Sonny liked having younger playmates around. They were tiny and adorable, just like the little boy at Grandaunt Audrey’s place.Whenever he went to Grandaunt Audrey’s house, he had the urge to tell Aunt Ser to carry the baby boy back to their house. He could take care of the baby and had many toys for the baby boy to play with. Zachary smiled. “That’s not true. I love you the most. I’m asking after your little cousin in your aunt’s belly because I’m concerned about her. I’m worried she might be tired or uncomfortable. Don’t you care about your Aunt Ser, Sonny?”Sonny nodded and replied, “I do care about her. I love Aunt Ser the most.”“See? Since you love her, you don’t want her to suffer, right?”“Yes.”“I’m just like you. I asked after your aunt because I care about her. It has nothing to do with favoritism. Do you understand, Sonny?”Sonny blinked and looked toward Serenity. After thinking, he nodded and said, “I understand, Uncle Zak.”Zachary praised him. “You’re so cleve
Sonny replied without hesitation, “Of course. I like Dunc. Having one more dad is pretty good. Other people have one dad, while I have two. Isn’t that great?”When Duncan first asked Sonny if he wanted a new father, Sonny answered that he already had one and was content with that.Now that Sonny had grown up and developed a relationship with Duncan, he could accept having another dad.Since he was more attached to Duncan, who was about to become his stepfather, he had grown distant from Hank. It was primarily because the Browns liked to stir up trouble, which diminished Sonny’s feelings toward that family. Sonny was still very young. As long as the Browns spent quality time with him and were sincere with him instead of trying to use him to obtain benefits, they could still develop a wholesome relationship with him. It would only get more challenging when Sonny grew up. Once he had thoughts of his own, he would no longer be easy to trick. Well, the Brown family was shortsight
“Your mom has been working tirelessly all day and can only rest late at night these days. We should consider giving her a well-deserved break.”Sonny thought about it and said hesitantly, “Okay. I’ll go to sleep and call Mom tomorrow morning. Please wake me up earlier tomorrow, Aunt Ser.”“Sure. I’ll wake you up at half past seven. Your mom usually has breakfast at that hour.”Sonny finally waved at Zachary and said good night to him. After that, he left Serenity’s room and returned to his shared room with Laurence. Laurence was taking notes from a book. He was copying the benefits and side effects of each drug compound. When he saw Sonny return, he raised his head and asked, “Did you manage to call your mom, Sonny?”Sonny walked over and saw what Laurence was writing. He did not recognize most of the words. “My mom is still busy and can’t have a video call with me. Aunt Ser told me to come back and rest. I’ll video call my mom when she’s having breakfast tomorrow morning.“
Serenity could only whisper sweet nothings with her husband after Sonny left. “Serenity, you should relax and have fun at FC Manor with Sonny. Don’t think about anything. I’ll come and get you two after I finish my work here.”Serenity retorted, “You’re the one who needs more rest than I do. I can feel your exhaustion just by looking at your face. Delegate some of your work if you can. Don’t insist on doing everything yourself.“That’ll be tiring. You shouldn’t pull all-nighters just because you think you’re young. You might face health issues if you do it often. You might even die a sudden death.“Remember, Zachary. You aren’t single anymore. You have a wife and a baby on the way. The baby and I will be waiting for your return.”Zachary smiled warmly. “I know, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll always think before doing anything. I can protect myself as well. I’ll consider you and our baby in whatever I do. Just take it easy and wait for me to pick you and Sonny up.”After staring at him
However, since no one ever expressed such thoughts openly, Serenity acted clueless.The happier she was, the more jealous other people would get. “It’s late, honey. Go to bed. Even if you aren't sleepy, our baby needs to rest.”Zachary, who felt a little guilty, quickly changed the topic and coaxed his wife to sleep. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to end the video call himself. Ultimately, it was Serenity who hung up. She put her phone down and caressed her bump. She mumbled to the baby in her womb, “Lil’ Bun, your dad is still keeping secrets from me. Even if it’s a white lie, he’s still lying.”After a short silence, she added, “We can’t blame him, Lil’ Bun. He’s doing it for our sake. I can’t risk going over because of you. Those who love you aren’t willing to let me go over because it’s too dangerous.“Do you think your dad and the rest can return safely?”The baby in her womb moved slightly under her touch as if answering her.Upon feeling a kick from the baby, Seren
Doc could assign some homework to Laurence, but it should not be too heavy or affect Laurence’s sleep schedule and playtime. Since it was the holidays, the children could have fun. Their worry-free moments would only decrease as they grew older. Academics would start taking priority, and the kids would have less time to play. Laurence asked, worried, “Will Doc listen to you, Mom? My teacher isn’t around now. He’ll listen to her.”Jane replied gently, “He’ll listen. After all, you’re my son. No matter how strict he is, he should listen to a parent’s opinion. Go to sleep and remember to train tomorrow morning. You can continue doing your homework for an hour after breakfast tomorrow.“You’re only allowed to play with Sonny after completing your morning tasks. You can use all the remaining time to play after taking two hours to copy the book in the evening and night. We shall allocate three hours a day to complete your homework instead of only playing during the day and rushing yo
“Zachary has been reading parenting books whenever he has free time. He’s well on his way to being a stay-at-home dad.”Jane smiled. “That was what Ben did too.”It was no wonder that the two CEOs trusted each other despite their minimal interactions. Their companies had also been collaborating more.It turned out that they were similar people. The two ladies smiled at each other. Their happiness was evident. Whether it was Zachary or Ben, they were outstanding men and the heads of their respective families. Although busy, they had never neglected their family, wife, or children. They had fulfilled their responsibilities as a father and husband to the fullest. As their wives, Jane’s and Serenity’s joy was overflowing. It was not surprising that many women wanted the two men. “Go get some rest. Good night.”“Good night.”Jane and Serenity returned to their rooms. Another person who had yet to sleep despite the late hour was Caroline. She turned off the ceiling lig
Darren replied: [I don’t think we can find anything. It’s too rushed.[Madam Fisher had already told Elaine to go to Queen Manor to invite Mrs. Stone and the rest for dinner tomorrow evening. She also invited a few of the more capable Fisher family members. I think she’ll be making her move during the family banquet.]The family dinner Belinda organized was different from the first one. She had previously invited Liberty, but Kevin and Hayden had come along. Her plan to kill Liberty while the latter was on her way back had failed.After that, Belinda and Liberty met a few more times, but she never invited Liberty to the manor again. Many people had come from Wiltspoon. They were all influential people from the affluent families of Wiltspoon. It was obvious that they had come to support Liberty. Liberty’s company was a joint investment of a few wealthy families. They had been on her side from the start and had provided enough funds to allow Liberty to be on par with Fisher Ente
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