Serenity took the little boy in her arms and sat him on her lap.Then she grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe his tears away.Normally, Sonny seemed so happy-go-lucky. Nevertheless, he was only a three-year-old and still could not do without his mother. Now that Liberty was in Jensburg, even with Serenity and Zachary taking care of him and with Duncan’s constant presence, he would still miss his mother.He missed her even more now that she had called.“Really? Then I won’t cry anymore. Mom, won’t Dunc and I disturb your work?”Sonny really did miss his mother, but he also knew she was very busy and was worried his visit would disturb her work.Liberty said gently, “It’s fine. You’re coming for the weekend and Mom rests on weekends too. And I want to spend time with you even if I don’t get to rest.”She missed her son very much too.It was just that she was not done with the things she had to do in Jensburg and still could not return to Wiltspoon for the time being.It was also p
“Aunt Audrey.”Serenity greeted Audrey with a smile.Audrey nodded and asked, “Did you pick Sonny up today?”“Duncan’s busy this afternoon, and since I’m not working full time right now anyway, I’m free to pick Sonny up.”As she said this, Serenity reached out to carry the little guy, “Sonny, you should come down and walk by yourself. Don’t make Grandaunt Audrey carry you.”Audrey hurriedly said, “It’s fine, I can carry him in. Sonny is a little bigger now, but he’s still a little kid and isn’t that heavy. Just carrying him for a bit won’t tire me out.”However, Sonny still obediently slid out of Audrey’s arms and onto the floor before looking up to say, “I don’t want to make Grandaunt Audrey tired.”Mom and Aunt Ser had told him before that Grandaunt Audrey was getting on in years and was considered an elderly person, so he should be more considerate of her and not make her carry him all the time.Audrey ruffled Sonny’s hair and laughed. “Sonny has such a sweet little mouth.”
Despite what she said, Audrey brought them upstairs. Alice and her son were asleep. Upon seeing that, Serenity pulled Sonny back and stopped Audrey from entering. She whispered, “Let Alice sleep, Aunt Audrey. Let’s not disturb her.”Audrey nodded and closed the door lightly. Sonny was slightly disappointed. He had wished to play with the little brother. Back on the first floor, he sat on the sofa and had some snacks. Then, he played in the living area by himself. There were some toys left in the Stone family’s house from Sonny’s previous visits. Elisa had bought them for him. The number of toys had increased since then, and most were new. They were probably for the baby. Sonny decided to try the new toys out first. “I want to ask you about somebody, Aunt Audrey.”Audrey looked at her niece with curiosity. “Who is it? Do you even need my help?”Serenity could have obtained any information she wanted just by asking Zachary. Serenity smiled. “It’s a woman. Zachary doe
After some thinking, Audrey replied, “I’ve lived in Wiltspoon for decades and joined the circle of elites when I married your uncle. Although I recognize most of the women, I’ve never heard of someone called Mrs. Longbottom.”Serenity said, “She said her husband isn’t a local but simply a permanent resident in Wiltspoon. Most of their family businesses are overseas. She also mentioned that her husband’s family keeps a low profile, so they probably rarely attend banquets.”Audrey replied, “No matter how low profile they are, businessmen are bound to interact with each other. Although they’re just permanent residents, they must’ve socialized with others at some point. I really don’t recall hearing the name Longbottom.“Maybe they aren’t qualified enough to be in our circle yet.“Why are you asking about this person? Is there something off with her?”Serenity explained how she got to know Mrs. Longbottom. She added, “I have a sense of familiarity whenever I see her. I think her figur
“Wait. There’s one, but he’s a child. It’s Jane’s adopted son, Laurence. He’s a Longbottom, but he’s still young… Which reminds me, when Ben and Jane brought Laurence over last time, Josh told Zachary that he noticed a tycoon had shown up in Wiltspoon. However, that person left quickly, so they could not find out his name or where he came from.”Just then, Serenity thought of Laurence’s background and unleashed her imagination. “Do you think that person came to Wiltspoon to look for someone to be his pawn, Aunt Audrey? Perhaps he was trying to set up a trap.“That doesn’t sound right either. If he wanted to do something, he should’ve gone to Annenburg instead of Wiltspoon.”If that man’s aim was Laurence, Wiltspoon was not the best location. Moreover, he would have done something long ago if his sole target was Laurence. Laurence’s enemies feared almost no one, not even the Johnsons. They were only slightly wary of the legendary doctor and company, who had ties with Dr. Carden.
Audrey smiled. “That she is.”While they were talking, they suddenly heard Elisa’s and Remy’s voices. “Elisa’s back,” said Serenity. When Sonny heard that, he immediately hugged his toy and dashed out. Worried that he would fall, Serenity quickly got up to follow him. Audrey remained in her seat. She turned and watched Serenity from the sofa with a grin. However, the corners of her mouth gradually went down as she thought of her deceased sister.It would have been great if Lisa was alive. Audrey wished her parents were still around as well. Their family would have been so lively. She and Lisa would never have separated, and Lisa would not have died. She wondered if her mother’s assistant, Patrick, was still alive. He was a key figure. They had utilized all resources to look for him, but there was no news. After all, most people had little memories of that elderly assistant. Audrey had a vague impression but did not know if the portrait she drew based on her memori
Remy asked Sonny. “Dunc isn’t free. Aunt Ser picked me up to see the baby. The baby is sleeping. I couldn’t see him.”Sonny was eloquent and clear in his speech. Remy thought Sonny was similar to Laurence. When Jane found Laurence, he had only been over a year old. His speech was incoherent at that time. However, once he could speak fluently, he became good with words and sounded very mature sometimes. Despite being three years old, he was like a small version of an adult. He was taller and smarter than kids his age too. Laurence also had a surprisingly good memory. Remy had met Sonny when Sonny was very young. He realized that the babbling child had turned into a clever one. He hoped he and Elisa’s children could be as clever as Sonny and Laurence. “The baby is still young, so he sleeps more. He can play with you when he gets older.”Sonny agreed. “Aunt Ser said that too. Are you never busy, Uncle Remy? I always see you when I come to Grandaunt Audrey’s house.”To Son
Remy laughed.“Of course, of course, tons of people like Sonny.“Then, you have to reserve a space for me in the long line of people who like you.”Sonny nodded graciously and responded, “I’ll reserve a space for you, for sure.”This made everyone laugh.Just as Serenity entered, Zachary called her.The couple was just checking in on each other. Zachary knew that his beloved wife was visiting the Stones.Usually, Zachary would come over too when Serenity paid visits, but tonight, he was busy and told Serenity he could not make it for dinner.Serenity said thoughtfully, “I’ll have dinner here. Once we’re done, I’ll probably sit and chat for a while before heading back. You go talk business and don’t drink so much. Make sure to keep warm—the weather forecast says the temperature will drop further.”Rain was going to fall, and so did the temperature.When it rained during the winter, it was indeed cold.“I won’t drink. It’s not like I’ll be outdoors either. It won’t affect me n
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