“Please make way. Otherwise, I’ll have to get the security to haul you away,” said Caroline sternly. There was no way she would let the Dotts take advantage of her. She was not even part of their family. Even if she was, she refused to let them suck her dry. “Carol, don’t be so heartless. I’m still your adoptive mother who has raised you. You and the Fishers should pay us for the effort.”Caroline retorted, “Did your family pay us? The Fishers raised Celine too, until she was a full-grown woman, but with more money and effort. If we must compare the amount spent on raising each of us, your family will have to pay the Fishers a larger sum.“Let’s not forget Marc Dott was the one who switched Celine and I at birth. Who else can you blame but your father for making such a grave mistake? You should blame your own family for being too ambitious.”The Dotts had planned to make their daughter the heir of the Fishers. Once she took over the family, they would then reveal the truth and
Belinda would also pass on some stuff for Marc to bring home to Caroline. In the past, Marc was deeply trusted by the Fisher family. If the Dotts claimed their child was sick, Belinda would lend a helping hand. With such consideration, the Dotts finally decided against killing Caroline. However, they treated her badly. Caroline survived her childhood purely due to luck. It was also thanks to her neighbors’ concern that saved her from starving to death. When Caroline returned to the Fisher family, an elderly woman who used to look after her when she was young had passed away. However, the woman’s daughter was still alive. Caroline gave that family a huge sum of money. She even arranged stable jobs for them in her own company to repay her gratitude to the elderly woman for protecting and feeding her back when she was young. “Even so, you raised her. You’re old and poor now. She should be repaying you with money since she’s so rich,” Jacob complained. His younger brother,
Caroline looked out to the streets the moment she got to her office. After confirming that her adoptive mother and brothers had left, only then did she turn around and sit behind her table. She first sent a message to Darren, telling him not to do anything when Belinda left for her trip. Liberty’s word of caution made Caroline realize that she had almost fallen into her mother’s trap. Usually, her mother would never tell the family about her destination or itinerary. The last time Belinda went to Wiltspoon, Caroline was tasked to manage the company. However, that was because everyone knew about the invitation from the Yorks. The fact that Belinda was going to attend Zachary’s wedding was publicly known. Since there was no need to hide it, Belinda had handed over some work to Caroline before she left. However, this time, Belinda revealed to Caroline that she was leaving to meet an old acquaintance. Caroline simply thought she had gained her mother’s trust. Belinda had al
Caroline’s voice traveled from the pantry. “I haven’t started on my work yet, so I decided to just do it myself.”Adrian commented, “You’re afraid that someone will poison your coffee.”“I’m not afraid that my secretary will poison me, but I am quite worried that my big brother will.”Adrian’s expression darkened and he said heatedly, “I’m your biological brother! How could I poison you?!”Although he disliked Caroline very much, he dared not touch even a single strand of hair on her head, at least while their mother was still alive. Once Belinda passed away and Caroline succeeded her as the matriarch, it would be even harder for him to move against Caroline then. It would be a miracle if she let him go.Caroline laughed drily but stayed silent.After a moment of waiting, Caroline came out of the pantry.She brought with her two cups of coffee and walked over to the sofa. She placed one cup in front of Adrian before sitting opposite him and sizing him up.Adrian was irked by
“Adrian!” Caroline said seriously. “If you hadn’t messed around with Celine and done those things, why would Emma call Celine’s family to take her away?“And Mom was the one who told Emma to do that. You should look for Mom to settle the score if you have the balls. Why are you blaming Emma?“You’re heartbroken because Celine’s dead, aren’t you? It’s obvious that you guys have always only cared about her. In your hearts, Celine is your real sister. Who the hell am I, right? “But Celine isn’t your sister! Adrian, Emma’s your wife, the person you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. You even have children together. Do you think it’s right to treat Emma like this? What about your children?“Mom even helped you by hiding the fact that you caused Celine’s death from the public.“All you know is to blame others. Why don’t you reflect on your mistakes?“If you hadn’t cheated and messed around with Celine, would Emma have gone looking for you to confront you? Celine wouldn’t
“Caroline, I’m your true brother. Are there any little sisters out there like you?“Instead of taking your brother’s side, you’re taking an outsider’s side. Even if she’s your sister-in-law, she’s not family by blood.” Adrian was angry that Caroline was not in his corner.He actually came looking for Caroline because he wanted her to persuade his wife.Their children were already so big—what was the point of getting divorced?He would just go out less in the future.“Do you want your nieces and nephews to have a broken family? You should help me persuade Emma not to get divorced. Does she think she’s still young? Does she think she can remarry after the divorce? Even if she can, she’ll only be able to marry an old geezer.“None of the young men would want her. Unlike me—I’m a rich, accomplished man. I could get an eighteen-year-old hottie even after I’m divorced. Can she though?“Besides, our kids are already grown up. What’s the point of divorcing? Isn’t she afraid of hurting a
Caroline said coldly, “I told you, I have no time for your nonsense.”Adrian glared at her fiercely for another moment before leaving in a huff.So much for siblinghood!Caroline did not care about him at all!Adrian’s visit affected Caroline’s mood badly.She sat on the sofa for a while before getting up to pace around the office.Then, she poured herself a glass of water and chugged it. It still took a moment before she could suppress her anger and calm herself.“That bastard!” Caroline cursed Adrian. “I would look down on Emma if she didn’t divorce a scumbag like that.”What was the point in keeping him around?It was a mystery how Belinda raised her children—every single one was a rotten apple.Maybe it was because the tree was rotten on the inside in the first place.Emma did not come to see Caroline.She had returned to her parents’ home and told them everything, including her divorcing Adrian.Not a single thing was hidden from them as she told them all the despicab
Belinda was silent for a moment before she gave Elaine a reply. “Let her in.”With Belinda’s permission, Emma entered the study.Now that Emma was thoroughly disappointed with Adrian and determined to divorce him, her mindset was totally different now. She was no longer as glamorously dressed as usual.A cheater would still cheat no matter how well you made yourself up.Why should she bother to please him then?She should just live as she wished.Emma walked up to Belinda and quietly watched her practice her calligraphy instead of greeting her right away.After a moment, she said, “Mom, your calligraphy looks very messy right now. Don’t force yourself to write in a bad mood.“Everyone has bad days.”Belinda finished her last word before putting her pen down. Appraising her calligraphy for a bit, she had to admit that she was in too bad a mood to write nicely. It was incomparable to her usual standard.She grabbed that piece of paper and crumpled it into a ball before trashing
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