Decades had passed, so Belinda might not necessarily be sentenced to death, considering it had been forty or fifty years since.Audrey said calmly, “Belinda, neither you nor your assistant can escape tonight. How did we manage this? Didn’t I tell you that the people who saved Uncle True were legends from decades ago? Don’t you know how capable they are? “You didn’t think you were the only one capable of scheming, and that we’d just do nothing despite knowing you wanted to get rid of all of us, did you? You were watching our every move, but we were watching you too. Besides, did you really think you could keep a close watch on us all? There are so many of us. Who could you guarantee to have watched round the clock?”Any one of them could easily set up a counterattack or sabotage Belinda's plans. Belinda wanted to set fire to Fisher Manor because she could no longer live in it and even wanted everyone who entered the manor tonight to die in the fire too. Hence, they swapped all the g
Belinda dragged her hostage upstairs up to the top floor. It was a good distance from the crowd downstairs and they had backed up quite far. The gun she had could not shoot that far, so she would not hit anyone even if she fired. All she could do was threaten the crowd that if anyone approached the door, she would fire. If she fired at the door from the top floor, she could still hit someone.The hostage was knocked out, so she could free a hand to call Mr. Gordon and get him to save her. If she could not take everyone down with her, then she did not want to die anymore. She wanted to escape. She had a small helicopter. If Gordon flew it over, he could save her from her dire straits. The policemen below had already called their superiors, asking for backup and snipers.“Mom, let her go and put down the gun! I’m begging you, please don’t go any further down this path.” Caroline ran forward fearlessly, shouting up at her mother from several meters away, pleading for her to stop. She ur
Audrey also reached out to pull Caroline to her side and she said, “Liberty’s right. Don’t go inside. Look at her. When she shot your father, she pulled the trigger without any hesitation. She’s gone mad.”Hunter had fainted from the pain of the gunshot. Adrian and his brothers were frozen from shock, not having expected their mother to actually shoot their father. When they saw that she even fired at Caroline, the three brothers were even less inclined to step forward, fearing dearly that their mother would shoot to kill them without a care that they were her sons. They stayed by Hunter’s side, waiting for the paramedics to arrive to send their father to the emergency room.Caroline’s eyes reddened as she looked up at Belinda, standing by the rooftop balcony railing. She broke free of Audrey’s grip and ran to the front of the crowd once more, kneeling with a loud sound. She banged her head against the ground, kowtowing as she cried out, “Mom, please, I’m begging you—don’t continue
True—no matter how capable Mr. Gordon was, he was still human, after all. He was an elderly man himself, being older than her by a few years, and was almost eighty years old. He continued working tirelessly for her. No matter how outstanding he was, he could not compete with the younger ones in Zachary’s generation. He was not a god.Take Patrick for example; had he not been impressive? Even then, he was pushed to the limit by the assassins she sent back then and almost died. Even though he survived, he sustained severe injuries that gave him recurring pain and illness over the years. If Doc had not been the one who saved him, there was no way he would have lived to see this day.Belinda still could not believe she was at the end of her rope. She called Mr. Gordon again. The call seemed to connect, but he did not pick up. It rang for a long time and still, he did not answer. After it stopped, Belinda called again but still got the same result.Belinda's heart felt like it had plumme
They were so far away that she could not even see their features clearly. Who could she hit with her two remaining bullets? The only possible target was herself. She peered at the family member she had taken hostage and recognized the young lady, who was a fairly capable woman. If the girl was kept alive, then she would be a threat to Caroline. Belinda felt she should kill the girl.On second thought, under the current circumstances, Caroline might not be able to become the head of the family. She would keep these capable family members alive then, to make things difficult for Liberty.Liberty only had workplace experience before getting married and having children, which caused her to disconnect from society for a few years. After her divorce, she started anew with a breakfast diner business. Later, she opened a restaurant, but the scope was still limited. It was not until she came to Jensburg and established a new company that she truly entered the business world, and her experie
“Mom, don’t!” Caroline screamed, but a gunshot resounded just as she was about to rush over to Belinda. All she could do was watch her mother slowly fall limp.“Mom!” Caroline rushed forward, barely managing to catch her mother as she collapsed. The gun slipped from Belinda’s hand and fell to the ground.“Mom… Mom!” Caroline cried as she hugged her mother’s body. Belinda's eyes were open and she gazed at her daughter, seeming to want to say something but unable to. At that moment, she seemed to see her sisters. Tiara was looking at her with a stern expression and Alivia looked livid. They were understandably angry; she had betrayed them. “Tiara… I'm sorry...” Belinda whispered weakly. Her eyes began to close slowly, but a faint smile appeared on her face. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. She could finally go to her sisters and apologize. She was wrong! She should not have caused her sisters’ deaths in her pursuit of power and influence. Their parents had passed away ea
Mr. Gordon murmured softly. He gave a bow toward the main house, a long deep bow, then he rose and turned to leave. His subordinates, confused, followed him out. Once outside the manor, Mr. Gordon got into his car alone, dismissing them from following him, and drove away into the night.As darkness fell, it marked the end of the darkest hour, giving way to light.It was a new day. The news of Belinda’s suicide dominated all media in Jensburg. Numerous reports circulated about her past, detailing how she had harmed her sisters. Speculations also emerged about her jealousy toward Tiara and her unrequited love for Mr. Foster, Tiara’s assistant, which had allegedly driven her to betray her family.The whole city was talking about it. All members of the Fisher family received inquiries from friends and acquaintances, while Fisher Enterprise was also rife with unrest. Caroline announced a week-long break in their work group chat, instructing senior management to notify everyone. The entir
Kevin was in the president’s office of Queen Enterprise accompanying his fiancée, Hayden. Liberty had returned to her office. She had not handled much work in the past few days, and the tasks that needed her attention had piled up. She needed to deal with everything quickly so she could take some time off for Christmas and return to Wiltspoon to celebrate. Her son and sister were still at FC Manor, so she was considering flying to Annenburg with Zachary to pick them up before heading back to Wiltspoon for the festivities. After a busy year, Christmas was one of the few times she could truly relax. As for the issues with the Fisher family, they could wait until after the holiday. After Christmas, she would be particularly busy, especially when Serenity gave birth. As a family member, she would definitely be waiting outside the delivery room. However, she had to deal with all the important matters in advance so she could take off when the time came.At this moment, however, Liberty
The people gathered to dance were the staff’s family members. The staff and their families were considerate of each other because they were neighbors and co-workers. The dancing ladies would not be selfish and draw hate just because they wanted to dance. Austin smiled. “That’s great. It’s fun and a great use of spare time.”He knew his nana was a playful old lady. In the past, she had been busy searching for suitable partners for the York brothers. Now, even he already had a target to pursue. Although River and Alex were adults, they were still young. It had not even been two years since they started working. Therefore, Grandma May was not anxious about their marriage. Rowan was off limits because he was still studying in high school. Grandma May had nothing to do, and she could not travel because it was the end of the year. Hence, she would talk to her friends or join their dance sessions. “Of course. I’m enjoying myself before your nephew is born. I won’t have time to ha
Louis was worried that Austin might not have enough money, so he would check in occasionally, “Austin, do you have enough money? If not, you can call my mom and have her transfer some money to you.”Austin laughed and replied, “I have enough. I can afford it even if you buy two more sets of clothes for your big sister.”The clothes they bought for Isabella were first picked out by Austin before Louis approved and agreed to buy them as a gift for his sister.“Isa has a lot of clothes, but she rarely wears jewelry. How about I buy her some jewelry? Austin, do you have enough money?”Already carrying several bags, Austin still lovingly said, “As long as it’s for your big sister, I have enough money to pay for it no matter how much you buy.”The little boy was very happy and asked Austin to take them to a jewelry store to buy what he thought were beautiful pieces for Isabella.It was already dark when Austin finally took the little ones back home. They had spent so much time shopping
Even if outsiders saw them, they would not know they were the young scions of the O'Connor family. Satbury was so large, and there were many people with the last name O'Connor. Besides, most people did not have bad intentions. Even kidnappers would need to scout the area, to make sure they did not kidnap the wrong person before making a move. The streets were crowded with people, and police officers patrolled from time to time, so it was relatively safe.Isabella’s instinct was to refuse, but the words caught in her throat. After a brief hesitation, she said, “If you can guarantee their safety, then you can take them out shopping.”Austin promised, “I’ll make sure they get back home safely.”“Don’t stay out too late. It’s especially cold in the evening.” With that, Isabella had agreed.“Alright. Thank you, Ms. Isabella, for your trust.”After giving a few more instructions, Isabella hung up. She looked at Tati and said, “Louis and Phillip want Austin to take them shopping. I jus
Austin asked Isabella gently.She hummed mildly before saying, “It’s slightly better than the first time you made them, but there’s still room for improvement.”“Thank you, Ms. Isabella.”She did not mention the problem and instead said there was still room for improvement. It was clear she did not want him to get too proud of himself. In reality, she was quite satisfied with the pastries he made today.Isabella turned to the little ones. “Louis, Phillip, go back with Austin. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight. Just ask Austin to make you whatever you want to eat.”The little boys did not really want to go home, but in front of their serious big sister, they did not dare to insist on staying and obediently followed Austin out of the office. As soon as they left the office, the boys pulled their scarves tightly over their faces, hiding themselves completely, leaving only their big, bright eyes visible.The secretary had already guessed their identities. Although she could not se
“Phillip, if you want to eat anything, just tell me. I can have Austin make it for you.”Isabella opened the box of pastries and placed it in the center of the table so Tati could try some as well. She remembered that Tati loved the pastries Austin made. As for Louis calling Austin her personal chef, Isabella did not correct him, because it was the truth. The family benefited from her picky taste and had the privilege of enjoying all sorts of delicious food. She often changed chefs, and every chef she hired was a top expert in the industry. As others put it, even the simplest omelet prepared by a chef from the O'Connor family tasted better than those cooked by others.“I want to eat everything! I love all the dishes Austin makes, and I also love buns and pastries.”“Isa, I want ravioli. Can Austin make us ravioli this time?” Not wanting to be left out, Louis made a request of his own after Phillip made one.Austin laughed. “No problem. This Saturday, I’ll make ravioli for you. I’
Isabella looked at him, and the two of them locked eyes for a moment. Then Isabella asked, “You’re trained in self-defense?”“I am. I trained for more than ten years. My nana is a wise and capable matriarch. She’s the one who raised us to be well-rounded, both in academics and self-defense.”Isabella recalled that she had asked someone to investigate Austin’s background. She had only done a brief inquiry into his family situation, mainly to learn more about him as a person, so she did not know much about his family. She knew he had a large family with many members, and they all lived in the large ancestral home passed down through generations. Oh, right—these were things Austin had briefly mentioned himself. As for what his family was like, he had not said much, and she had not investigated further. After all, she was not looking to marry him, so there was no need to delve into his family tree like she was tracing a genealogy. As long as she knew he came from a respectable family
Isabella said, “If Louis wants to climb up to the roof to take off its tiles, my mom would even go as far as to give him a ladder to climb up there. You don’t know the situation, so I don’t blame you, but when we get back, I’ll have a good talk with my mom.”Louis and his brother exchanged glances, wondering if they had caused trouble.“Isa, since they’re already here, just let them play in your office. They’re probably going stir-crazy at home.” Seeing that her baby brother and cousin looked scared that they had caused trouble, Tati could not help but feel sorry for them and spoke up in their defense. “They’re kids, after all—they love to play.”Austin also added, “It’s winter break right now. Most other kids are out playing already, and they’re stuck at home. Even though the house is big, they’ll eventually get bored playing indoors.”Just like when he and his brothers were younger, they had a children’s playground at home too. In fact, they lived on a manor estate on the hill an
Austin immediately regretted bringing the boys with him. He tried his hardest to recall whether anyone had seen their faces when they left; at least, he did not think anyone had.The two boys were still young and had sat in the backseat of the car. He had driven a black Mercedes, and as long as the duo had not rolled down the windows, no one could see them as the car sped along. After entering the Costa Corporation building, there were no other people around from the moment they got out of the car to the time they entered the office building. It was only when Austin was sure that no one had caught a clear shot of them that he finally relaxed. He told himself that, no matter how much they begged him in the future, he would not thoughtlessly take them out again.Before his own brothers entered society, they had been carefully protected by the family, and it was very difficult for the outside world to capture clear photos of them too. When they were old enough to step into the busines
“Has your sister ever hit you?”Austin freed a hand to adjust Louis's hat and scarf. He also tugged at Phillip, gesturing for the little boy to follow in his older cousin’s footsteps. The cold wind was howling, and he feared these two little ones might be blown away by the strong gusts. The two little boys replied in unison, “She has hit us, but it’s really rare. She really loves and cares about us.” “She only hits us when we make a really big mistake,” Louis added, afraid that Austin might think Isabella was a bad person. He quickly said, “She does it for our own good.”Austin laughed. “I really didn’t expect that someone as well-mannered as your sister would actually raise a hand on you. It shows just how big a mess you two must have made.”Austin thought this was good. It was necessary for the two boys to have someone they feared. Otherwise, if they were spoiled too much, they would become unruly, and as they grew older, the messes they made would only get bigger, which wou