“Okay.”Caroline felt safe with Darren by her side. She fell asleep in no time. When Darren noticed her asleep, he carefully parked the car by the roadside. Then, he took off his jacket and covered her with it. Caroline was in a deep sleep due to exhaustion and was not aware that Darren had put his jacket over her. It was already two in the morning when they arrived at Fisher Manor.Darren stopped outside the entrance. Since he did not have the keys, he had to wake Caroline up. Caroline was still in a daze when she woke up. When she saw Darren, she asked, “Why are you in a dream, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren could not help but laugh. “I’m not in your dream, Ms. Caroline. You’re awake. I woke you up.”However, it seems like Caroline was not fully awake yet. Caroline blinked and sat straight. She instinctively grabbed the jacket on her that was slipping down. “No wonder I felt hot during my sleep. You didn’t have to cover me with a jacket. The heater is turned on.”Caroline w
Caroline poured herself a drink and sat on the sofa. She leaned back and savored her drink. The peace at that moment allowed her a brief moment of relaxation. However, she got all tense again the moment she heard the sound of footsteps upstairs. She remained in her seat and did not even look up. It was definitely her mother. Belinda came downstairs. She sat beside Caroline and asked, “Why are you back so late?”Looking at the exhaustion on Caroline’s face, she touched her daughter’s face and sighed. “I don’t know if this is a blessing or a mistake.”“I’m fine, Mom.”Caroline understood what Belinda meant. Belinda was doubting whether returning the girls to their respective families was good or bad for Caroline. Sometimes, Caroline thought of it as well. If she had not returned to the Fisher family, she would have had her own career and sufficient ability to free herself from her adoptive family’s abuse. She would have been living a carefree life instead of workin
Belinda did not reply to the question immediately. She said, “Adrian hasn’t come home for two days. Emma suspects that he’s having an affair again.”She paused and sighed. “It must be genetics. I may have good genes, but your dad’s genes overpowered mine. All your brothers have inherited his penchant for cheating.“Do you think I’ve made a mistake, Carol?”“I can’t accept betrayal. If my husband doesn’t love me anymore, he can ask for a divorce. However, he can’t cheat on me while we’re still married.”Caroline’s answer made Belinda smile. Her gaze was gentle. “So that’s why people say the Fisher family’s good genes are only passed down to daughters. I didn’t believe it before, but after having found you, I’m starting to be a believer. Your personality and style are very similar to mine.”Belinda used to think Celine’s personality and style were totally different from hers. After that, she discovered that the daughter she had placed high hopes on was actually the previous butler
Belinda quickly understood her daughter’s worry, as Caroline expected.Celine’s only asset right now was her beauty.All three of Belinda’s sons had mistresses. Most likely not just one each, and not their first time cheating either; it was just that her daughters-in-law had not known about it at the time.The brothers had inherited their lustful hearts from Hunter.If Celine decided to intentionally seduce Adrian and the rest, there was a real possibility of success.The Clark brothers had always doted on her and felt nothing for their biological sister Caroline.It was inevitable for Celine to get some benefits through them.At the thought of this, Belinda’s face twisted into an ugly expression.If Celine managed to seduce Adrian, both father and son would have fallen at her hands.Hunter could still say he had been schemed against, but Adrian would have taken the bait willingly.“I’ll handle this, Caroline. You don’t have to do a thing. I’ll get someone to keep an eye on C
“Since she’s competing with us for business, she’s our opponent.“There’s no need for mercy when it comes to dealing with enemies. We need to strike while the iron is hot, when her company has only just been established and is in a vulnerable stage, and strangle her in the cradle.”Caroline was silent for a moment before she said, “Mom, Liberty’s contracts are mostly with Queen Enterprise. Some of them are with big companies that have ties to the Yorks, the Lewises, and the Stones. They won’t give a shit about us.”“Figure something out. I don’t want to see Liberty establishing herself in Jensburg.”Belinda knew Caroline did not want to be enemies with Liberty.If it were not for the fact that Liberty was Tiara’s scion and had come to Jensburg specifically to target them, Belinda would not want to be enemies with Liberty either.Behind her stood three powerful families. They might be far off in Wiltspoon, but they could not be underestimated.If the three families joined hands t
If that was true, there was no need for Liberty to fight for Fisher Enterprise. Caroline would return it to Tiara’s scion of her own volition and restore the family to its rightful path.She could still run her business and live a good life away from the Fishers.Belinda looked at her daughter.She could hear the dismissiveness in her daughter’s tone and she glared at Caroline.Caroline faced her mother’s glare candidly.After a long moment, Belinda sighed and patted her daughter’s face once more as she said softly, “You have your own opinions and we have only been mother and daughter for around three years. I can’t do anything about it if you won’t listen to me.“Did Mr. Fletcher drop you off earlier?”“Mmhm.”“You guys are both young and spend a lot of time with each other every day. Do you have any thoughts about him?”Caroline looked at Belinda with wide eyes. “Mom, what sort of thoughts am I supposed to have about him? Didn’t you say he’s my all-around assistant who’ll be
Meanwhile, Belinda’s assistant was respectful and loyal but he did not love her.Similarly, she did not like him romantically, so their relationship remained that of a lady and her servant.If she had fallen for her assistant back then, perhaps the children she bore would have been even better and her daughter would not have been switched at birth with another baby.Caroline laughed. “Mom, I don’t want to think about love right now, and I don’t have the time to date either. I told you that if I needed an heir, I would have a daughter, but I only want her. I won’t keep her father around.“I don’t want to end up like you, who got betrayed by my dad.”Belinda had nothing to say to that, but she still wanted Caroline and Darren to get together.Darren was an orphan and did not have a family to drag him down. Regardless of whether he married into the Fisher family or not, he would always be loyal to Caroline.Though Caroline wanted to only have a daughter and not a man, she was Belin
“Who’s your old friend?” Caroline asked curiously.Belinda did not tell her. All she said was, “My old friend is an old friend. You don’t need to ask so many questions. When I’m not around, make sure to handle the company and family matters well. If anyone refuses to listen, just make a mental note and I’ll deal with them when I get back.“Of course, it would be even better if you could deal with it yourself. After all, I’m getting old and I have to slowly let go for you to take over. You can’t rely on me your whole life.”Caroline replied, “I know, Mom. Don’t worry. It’s not your first time going on a trip anyway. The last time you went to Wiltspoon for around three weeks, I handled everything just fine.”In fact, she felt more at ease when her mother was not home because those people could not use her mother to suppress her. She could do whatever she wanted.“I believe in you. It’s late now. You should head up to sleep. I’ll watch a little longer before I go back to bed.”Carol
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