Serenity hummed in agreement but did not reply. She soon fell asleep. Since he did not hear her reply, Zachary looked toward her and saw she was asleep. He chuckled. “That was fast.”He was jealous of her being able to fall asleep so quickly.Although Zachary was sleepy, many thoughts would run through his head when he was on the bed. It was difficult for him to sleep once he started thinking. It usually took an hour or longer for him to be able to fall asleep. Drinking alcohol helped. He could fall asleep within an hour if his head were free of thoughts. Zachary caressed Serenity’s face. He could not get enough of looking at her. “I love you, Seren. I love you forever.”He whispered those sweet words in her ear. A moment later, he touched her stomach. The baby must have rested as well. It did not respond to his touch. Soon, Zachary would become a happy man with a wife and a child.He closed his eyes in satisfaction and fell asleep with his wife. …Meanwhil
Belinda still viewed tradition seriously. No matter how big of a fuss Adrian and his brothers made, the gates of Fisher Manor remained closed. Adrian spotted Audrey and Patrick strolling in the garden, but they ignored the Clark brothers. The brothers finally knew the feeling of losing their mother. When she was alive, they were still young masters of the Fishers despite being Clarks. They could live in the manor with their parents and lead a lavish lifestyle. They could also enter and leave the manor as they wished. Adrian had always thought Fisher Manor was their home. How was it not theirs when they had been born and bred there?Although their mother had bought them villas as a wedding gift after they got married, the brothers still preferred living at Fisher Manor. Their villas were inferior compared to the manor. They thought they could live there for their entire lives. Even if Belinda were to pass away, Caroline would have become the matriarch and continue livin
“It’s cold out here, Uncle True. Let’s head back inside,” said Audrey.Patrick looked around the garden before focusing his gaze on the Clark brothers. He said, “Let’s go back in a few days, Audrey. No matter how many memories this place holds, your mom won’t come back.”He wanted to stay for some time to reminisce. They did not plan to stay at Fisher Manor for too long. After all, Fisher Manor was meant for the matriarch and her family to live in. Each matriarch passed it down to their daughters, who would succeed them. Belinda had only become the matriarch after murdering her sisters and had broken the tradition. Since everything had returned to normal, Belinda’s family had to move out of the manor. The only exception was if Caroline took over. However, even if Caroline became the matriarch, the people who could live in the manor would be her children, not her brothers and sisters-in-law.Therefore, Adrian and his brothers would still have to move out of Fisher Manor.
Although Lisa had left behind two daughters who were doing well, Patrick still felt guilty about her death. “Let’s go inside. Jensburg’s weather is too cold. I’m already shivering even though we haven’t been out long.”Darrell smiled. “We’re old and not as resistant to the cold anymore.”When he was young, he often skied in the northern region, and the cold did not bother him. After getting older, he preferred spending his winters in Wiltspoon instead of going to the north. Compared to the negative temperatures in the north, the winters in Wiltspoon usually had higher temperatures and felt relatively warm.“Okay. Let’s head inside.”Darrell and Audrey helped Patrick as they walked toward the main house. Maybe it was the cold weather or because his wishes were fulfilled, but Patrick felt his health worsening and his spirits lower. He even needed someone’s support to walk. Lilian came over to check on his health daily. In private, he requested Lilian to ensure he could live
“Right, let’s go find Caroline right now. She’s back at work today.”Justin and Jason echoed Adrian's words. Unable to enter Fisher Manor, the three brothers left in frustration and headed for the company in a huff. At the entrance of the Fisher Enterprise, they saw Liberty's car just pulling out and knew Liberty had come to see their sister again.Adrian ground his teeth in anger, wishing he could ram his car into Liberty's. However, two bodyguard cars were following Liberty for her protection, and with Duncan’s arrival, no matter how much they hated Liberty, they did not dare to act against her. Even when their mother was alive, they had hesitated to confront Liberty. It was only later when their mother learned that Patrick was still alive that she had considered taking action.Unfortunately, in the end, their mother failed. Both she and Mr. Gordon were dead, and with her passing, their once large family had fallen apart. Their father was powerless and without influence to use h
When Darren looked at Caroline, his eyes were filled with affection; Adrian could see it clearly. Darren was outstanding, and while the brothers treated him politely, they secretly looked down on him. He was no Mr. Gordon; Mr. Gordon was their mother’s right-hand man and had watched them grow up, so they did not dare to underestimate him and respected him greatly, but Darren was their peer and even younger than them.Adrian held a low opinion of Darren. It was fine for him to be Caroline’s assistant, as arranged by the retainer training center, and they had no right or authority to stop it. However, if his sister were to pursue a romantic relationship with Darren, Adrian would be dissatisfied. He felt that Darren was not good enough for her.No matter how distant they were, they were still full-blooded siblings. Adrian naturally hoped his sister would marry a powerful man so they could rely on their brother-in-law for support in the future.Caroline sat across from her brothers. Aft
Adrian scolded, “Caroline, have you ever given us a single thought? We're your brothers! Even if we didn’t treat you well before, we didn’t actually do anything to you either. Can't you remember that we’re family?“What are we supposed to do if you give away the entire Fisher legacy? We don't even have a leg to stand on in the company anymore. Do you think that we’ll still have a future with Liberty taking over? They’ll kill us without lifting a finger just by driving us out of the company.“If news gets out that anyone who works with us is an enemy of her, do you think anyone will dare to employ us? She has the backing of three of the biggest families from Wiltspoon, and she’s on good terms with the Queens in Jensburg. Who would still want to hire us?“You may be capable enough to support yourself, but we aren't, and we have families to support. Your nephews and nieces need to go to school, which costs a lot of money. When your nephew grows up, he’ll need to buy a house and get mar
Her indifferent demeanor infuriated Adrian and his two brothers. Jason suddenly stood up, strode over to Caroline, and attempted to slap her. He did not succeed. Caroline swiftly grabbed Jason’s wrist with one hand. She had never gone for self-defense training—her adoptive parents had treated her poorly, so they would not have sent her to such lessons. However, she had been bullied frequently in the past and had some fighting experience, which made her quick to react.In a flash, she splashed the remaining coffee from her cup onto Jason's face. He was completely unprepared, having never expected his sister to be able to seize his wrist. He knew Caroline had never learned any self-defense skills and usually had bodyguards when she went out. Darren also often stayed close to her, ready to rush to her aid at the earliest moment if anything happened. They were aware that Darren also arranged for people to protect her secretly, as the head or successor of the Fisher family always had b
However, Remy felt that his niece, Chloe, seemed even more outstanding than her brother. Perhaps in the future, it would be Chloe who would take charge of the family.“I miss Clo-clo so much. I don’t know why, but lately, whenever I see little babies, I feel especially fond of them. Maybe it’s because as I get older, I’m becoming more maternal.”“You’re not old at all. I’m older than you, so don’t talk about being old in front of me.”Remy did not like hearing her say she was getting old. If she was old, then he was even older. Remy felt that he was still in his prime, especially since he had not even married Elisa yet.“I’m older than Seren, and her baby is due in two months.“Oh, by the way, earlier, besides complaining that I was making you cook and worrying that I was tiring you out, my mom also suggested that we start preparing for pregnancy. She said that by the time we hold the wedding in the fall, it could be a double celebration.”Remy turned to look at her, his eyes bur
“Just like how Grandma May taught Zachary and the others, being able to cook isn’t just about earning points when looking for a wife—it’s also about rewarding your own stomach.” His own grandmother had not said anything like that. All she said was that flowers did not stay in bloom forever. Although the Johnsons were currently at their peak and were wealthy beyond measure, the world was unpredictable. Who knew in which generation the family might decline?Having more skills never hurt. Learning an extra skill meant that if the family ever fell on hard times, they would at least have the ability to support themselves.That was why their family elders encouraged them to develop a wide range of skills. They did not need to master everything, but they should at least have a basic understanding of many things. In truth, his cooking skills used to be quite average.It was only after he developed feelings for Elisa and learned that she had once had a crush on Zachary, who was skille
Audrey heard the cry of her precious grandson and immediately forgot about her daughter. She called out loudly, “You two enjoy your time together then. My grandson is crying, so I’m heading back inside.“You and Remy can start preparing for pregnancy too. When it’s time for the wedding, it’ll be a double celebration.”Hearing someone else’s daughter had given birth, Audrey was eager for her daughter to do so too. Though she was already a grandmother, she wanted to be a grandmother to her daughter’s child too. That was simply how elderly people with both sons and daughters were.Elisa was speechless. She heard the hurried footsteps of her mother heading back into the house, calling out before even entering, “Darling, don’t cry. Grandma’s back.”Elisa muttered, “Now that she has a grandson, even I, this precious daughter of hers, have been pushed aside. When I give her a grandson, I doubt there’ll be any room left for me.”She and Remy would definitely have children, but they were n
“Remy, Remy!” a voice called from outside. It sounded like Audrey. Remy came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron.“You keep at it, I’ll go out. My mom must have seen the lights and knew you were back, so she’s calling you over for dinner at our house.”At this time, her family was probably halfway through their meal.Elisa put down the remote control and walked out of the house with a packet of snacks in hand, munching as she went.“Mom.” Elisa walked to the fence and responded to her mother.“Elisa? You’re back too? You came back and didn’t even come home for dinner? We’re eating right now. Hurry up and bring Remy over. Grandpa True was just saying that Remy hasn’t come over for dinner in a few days.”Remy had been busy entertaining clients lately, so he had not had time to join his in-laws for meals.Elisa replied, “Mom, I feel like eating Remy’s cooking tonight, so we won’t be coming over. You guys go ahead.”“Oh, you. It’s so late already, and you’re still making Remy c
Elisa said, “Although cousins can be as close as siblings, it’s still better to have another child. After all, we won’t be living at your family home permanently, and our children might not have much time to bond with their cousins in the future.“I have two older brothers, and the three of us have always been close. My brothers have always doted on me, and I can always talk about things with them. My sister-in-law has been very kind to me even after they got married too.“I’m used to having siblings around. It’s lively, and no matter what happens, we can always talk things through. It’s nice not having to face everything alone. I don’t want my children to feel lonely in the future.”Elisa continued, “Most importantly, I love children. If you could be the one to carry and give birth, sparing me the exhaustion of pregnancy, I’d even consider having three kids. But unfortunately, you can’t.“If I have to carry the baby myself, even though I love children, I’d only have two—preferably
Jasmine smiled. “I can’t tell. He’s so tiny. I’m scared when I have to carry him. I’m afraid of hurting him. What if he slips from my arms?”As a first-time mother, Jasmine was inexperienced. She was not like Serenity, who had raised a baby before. Josh and Zachary had secretly taken classes on how to look after a baby. The way Josh held the baby was more accurate than hers. “You’ll get better at it after learning slowly. I didn’t dare to carry my nephew either because I was scared of hurting him, but I’m an expert now.”Elisa could not resist touching the baby’s face again. She really liked babies.“Has the baby been fed?”Camila replied, “He was fed an hour ago.”The baby had been ravenous. Everyone was relieved when they saw the baby could feed normally. The doctor said the baby might experience jaundice a few days later and that premature babies should be monitored closely. Jaundice usually appeared when the baby was a few days old. It would reach its peak after
Remy gave it some thought. If he were to become a father, he would also be extremely happy, to the point that he would forget about posting on social media.They were usually busy people and did not have the habit of posting regularly anyway. Josh only started sharing a lot on Facebook after he got married. He simply wanted to show off his life after marriage and irritate his friends who were still single. Even Zachary would post about his love life on Facebook occasionally. Remy suddenly felt he had to keep up with the trend and post something on Facebook during his free time. Remy and Elisa went to buy some supplements before heading to the hospital. There were still many people in Jasmine’s ward. Most of the men were sitting in the small living area while the women were chatting with Jasmine or looking at the baby in the room. The baby boy was already fed and in fresh diapers. He was sleeping soundly. “Jasmine.”Elisa walked over with the supplements she had brought.
The secretary wished she could skip work and visit Jasmine at the hospital with Elisa. However, that could never happen. She was simply an employee, while Elisa was her boss. The only alternative was if Elisa invited her along. Nevertheless, the employees could meet Jasmine during their break or visit her at her house. Elisa left excitedly. A Maybach was parked at the entrance of the company. When Remy spotted Elisa exiting, he stuck his head out and waved at her. Upon seeing him, she was no longer in a hurry to get to her car. She quickly walked over. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you go inside?”Elisa was beaming. As she had received good news, she had a smiling face regardless of who she met.“I just arrived. I didn’t drive inside when I saw you coming out. Where are you going?”Remy got out of the car.“Jasmine gave birth. I want to go to the hospital to visit her and her baby. You came at the right time. We can head over together, but let’s get some supplemen
“Yes. Health is the most important thing. Everything else is secondary. With the York family’s wealth and numbers, they won’t have to worry about not having a successor even if your child is slightly more ordinary.”Of course, Elisa personally hoped the next successor of the York family would be her nephew.The Stones and the Yorks could be considered relatives because Elisa and Serenity were cousins.The successor of the Stone family was most likely Clive’s son. If the York family’s heir was not Serenity’s child, would the two families’ relationship that was finally mended become strained again?After all, the head of the York family would no longer be a relative of the Stones if that were the case. However, Elisa did not voice her thoughts. She did not want Serenity to feel pressured. As an aunt, she also thought her nephew’s health was more important than anything else.“You must be busy, Elisa. You should go on with your work. I shall not disturb you. I appreciate your