“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
Apart from the employees and the bodyguards, Caroline was the only person left at home.Her mother, brothers, and sisters-in-law had all left.Caroline could not be bothered to ask where they had gone either.After showering and putting on a thick jacket, Caroline left her room and headed downstairs as she made a call to Liberty.Liberty soon picked up.“Are you free for lunch, Liberty?” Caroline asked with a bright smile.Without waiting for Liberty’s answer, she continued, “I heard Mr. Lewis came to visit you with Sonny. I kind of miss Sonny too, so I want to treat you guys to lunch. You can’t say no.“I’ve already asked Mr. Fletcher to book a table for us at Fortress Hotel. See you at noon!”Liberty laughed. “Are you even asking? It’s more like you’re notifying me.”“Are you going to say no? I’m your elder, you know. It’s rude to refuse when an elder is buying you lunch.”Liberty was speechless for a moment. “I never said I was going to say no. We were planning to have lun
Liberty sighed, “Right? They’re so carefree. I haven’t gone on holiday in ages.”After she married Hank, she never had the chance to go on holiday. Whenever she went on business trips, she was always in a rush and never had the time to sightsee and relax.“Mr. Hayden’s changed after getting with Mr. Kevin.” Caroline sighed. “She’s starting to seem more womanly after falling in love.”Hayden had a fraternal twin brother. While she was away, he would be substituting her, so she could go on holiday without any worries.Meanwhile, Caroline was still doing her best to learn and get used to the Fishers’ Machiavellian ways. She did not dare to leave for too long even for business trips. At most, she would do an overnight trip.She was afraid that if she went too far and was away for too long, the authority she only managed to earn after much hard work would disappear.Even without Celine as her competition, she still had three older brothers eyeing her position.There were a few stub
Caroline stopped and wound down her car window to poke her head out and asked, “Have you prepared the gifts for Sonny and Mr. Lewis?”Darren smiled. “Are you still not assured about my ability to get things done? They’re ready. Are you driving there yourself?”“Is there a problem with that?”Darren replied, “If you drink alcohol, you won’t be able to drive back. I’d better drive you. That way, you can drink as much as you want.”“I won’t be drinking. I had too much to drink last night and I don’t think Liberty’s drinking either. Sonny’s still a kid, and Mr. Lewis is still recovering. Liberty definitely won’t let him drink.”Darren could not say anything to that.He got into his car and followed after her once her car passed his.Half an hour later, they arrived at Fortress Hotel.Liberty was waiting with Sonny in the lobby for Caroline’s arrival.Duncan did not come downstairs because it was inconvenient.Caroline did not know Liberty was already waiting for her. After she pa
“C’mere, let me give you a hug. I bought lots of toys and new clothes for you.”Liberty commented, “Sonny has so many toys that we’re running out of space, and you’re buying him more? He has so many clothes that he hasn’t even worn them all. Kids grow so quickly that he won’t be able to wear them soon.”“I didn’t buy all those toys for Sonny. He’s my first grandnephew, I have to give him something.“If Sonny has that many clothes, you and Mr. Lewis should get married soon and have a second kid so they can wear them,” Caroline joked. “Kids always get hand-me-downs from their older siblings anyway.”“Sonny’s clothes are all so new they’d still look new on your second kid.”Liberty instantly blushed while Duncan grinned widely.He wanted to have a kid with Liberty too.Of course, Liberty had to be willing. If she did not want a second child, he would not force her.He would just treat Sonny like his own.Since Sonny appeared when he was young and if they stayed on good terms, Son
Liberty took some food for her son and served Duncan while she was at it.Duncan looked at her passionately.Darren, who was next to him, calmly grabbed some food for Caroline in an unaffected manner.Liberty noticed how attentive Darren was to Caroline. He was careful to make sure there were no bones before placing the meat onto Caroline’s plate.He would make sure there was nothing wrong with the food before serving Caroline too. Caroline was occupied with talking to Liberty and Sonny and had not noticed this. All she knew was her plate was always filled with food she liked and she ate with ease. She did not have to pick anything out and could just dig in.Whenever she finished her tea, it would soon be refilled.As someone with experience, just like Belinda, Liberty quickly caught on to Darren’s feelings for Caroline.Caroline might not have noticed and just attributed it to the fact that Darren was her all-rounder personal assistant because she thought it was natural for him t
In Wiltspoon, Liberty’s businesses ran smoothly due to Serenity and Zachary’s influence. Even if she believed in her abilities, Zachary’s contribution could not be eliminated. “It does feel underwhelming when everything goes smoothly, thanks to Serenity and Zachary.“Unlike you, I face multiple challenges despite the company belonging to my family. Even if I achieved something, people would say that I’ve taken someone else’s achievements as my own.”“Ignore what people say. It’s fine as long as you know it was your effort.”Caroline laughed and added, “I don’t care about them. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to hold onto this position firmly.”Liberty patted her shoulder. “Good luck.”“You too.”While they were competitors, they held great admiration for each other. Liberty and Audrey thought that the Fisher family would be much better if Caroline were the matriarch. However, being Tiara’s descendants, they had to determine whether the previous matriarch had passed away due
He still felt the cold even if he wore multiple layers of clothes. “Mom, Dunc, and I already went shopping this morning.”That was Sonny’s main reason for declining Caroline’s invitation. Caroline smiled. “Okay. I’ll take you to a theme park next time if the opportunity comes.”“Okay,” Sonny agreed happily. Caroline left Fortress Hotel after a couple of hours.When she was in the car, she told Darren, “Take me to the largest children’s theme park in Jensburg.”Darren looked at her and asked, “Are you going to play?”Caroline pressed her lips together and said, “No, but I want to watch. Only children’s innocent smiles can heal my wounded heart.”“You’re exaggerating. You’re young. Don’t sound so tragic.”“I’ve experienced too much. Even if I’m young, I feel old at heart.”Darren smiled. “You can have as much fun as you want at the theme park. I’ll be with you.”“Okay.”“Please fasten your seatbelt. I’m going to start driving.”Caroline fastened her seatbelt. Then, she l
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