Over the years, they lived a luxurious life and grew lazy. Even a little movement would leave them breathless from the effort. They could not afford to start a fight with Serenity and her husband, not when Serenity knew martial arts.It was a mystery how Liberty brought up her sister that she let Serenity learn martial arts.Luckily, they had the foresight to take Serenity’s father’s life insurance payout for safekeeping, or else it might have been thoroughly wasted by Serenity and her sister. “Serenity, you’d better not go too far! I’m telling you, if you don’t get Noah out of jail and something happens to him in there, you’ll never hear the end of it from me! Don’t assume that I’d be afraid of you just because you have a husband now!”Abigail yelled while pointing at Serenity. Zachary finished washing his hands and turned his head. With just a sweep of his sharp, icy gaze over her, Abigail’s curses immediately softened.She was pretty scared of this cold, taciturn man.“Sere
“Come on, thank me. You’d better buy more gifts for me to thank me profusely for saving your son’s life.”Serenity’s words made the corners of the Hunt elders’ mouths twitch.Abigail was so mad her eyes and veins seemed as if they were about to burst out of her head, her expression grotesque.However, she still did not dare to raise her hand against Serenity.A hint of a smile flashed in Zachary’s eyes as he watched how Serenity managed to rebut the elders into silence without even lifting a finger. This woman was interesting!“Serenity.”Serenity’s eldest aunt Katelyn could not help but say, “We didn’t say you were at fault. Noah was in the wrong. It’s just that you guys are cousins—very closely related, at that. We’re all one family. If there’s a conflict, we’ll deal with it behind closed doors. As long as you told us about it, we’d have scolded him. There’s no need to put him in jail.“We wanted to bail him out, but our request was denied. Did you say something to that backer
Serenity was a very reasonable person and was very respectful of her elders. Of course, she would only respect them depending on whether those elders truly acted like elders.“Serenity, were those people earlier your relatives? Are they causing trouble for you again? Are they still asking you to pay up for your grandmother’s medical bills? Those people are really shameless! They drive their own cars and live in villas. They have a million—maybe even millions—in savings, but they don’t want to pay for their own mother’s medical bills and instead are trying to force their orphaned nieces to pay.”“I’ve seen shameless people, but I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as they are. My horizons have been broadened.”“That’s right! Serenity’s parents died in an accident and the life insurance payout was divided between them too. Fifteen years ago, six hundred thousand dollars was worth a lot! The reason why they live such good lives now is built off of Serenity’s parents’ life insurance mone
Serenity smiled in embarrassment as she said, “The next time I encounter a situation I can’t handle alone, I'll consider giving you a chance.”If Serenity could deal with it herself, she would not ask for his help as she did not want to owe him.“What sort of situation would you need help with?” Zachary asked.Serenity laughed. “Tons and tons of stuff. It’s just that I can’t think of anything right now. So Mr. York, you can go about your day.”Zachary looked at her in silence for a long while, then said mildly, “I’m going back to the office then. What time are you closing up tonight? I’ll come over and wait for you so we can go home together. I’m worried those trashy people will try and block your car again.”“They won’t. It’s the kind of thing only Noah would do, being young and aggressive. They’ve already suffered a loss once, so they won’t dare try a second time. They might look very aggressive, but they’re cowards to the bone.“You go ahead with your work. There’s no need to
Fatty liver could develop into cirrhosis, and Liberty did not want that to happen.Having left the walls of the community, Liberty walked as she pushed her son’s stroller toward the store to buy formula.In the past, it was always her sister who helped her buy the formula and brought it home.It was a little bit far to go there on foot, but she just thought of it as shopping and taking a walk.“Daddy.”Sonny suddenly called for his father.Liberty looked around frantically but did not see Hank Brown.“Sonny, did you see Daddy?” she asked her son.Sonny pointed at a car parked by the roadside as he called for his father.What he meant was that the car was his father’s car.Liberty looked at the car her son was pointing at. It was the same make and model as her husband’s but the number plate was not Hank Brown’s.She smiled. “Sonny, that’s not Daddy’s car. It’s just the same make and model. The number’s different, so it’s not your daddy’s car.”The kid rarely interacted with
Liberty had just put the phone to her ear when she heard Hank Brown scolding her through the phone, “What do you normally teach Sonny? You’ve taught Sonny to have no respect, no friendship, and no spirit of sharing with his cousin! I said I’d buy him some toys and he said he didn’t want to give them to Lucas.”Liberty’s anger sparked too after that tongue-lashing by her husband. She said coldly, “What do I teach Sonny? Is that Sonny’s fault? Lucas always tries to snatch Sonny’s toys and even hits him! Do you think Sonny’s some sort of dough ball for others to knead and pinch?”“It’s clearly Lucas’ fault. As a father, you don’t protect your own son—fine! But you’re even blaming him for not being understanding? Should we just let Sonny give up all of his toys to Lucas, and just let Lucas hit him again?!“Lucas has been thoroughly spoiled by your sister and your parents. He’s always bullying Sonny. Are you guys all blind? Can't you see that? Hank Brown, Sonny is your son. Your own son!
Jessica Yates was not repulsed by it and seemed like she could not be happier.Hank thought Jessica was truly in love with him and was not after his money. He thought she truly wanted to grow old with him and was not playing around—that was why she kept her last line of defense and would not have sex with him. She was serious about it, so Hank got even more serious about it. He also promised Jessica that once he saved even more money, he would give her a new car.Jessica was so grateful that she fiercely kissed him a good number of times, dazing him into forgetting which way was up and which way was down.Liberty still wanted to say something but Hank had already hung up and promptly transferred the thousand two hundred dollars to Liberty for her to buy formula with.Although she did not manage to get the full amount of two thousand dollars and four hundred bucks and had only gotten half of that, Liberty immediately accepted the money he had transferred.“What’s wrong? Was it yo
Jessica said, “It takes both husband and wife to have a child. You’re not wrong to only pay for your half.” Of course, Hank felt that he was above any fault. He took a sip of wine and replied, “The Wiltspoon Hotel lives up to its name as the finest hotel. The red wine here is more exceptional than what we usually have.” Jessica responded with a smile, “Well, considering the event, I wouldn’t expect any less. It’s a pity that only small-time CEOs and elites of our field are here. Major CEOs like Mr. Stone and Mr. York aren’t attending.” She would love to check out an influential man like Mr. York again. Jessica stumbled upon the man of the hour the last time. Alas, she could not get a look at Mr. York’s face. She wondered if Mr. York was as distinguished, aloof, and handsome as described in the rumors. “We’ll always have the chance to meet people like Mr. York and Mr. Stone in the future.” Hank consoled Jessica. It was a situation he found regrettable, more so than Jessic
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