They were simply amazing!“Callum.” Camryn walked over, took her husband’s hand, and said gently, “She’s just a mad dog who likes to bite people indiscriminately. Don’t pay her any mind and don’t let her anger you. It’s not worth it. I’ve long since grown numb to her insults.”“She has a mouth and can say whatever she likes. I just don’t like it so I got them to give her a couple of slaps,” said Callum as his cold expression immediately softened into one of tenderness. Even the fake Carrie could not help but feel a pang of jealousy at the change in his expression. He was so cold to her and seemed to want to tear her apart, but with Camryn, he was practically dripping with gentleness. Sure enough, the men of the York family truly doted on their wives.“I just can’t stand anyone insulting you like that. You might be magnanimous to hold it against her, but I’m very petty. It’s whatever if I hadn’t heard it, but since I did hear it, I had to teach her a lesson.”He lightly tapped h
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving right now.” Carrie, no longer insolent, quickly headed toward her car. At Callum’s command to leave, she turned and fled back to her vehicle, flung open the door, and got in. Soon, she drove away from Spring Blossoms. Despite the pretty name of Camryn’s flower shop, the place was anything but enjoyable. If she stayed any longer, she might end up losing her teeth.After Carrie left, Mrs. Longbottom did not stay long either. She said to Camryn, “Mrs. York, I’m leaving now. I’ll come by tomorrow to pick up the bouquet I ordered.”“Alright,” Camryn responded.Mrs. Longbottom stole a few glances at Callum before she left with her two bodyguards in tow. Camryn walked out of the shop to watch Mrs. Longbottom’s car leave. Once it was out of sight, she turned and went back inside.“What brings you here today?” Camryn asked her husband gently, heading to pour him a glass of water. “You should be very busy, with Zachary going on a trip.”Zachary was making a trip to
When Carrie had just gotten out of prison, her hands were indeed rougher, and her skin tanner. However, after some time of taking care of herself, she regained her previous smooth and fair complexion. After all, Carrie was only twenty. At this age, girls were like flowers, their skin full and bouncy with collagen.After Carrie was released, she refused to look for work. She lived off the money she had taken with her, and when that ran out, she would ask her brother for more. Her life was actually quite carefree. As someone who had never worked, her hands were naturally delicate and soft.On the other hand, the hands of the imposter were not as clean or as delicate as the real one. She had calluses on her palms, and short nails without manicure. Carrie liked to paint her nails and kept them long. She had always enjoyed having long nails since she was young. Later, when Paige forced her to learn the piano, she had to trim her nails frequently, which made her particularly resistant to p
Callum said, “You know your sister best. Even her parents couldn’t whip her into shape, yet that person had managed to turn her into an acceptable elite lady. Although she’s still lacking in some aspects, it’s close enough.“I’ll inform Zachary about this later.”Camryn said, “I think she’s targeting Serenity, but I have no idea why.”Callum reassured her, “Don’t overthink. We’ll find out soon enough. We can go have lunch when your employee returns.”“Are we eating at the manor or the hotel?”“The hotel. The manor is too far.”Although the old-timers were still at Wildridge Manor, they were leaving soon. Therefore, Callum and the others resumed their work or studies.Since winter vacation had started, most students did not have to go to school. However, Rowan, who was in his final year of high school, had extra classes, so his vacation would be shorter than the other students. “I didn’t want to return to the manor tonight, but now that I think about it, we should go back. Sere
Carrie said coquettishly. Mr. Longbottom laughed. “I can hear that you’re in a pleasant mood now. It seems like your idea is working well.”“Yes. It’s super effective. That blind girl will believe that Mrs. Longbottom and Carrie are two different people now. Of course, you’re also amazing for being able to find an imposter who looks so much like me.“I thought that stand-in was my twin. Her figure, face, and voice are so similar to mine.”Carrie finally believed that some people could look almost the same despite not being blood-related. She and “Carrie” were a perfect example. She had never met the stand-in before. Both of them were startled when they first saw each other. They thought either of their parents had cheated on their partners. Since then, Carrie feared Mr. Longbottom more. He was too powerful. Not only did he find a stand-in within days, but he also made her learn Carrie’s habits and speaking style.Carrie had always been arrogant and stubborn. Becom
However, time was not on their side. Mr. Longbottom knew things could not be rushed. Serenity and Camryn were always on their guard. Although Carrie had tried meeting them “coincidentally” and getting to know them, Serenity had always been cautious of her. Therefore, there had yet to be any progress. Mr. Longbottom had thought of venting his anger at Carrie, thinking she was useless. However, after he thought about it, it was not entirely her fault. She was incompetent from the start.Her parents had spoiled her rotten. Carrie had gotten into trouble and dragged her parents down due to her arrogance. It had caused the Newman family to fall into Camryn’s hands. Carrie also had to serve jail time and was targeted by Mr. Longbottom after she got out.She had become slightly smarter after he had gotten someone to educate her. Mr. Longbottom considered it a big achievement. “I will. I’ll succeed this time. I heard the York family is hosting a few important guests, but I
“Carrie” arrived first. However, she had to wait at the gates as she did not have the key. She drove her car inside after Carrie went in. A few minutes later, the two women sat in the luxurious living area and stared at each other. “Do I look terrible now? I think my cheeks are like buns now.” The imposter touched her face. Her cheeks hurt and were swollen. The York bodyguards did not hold back their strength. Carrie could not resist laughing. “Yes. You do look bad. You look like a red apple now.”The imposter glared at her.“Why are you laughing? I took the hit for you. Bring me some ice now. My face hurts so much.”“Are you asking me to bring you ice?” Carrie’s eyes widened. “I’m the superior one here. You should be aware of this.”“I’m acting this way because I learned it from you. Do you think I’ve mastered your attitude after only a few days? I need to practice your manners so I don’t expose any flaws.”The imposter sounded confident. She simply could not resist h
The fake Carrie was filled with anticipation. She asked, “How many of the York men are unmarried?”Carrie knew what she was thinking. She said sarcastically, “Are you fantasizing about marrying into the York family?“Not anyone can join the York family. Look at me. I’m a Newman young lady. Before my parents went to jail, we had over a billion dollars worth of assets. Even then, we weren’t even comparable with the Yorks. During banquets, my mom would greet the York madams. However, they only nodded back and smiled.“We couldn’t even have a casual chat with them. It was impossible.“They rarely attended banquets. They would only be present if they were invited by people with important statuses in Wiltspoon.“Despite their low profile, these York madams are backed by wealthy families. None of the women in the York family is poor.”After a short pause, Carrie said with jealousy, “However, there’s one now—Serenity. She and Zachary’s love story is widely known in Wiltspoon. While she
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