The ever-friendly Rowan had a blast chatting with Serenity. After witnessing Serenity using Zachary as a porter, the boy was on Team Serenity now. Rowan believed he could hide behind Serenity for anything! Liberty and Hank, together with their son, Sonny, arrived a little later than the Yorks. Since Serenity’s husband knew the car owner whose luxury sedan was scratched by Liberty, the damages only came to nine thousand bucks. Hank did not dare to make light of his new brother-in-law. Hank did not take the meeting seriously at first but adopted a different attitude when he actually met with the family. After meeting with Zachary, Hank was in awe of his brother-in-law as Zachary commanded the room with his revered presence, more so than his boss could. “Mr. York.” All smiles, Hank extended his right hand to Zachary, “Hello, I’m Serenity’s brother-in-law.” Zachary shook hands with Hank and faintly uttered, “Hello, Hank.” He then extended his greetings to Liberty. Liberty
Zachary refused to be associated with Hank, not only because Zachary found the likes of Hank type to be a pain in the neck, but also for Hank’s attitude toward Liberty. Sonny was thirsty, and the milk bottle containing water was right in front of Hank on the coffee table. Instead of grabbing the milk bottle, Hank had to call Liberty all the way there to feed their son water. Today was only their first encounter. Yet, Zachary was able to pick up on Hank’s contempt and lack of respect for his wife. Hank believed Liberty had it easy being a stay-at-home mom. Due to his upbringing, Zachary did not take too kindly to men who disrespect their wives. Although he and Serenity got married on the day they met without any feelings involved, Zachary gave Serenity the respect she deserved. Serenity smiled. “I see. That’s all right.” “Kevin’s very articulate. Hank won’t feel left out with Kevin around.” Looks may be deceiving when it came to Kevin, who ranked third among Zachary’s age
“Mr. York, I’ll do it.” Serenity gestured for Zachary to move aside. Holding his tongue, Zachary gave way and handed the apron over to Serenity. However, he did not leave the kitchen. Standing in a corner, Zachary watched Serenity tackle the dishes and remarked, “We should have the next family event at a hotel. It’ll save us the trouble of cleaning.” “Okay.” Serenity had no objections to that. She only cooked up a storm to make a good impression with her in-laws since it was the first time both families came together. “What did Nana say to you?” Zachary asked suddenly. Pausing the dishwashing, Serenity turned her focus on Zachary. The couple’s eyes met as Zachary’s head was facing her too. Zachary caught a glimpse of the playfulness in her eyes when she blurted, “Nana asked if we’re sleeping in separate rooms. She said since we’re married, I should be bold and take the lead to throw myself at you, strip you naked, and bang you.”Zachary was speechless.That certainl
Well, too bad the young couple was not that close. Zachary and Serenity were only sharing a living space while still carrying on with their separate lives. Even if Zachary was p*ssed at her to kingdom come, Serenity could not care less so long as he did not kick her out. Serenity washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen before mopping the entire house. Finally, she sat on her recent purchase – the balcony swing – and enjoyed the cool night breeze in her hair. That was the life. Not to mention, the balcony was a mini garden. Looking at the flourishing greenery, Serenity was once again in awe of Zachary’s competence to get the job done. The sound of steady footsteps led to the balcony. Soon, Zachary came to the balcony. The sight of Serenity swinging leisurely only added grimacing lines to Zachary’s scowling face. He drew close and handed two sheets of paper to Serenity. “What’s this?” Serenity asked out of curiosity. Although Zachary buttoned his lips, he got the m
Taking the pen, Serenity got up from the swing and walked to the balcony railing to sign her name on the contract against the hard concrete. Zachary took out an ink pad for her to seal the agreement with a thumbprint. The couple kept one copy of the contract each. Serenity folded the contract nonchalantly and stuffed it in her pocket. Zachary was irked by her incuriosity, but who was he to judge? He wrote the contract after all. Even though the demands outlined were detrimental and worked to her disadvantage, Serenity did not try to add a clause to get more than what was already stated. “You had a tiring day. Get some rest.” “You too.” Serenity said with a smile. “I’m going to sit here for a bit and enjoy the flowers. It has always been my dream to have a balcony filled with plants. Now that my dream has come true, I just can’t get enough of the view.” She did not seem to hold the contract against him at all. Did she marry him without a hidden agenda? Was he just bein
Zachary and Serenity were merely a married couple on paper anyway. Even if the alcohol was getting to Zachary’s head, he did not need Serenity to tend to him. God knew if she would take advantage of him while he was intoxicated. At the age of thirty, Zachary had not lost his first kiss to anyone. Much less, had the sanctity of his modesty violated. Romance had never been in the cards for Zachary.Nana often called him a loveless and passionless man, but because of his lackluster expectation toward love, Zachary married Serenity to get Nana off his back. Despite searching all his pockets, Zachary could not find his house keys. He said, “… Jim, maybe you should wake the missus.” It appeared that he had left home without his keys. The bodyguard immediately pounded on the door. Although Serenity was asleep, she was a light sleeper, and the pounding woke her up. She pricked up her ears and realized someone was at the door. As she got up to see who it was, it dawned on her tha
It was not busy at the shop during weekends. In fact, the shop could be closed due to the lack of business. Yet, Serenity went to the shop anyway. The slow day made it the perfect time to make crafts to sell online. Jasmine was here too. Seeing that Serenity was in the shop, Jasmine asked in surprise, “Seren, what brings you here on a Sunday? You’re usually at the park with your nephew.” “It’s about time to replenish new stock for my online business.” While knitting, Serenity lifted her chin and looked at her best friend. She asked with a smile, “What about you?” “Ugh. I couldn’t stand my mom’s nagging, so I came to hide out here.” “What is it this time?” “She’s not happy that I didn’t find myself a husband at the dinner party that night. Does she think it’s that easy? She really thinks her daughter is a catch, that I’m Miss Universe or something.” Serenity burst out laughing. Jasmine just described most parents in the world. Parents fret over their children’s happy
Grandma May was a recipient of Serenity’s copper wire handicrafts as well. She displayed the life-like masterpieces in plain sight all over the house. Although the crafts were not worth much, they were her granddaughter-in-law’s gift from the heart. Visiting guests who had seen these craftworks were impressed by Serenity’s craftsmanship. That was when Grandma May came in with a sales pitch, bringing these people to Serenity’s online store to up her business sales. “Have some water, Grandma May.” Jasmine poured Grandma May a glass of water. “Thank you, Jas. You’re here too.” “Sigh. My mom’s pressuring me to get married, so I came to the shop to enjoy some peace and quiet. She keeps setting me up with guys like I’m some unsalable product. I’m supposed to go on a blind date at XX Coffee House tonight, and I’m begging Seren to come with me.” With a glint flickering in her eyes, Grandma May uttered with a friendly smile, “I can understand where your mom’s coming from. Marriage d
Serenity said, “You’re right. Aunt Audrey will be our pillar. We don’t know much about the Fisher family’s matters, nor do we feel any connection to that family. On the other hand, Aunt Audrey belongs to the Fisher family. She’s Tiara’s daughter.“Although she and my mom left when they were very young, the Fisher family was still her home.“More importantly, Aunt Audrey is very capable. I’ve heard of her stories before I even got married to you. She has contributed to half of Stone Group’s achievements up to this day.“I was worried about Liberty, but your words reassured me.”Zachary hugged her. “There was no need to worry in the first place. We’re all experienced in managing a large company. We can simply teach Liberty.”Serenity smiled. “I think you won’t be needed. Duncan will do it. Stop taking my brother-in-law’s job.”Zachary laughed. After that, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and hugged her tight. “Seren, I’m glad that I listened to Nana and married you.“Duncan
Serenity looked at her bump and touched it. She sighed. “I haven’t been able to go anywhere after getting pregnant.“Okay. I’ll listen to you. I’ll have Zachary go over to record videos for me.”Serenity compromised. She did not want to worry her sister. She stopped insisting on heading to Jensburg to congratulate Liberty. “Sleep, Seren. Duncan’s calling me.”Liberty sent another voice message, saying, “Don’t reply to my message. I’ll continue fighting with this bed after talking to Duncan.”Serenity replied with a thumbs-up emoji and stopped sending messages.“Who are you talking to this late instead of sleeping?”A gentle voice was heard. Zachary was behind Serenity, draping a jacket over her shoulders. “It’s chilly at dawn, and you’re not wearing a jacket. What if you catch a cold?” Zachary scolded softly. Serenity pulled the jacket closer and said, “My pajamas are thick, and it isn’t cold in the room. My sister has moved into Fisher Manor. She said she couldn’t slee
“If they can’t change their habits, they shouldn’t affect Sonny and ruin his relationship with Duncan.”Sonny would be living with Liberty and Duncan in the future. It would be terrible if he came to dislike his stepfather due to the Brown family’s influence. Serenity replied, “Sonny’s smart. The Browns won’t easily influence him. We raised him ourselves. The only way it’ll happen is if the Browns’ genetics are stronger than yours.”She knew her nephew was intelligent despite his age and he knew how to differentiate between good and evil.The Brown family would not be a bad influence on Sonny unless he inherited their personality from Hank. “Try to prevent Sonny from staying with the Browns as much as possible. We both know Mr. and Mrs. Brown’s characters. There’s no telling whether they’ll change Sonny or not.“Once this semester ends, Sonny will be transferred to a preschool in Jensburg. We won’t have to be as worried as he’ll be away from the Browns and can only communicate
Serenity said, “Our mom lived in that manor when she was young. Maybe she’ll visit you in your dreams when you sleep. If she were alive, she would’ve been happy that you moved into the manor and inherited her mother’s legacy.”Serenity wished to go to Jensburg and live in Fisher Manor for a short period because it was where their mother was born and lived for several years. The position of matriarch was passed from Tiara to Liberty, skipping Audrey and their mother. Upon hearing Serenity’s words, Liberty replied, “Mom probably doesn’t remember the way home.”Her voice was filled with regret.Lisa had passed away at a young age. She was unable to find Audrey, let alone her biological parents’ house. She probably did not remember a thing.Serenity sent another voice message, saying, “Mom will be able to find the way since you’re there. Zachary had accompanied me to visit our parents’ graves. I told them you had gone to Jensburg to work and would take on the Fisher surname. I aske
“Without Mom and Fisher Enterprise as their safety nets, they’ll be cautious about investments. It’ll take time. What I want is to end this as soon as possible.”Caroline said, “Just do as I say. It’s the simplest and quickest method.”She could not be bothered to trick the Clark brothers into committing a financial crime. Their intelligence, or lack thereof, was not worth her trouble. Since they wanted to kill her, she would give them a chance to do so. If she did not die, they would be the ones in trouble. When Belinda was alive, she told Caroline not to show mercy if her brothers were disobedient and troublesome. Belinda also said she could never bring herself to harm her sons. At that time, Caroline thought Belinda was truly cruel. Well, she was not wrong. Her mother could even kill her biological sisters. Belinda had always prioritized the Fisher family. She would not spare anyone who would negatively affect Fisher Enterprise, not even her own sons. Upon recallin
“My brothers think I’m the cause of my family’s downfall. They never had any brotherly love for me to begin with and are desperate to eliminate me now. Between the two of us, I’ll be their final target.“While they can’t get any of the family’s items after killing me, they’ll be able to inherit my mom’s private assets.”Caroline sneered. “I’m going to make a will. If something happens to me, everything I own will be split into three portions. A portion goes to Darren, the other will be yours, and the remaining will be donated.”“Caroline!”“Ms. Caroline!”Liberty and Darren exclaimed at the same time. Liberty said sternly, “Don’t say such disheartening words. I don’t want your assets. You can leave them for your kids in the future.”Darren chimed in. “I’ll always be with you no matter where you go, Ms. Caroline. I’ll continue breathing as long as you’re alive. If something happens to you, I shall also leave this world.”He would stay with her, whether alive or dead. Caroline
Darren was worried. “It’s too dangerous, Ms. Caroline. You don’t know how to fight. What if…”He could not bear the consequences of Caroline being harmed. Although Caroline would not be the matriarch, he was already assigned to her and considered on active duty by the training center. His responsibility was to protect Caroline and do her bidding.If something were to happen to her, it would be on him. The training center would hold him accountable because he would tarnish the center’s reputation. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll be protecting me secretly. I trust you, Darren. I believe in myself too.”Caroline reassured him. “Although I’ve not learned self-defense, I did get into fights with other people throughout my younger days. I’m experienced in fighting.”After thinking about it, Liberty asked, “Do you really want to do this, Caroline? Your brothers don’t even treat you as their sister. You don’t have to put yourself at risk for them.“They might be going afte
Caroline’s cheeks were red. She told Liberty, “I really hate these parties.”“I don’t like them either, but it can’t be helped.”Even if they chose not to take over as matriarch, they still had their businesses; attending events was inevitable. Caroline patted Liberty’s shoulder. She smiled. “I won’t be doing these with you in the future. Everyone puts on a facade and speaks without sincerity. I hate these pretentious events the most.”“I won’t let your hopes down,” said Liberty. Darren brought two cups of honey water. He passed the cups to Caroline and Liberty and said, “Drink some honey water. It’ll make you two feel better.”“I’m not drunk.”Caroline muttered, yet she still accepted the cup. “Your face is already red from drinking. You’re drunk, just not knocked out.”Liberty also felt slightly drunk but still alert, like Caroline. She could still reason. Since they had drunk alcohol, they became more talkative and kept chatting. “Darren.”After finishing the ho
Although Hunter said that, he knew only Caroline possessed the cruelty all the Fisher matriarchs had. Belinda was biased toward Caroline in the later stages because she realized Caroline was the only one who had the competence and ruthlessness of the eldest daughter. Unfortunately, the daughter whom she loved and wanted to protect did not share the same goals as she did. Sometimes, Hunter would think, ‘If the butler hadn’t switched our daughters and Caroline had grown up in the Fisher family, would she have been capable enough to hold her own against the powerful families of Wiltspoon?’One thing was for sure—even if Caroline could not go up against them, she would not be treating her parents and brothers like how she was now. “That Fletcher guy is unpredictable. We don’t know how capable he is,” said Justin. Jason said, “No matter how capable he is, he’s alone. Everyone has weaknesses. We can definitely think of a way to tackle him. Even if we can’t eliminate him, I still h