“There are too many!” Dylan exclaimed.Callum snapped, “Do you still think we’re free? You’re the only one who’s relaxed here. Zachary and I can’t even have a moment’s rest.”“I’m not free. I’m busy too.”“I don’t see you being busy.”Dylan was speechless. Of course, his brothers could not see him being busy. He was not even working at the headquarters. Well, it was his fault for running his mouth and saying he was bored. Why did he not just reveal his reason for being there?“Zachary has it worse,” said Callum.Zachary was the core of York Corporation. Although he did not need to oversee minor things, he still had to handle many major tasks. York Corporation was huge, and his to-do list was packed every day. He had endless meetings and business engagements. Before Zachary and Callum married their wives, they often attended events until late at night. Getting home before eleven at night was considered early for Zachary in the past. After getting married, their priorit
Dylan said, “There are times when I have to seek my sisters-in-law’s help because you and Zachary aren’t good at certain things.“Serenity has gone to FC Manor, while Hayden hasn’t married into the family. I’m not close to Hayden either. On the other hand, Camryn is the wife of my biological brother. Can’t I seek her help sometimes?”To be specific, Serenity was his cousin’s wife. Camryn was his actual sister-in-law. Dylan scoffed. “Camryn doesn’t know the woman you like. She hasn’t even met her before and won’t be of help to you. You shouldn’t disturb her. You can share your problems with me. If I think Camryn can be of help, then I’ll inform her.”“It’s not about my little fox. It’s Sugar. Camryn knows her. They probably still keep in touch. That girl gets friendly with someone really quickly. She became close to Serenity and Camryn. I feel like she’s thick-skinned and an expert at mooching off someone. Callum took a while to recall who Sugar was after searching his brain’s da
Dylan scanned through a document but did not sign it immediately. Instead, he closed the folder, meaning he would not handle it right away. He was talking about something that required his full attention. If not, he would get into trouble and be beaten up by Callum. “Callum, I realized Sugar and my little fox share similar body language.Dylan finally got to the topic. He was there because of Chameleon Fox. She was the only one who could make him endure his brothers’ eye-rolls to ask them questions. That girl had hidden herself again. He could not find her despite searching everywhere in Wiltspoon. Dylan had never felt as defeated as he was throughout his thirty years of living.However, Fox had given him a taste of frustration again. “So what? Do you suspect that Sugar is your little Fox? Besides, wasn’t she the girl who came to the company last time?”Callum remembered how that girl looked. He could recall her face only because she was looking for Dylan. She was
“Do you think you can successfully pursue her?”Callum said, “If you fail, you should consider going for Ms. Doyle as Nana had arranged previously. Since she chose Ms. Doyle, it means Ms. Doyle is a good match for you.“You only tried pursuing her for two or three months. Feelings don’t develop that quickly. I don’t think we’ll ever fall in love with someone at first sight. We’re probably the type to grow feelings only after spending a good amount of time with that person.“Did you think I fell in love at first sight with Camryn? That didn’t happen. I approached her because I was curious about the woman Nana had arranged for me. I wanted to know what aspects of her caught Nana’s eye and why she was compatible.“I paid a lot of attention to her as I was curious. I realized her qualities as time passed and unknowingly gave her my heart.“It was the same as Kevin as well. On the other hand, Zachary fell in love with Serenity only after marrying her and spending lots of time with her.
Someone had returned alongside Anthony. He was Silver’s best student, Hawk.He was about the same age as Duncan.Hawk was a serious person. Anyone his sharp gaze targeted would start trembling. “Here’s the evidence Mr. Patrick had gathered, Mom. I found it where he said he kept it.”Anthony handed the evidence to Audrey. She did not look at it immediately but passed it to Patrick first. Patrick had kept the evidence well. All writings were still visible despite it being decades old.“Can you confirm if this is the correct item, Uncle True?” Audrey asked gently. Patrick put on his glasses before taking and opening the box. He checked its contents. He said, “This is the evidence I collected. It isn’t much, but it can be used to put Belinda on the suspect list.”He returned the box to Audrey and said, “Have a look, Drey. Do you think this will be enough?”Audrey looked through the letters, photos, and other items in the box. She told him, “Regardless of whether this is enoug
“It’s been arranged for Dr. Carden to come over in two days and accompany us to Jensburg,” Audrey said. “With her around, we’ll feel a little more at ease too.”Patrick was simply too old. The others worried that the stress of traveling such a distance would leave him breathless and that he would then pass on, just like that. They felt a bit more reassured if Lilian or Doc accompanied them.“Dr. Carden often has to travel to treat patients. Seren won’t suspect a thing if she leaves for a few days.” Audrey continued, “If Seren weren’t pregnant, we wouldn’t be hiding this from her either.”“The baby is more important. It’s better to keep this from her.” Patrick also approved of everyone keeping Serenity in the dark, especially after learning Serenity only managed to get pregnant after a year into her marriage. It was not easy for her to conceive and there was a lot of pressure on her. If she knew it was time for the final showdown in Jensburg, she would definitely be unable to stay pu
Serenity was the Yorks’ eldest daughter-in-law, while Serenity’s biological mother Lisa Hunt was the previous matriarch Tiara Fisher’s younger daughter. Liberty would be the Lewises’ daughter-in-law soon and hold the same standing as Serenity, while Audrey was Tiara’s eldest daughter.That was why the Imperial Force was willing to keep in contact with the Yorks, Stones, and Lewises—out of respect for Patrick. Hawk had not crossed paths with these three families. However, after his master arrived in Wiltspoon, Hawk investigated all the prominent families in Wiltspoon. He learned that the four major families—the Yorks, Stones, Lewises, and Buchams—dominated Wiltspoon, and generally, no one dared to provoke them.The heads of these four families also kept their respective family members in check, preventing them from causing trouble. While they were skilled in business, they did not engage in criminal activities.Besides these four families, there were also the Marshalls, who were less
“That’s right, Grandpa True, another day or two won’t make a difference. How about we accompany you for a walk?” Anthony echoed his mother’s words.Even Hawk chimed in, “Grandpa True, Mrs. Stone is right. We’ve waited decades, so waiting another day or two isn’t a problem. Your health is more important. Lilian should be arriving tonight.”“Since she had the baby, she’s always wanted to go out, complaining that her son cries too much.” Hawk laughed. “Little Oliver is just as much of a crier as Lilian was as a child.”“I remember Lilian was quite easy to handle though,” Patrick said, recalling when Lilian was about two or three years old. At that age, she hardly cried and was very well-behaved, with an exceptional memory. Even if she did not understand whatever she learned immediately, she would remember it and then slowly grasp it herself.Hawk was almost ten years older than Lilian and was already in the first year of junior high when Doc adopted her. He remembered his master bei
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