“Sonny is still a child. As his aunt, you didn’t even prepare a Christmas gift for him, and you have the nerve to ask him for one?! Have you even prepared gifts for your mother and me?“Liberty is rich now because of her capability. Now that she’s well-off, you expect her to prepare Christmas gifts for you, her former sister-in-law? Who do you think you are?“She treated you so well in the past that she would buy and cook whatever you wanted when you visited. Though the money came from Hank’s earnings, if Liberty hadn’t been willing to do it, do you think Hank could have done anything about it?“She shouldn’t have been so good to you and allowed you to get used to it. You’re always trying to take advantage of others when she doesn’t owe you anything. Hank and Liberty are divorced now! But even if they’re still married, how do you have the gall to take so many things from us when you come home empty-handed?“Let me ask you—have you ever left empty-handed from here? Even a roll of to
Chelsea cried, “Liberty has Serenity to support her, and she has such a rich aunt, and she's even from a wealthy family. I won’t even be able to catch up with her, no matter how hard I try. I just want to save some money for my children. Is that wrong?”“Liberty’s money came to her so easily and now she’s married into a rich family, but I can’t get anything out of her, so what’s wrong with me taking a little from Sonny? He’s young, but he has more money than I do at forty.“He’s already a rich heir now. So what if I take advantage of him a little? I’m just asking for a few boxes of prime beef cuts from his mom as a gift, yet you’re scolding me so harshly. I’m your daughter! Liberty is just your ex-daughter-in-law!“No matter how rich she is now, she’s not part of our family, but Sonny is a Brown, so what’s wrong with taking from her through him for our family? Just because of that, you’re scolding me.” A person like Chelsea would never think she was wrong. In fact, she would only
The gifts Mom prepared for him were only for Granddad, Grandmom, and Dad, so his aunt was upset and wanted him to call Mom and ask her to prepare Christmas gifts for her too. However, Aunt Chel was bad. He did not want to give her any Christmas gifts.“Sonny,” Olivia called out, but did not know what to say after that.In the end, she complained to Luke, “Why didn’t you have Hank take Sonny into his room when you were saying those things? It’s not good for him to hear all that. He’s still just a child.”“Now you realize Sonny is still a child? How old is he? If you're worried those words will taint his ears, you should’ve controlled your daughter better and stopped her from sprouting ill intentions again. How dare she still try to take advantage of Liberty?“If it weren’t for Sonny, does she think she would have even been able to open her shop, considering Zachary York’s means back then? She’d have gone bankrupt long ago and into massive debt. Serenity only left us a way out, a c
Meanwhile, at Dunboy Manor in Satbury, Isabella and her younger cousins were in the garden after lunch, sitting in the gazebo and watching Louis and Phillip play in the snow. Austin walked over carrying a tray. Soon, he reached the gazebo, his handsome face naturally lighting up with a warm smile. All the young O’Connor ladies thought the private chef Isabella hired this time was truly a pleasant sight. Not only was his cooking delicious, but he was also very handsome. His smile was warm like a spring breeze and just looking at his smile made the chill in the air feel less intense. They did not feel cold at all even with the snow falling outside, and truly, they were not cold. After all, they were dressed warmly in thick clothes.Usually, everyone was busy with their work or studies, and they rarely had the time or leisure to gather for a chat. When Isabella invited them to enjoy the snow together, they were happy to come, and watching the boys play so happily, completely unb
Edith thought that even if the food was not delicious, she could still taste the finest delicacies just by looking at Austin. Well, she was a sucker for looks.Isabella chuckled, “Why thank me? I’m not the one preparing everything. Austin will be doing all that.”“I’m Ms. Isabella’s chef. Her wish is my command,” Austin added gently. What he meant was, that if she had not agreed or had not invited them, the other young ladies could forget about tasting the barbecue he prepared.Apart from Isabella, the other young ladies all laughed. Austin had another good quality—he was loyal to Isabella and truly orbited around her. Isabella glanced at Austin with a smile and said, “Austin, go take a break. We’ll stay here for a bit longer. Once those two boys are tired of playing, we’ll head back inside.”Austin nodded respectfully and exited the gazebo. He even played with the two young masters for a little while before heading back to his quarters.Edith watched Austin’s retreating figure
“Hey, Ruth.”“Hey, Isabella, you're on vacation now, right?” Ruth asked over the phone.“Yeah, I am. What's up? You’re not inviting me to that class reunion again, are you? I'm not interested in that, so you don't need to keep trying to persuade me.” Isabella made it clear that she was not interested in the class reunion.When she was still studying, she kept a low profile, so not many people knew she was an O'Connor. However, after her grandfather passed away, her parents lacked the ability to shoulder the heavy family responsibilities, so even before she graduated, she had to step up. That was when her classmates found out that she was actually the eldest daughter of the O'Connor family.As there were many daughters and few sons in her family, before her brother was born, many people were eager to take advantage of the situation to monopolize the family's wealth. To that end, many pursued her and her cousin Tati simply because they were the oldest and the ones who had taken u
Ruth silently told herself that from now on, she would prioritize her friend's happiness and stop helping others gather information.Isabella was a busy person, and she was only just turning twenty-seven. There was no need for her to rush into marriage and she did not need her friend to worry about it for her.Many strong and successful women were still single well into their thirties or forties.“We’re having a barbecue tonight. If you don’t mind, come join us. But don’t come with the intention of playing matchmaker for me. If that’s the case, I’m not inviting you,” Isabella said.Ruth laughed, “I promise I won’t meddle in that. You’re only twenty-seven and you’re still young, there’s no need to rush.”She had gotten married early, but Isabella was different. Isabella bore heavy responsibilities.Caleb had even mentioned that he was willing to marry into the O'Connor family instead, but Ruth knew that he would not be able to help Isabella much. As the son-in-law of the O'Conno
Soon, even Tati ran out and joined the others.Only Isabella remained seated in the gazebo, sipping her tea while watching the younger ones play joyfully. Her personality made it difficult for her to indulge in carefree fun like the rest. However, seeing them so happy lifted her own spirits, and she felt content.She found the tea Austin made to her liking. In the past, she rarely drank tea, as she mostly drank coffee. She would have two cups of coffee every day to keep herself going.After returning to his dorm, Austin lay on his bed but did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he picked up his phone and chatted with his cousins. He was closest to Peter and River, given their close age gap, and they often chatted the most. At this moment, he was on a call with River.He asked about the situation at home and whether their nana was mad at him for not coming home for Christmas.River replied, “Everything’s fine at home. Nana’s not mad that you’re not coming home. In fact, she’s
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