“If they can’t change their habits, they shouldn’t affect Sonny and ruin his relationship with Duncan.”Sonny would be living with Liberty and Duncan in the future. It would be terrible if he came to dislike his stepfather due to the Brown family’s influence. Serenity replied, “Sonny’s smart. The Browns won’t easily influence him. We raised him ourselves. The only way it’ll happen is if the Browns’ genetics are stronger than yours.”She knew her nephew was intelligent despite his age and he knew how to differentiate between good and evil.The Brown family would not be a bad influence on Sonny unless he inherited their personality from Hank. “Try to prevent Sonny from staying with the Browns as much as possible. We both know Mr. and Mrs. Brown’s characters. There’s no telling whether they’ll change Sonny or not.“Once this semester ends, Sonny will be transferred to a preschool in Jensburg. We won’t have to be as worried as he’ll be away from the Browns and can only communicate
Serenity looked at her bump and touched it. She sighed. “I haven’t been able to go anywhere after getting pregnant.“Okay. I’ll listen to you. I’ll have Zachary go over to record videos for me.”Serenity compromised. She did not want to worry her sister. She stopped insisting on heading to Jensburg to congratulate Liberty. “Sleep, Seren. Duncan’s calling me.”Liberty sent another voice message, saying, “Don’t reply to my message. I’ll continue fighting with this bed after talking to Duncan.”Serenity replied with a thumbs-up emoji and stopped sending messages.“Who are you talking to this late instead of sleeping?”A gentle voice was heard. Zachary was behind Serenity, draping a jacket over her shoulders. “It’s chilly at dawn, and you’re not wearing a jacket. What if you catch a cold?” Zachary scolded softly. Serenity pulled the jacket closer and said, “My pajamas are thick, and it isn’t cold in the room. My sister has moved into Fisher Manor. She said she couldn’t slee
Serenity said, “You’re right. Aunt Audrey will be our pillar. We don’t know much about the Fisher family’s matters, nor do we feel any connection to that family. On the other hand, Aunt Audrey belongs to the Fisher family. She’s Tiara’s daughter.“Although she and my mom left when they were very young, the Fisher family was still her home.“More importantly, Aunt Audrey is very capable. I’ve heard of her stories before I even got married to you. She has contributed to half of Stone Group’s achievements up to this day.“I was worried about Liberty, but your words reassured me.”Zachary hugged her. “There was no need to worry in the first place. We’re all experienced in managing a large company. We can simply teach Liberty.”Serenity smiled. “I think you won’t be needed. Duncan will do it. Stop taking my brother-in-law’s job.”Zachary laughed. After that, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and hugged her tight. “Seren, I’m glad that I listened to Nana and married you.“Duncan
Although the York brothers respected and were filial to their parents, they were not as close to their parents compared to their grandparents. Tania once told Zachary about his first day at preschool. When he arrived home from school, his parents, grandparents, and uncles were waiting for him. After he got out of the car, he ran toward them. Tania was the first to squat and open her arms, waiting for him to enter her embrace.However, he ended up running past her and went straight toward his nana. After Grandma May held him, he asked his grandfather to lift him, ignoring his parents and uncles. That was because his parents and uncles were busy with work and rarely spent time with him. Kids would get closer to whoever took care of them. Sonny was another example. He and Duncan were like father and son because Duncan often took him out to play and accompanied him. As a result, the Browns felt a sense of danger, worried about Duncan snatching Sonny away. Serenity replied, “Of c
Zachary laughed. “That’s true. There’s no two ways about it then, he’s born to be our successor from the get-go.”“Who knows, our kid might just be average.”Zachary kissed her again and said confidently, “That’s impossible. The apple never falls too far from the tree. Even if he weren’t as outstanding as I am, he would never be average.”Serenity lightly pinched his cheek. “You’re really confident, aren’t you? It’s way too early to say all this, the kid hasn’t even been born yet. Anyway, let’s go to sleep now, babe.” Serenity yawned.Zachary hummed in concession, “You go to sleep first. I want to watch you sleep.”Serenity closed her eyes and quickly fell back asleep.Elsewhere, Liberty was still on the phone with her husband. They had talked for about half an hour and after receiving support and encouragement from Duncan, the anxiousness that had been suppressed deep down in a corner of her heart vanished.It was true that she did not have prior experience being the matriarch
Duncan quickly said, “I’m just happy, really happy. It won’t affect my sleep, babe. I’m just so happy mainly because you rarely say such sweet words to me. I feel insecure and I always feel like you don’t love me that much.“I always worry that you accepted my feelings out of guilt.”Liberty laughed and said, “Duncan, I’m not a three-year-old child. I’m in my thirties and have been through a divorce. When it comes to getting married again, I’m extremely cautious.“It’s definitely not something I take lightly. If I didn’t have feelings for you, I wouldn’t have married you. It’s not out of guilt. I didn’t cause your car accident, so I couldn’t possibly marry you out of guilt.”Liberty was very rational. As she put it, she was a woman who had been through a divorce and had stumbled once in love. When it came to remarrying, she was extremely cautious.There had to be mutual affection, a solid emotional foundation, and the other person and their family had to fully accept her and her s
The next day, Liberty only woke up at noon. She had barely managed to fall asleep around four o’clock but slept through the morning. Reaching for her phone on the bedside table, she checked the time and was surprised to see it was almost noon.Liberty quickly sat up. She changed her clothes at lightning speed, freshened up, and then hurried downstairs.The first floor was quiet and only the sound of her footsteps echoed through the house.“Caroline. Caroline?” Liberty called out twice, but there was no response.She guessed Caroline might have gone out or was in the yard. The smell of food lingered in the house, indicating that lunch had already been prepared.Liberty walked toward the front door. Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Caroline returning with Darren and a few others.Liberty’s sharp eyes immediately spotted her husband.Duncan was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by his bodyguard, while another bodyguard pulled a suitcase.Caroline and Darren were also c
“Your company is also very busy. What about your work now that you’re here?”“I have so many managers. If they can’t handle the company affairs, then what’s the point of having them? If worse comes to worst, my three brothers are there too. They’ll help out when they have time.”“Josh and Zachary will also keep an eye on things. Don’t worry, Lewis & Co. won’t collapse just because I’m away.”For Duncan, at this moment, nothing was more important than his wife.Lewis & Co. had his three brothers overseeing things, along with the management team he had trained and promoted. He did not need to worry.After all, he was currently disabled.Whenever his brothers complained about having to manage the company for him, he would just say he was so useless now, even walking was a struggle.Then, his brothers would feel sorry for him and stop complaining, dutifully taking care of the company for him.The group entered the house.“Let’s eat first,” Caroline said.Once inside, the warmth o
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w