Serenity could stand up for herself too and was not ashamed of her ordinary family background.As the current head of York missus, Tania felt that Serenity would be qualified for the position in the future too. Of course, she did not want her successor under her wing right now to be bullied by her younger daughter-in-law.Tania could not count the number of times she had internally grumbled about Grandma May by now.Apart from Serenity, the other granddaughters-in-law were each more impressive than the other.This was a lot of pressure on Serenity.Who else besides her was going to dote on her own daughter-in-law? Of course she felt bad for Serenity.“Not yet. Tomorrow’s the second interview. Dominic was worried I’d get sabotaged if I stayed outside, so he picked me up ahead of time and let me stay at the manor for the night. If I pass the interview, this is exactly where I’ll be living.“Mom, it might be a little small, but these are amazing accommodations for any ordinary pers
After a moment of silence, Austin answered, “I can’t do anything about it. I’d just be an employee. I might not be able to spend Christmas at home this year.”Tania scowled fiercely.Her precious baby boy was someone’s employee instead of staying home as a pampered young master.“You’re telling Nana yourself about not coming home for Christmas,” Tania grumbled. “I don’t know what you’re thinking. Why did you go so far when Christmas is around the corner? You don’t even know when you’ll be back.”In Austin’s words, he was going to be an employee and he could not do anything about it.He could not come and go as he wished.“By the way, do the O’Connors only have one chef? If there are more than one, you could at least rotate your leaves for Christmastime. Employees do get personal time off, mind you. All our employees have to do is tell Sam in advance they’re taking leave and he’ll arrange for cover.“Work doesn’t interfere with them spending the holidays with their family at all.
“Both of them, of course. It’s their kid. And you keep saying ‘grandson’. If your mom hears you, she’s going to give you an earful. You know she wants a great-granddaughter.”Liam was speechless for a moment before he retorted, “Does she think it’ll end up that way just because she wants it? I’m willing to bet that the baby’s definitely a boy. Our first grandson! I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, though. My first grandchild will be the apple of my eye.“We can just enjoy spending time with our grandchildren at home in the future.“Besides, the psychic said that Zack and Serenity will have a boy and a girl. Que sera sera. We’ll get a granddaughter someday. They can have a son now and work on having another kid in a few years and complete the set then.”Tania did not mind much whether her first grandchild was a boy or a girl.Serenity had only gotten pregnant one year after getting married. The elders had been looking forward to it so much that the baby’s gender did not matter.
Tania had never paid attention to how big Serenity’s company had gotten. All she knew was that the company started turning a profit long ago and partnering with many major hotels, schools, and companies.She knew that Serenity valued the quality of the vegetables the most and used farmyard fertilizer where she could. She bought the fertilizer wherever she found it and used as little pesticides as possible. If she could avoid using them, she would. Every manager she employed to run her farms had more than a decade of relevant experience.Serenity said that she wanted to provide vegetables to school cafeterias because students were the future of the country. For that reason, she would not harm them just for the sake of profits and wanted to ensure they could eat with peace of mind.Whenever she visited one of her farms, she would take some vegetables home to consume.From farm to table, these vegetables are served at her home and the cafeterias at the company and farms. Nobody would
“Of those who have joined the workforce, they’re either helping with the family business or setting up their own. Which one of them isn’t successful? They’re all wealthy enough that they might actually scoff at our assets.”Tania had no comment on that, but finally said, “I’ll leave it all to my grandchildren then.”Just like Grandma May.After her sons got married, she tried giving her sons and daughters-in-law a portion of her assets, but apart from the jewelry she gave her daughters-in-law, they refused anything else.They told her to spend however and as much as she fancied to her heart’s content.How could an old lady spend so much money on her own though?She had many filial grandchildren too. Even then, she could not spend all her money, so she decided to invest it.As the person who raised the outstanding man that Zachary was, she had never made a loss in her investments before. As a result, her personal assets just kept growing.Grandma May then said she was going to l
Elisa teased the secretary, “Do you want to get married, Helen? I can introduce some guys to you. I guarantee you’ll be happy for the rest of your life.”Helen was a young, fresh graduate and was recently hired as Serenity’s secretary.Helen refused politely. “Thank you, Ms. Stone. However, I’ve been dating my boyfriend since I was in uni. We’re in a steady relationship, and I have no thoughts of breaking up.”“Where does your boyfriend work?” Elisa asked. “He recently got a job at a small company. I don’t know if he’ll stay for long. He said his remuneration package isn’t as good as mine.”Upon mentioning her boyfriend’s job, Helen's smiling expression turned into worry. She had a good relationship with him. However, he had not gotten any good job offers but still liked comparing himself with her. He believed that as a man, his salary could not be less than that of his partner. He found it embarrassing. Nevertheless, just like Helen, he was a fresh graduate without much
Serenity walked out of the office with her bag. The preschool was a ten-minute drive from the company. When she arrived, many luxury cars were already parked outside. Sonny was studying in the best preschool in Wiltspoon with fellow students coming from wealthy families. It was like a luxury car gallery outside the preschool before and after class started.Serenity got out of her car and walked to the entrance. She handed her pass to a teacher and waited for her to guide Sonny out. In the meantime, Serenity looked around. Mrs. Longbottom was not there. She did not see Mrs. Longbottom when she dropped off Sonny at school that morning either. Now that Serenity did not see Mrs. Longbottom after having met her frequently those days, she could not help but feel that she and Camryn might be overthinking. Maybe Mrs. Longbottom was not Carrie after all. Was their uncanny voices truly a coincidence?Serenity took her phone and sent a voice message to Camryn. She whispered, “Di
Serenity said, “Even if we can’t prove it this time, there’ll be other opportunities to do so. As long as she’s pretending, we can definitely find a flaw.“Tasha doesn’t know Mrs. Longbottom or Carrie well. She probably can’t prove anything.”Camryn agreed. “We’ll have to wait for another chance to present itself. I think Mrs. Longbottom is targeting you. You meet her much more often than I do.“Do you ever see Mrs. Longbottom’s younger sister-in-law every time you bump into her at the preschool?”Serenity answered, “No. She would always say that her sister-in-law just entered or wasn’t out yet. I don’t know if she’s telling the truth or not. I’ll hide in my car the next time I meet her to see if she truly picks up a child.“Did something happen at your company?”Serenity changed the topic. “Just attending a few meetings and handling some important documents. Since I’ve regained my sight, I should check on the company occasionally. I can’t push all my responsibility onto Dal. M
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