Audrey hummed in affirmation. “You’ve made all the arrangements in advance, so I’m relieved. I just hope that each of us can return home safely. Serenity said she wants Zachary to fetch her and Sonny from FC Manor. Duncan also told me that he wants you to return to Wiltspoon safely. He’s waiting for you at home and ready to register your marriage just in time to celebrate Christmas together.”Audrey took her niece’s hand and, at the mention of Liberty and Duncan’s union, she could not help but smile. “I’m so happy to see you and Duncan getting married, to see your wedding, and to see Serenity having a baby. I feel happy for your mother too.”Liberty blushed slightly. “Don’t you think it might be a bit rushed to register our marriage before Christmas?”“Registering your marriage isn’t the same as holding a wedding. It’s not rushed. Zachary and Serenity did it that way—they got the marriage license first and then chose a later date to slowly prepare for the wedding. Duncan said he’d g
Corey and Derek Lewis were now quite open-minded about the matter. Their youngest son was deeply in love with Liberty, and as long as the couple was happy, they were fine with him marrying into the Fisher family because he would still be their son no matter what.Audrey continued, “Your mother and I only have three daughters between the two of us, and Seren is already excluded. She’s the eldest daughter-in-law of the York family, Zachary’s the head of the York family, and Seren will be the missus of the house. She cannot take over the Fisher family.“Remy’s parents are also very open-minded. They’ve stated that if Remy needs to marry out of the family, they won’t oppose it. Elisa and Seren might be able to manage a small business, but managing a large family like the Fisher family is another matter. Elisa lacks the patience to do both at the same time too. Her temperament isn’t suitable for it. She’s very proud and often makes light of others, which can lead to conflicts.“You’ve ex
When they heard the voices of Lilian and Suzy talking from a distance, Audrey and Liberty turned around and spotted them, who had Hayden with them. Hayden was flanked by the two beautiful women, looking like an enigmatic man with his admirers.Liberty watched the three of them approach as she said to her aunt, "Even though I’ve known for a long time that Hayden is a woman, I still think she looks more like a man every time I see her."The only thing missing was an Adam’s apple."She’s been dressing as a man since she was young," Audrey replied, pressing her lips together. "She’s head and shoulders above most women, and her cold demeanor often makes people mistake her for a man. She also doesn’t like wearing women’s clothes, so every time she goes out with Kevin, they probably attract a lot of odd stares."Others might think they were in a same-sex relationship. As Kevin once said, people not only misunderstood them to be a same-sex couple but also thought Kevin was the bottom.Hay
Sonny missed his mother so much but still did not want to stay with her during his winter break and went to FC Manor with his aunt instead. It was because Jensburg was too cold for him. He was fine with visiting for a few days, seeing the snow, and building a snowman, but living there long-term was simply something he could not get used to. Once he had seen the snow and had his fill, that was it."I’ve had my mint candy, so now I can enjoy the view here at Queen Manor. Let’s make a lap before heading back inside. The men are all huddled together endlessly discussing business."They were all big shots in their respective fields, with plenty of common topics. It was rare for them to meet, so even though they were gathered to deal with Belinda, they cherished this brief time together. Thus, what was initially a two-person stroll turned into a five-member walk. Still, they chatted happily.Belinda, on the other hand, was not having such a leisurely time. After returning from the Fisher
On the way back to the company, Belinda called her daughter.When Caroline answered the phone, Belinda asked, “Where are you now, Caroline?”“At home, resting,” Caroline answered. “Thanks to you, I was hospitalized for a few days and was only just discharged. You told me to stay home and continue resting, so I’m taking it easy.”Belinda choked and asked, “Have you done something behind my back again?”“What are you referring to, in particular?” Belinda almost spat out a mouthful of blood in anger. What was she referring to, in particular? That meant Caroline had done a lot of things to undermine her. This was her amazing biological daughter! Audrey said this was karma. Belinda did not believe it, but it was true that nothing was going well for her. On the surface, everything seemed splendid, but in reality, she was the only one holding it together. Her husband and sons were dependent on her for everything and could not help her in any way. Her daughter had the capability to hel
Darren was the one who had been doing the work, not her.“You knew about me going to the cemetery, didn’t you? Did you tell Liberty about it? And the police went to the office looking for me. Did you stab me in the back? How much do you know?”Caroline replied, “Thanks to you, I was hospitalized for a few days and didn’t even have the strength to get out of bed for the first two days. I even needed Darren to help me. What could I have done in such a weak state? If I told you I didn’t do anything in the past few days, would you believe me?“I did know about your visit to the cemetery, but you weren’t exactly low-key about it either. You went with a whole troop of bodyguards and the cemetery has caretakers too. How could anyone not know? Everyone in the family knew, not to mention me. What, did you go there to set fire to our ancestors instead of paying your respects or something?”Belinda was at a complete loss for words at this ungrateful daughter of hers! How did she end up with s
Caroline said, “Even if I leave Jensburg, I’m still your daughter and a Fisher. I don’t want to become a Clark.”She would rather take on her mother’s family name than her father’s.“Should I go to the company, Mom?”Caroline’s attitude softened. After all, they were still mother and daughter.Although she disliked Belinda’s methods and had betrayed her before, she was still willing to take on some of her mother’s responsibilities, such as the company. “No. I’ve already held a management meeting. I told everyone you were unwell and would recuperate at home instead of coming to the office.”The truth was that Belinda did not want Caroline to be involved in too many things. She wanted Caroline to leave Jensburg without any additional burden. Caroline and Darren could settle down in a place where nobody recognized them and start anew.Belinda had entrusted Caroline to Darren. Unfortunately, due to his blind loyalty, he told Caroline about the drug and everything she had said to
Adrian finally relaxed after reviewing what he had done and confirming that he did nothing wrong. “Adrian, there are many policemen at our office. You and your brothers didn’t do anything illegal in the company’s name behind my back, right?”Belinda questioned her eldest son right away with a serious expression. Although Adrian could not see her expression, he knew how stern she would look by hearing her tone. When he heard that the police were at their company, he was shocked. He said cautiously, “We’ve never done anything illegal using the company’s name, Mom.“We’ve been going out, securing business deals as usual. Even if we did steal someone else’s client, we did it by offering more money.“Why are the police there, Mom? There’s nothing wrong with our company’s taxes… right?”Belinda scolded, “The tax authority will be here if they want a tax inspection. It won’t just be the police.”Adrian replied, “I don’t know, Mom. I can guarantee that my brothers and I didn’t do an
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