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
“Mom, I’m not comparing myself to Laurence. I’m just copying the medical words to keep him company so he doesn’t get bored alone.” They were good friends, after all. Plus, his Aunt Seren had told him that joining Laurence was beneficial for him, and aside from his mother, she was the person who treated him the best, so he trusted her completely. Since Serenity said it was harmless, he would do it. He could practice his writing while he was at it. By the time school started again after Christmas break, he would be able to write beautifully and outshine his wealthy classmates.“Right, no need to compare. Have you been having fun these past couple of days?” Liberty asked gently.Sonny replied, “Yes! I’m so happy that I don’t even want to go home. Aunt Ser says I’m a, uh….”“You’re a happy-go-lucky one, huh.”“Yeah, yeah, that’s it! Happy-go-lucky.”Serenity had explained the meaning of the phrase to him, and he understood it to some extent. “Mom, when are you coming back?” Sonny
“Really? You’re coming back next week?” Sonny shouted happily. “Mom, is it almost Christmas? I want to set off fireworks!”“We can’t set off fireworks,” Liberty replied. “If you want to see fireworks, we’ll have to go to Wildridge Manor to see them.”At the foot of the hill Wildridge Manor was situated on, there was a large lawn where fireworks could be set off. In other places, it was not suitable due to the risk of fire. Fireworks were prohibited in the city, but they were not banned in rural areas. However, she could not possibly take her son back to the Hunts’ home for Christmas. Their parents' old house was still occupied by their grandparents.Before Christmas, though, the sisters might have to visit their hometown. No matter how estranged they were, the old Hunt couple were still their grandparents. They should bring some Christmas gifts and a little money for the two elders for the holiday, but nothing more.“That’s settled then!” Sonny immediately decided they would go to
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
While Carrie was being scolded by Mr. Longbottom, Austin was delivering afternoon tea to Isabella.She had social engagements later that evening, so she would not be home for dinner. Given her picky eating habits, she likely would not have anything but drinks during the event, and Austin was worried that she would get drunk drinking on an empty stomach. He knew she could hold her liquor and no one would dare force her to drink, but even half a glass of wine on an empty stomach could upset it. Thus, he specially prepared some snacks to bring to her. They were freshly made and still warm.Also accompanying him were the O'Connor boys. After Austin parked the car, he got out holding the box of snacks. The boys unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car as well. Phillip had been sitting in the backseat, and when he closed the door, he did not push hard enough, leaving it slightly ajar. Austin reminded him to close it properly and Louis turned to help Phillip close the door. Then,
From then on, Mr. Longbottom no longer had to worry that his current efforts and sacrifices were all for someone else’s benefit. He could legitimately become the true head, gaining absolute authority in the Longbottom family and Longbottom Corporation, without being held back by others.“I wasn’t telling you to complete the task before Christmas. I was reminding you to step up your efforts and work harder. Stop constantly stirring up trouble for your sister,” Mr. Longbottom criticized. “Your current targets are Serenity Hunt and Sonny Brown, not Camryn Newman.”He added mercilessly, “No matter how you act out, you can’t compete with her. That’s a fact. Apart from being a few years younger than her, you really don’t have anything to compare. You can’t measure up to your younger brother, let alone your sister.”Among the three children of the Newman family, the most useless was Carrie. Of course, her being the most useless was exactly why he could use him. Camryn and Trenton were not
The O’Connor ladies were not like usual girls. Pestering them was useless. It would make Mr. Longbottom look cheap as well. After all, he was the temporary head of the Longbottom family. What woman could he not have for himself?Among his past lovers, there were also ice queens like Isabella. He still managed to charm them with some effort. Once they became his woman, they would soften and revere him. When he abandoned them, they would wail and cling to him, unwilling to leave. Of course, ten of those lovers could not even compare to Isabella. When Mr. Longbottom’s car was leaving, it passed by a black Mercedes-Benz in the opposite direction.Mr. Longbottom turned to look. He saw the security of Costa Corporation on duty opening the gates immediately upon spotting the black Benz. It only had to slow down before entering the compound.‘Maybe that’s one of Costa Corporation’s senior managers,’ he thought. He turned his head back and leaned against the seat. After some thin
Mr. Longbottom had never met a CEO who strictly requested him to make appointments.Regardless of whether their companies would be collaborating, no one dared to look down on him that way. The CEO of Costa Corporation was the only exception. Mr. Longbottom sensed that the O’Connor family was unwilling to work with Longbottom Corporation. Tati said, “Since your appointment is set for next year’s summer, you can come over at that time. With the festive season coming up, we probably can’t settle everything in time. Besides, Isabella’s schedule is really packed. She doesn’t have any extra time.”She said apologetically again, “I’m sorry, Mr. Longbottom. There’s nothing I can do about this.”Mr. Longbottom smiled. “Okay. I thought I could get a shortcut and skip the queue. Since Ms. Isabella has a busy schedule, I shall not force it.“When does your company’s vacation start? I prepared some gifts. I’ll get someone to deliver them over when you’re free. Please accept the gifts.”H
Tati’s phone was ringing again. It was still Mr. Longbottom.“It’s that old man again, Isa. Should I answer it?”Tati frowned, looking annoyed. “See? That pretentious man has no self-awareness.”Mr. Longbottom, who had assumed his position by killing the main family, would always lack a legitimate aura and nobility. “You should answer it so that he stops calling you.”Isabella said, “You can’t expect a shameless man to know his manners.”Tati pouted. She muttered, “How did the true head of the Longbottom family even fall for this man’s schemes?”“It’s difficult to guard yourself against nasty people. The head of the Longbottom family… was only two or three years into his position when the tragedy occurred. That old man must’ve planned everything. Now, only a young son from the main family is left. I don’t even know if that boy can grow up into an adult safely. “There’s also the issue of competence. If the boy doesn’t have the ability to seek revenge, he’s better off not knowi
After thinking about it, Tati nodded and agreed with Isabella. She asked, “Are we going to keep ignoring Mr. Longbottom?”“Do you want to meet him?” Isabella questioned back.Tati immediately shook her head. “No. He thinks he’s a charming, elegant, and handsome middle-aged man. He has no idea that he’s just a sleazy old man to me. I hate his arrogant gaze and his being delusional about his looks.“After getting used to a great man like Austin, seeing a man as pretentious as Mr. Longbottom makes me realize the vast difference between them.“Austin is really gentlemanly and charismatic. Even without doing anything, he looks pleasing to me whenever I look at him.“I finally believe the saying that looking at handsome guys and pretty women can improve one’s mood.”After speaking, Tati noticed her sister’s teasing gaze. She quickly explained, “I don’t mean anything by that, Isa.”“You don’t need to explain. We’re cousins. We’ve grown up together and know each other well. Even my