Elisa said, “I hope our future children are as cute and well-behaved as your niece is. Let’s have a daughter. I would love to have a daughter like Clo-clo.”She was not the only one. Anyone who saw Chloe and babysat her liked her. She just seemed to keep getting cuter by the day. When she woke up, she would just play by herself in her cot or sit up and look around.Despite just being a seven-month-old baby, she was quiet and did not cause any disturbance at all, unlike Connor, who would cry so the whole house knew he had woken up.Remy took Elisa’s hand with a sheepish smile and said, “Our family’s pretty similar to the Yorks in this sense. We have a history of having boys and the chances of having girls are really low. Ben already has a daughter, so the rest of us will probably only have boys. We pretty much only get one baby girl per generation.”Elisa was silent for a moment before she asked, “Has that record never been broken?”After a moment of thought, Remy replied, “In any
On their way out, they bumped into Serenity, who was on her way to the Stones’ residence, and both parties stopped to greet each other. Remy let Serenity pass first.He then asked as he continued to drive, “The old-timers have all gone over to the Yorks’ place, but Serenity’s come here this early. I heard they’re going to meet Mrs. Lewis. Is Liberty and Mr. Lewis’s wedding on the horizon?”Elisa answered, “No, it has to do with the Fisher succession. Mr. Patrick’s still alive and he and the other old-timers are the best witnesses to prove my grandmother was murdered by Belinda Fisher. “After learning the truth, the other Fisher family members will definitely object to Belinda continuing as the matriarch. She’s been leading them for decades but hasn’t been very kind to them. She’s been overly domineering and forceful, and many family members haven’t received the care they think they should, so they’ve been dissatisfied with her for quite some time now.“Right after Liberty went to
Half an hour later, Audrey and Serenity left the Stones’ residence to head to where they agreed to meet Corey. Both Derek and Corey came and arrived first. They waited for just a few minutes before Audrey and Serenity arrived too.“Audrey.” When Corey spotted Audrey leading Serenity over to them, she got up to greet them with a smile.“Sorry, we’ve made you wait, Corey.”Serenity greeted Corey politely too.Corey laughed it off. “We just arrived and sat down ourselves. You guys got here before we could even have a sip of water, so we really didn’t wait long.”Then, she took Serenity’s hand in a genial manner and asked about how Serenity had been recently. She even looked at Serenity’s stomach and chuckled, “It really is hard to tell that you’re pregnant while you’re wearing a coat.”“Yeah, my belly isn’t showing much.” Serenity rubbed her stomach. Then, she took Corey’s arm and walked her back to Derek with Audrey. Derek stood up to say hi with a smile too.After they all sat do
“I heard from Duncan that he and Liberty plan to register their marriage after Christmas and only hold a wedding once Liberty has more free time. Derek and I’ve been preparing gifts for them and picking a date.” The gifting would have to wait until Liberty was back in Wiltspoon to receive them. Now, she was so busy that even her son had been left to Serenity to help take care of. Ever since she left for Jensburg, she had not been back to Wiltspoon. It was always Duncan bringing Sonny to Jensburg to visit. Naturally, their wedding would not be held that soon.“Liberty was even thinking of not holding a wedding, saying that it doesn’t matter because it’s her second marriage. That won’t do. We can’t deprive her of anything. Not only do we have to hold a wedding, we have to hold an extravagant one for her.” Corey did not want to deprive both Liberty and her son of a celebration.Of her four sons, when the first three got married, they each held grand weddings. Now that it was her youn
Audrey and Serenity exchanged a glance.“If nobody has any objections, Seren and I can rest assured, then. It wasn’t easy for Liberty and Duncan to come this far and we should support them no matter their choices.” Audrey smiled and added, “I heard from Liberty that she’ll be registering her marriage with Duncan first, maybe before Christmas, maybe after. She’s just so busy, she’ll only be able to get back on Christmas Day itself. She’s got no time for anything else when she’s swarmed. Even Sonny isn’t going to visit her for his winter break. He said he wanted to visit FC Manor instead.”Corey laughed. “I know. I was even thinking of Sonny staying with me during the winter break so that Seren could go to work undisturbed. The closer it gets to the holidays, the busier it gets. Seren’s vegetable farms must provide huge amounts of fresh produce every day, don't they?”Serenity hummed in agreement. “We’re almost unable to keep up with the demand.”“That’s a good thing! It means your b
After marrying Zachary, he prepared even more snacks for her, especially after she got pregnant. Zachary always worried that she and their baby were going hungry and would check if there were enough snacks in her car every day.He grew increasingly attentive and considerate toward her, but at the same time, more naggy. Still, she enjoyed having the attention of a handsome man and felt a tingly warmth in her heart. Out of anyone she could have married, she married Zachary. She really had married the right person.“Why don’t we get two boxes to go? It’ll take some time for us to reach Wildridge Manor from the city.” The three of them were worried Serenity would get hungry on the way there.After a moment of thought, she gave in and went with their suggestion, mainly to put them at ease. On their way out, the quartet bumped into Carrie in her guise as Mrs. Longbottom. With her were the two Longbottom family bodyguards, as always.“Mrs. York.” When Carrie spotted Serenity, she greeted
“Okay. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”Carrie stood by the door with a smile and watched as Serenity and the rest left. Then, she went in and reappeared outside again not long after. Her entry into the place was simply for show. Carrie went there because Mr. Longbottom had received information that a tycoon had arrived in Wiltspoon and was related to the powerful families of Wiltspoon. He also heard that Serenity and Audrey were meeting Corey there, so he arranged for Carrie to rush over. Ignoring the weak state of her body that had not recovered from her recent abortion, Carrie put on her mask and went over with two bodyguards. However, she was still a step behind. Serenity and her group were already leaving. After getting into the car, Carrie called Mr. Longbottom. When he picked up, she said, “I couldn’t find out who the tycoon is, Mr. Longbottom. Serenity and the rest just happened to be leaving when I arrived. I didn’t dare to pry for information as Audrey and
Since Duncan was Zachary’s best friend, Liberty could meet him often as she was Zachary’s sister-in-law. Carrie did not know what Liberty had done to seduce Duncan. He was determined to marry her. Corey had objected to their relationship in the beginning. It was said that her ideal daughter-in-law had been an elite lady called Lily Harmon. Duncan had met Lily. She ultimately lost to Liberty after pursuing Duncan for some time.Not only that, Duncan even got into an accident because he wanted to be with Liberty. After the accident, Derek and Corey gave in and accepted their son’s relationship with Liberty. Carrie was annoyed by the entire situation.Jealousy burned in her heart when she heard the gossip after getting out of prison. Before her parents got into trouble, her mother had wished for her to marry into the York family. Paige said the Yorks were the wealthiest of all and that the Newman family’s assets were not worth mentioning compared to the Yorks’. Nevertheles
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