โYou can be honest, Mom. Regardless of whether we share the same goal, you can confide in me anytime.โBelinda pressed her lips together. She put on a self-deprecating smile and said, โYou sound as if it makes you unhappy to be my daughter. Would you not have chosen me to be your mom if you were given a choice?โCaroline said, โWe canโt choose our parents.โBelinda replied, โThe worst thing Iโve ever done in my life is connected to your auntsโ deaths.โI was dissatisfied and resentful. I was just as competent as they were. Why couldnโt it have been me?โThe man I loved wouldnโt even spare me a glance. Thatโs a regret Iโll carry for the rest of my life. I might even lose my honor soon because of him.โWhy is the world so unfair to me?โBelinda did not clearly state that she had killed Tiara and Alivia, but her words served as an indirect confirmation. That was why she said the worst thing she had ever done was related to her sistersโ deaths. Caroline had heard many rumors. In
Patrick would not let Tiara die in vain. He would definitely try to prove that Belinda was the one who murdered her sisters. He would also expose all her wrongdoings and ruin her reputation. Everything she had taken from Tiara by her blood-stained hands would once again return to Tiaraโs bloodline.Belinda had been dissatisfied and was unwilling to accept reality. How was she inferior to Tiara? Tiara simply became the matriarch because she was born eighteen years earlier than her. โDid you ever regret your actions, Mom? Aunt Tiara practically raised you, right? She was like a mother figure to you.โTiara had raised Belinda and Alivia. However, Tiara had lost her life to the sister she had raised and trusted so much.Belinda remained silent. She regretted it, sometimes. However, there were also times when she felt she did nothing wrong. It had always been every woman for herself. Everything Belinda had done was for her own sake. After staying quiet for some time, Beli
โIโm just putting you to sleep, Carol. I wonโt take your life. Iโm going to do something that you find unacceptable.โIโm sorry for embarrassing you. It must be hard being my daughter. If I didnโt do what I did in the past, everything wouldโve gone smoothly for you.โBelinda wiped her tears with a piece of tissue. She sighed as she watched her sleeping daughter. She knew Caroline was outstanding. However, Caroline was torn and suffering from having a mother like her.Due to her identity, she could not do anything or tell Belinda off.She was Belindaโs daughter after all. After staring at Caroline for a few minutes, Belinda composed herself. She took Carolineโs phone and tried to contact Darren. However, a password was required to access the phone. Belinda tried multiple combinations, but they were all wrong. Therefore, she had no choice but to give up on contacting Darren through Carolineโs phone.Luckily, she was the matriarch. Before Darren was assigned to Caroline, he
His mother looked unhappy. She and Caroline might have gotten into a fight during their discussion. Did Caroline fall for one of their motherโs schemes?Adrian, startled, quickly averted his gaze. He cautiously told Belinda, โMom, although youโre having a discussion with Caroline, you should still have your meals.โโGet lost!โ Belinda roared. Adrian turned and ran away. He even fell while trying to run as fast as he could. The tray of food fell to the ground and spilled all over the floor, leaving him in a mess.The door to the study closed with a loud bang. Adrian only dared to raise his head upon hearing the door close. He glanced behind and immediately got up. He did not just leave but stayed to clean up the spilled food. After cleaning the mess, he rushed downstairs. Hunter and his two other sons were anxious after they heard the commotion upstairs. โYou two. Go upstairs and see what happened.โHunter guessed that his wife was having a fit. Since he dared not go ups
Justin and Jason exchanged glances. Their expressions changed. Caroline was their only sister. Although their mother did not treat Caroline well initially, she placed more trust in Caroline than the rest and delegated some of her responsibilities to Caroline for the past six months. They did not expect their mother to attack Caroline. Hunter said calmly, โCarol wonโt die. No matter how vicious your mom is, she wonโt kill Carol. I think the probability of her killing one of us is higher.โDue to the Fisher familyโs rules, the matriarchs would always prioritize daughters over sons.Their successors were more important than their own lives.Since Celine was dead, Belinda would not kill Caroline no matter how angry or evil she was. โWhy is Caroline unconscious then?โAdrian did not want Caroline dead. It was not out of love for his sister but more of sympathy. If Belinda were even targeting Caroline, Hunter and his sons would have to live in constant fear. After thinking
โDo you know anything, Dad? Mom didnโt even go to the company after returning from her trip. She has constantly been in a bad mood and doesnโt eat her meals. Itโs just been a day, but sheโs going toโฆ What on earth happened?โโThatโs right, Dad. You should tell us everything youโve been hiding so we can be prepared for whatโs about to come.โJustin agreed with Jason. Even Adrian did not know what was going on. He only knew that his mother was in a foul mood. She also looked like she was in a rush. None of them knew what had happened exactly. Although their father had no power, he could be hiding things from them as he had been married to their mother for decades. After a moment of silence, Hunter said, โItโs better if you donโt know anything. Anyway, Iโm the only one who wonโt put you all in harmโs way. Just listen to me. Pack all your valuables and take your wives and children to the Clark family as soon as possible.โI built a house back in my hometown. It has five floors
โI think we should wait for Momโs arrangement, Dad. Things might not be the way you think. Itโs been decades since Aunt Tiaraโs death. She was eighteen years older than Mom, so her assistant was probably older than Mom by about twenty years. If heโs alive, he should be around ninety.โSomeone that age canโt even walk without someoneโs assistance. What can he do?โHis memory probably deteriorated as well. How much can he remember about something that had happened decades ago?โBesides, even if heโs alive and healthy, will everyone simply believe his words? Does he have evidence that Mom was the one who killed Aunt Tiara?โAdrian did not want to take his children back to Hunterโs hometown. Although the three brothers could not inherit the family business, they had other businesses and assets in Jensburg. The shops, factories, villas, and penthouses they owned were more than enough to let them live a comfortable life.On the other hand, they would have to start anew if they retur
โIโll head out to take a look.โAdrian did not let Darren enter but decided to go outside to look. He met Darren as soon as he arrived at the door. No employee in Fisher Manor could stop someone in Darrenโs position. They dared not do it either.Elaine was simply informing Adrian of Darrenโs arrival beforehand. Even she had no right to stop Darren from entering.Darrenโs status would be equivalent to that of Mr. Gordon in the future. Mr. Gordon was a unique existence in the Fisher family. He was the person Madam Fisher trusted the most and her right-hand man. Everything Darren and Mr. Gordon did was based on Madam Fisherโs orders. Stopping them would be akin to stopping Madam Fisher. No one had a death wish. โWhy are you here, Mr. Fletcher?โ Adrian faked a smile and asked. Instead of answering, Darren immediately walked past him, through the living area, and went upstairs. His actions stunned Hunter and his sons. After a short while, the four men returned to their
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 Serenityโs 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 Serenityโs 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 Zacharyโs eyes, his wifeโs 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.
โYou should have gotten rid of them all back then and cultivated a network of people loyal only to you.โ Manny felt that his father should not have spared those people in the first place.Tony said, โThere were too many of them, all relatives and friends with the same goal as us. We couldnโt eliminate them all at once.โBack 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 familyโs 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 Tonyโs call as he walked toward his car.โHey, Pops.โโHowโs it going, Manny? Has there been any progress?โTony was still in Carrieโs 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 mistressโa 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. Longbottomโs place and becoming the real missus
Tati also finished her plate of pastries.She followed Isabella out.โIsa, youโre always so busy and exhausted. If youโre 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. Itโs the same either way.โTati wanted Isabella to take the day off so Isabella could spend some time with Austin and nurture their relationship.However, Isabella still declined Tatiโs kind offer.She said, โNot today. Thereโs an important meeting today, and I have two important clients to meet. Iโm fine, really. Donโt worry. From now on, I wonโt touch alcohol.โGiven 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 someoneโs 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, โItโs all thanks to Ms. Isabellaโs guidance.โHe 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.โAfter eating the sweets, I feel much better.โ 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.โJust ignore him. Are you really going to skip work because of him?โIsabella added calmly to Tati, โIf you let him provoke you, heโll only cling to you even more. If you act like he doesnโt exist and donโt respond no matter what he does, heโll naturally give up once he sees that youโre completely unresponsive.โTati said, โIโm afraid that heโll go and bother Edith and Eleanor if he doesnโt get anywhere with me. They donโt have the same resolve as we do.โShe, therefore, decided to bear the brunt of it.โEvery time I see hi
Austin replied, โBoth Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. Itโs really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.โSometimes, 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, โPhillip is just afraid heโll get here too late and that youโll assume heโs not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.โThe 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 Isabellaโs 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, โAre you up yet, Ms. Isabella? Itโs time to have breakfast.โIsabella w