Kevin thought before, ‘The Queens’ bodyguards haven’t seen Zachary going crazy for love. Even I take my hats off to his devotion to Serenity.’He also thought that he was not as thick-skinned as Zachary either.Whether in business or personal life, Zachary had always been a role model to the other York lads.“Your company will be closed for the holidays soon, right? Do you want to come over to my house for Christmas?” Kevin asked his beloved softly.“I probably won’t go to your place on Christmas Day. My family and I can visit your family a few days later though. Before that, we’ll be visiting my mom’s family.”The Yorks and the Queens were already acting like in-laws.Kevin smiled. “Okay. We can get our marriage license once City Hall reopens after the holidays. Two months should be sufficient to prepare for our wedding, and we’ll hold it in March when the weather is fine.”“I’ll leave the planning to you.”The two families had decided on a wedding date.Callum and Camryn wou
Kevin sealed her lips with his. Hayden was stunned and did not respond at first.She started reciprocating the kiss when he kept trying to get her into the mood. Once she did, he instantly turned ravenous and kissed her intensely. Hayden could only imagine how hungry he would be for their wedding night. He would definitely take everything she had to give. When the makeout ended, Kevin restrained his overflowing emotions and released her. Hayden opened her eyes and saw the emotions reflected in his eyes. She caressed his face gently and said, “Go back and sleep. Sweet dreams.”“You too. I’ll come over to have breakfast with you tomorrow morning.”Kevin pecked her cheek lightly. “Okay.”After pulling her in for a tight hug, Kevin stood up. Hayden wanted to see him out but was stopped. “Just stay put. You don’t have to see me out. If you do, I might not be able to leave you, and end up staying here till late.”Hayden chuckled. She remained seated as she watched him le
“I was playing games. I haven’t done that in a long time.”Hayden frowned. Hugh quickly said, “Hay, I haven’t played games in forever. I’ve been so busy with work these days. Since I knocked off early today, I thought I could get a few rounds in. If not, I would be out drinking with my friends until I got wasted, and then you’ll beat me up again.”In the past, he was afraid of his twin “brother” the most. His “brother” had been stricter than their parents and controlled him a lot. Even after knowing Hayden was actually his sister, he was still scared of her. Switching from having a brother to a sister was not a big deal because Hayden’s personality never changed. Hugh had this thought, ‘Why is Hayden much more capable than I am when we were born only ten minutes apart?’Although they were raised and educated together, Hayden had always been the more excellent child. “I stopped beating you ever since you became an adult. Stop describing me as violent.”Hayden scolded Hugh,
Meanwhile, at Fortress Hotel, Liberty started a video call with Serenity as soon as she exited the bathroom. Serenity picked up her call quickly. Once the call connected, the first thing Liberty saw was Sonny’s face. “Mom.”Serenity’s phone rang just as Sonny was about to return to his room to sleep. She said it was his mother calling. Sonny knew his mother would only be free late at night. He missed her and decided to stay with Aunt Ser. He would only sleep after the video call. “It’s late, Sonny. Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Liberty asked softly with a gentle smile on her face. Excluding the one time Duncan brought Sonny over, she had only been able to see her son through video calls ever since she came to Jensburg. “I was waiting until you were free to have a video call with me. Have you finished working, Mom? Is it snowing there? Is it cold? You must wear more clothes. Don’t fall sick.”Only words of concern came out of the boy’s sweet mouth. Liberty’s heart warmed u
Serenity pinched Sonny’s face. “You were the one who wanted to come over to play, yet you’re blaming your uncle for it now?”Sonny laughed. Serenity entered the screen frame. She asked Liberty, “Is everything going well?”Of course, her words had a hidden meaning to it.“Mhmm, everything is still under control. There isn’t much going on. You don’t have to worry and enjoy the vacation with Sonny. He likes going to the zoo and theme parks. You can bring him to those places.”Serenity replied, “The zoo here is almost the same as the one in Wiltspoon. Sonny can’t go on many rides in the theme park either. He isn’t old or tall enough for them. Even if he went, he could only watch others play.“Jane and I are planning to bring the boys to a children’s park tomorrow. She said there are many facilities suitable for Sonny and Laurence to play there.”“Okay. You go ahead. Remember to be careful yourself when you’re outside. Don’t let the kids bump into you.”“I know. I’m not a child. I
Serenity followed the boys and watched on as they returned to their room and climbed into their beds. She tucked them in and left a dim light on. After turning off the main lights, she said, “Sleep tight. You’re not allowed to wake up to play or talk for the entire night, okay?“If I hear you two talking, tomorrow’s plan to the children’s park will be canceled.”Although Laurence and Sonny were young, they could talk all day every time they met, just like adults. Serenity was curious how many people would be deceived by their eloquent speeches once they were all grown up. Sonny and Laurence exchanged glances. They said together, “We’ll sleep now. We won’t talk anymore.”Although they loved chatting, playing outdoors sounded better.Serenity kissed the kids goodnight and said gently, “Good night. Have a sweet dream.”She caressed Sonny’s head. After doing so, she did not leave immediately but sat outside the room. She only walked away once she confirmed the boys were asleep
After a moment, Serenity exited the bathroom and sat back down on the bed. Unable to sleep, she recalled the dream she had about her parents. Had her parents reunited with her grandparents in the afterlife? Were they happy there? Were they watching over them and did they know of the situation with Liberty, Zachary, and the rest over in Jensburg?Serenity suddenly smiled bitterly. When a person died, it was like a light snuffed out—they could no longer sense anything. Even if her parents and grandparents were watching over them and knew Liberty and the rest might be in danger, they would not be able to help them at all. She dreamed of them perhaps because the situation in Jensburg and her grandparents’ tragic end was on her mind that day, as well as her parents perishing in a car accident. The more she thought about it during the day, the more she dreamed of it at night.Since Serenity could not sleep, she decided to change her clothes and wash up before heading for the kids’ room f
When Jane found him, he had not learned to speak. He probably had been taken care of by his nanny most of the time and likely held much of an impression of his biological parents. After having been under Jane’s care for about three years now, he had even forgotten the nanny he was closest to. Now, he was closest to the Johnsons. Children, in their infancy, were usually the tightest to their primary caregivers.“Aunt Seren, will Sonny really be fine?” Laurence turned to look at his friend who was snoozing soundly by his side, even reaching out to touch his forehead. Then, he touched his own forehead and realized they both had the same body temperature.“He’ll be fine. Sonny’s very healthy.”After a moment of thought, Laurence said, “If Sonny catches a cold, I’ll give him a check-up and prescribe him some medicine.”Serenity was speechless for a moment. “Have you already learned how to do that?”“No, but I’ve seen my teacher and Doc do it, and when I first stayed with him I caught a
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