Justin, seeing his eldest brother approach with the kitchen knife, hesitated and asked, “Adrian, are we really going to do this?”“What, are you having second thoughts at this stage, like Jason? Justin, we didn’t even cover our faces. She knows it’s us. If we let her go now, we’re the ones who will die.“Think about it. How much have we suffered ever since she came back? How much have we lost? Even Mom’s dead now.”When their mother was alive, the three brothers lived carefree and comfortable lives. Now that she was gone, they were nothing.Hearing this, Justin quickly said, “Adrian, I’m not having second thoughts. It’s just… We don’t have to use the knife. We can just throw her into the sea. With her hands and feet tied, she won’t be able to escape.“The deep sea is full of fish. She’ll be eaten by a big fish soon, which will leave no trace. That’s better than us using the knife.”The main reason was that none of them had killed anyone before. Although they had done other bad th
Adrian and his brothers finally heard footsteps. They instinctively turned their heads, only to see a group of people, who were already very close, approaching.“Police! Hands up, don’t move!”Upon realizing they had been spotted, the officer leading the charge immediately shouted, drawing his gun and pointing it at Adrian and the others.The police had learned from the Dott brothers that the kidnappers were armed.The officers following Darren were from an armed unit and carried guns.Jason’s mind went blank. He could not form a single coherent thought.How had the police caught up?They had scouted the location beforehand, ensuring it was remote and quiet. It was somewhere no one would come even during the day, let alone at night.Adrian reacted the fastest. He immediately bent down to pick up the kitchen knife, intending to kill Caroline.All he could think then was that even if he died, he wanted to take Caroline with him. As long as Caroline died, he would consider it wor
Although they could not take over the Fisher family legacy, their mother was the head of the family, making them the young masters of the household.They had lived a life of luxury since childhood, never experiencing hardship or poverty. They enjoyed a life of indulgence, spending money like it was water, and were flattered and fawned over by others.Suddenly, they fell from the clouds to the cold, hard ground.No one flattered them anymore. No one curried favor with them. When they made mistakes or caused trouble, no one was there to cover for them.Relying on their own abilities, they could not earn much money. They no longer had the glory of spending money freely like they did not even know what money was.Thus, they could not accept it.Even though they had more than ordinary people, they were still unsatisfied.They wanted to return to their former glory, to the days when they were flattered, praised, and fawned over; to have everyone at their beck and call, living a life o
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom in Fisher Manor, Liberty suddenly woke up after a two-hour sleep.She sat up abruptly. Her movement startled her husband beside her.“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” Duncan also sat up, turning on the bedroom light, and asked with concern.“I dreamed that Caroline was in trouble. She refused to let me follow her. Her plan was to just get injured, but I’m so afraid her life’s in danger.”Having spent so much time with Caroline, Liberty had come to admire this aunt of hers.If it were not for the grudges of the previous generation, she and Caroline could have become close friends.Even now, the two of them held mutual respect for each other.Among the Fisher family members, she only respected Caroline; even Hayden only respected Caroline.Hayden had even once considered matchmaking Caroline with Hugh. However, Hugh did not like Caroline, and Caroline had no feelings for Hugh either. Caroline admired Hayden, but Hayden was a woman.After
Caroline had inherited Belinda’s ruthlessness, after all.“I’m heading to the hospital right away.”Hearing that Caroline had been rescued but was now in the emergency room, Liberty could not sleep any longer. She immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed.Duncan quickly followed suit.“Duncan, it’s still dark outside, and it’s cold. You should get some more sleep.” Liberty, out of consideration for her husband's limited mobility and his discomfort with the cold Jensburg spring, wanted Duncan to stay home and rest. She could go to the hospital alone.Duncan said as he changed his clothes, “No, I’ll go with you. I may not be able to walk long distances, but I can manage a short walk.“I’ll get the bodyguards to come with us to the hospital, so you don’t have to worry about taking care of me.”Although Caroline’s injuries were the result of her own plan, Duncan still did not feel comfortable letting Liberty go to the hospital alone.He was afraid something might happe
Liberty had said that she would not bother with the Clark brothers as long as they kept a low profile or stayed away from the center of Jensburg, not provoking Liberty or trying to seize control of the Fisher family.However, Caroline did not believe her brothers would do nothing.If she did not put them away, they would do everything in their power to stop Liberty from taking over the Fisher family, and in the end, it would lead to the destruction of their family and leave them with absolutely nothing.However, this was a Pyrrhic victory for her.“She just wouldn’t listen and refused to let me get involved,” Liberty said as she sat by the bed, gently touching Caroline's still-swollen face with a heart full of concern.“Mr. Fletcher, you should use ice to help reduce the swelling on her face. It will help her recover faster.”Darren replied, “I’ve been applying ice to her face from time to time. Plus, even Madam Belinda couldn’t change Ms. Caroline’s mind once she made a decision
It was possible that the caretakers of the Fisher family cemetery would not even allow her brothers to visit the graves.The Fisher family members harbored deep resentment toward Belinda.“Liberty, don’t worry. I’m not going to die. I don’t feel like I’ve lost out by doing this.”“Shush—enough with the talk about dying early in the morning. We’re all going to live long lives.”Caroline smiled again, “Alright, alright, we’ll all live long lives. Stop looking like the sky is falling. Seeing you like this makes me want to cry.”Liberty scolded her, “Don’t you cry. I’m just heartbroken, so heartbroken. Why didn’t you trust me?”“Liberty, it’s not that I don't trust you. It's that I don't trust my three brothers.”Liberty could not say anything to that.“Ms. Caroline, you must be hungry. I bought you a bowl of plain oats porridge. You have a cold, so you have to eat simple meals for the next few days.”Darren returned with a bowl of oats.He then said to Liberty and her husband, “
“I want to touch your face, Darren.”Although Darren was still straight-faced and angry, he bent over so that his face was within her reach. “Look at you. Your face feels as hard as marble.“You shouldn’t let such a handsome face be so stiff. I don’t like seeing you with a straight face. I like it when you’re gentle.”Darren said unhappily, “I’m not a gentle person, Ms. Caroline.”He had received intense training at the center. How could he possibly have a warm personality after going through all that?He simply looked softer when he was in a good mood. Caroline probably found him gentle due to his handsome face and politeness. Despite his words, his expression softened. “Don’t be angry, Darren. I’m fine. I didn’t lose a leg or an arm. My head is still intact. I wasn’t chopped to pieces and fed to the fish.“I even calculated your speed and deliberately let them scratch my arm. I wouldn’t have given them the opportunity to injure me the second time.“It was also their fi
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
Austin replied, “Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. It’s really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.”Sometimes, he himself felt like staying in bed a little longer, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his blankets.Even after the New Year, Satbury remained quite cold. In contrast, over in Wiltspoon, the temperatures had begun to reach a high of over seventy degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, with nighttime lows around fifty degrees.The two provinces and cities were simply incomparable. The temperatures in Wiltspoon were just so very comfortable for Satbury locals.Isabella smiled and said, “Phillip is just afraid he’ll get here too late and that you’ll assume he’s not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.”The house was never short of snacks for the little ones. In fact, any goodies were always reserved for them first.Yet,
Even when she attended banquets, she would show up in formal clothing. Isabella did not remember the last time she wore a dress. Perhaps it was when she was in third grade. In fact, she liked wearing pretty princessy dresses when she was young. Her mother had told her that.As Isabella was the first child and extremely adorable, Delphine had dolled her up like a princess. Her pretty dresses filled the closet. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and relatives would always gift her many beautiful dresses. As she grew up, perhaps when she was in fourth grade, she stopped wearing dresses. Regardless of who gave her new pieces, she would refuse to wear them and give them to her cousins instead. After everyone realized she disliked dresses, they gradually stopped giving her them. Delphine had asked Isabella why she disliked wearing dresses. Isabella reasoned that she could not walk quickly enough while wearing one. She valued speed and efficiency. Delphine said she had alway
While the private chefs Ms. Isabella had hired in the past were respectful, they were leaning toward flattery instead of sincere dedication, like how Austin was toward Ms. Isabella.Dominic was experienced. He could sense that Ms. Isabella treated Austin differently. She was also a special existence to Austin. It was normal for young people to be attracted to each other. Initially, Dominic wanted to advise Austin not to even think about dating Ms. Isabella. However, upon discovering that Austin was a young master of a wealthy family, he decided not to interfere. Dominic was glad that he did nothing.Austin returned to the house. Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, he went upstairs. He stopped outside of Isabella’s room and knocked on the door lightly. No response came from within the room. Perhaps Austin was too soft when he knocked. He knocked on the door again with more force and asked, “Are you up yet, Ms. Isabella? It’s time to have breakfast.”Isabella w
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabella’s private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austin’s cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austin’s perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancées. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancée. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve