Serenity was elated to hear that her friend was living comfortably.Elsewhere at the same time in Jensburg, Caroline’s car entered Queen Enterprise.Fisher Enterprise had been wanting to collaborate with Queen Enterprise for a while now.As the temporary head of Fisher Enterprise, Caroline often appeared at Queen Enterprise’s office and the employees were now used to seeing her around.Their boss was very gracious and obliging toward the young Fisher heiress. That was why when Caroline came by the office even without making a prior appointment, Caroline was quickly allowed through after the receptionist made a call to Hayden’s secretary.Minutes later, Caroline appeared in the president’s office.When she saw Hayden still dressed as handsomely as always, she joked, “Mr. Hayden, you’re breaking their hearts like this. Everyone knows you’re a woman now. If you dress femininely like the rest of us, they’ll quickly accept reality.“If you keep dressing like a man, they’ll feel sad t
Hayden gestured in an invitation for Caroline to have some tea.Caroline was not reserved about it either and picked up the teacup to take a small sip of tea. “This is good.”“All the things I have here are good,” Hayden said. “Everything Kevin sent me is of top quality.”The tea was one that she kept prepared here though, and was not given by Kevin.“Is there really no room to maneuver regarding what we talked about the last time?”Caroline put down her teacup and asked Hayden gently.Hayden met Caroline’s gaze with an earnest look and said meaningfully, “I’ll only work with you, not Fisher Enterprise. I won’t work with any company related to the Fishers.”The one she valued was Caroline, not the Fisher family. Caroline did not represent the Fishers either.Caroline smiled. “Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Then, I’ll treat you to a meal tonight.”With her other identity.Hayden did not immediately agree, so Caroline teased, “Do you have a date with Kevin?”Hayden ad
Hayden was silent for a moment before she said, “They grew up together and shared a kinship. It’s impossible for them to cut their ties in one go.”“I know.”In the eyes of the three Fisher brothers, their biological sister Caroline was the interloper who had ruined the relationship between the siblings.Her appearance had caused Celine’s status to fall greatly.At first, it was still alright. Belinda was biased toward Celine.Everyone thought that it was unlikely that Caroline would be able to manage all of the family businesses and was all kinds of disdainful toward Caroline.However, two years later, when the Fishers ran into trouble, the one who stepped up to take charge and clean up the company’s messes was the real Fisher daughter, Caroline.Meanwhile, Celine, the fake daughter who had been spoiled by the Fishers all this while had her reputation ruined, was kicked out of the Fisher family, and became penniless.Just like Carrie, Celine was too used to a comfortable life
Hayden had also given Liberty a considerable amount of help both overtly and covertly.The people of Jensburg could clearly see that this Ms. Hunt from Wiltspoon was the offspring of the Fishers’ previous matriarch and that she had returned to compete against the Fishers on their turf.Liberty was setting up her business in the same industry as the Fishers’ most important business, and was obviously trying to steal their share of the pie.Some Fisher family members had secretly begun to defect to Liberty’s side.Caroline smiled and picked up her teacup once more. Gracefully, she savored the fragrant tea.Ring, ring, ring!Caroline’s phone began to ring.She put down her cup and picked up her phone to look at the caller ID before saying to Hayden, “It’s my mother. Maybe she doesn’t want to continue taking care of my father in the hospital anymore.”Belinda had forced her father to be hospitalized.The old couple seemed fine on the surface, but behind closed doors, they were no
“Alright. I’ll head to the hospital in a bit. You should head home and rest.”Caroline did not refuse and instead agreed to go to the hospital to take care of her father.Belinda was silent for a moment before she said, “You can head back after spending just an hour or so with him. There’s no need for you to take care of him personally. He’s not fond of you even though you’re his biological daughter.”At first, she had not felt anything for Caroline either, but Caroline was, after all, the baby she had borne herself. Blood was thicker than water and feelings could quickly be nurtured.However, it was not the same for Hunter.To him, as long as he had not raised her and doted on her, he did not feel any closeness or fondness for her.All because she was not a Clark.Their three sons had taken after his surname. Therefore, they were considered grandchildren of the Clark family.That was why Hunter was unable to truly accept Caroline as his daughter after her return.Belinda knew
“My mother’s tired and wants to rest at home, and my father suggested that I go to the hospital to accompany him and take care of him.”Caroline did not hide anything from Hayden.If she was not the heiress of the Fisher family, she very much wanted to be best friends with Hayden.The two got along very well.Hayden huffed a sarcastic laugh but did not say anything further.Caroline sat for a little while longer and finished her tea before she got up and excused herself.Hayden walked her to the elevator and they bumped into Hugh who happened to come upstairs right then. After exchanging greetings, the siblings stood in the elevator lobby and watched Caroline enter the elevator and its doors close.Once Caroline had left, Hugh asked as they walked back, “What was Caroline here to see you for again this time?”Hayden glanced at her brother and said calmly, “She’s doing her best to fight for Fisher Enterprise. She has to put on enough of a show to prevent people from saying she i
Hayden picked up the brocade box and opened it to take a look before closing it once more and asking Hugh, “You bought this to coax one of your girlfriends with, didn’t you? It’s not my style.”She tossed the box back to him.“I have no shortage of things like these. Kevin has been buying jewelry, women’s clothing, high-heels, and stuff like that for me like mad for the past few days.”She had a lot of things.She had more than enough money of her own. If she liked something, she could afford it even if it was expensive.Her future mother-in-law had also given her a lot of precious jewelry.It was just that she was not used to wearing them.Even Grandma May had given her a few expensive pieces of jewelry as a gift upon their first meeting.Grandma May was born before World War II. Her family was rich but later went through a period of decline before they eventually got back up on their feet.Some of the jewelry in Grandma May’s collection were valuable antiques.She had quite
Hugh knew that Caroline had her own business.It was no wonder that Hayden had such an appreciation for Caroline. She might not have had a good childhood in her adoptive parents’ home, but she grew tenaciously like a blade of grass. At a young age, she had made a place for herself in the business world with just her brain and guts.She was an impressive businesswoman.He could not blame Hayden for constantly trying to set them up.Even now, he suspected that she had not given up on the idea yet.Because of Liberty’s appearance, it was now hard to predict who would succeed the matriarchy.If Caroline withdrew from the race, she could marry freely without having to look for someone willing to marry into her family.This was exactly what Hayden had thought of. Thus, the idea she had originally given up on sprang back to life and she started creating opportunities for Hugh and Caroline to meet.“Got it. And sis, you know Caroline has someone by her side, right?” Hugh said meaningfu
Austin asked Isabella gently.She hummed mildly before saying, “It’s slightly better than the first time you made them, but there’s still room for improvement.”“Thank you, Ms. Isabella.”She did not mention the problem and instead said there was still room for improvement. It was clear she did not want him to get too proud of himself. In reality, she was quite satisfied with the pastries he made today.Isabella turned to the little ones. “Louis, Phillip, go back with Austin. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight. Just ask Austin to make you whatever you want to eat.”The little boys did not really want to go home, but in front of their serious big sister, they did not dare to insist on staying and obediently followed Austin out of the office. As soon as they left the office, the boys pulled their scarves tightly over their faces, hiding themselves completely, leaving only their big, bright eyes visible.The secretary had already guessed their identities. Although she could not se
“Phillip, if you want to eat anything, just tell me. I can have Austin make it for you.”Isabella opened the box of pastries and placed it in the center of the table so Tati could try some as well. She remembered that Tati loved the pastries Austin made. As for Louis calling Austin her personal chef, Isabella did not correct him, because it was the truth. The family benefited from her picky taste and had the privilege of enjoying all sorts of delicious food. She often changed chefs, and every chef she hired was a top expert in the industry. As others put it, even the simplest omelet prepared by a chef from the O'Connor family tasted better than those cooked by others.“I want to eat everything! I love all the dishes Austin makes, and I also love buns and pastries.”“Isa, I want ravioli. Can Austin make us ravioli this time?” Not wanting to be left out, Louis made a request of his own after Phillip made one.Austin laughed. “No problem. This Saturday, I’ll make ravioli for you. I’
Isabella looked at him, and the two of them locked eyes for a moment. Then Isabella asked, “You’re trained in self-defense?”“I am. I trained for more than ten years. My nana is a wise and capable matriarch. She’s the one who raised us to be well-rounded, both in academics and self-defense.”Isabella recalled that she had asked someone to investigate Austin’s background. She had only done a brief inquiry into his family situation, mainly to learn more about him as a person, so she did not know much about his family. She knew he had a large family with many members, and they all lived in the large ancestral home passed down through generations. Oh, right—these were things Austin had briefly mentioned himself. As for what his family was like, he had not said much, and she had not investigated further. After all, she was not looking to marry him, so there was no need to delve into his family tree like she was tracing a genealogy. As long as she knew he came from a respectable family
Isabella said, “If Louis wants to climb up to the roof to take off its tiles, my mom would even go as far as to give him a ladder to climb up there. You don’t know the situation, so I don’t blame you, but when we get back, I’ll have a good talk with my mom.”Louis and his brother exchanged glances, wondering if they had caused trouble.“Isa, since they’re already here, just let them play in your office. They’re probably going stir-crazy at home.” Seeing that her baby brother and cousin looked scared that they had caused trouble, Tati could not help but feel sorry for them and spoke up in their defense. “They’re kids, after all—they love to play.”Austin also added, “It’s winter break right now. Most other kids are out playing already, and they’re stuck at home. Even though the house is big, they’ll eventually get bored playing indoors.”Just like when he and his brothers were younger, they had a children’s playground at home too. In fact, they lived on a manor estate on the hill an
Austin immediately regretted bringing the boys with him. He tried his hardest to recall whether anyone had seen their faces when they left; at least, he did not think anyone had.The two boys were still young and had sat in the backseat of the car. He had driven a black Mercedes, and as long as the duo had not rolled down the windows, no one could see them as the car sped along. After entering the Costa Corporation building, there were no other people around from the moment they got out of the car to the time they entered the office building. It was only when Austin was sure that no one had caught a clear shot of them that he finally relaxed. He told himself that, no matter how much they begged him in the future, he would not thoughtlessly take them out again.Before his own brothers entered society, they had been carefully protected by the family, and it was very difficult for the outside world to capture clear photos of them too. When they were old enough to step into the busines
“Has your sister ever hit you?”Austin freed a hand to adjust Louis's hat and scarf. He also tugged at Phillip, gesturing for the little boy to follow in his older cousin’s footsteps. The cold wind was howling, and he feared these two little ones might be blown away by the strong gusts. The two little boys replied in unison, “She has hit us, but it’s really rare. She really loves and cares about us.” “She only hits us when we make a really big mistake,” Louis added, afraid that Austin might think Isabella was a bad person. He quickly said, “She does it for our own good.”Austin laughed. “I really didn’t expect that someone as well-mannered as your sister would actually raise a hand on you. It shows just how big a mess you two must have made.”Austin thought this was good. It was necessary for the two boys to have someone they feared. Otherwise, if they were spoiled too much, they would become unruly, and as they grew older, the messes they made would only get bigger, which wou
While Carrie was being scolded by Mr. Longbottom, Austin was delivering afternoon tea to Isabella.She had social engagements later that evening, so she would not be home for dinner. Given her picky eating habits, she likely would not have anything but drinks during the event, and Austin was worried that she would get drunk drinking on an empty stomach. He knew she could hold her liquor and no one would dare force her to drink, but even half a glass of wine on an empty stomach could upset it. Thus, he specially prepared some snacks to bring to her. They were freshly made and still warm.Also accompanying him were the O'Connor boys. After Austin parked the car, he got out holding the box of snacks. The boys unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car as well. Phillip had been sitting in the backseat, and when he closed the door, he did not push hard enough, leaving it slightly ajar. Austin reminded him to close it properly and Louis turned to help Phillip close the door. Then,
From then on, Mr. Longbottom no longer had to worry that his current efforts and sacrifices were all for someone else’s benefit. He could legitimately become the true head, gaining absolute authority in the Longbottom family and Longbottom Corporation, without being held back by others.“I wasn’t telling you to complete the task before Christmas. I was reminding you to step up your efforts and work harder. Stop constantly stirring up trouble for your sister,” Mr. Longbottom criticized. “Your current targets are Serenity Hunt and Sonny Brown, not Camryn Newman.”He added mercilessly, “No matter how you act out, you can’t compete with her. That’s a fact. Apart from being a few years younger than her, you really don’t have anything to compare. You can’t measure up to your younger brother, let alone your sister.”Among the three children of the Newman family, the most useless was Carrie. Of course, her being the most useless was exactly why he could use him. Camryn and Trenton were not
The O’Connor ladies were not like usual girls. Pestering them was useless. It would make Mr. Longbottom look cheap as well. After all, he was the temporary head of the Longbottom family. What woman could he not have for himself?Among his past lovers, there were also ice queens like Isabella. He still managed to charm them with some effort. Once they became his woman, they would soften and revere him. When he abandoned them, they would wail and cling to him, unwilling to leave. Of course, ten of those lovers could not even compare to Isabella. When Mr. Longbottom’s car was leaving, it passed by a black Mercedes-Benz in the opposite direction.Mr. Longbottom turned to look. He saw the security of Costa Corporation on duty opening the gates immediately upon spotting the black Benz. It only had to slow down before entering the compound.‘Maybe that’s one of Costa Corporation’s senior managers,’ he thought. He turned his head back and leaned against the seat. After some thin