The little Audrey in Patrick’s memory had only been a few years old, but now, she was already a grandmother. Oh, how old he had gotten. Ms. Tiara’s grandchildren were already old enough to get married and have kids. If she were still alive, she would definitely be very happy that she had three outstanding granddaughters and would not have to worry about choosing her successor. She could randomly pick one to bear the heavy burden and still not have to worry. It was just a shame that Tiara was unable to witness her offspring’s achievements herself. After Patrick woke up and realized he was not dreaming and that he really had met Audrey, he cried at the thought of Tiara and felt bitter on her behalf. She had raised Belinda like she was her own daughter, but fell at her hands in the end.Tiara had loved, cared for, and trusted Belinda wholeheartedly, so indeed, Belinda was the only possible person who could harm her. Alivia had not had such ambition and was also a very kind and gentle
Patrick gave Darrell a couple of glances as he recollected about Grandma May’s past.“Uncle True, I’m very devoted to my wife too.” Darrell understood the meaning behind Patrick’s glances and immediately made it clear that he was also a doting husband.Patrick smiled with satisfaction. “I can tell that you dote on our Missy Drey very much.”Audrey felt a warm sensation in her heart. Patrick was equivalent to family. Even if her parents were still alive, considering Patrick’s position and how much he cared for her and her sister, he would indeed still be considered family. Both her parents always said Uncle True was the truest of them all and there was no need to worry he would betray them.He often helped her mother with work and spent time with her alone, discussing plans, but even then her father did not worry the slightest and would not take offense. In Audrey’s impression, her mother had not been in good health and often had to rest in bed, while her father was a mild-tempered
Eventually, Old Mrs. Stone accepted Audrey, also because she gave birth to two boys and a girl. Audrey only truly felt at ease in the business world after this. Old Mrs. Stone especially doted on Elisa, whose temperament was similar to hers. “You’re being modest, Missy Drey. You’ve fully inherited Ms. Tiara’s talents and would do well anywhere you go.” Patrick’s words were full of pride like a parent bragging about their child.As Darrell and Audrey helped Patrick out of the room, she laughed. “I wasn’t yet the heir of the Fishers and didn’t have this status to back me up, so I had to start my own business. Otherwise, as someone’s employee, I would have to be an excellent judge of character in everything I do, and many things were beyond my control.”Later on, she indeed started her own company. After Clive stepped up, she handed her company to him to manage and she stepped down, spending her retirement peacefully with Darrell. From time to time, she would worry about her children’
Patrick said with relief, “I know, Serenity has a good husband. She married into the York family, so there’s no need to worry about her. Things will only get better for her from here on out. Old Mrs. York is a smart cookie. “But I heard Liberty’s divorced and I know she has custody of her son. Before I came here, I did ask some men to look into her ex-husband. The Browns were simply too shameless and outrageous.“It’s just that Liberty’s still so young. She’s only in her early thirties and will still have to find someone willing to marry into the family. This is the way it has always been done.”Patrick understood right away that Audrey did not intend to fight for the position of the matriarch herself when Audrey arranged for Liberty to go to Jensburg. Serenity was the Yorks’ eldest daughter-in-law. She was not suitable to take the position, and even if Zachary was willing to marry into the Fisher family, the Fishers would be too embarrassed to let him do so.Meanwhile, Elisa was
Sugar was not willing to reveal even just her real name, so Serenity and company did not even ask where she was from. When they heard Audrey reminding Patrick not to rush down the stairs, everybody stopped chatting to look toward them.A few young ones went over to help Patrick descend, but he laughed and waved them off. “I’m alright. I’m not so weak that I need support just to walk.”They all seemed to be Tiara’s offspring. Patrick felt gratified. He thought Tiara’s whole family was dead but fortunately, he had found the two sisters, who both also had children of their own. Tiara’s lineage had not died out.Sonny had never met Patrick and hurriedly retreated into Serenity’s arms when he saw the old man. Serenity said softly, “Sonny, this is your great-granduncle I told you about.”Sonny stayed silent as he watched Patrick with his bright, sparkling eyes. Patrick sat down and greeted Grandma May and the rest.She asked in concern, “Are you alright, Old Pat? You don’t look too well
Zachary’s mouth twitched. His nana called him a blockhead again. Serenity could not help but laugh. Grandma May liked to call her grandsons blockheads, but were blockheads this handsome?Sugar glanced at Dylan when everyone’s attention was elsewhere. When Grandma May arrived at the Stones’ manor, she also informed her other grandsons who were in Wiltspoon to come over to meet the elders. Although the elders accepted her invitation and promised to visit Wildridge Manor, she was still afraid they would go back on their word. Where would she find them if they suddenly disappeared?Despite being born in the same generation, Grandma May was unfamiliar with the elders. She had only heard about them but had not met them in person. She could not guarantee that they would visit Wildridge Manor for her. After hearing Grandma May’s words, Silver glanced at Sugar. He teased Grandma May, “I don’t think you have to look any further. What do you think of my student? Sugar is in her
“What about us ordinary people, Grandma May? If Zachary and the rest are considered mediocre, we’re probably bottom feeders.”Clive smiled and joked around. Remy nodded in agreement. Grandma May laughed aloud. Her nine grandsons were her greatest pride. After a few more years, her grandsons would have formed their own families. Even if she died, she could leave with a smile on her face. Patrick looked toward Sonny again. Sonny was in Serenity’s arms, looking at everyone curiously. He did not understand what the elders were saying. “He does look a lot like her,” Patrick murmured to himself. “He looks a lot like Ms. Lisa when she was young. If he had his hair in braids and wore a dress, he would look exactly like her.”Patrick was lost in reminiscence while staring at Sonny. Back then, Lisa used to ask him to lift her whenever she saw him. “Uncle True, upsy-daisy.”He could never refuse her request. Patrick would lift her high and spin her around before putting her
Grandma May smiled. “Sonny is indeed a good boy, but he can also be very naughty sometimes.“If he’s quiet, it means he’s causing trouble somewhere.”Serenity chimed in. “There was once when he was playing quietly on his own. I went looking for him, and it turned out he was playing with my skincare and makeup. My lipstick was smeared all over the table and floor.“He even smeared it all over his face. I was totally speechless.”Everyone burst into laughter as they imagined the scene. Sonny was embarrassed by everyone laughing at him. He buried his face in Patrick’s chest and said, “Aunt Ser is laughing at me, Great-grandpa True.”Patrick was swooning over how Sonny was addressing him. He immediately got protective and told Serenity, “Stop laughing at him, Serenity. That’s just how kids are when they’re young. Your mom used to be naughty when she was young too.“She would spill the expensive alcohol Madam Tiara had collected and even smash the bottles. She also took a pair of sc
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