then turned on the gas to heat it up.Out of boredom, he casually opened the fridge and saw that it was stuffed full of seafood.They were all given by Elisa Stone.Elisa Stone was pretty generous to Serenity, even dragging a carful of seafood back for her.Thinking of how Serenity taught Elisa how to pursue him and that being the reason Elisa gave her so much seafood… and that he’d eaten quite a bit at lunch…“Serenity? Serenity!”Shawn Lowe’s cries came from outside.Zachary immediately turned the fire down to its lowest and speedily ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.There was no other reason than for the fact Shawn Lowe had me
Zachary only came out of the bathroom when he heard Shawn’s footsteps fade into the distance.He was thankful for two things right then and there. One for Nana calling him over, and two for himself resisting his pride and taking the out that Nana offered him. Otherwise, Shawn would have the chance to be alone with Serenity.Shawn walked out of the bookshop, got into his car, and drove away. However, just as he reached a junction, he stopped his car and called Serenity.Serenity quickly picked up his call.“What’s up, Shawn?”“Serenity, are you free later? Around 7:30 pm.”“Why?”Serenity did not say if she was free but instead straightforwardly asked him why.Shawn hesitated before saying, “I have to attend a business reception at Wiltspoon Hotel in a while. I need a female companion. You know me, I don’t have a girlfriend yet, so I wanted to ask for your help to accompany me to the reception.”“Get Jasmine to go with you. I’m not free. My husband’s still waiting in the booksh
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