“Do you think we’d turn out fine if Serenity’s husband was related to the wealthiest Yorks? Your sister-in-law would’ve trampled all over us with the help of Mr. York.” Thinking about the bad things he had done, Hank believed Jessica had a point. Hence, he quickly let go of the matter. Mr. York was way up there while Serenity was not even worth the mention. She was not blessed in life to become Mr. York’s wife. The pair were lovey-dovey as they walked out of the hotel. Hank and Jessica came across Liberty at the hotel entrance. Liberty was alone. While Sonny was asleep, Liberty left Mrs. Lane at home to look after Sonny, so she could wait for Hank and Jessica here. Liberty only lay in wait here for them because she deduced through the information and evidence provided by Zachary that Hank often brought Jessica to dine at the Wiltspoon Hotel. Although she had a falling out with Hank, it still hurt Liberty badly. After tying the knot with Hank, Liberty gave him a son, ran
Jessica gave Hank a tug and asked, “What does the fat cow want to talk to us about?” “She didn’t agree to my terms of the divorce. I guess it’s probably to further talk about the divorce.” The divorce proceedings would take some time. Liberty probably did not want to wait for another second after what happened to Sonny. Hank took Jessica to his car. Once they got into the car, Hank leaned over and heartbrokenly caressed Jessica’s face. “Does it hurt?” “What about you?” Hank felt his own cheek. “It hurts, but the thing with Sonny got her riled up. I can take a slap from her so she could let off steam.” Jessica touched where she was slapped and said, “Hank, since she’s in a rush to finalize the divorce, the odds are in your favor to name your terms. It’d be best if she gets nothing.“Let her go to court to file for divorce if she’s not willing to accept your terms. We have the time and money to drag this out.” Hank answered, “Sure. Let’s go see what she wants to talk abo
Liberty said, “It’s none of your business where I got these, Hank. If I showed your boss all the commissions you’ve been taking, do you think you can still be a manager at Waltham Electronics?”Serenity reminded Liberty not to show Hank the evidence but to scare him verbally.Liberty knew Hank well enough and felt that Hank would not feel threatened if there was no evidence. So, she made a copy of the evidence that Zachary’s friend had collected.Even if Hank tore it up, she could still make a lot of copies.With such evidence, Hank was willing to give in and discuss the divorce terms with Liberty just so he could keep his job.Liberty had no idea that Zachary had instructed Josh to suppress Waltham Electronics and what awaited Hank and Jessica was an employee termination letter.Hank’s expression was extremely distressed as he stared at Liberty.Liberty used to work at Waltham Electronics as a finance director. At that time, she was more capable than Hank and he could not admit
However, her beauty faded as she gained weight.Hank was responsible for Liberty's deterioration.“Liberty, what do you want?” Hank softened his tone and asked.“Give me the original copy of this evidence and I’ll try to meet your request as best as I can. Then, we can part on good terms.”Now, Hank had nearly two million dollars in savings.If he did not talk it out with Liberty, she would sue him, and the evidence she had was to her advantage. Hank was at a disadvantage, and the court would most likely force him to share half of his assets with Liberty.If Liberty handed over the evidence of Hank accepting commissions to Hank’s boss, Hank would not be able to keep his managerial position even if his boss did not fire him.Besides, Hank received commissions from his customers and helped them do things that cost the company losses. If his boss investigated him and found out about this, Hank would not be able to keep his job.His boss might even spread the word about his behavio
After a long silence, Hank said, “Liberty, if I agree to your condition of dividing the property, will you really give me all the evidence you have and promise not to report me to my boss?”“As long as I get what I deserve, I promise that I won’t take any revenge against you.”However, Liberty could not guarantee that Serenity or Zachary would not do anything.After pondering for a while, Hank said, “I can give you the money, but can’t give you Sonny’s custody. Sonny is my flesh and blood, and my parents love Sonny.”“I won’t give up on Sonny’s custody.”Hank was afraid that if he gave Liberty the custody of Sonny, his parents would kill him when he returned home.Besides, Sonny was his son and his only child at present, so he was reluctant to give up Sonny.Liberty raised her hand and splashed her unfinished juice on Hank’s face.“Hank, how do you still have the nerve to fight for Sonny’s custody? How dare you claim Sonny as your flesh and blood and your parents’ grandson. Jus
Hank was worried that Liberty would get rough with Jessica if he was not there.When Hank thought about the day Liberty caught him and Jessica in the hotel that night, his legs felt weak. Liberty was brutal when she beat up Jessica.Liberty said coldly, “I don’t want to get my hands dirty by hitting her. Don’t worry, I’ll return her to you in prime condition.”“Liberty, why can’t I be here when it’s our business?”Hank was still worried.Liberty fought back when he hit her and dared chase him down a few blocks with a knife. This made Hank realize that Liberty was capable of anything when she was angry.“This is a negotiation between a wife and a mistress, so a scumbag like you can f*ck off.”Hank was speechless.He glared at Liberty, got up reluctantly, and walked out.Once Hank went out, Jessica raised her hand and brushed her hair away before she asked, “So, what do you want to talk to me about?“Liberty, Hank loves me now, so if you don’t want to make this worse than it al
Liberty said, “Ms. Yates, you’ll probably marry Hank after we get divorced. You’re both young, so it won’t be long before you have your own child. Are you willing to let Sonny share Hank’s fatherly love with your child?“Even if Hank said that his parents will take care of Sonny in his hometown, his parents will definitely feel sorry for Sonny and favor Sonny over your child. They’ll also ask Hank to spend more time with Sonny and treat your child differently.“Are you willing to let your child suffer like that?“If I take Sonny, I will only ask Hank to pay three thousand dollars a month for child support. Hank doesn’t need to care about anything else. I won’t blame him even if he doesn’t see Sonny again in the next decade. This will be the best solution with the least impact on you and your children.“You don’t have to see the kid that Hank and I share all the time either. I’m guessing that when you look at Sonny, you’ll think of my past with Hank. Hank and I have known each other
Liberty smiled and said, “Hank is currently obsessed with you, so he’ll definitely listen to you. You should go and talk to him now. If he agrees to give up on Sonny’s custody, ask him to take some time off from the office so we can complete the divorce procedures this afternoon.”“The sooner he becomes single, the sooner you can marry him and become the wife of Waltham Electronics’ manager. Waltham Electronics has a good rep in the industry, with good prospects and scalability. If you become the manager’s wife, you’ll be better off than others in the office.“The main thing is that he’ll be yours in the future. You can spend however much he earns, and you don’t have to sneak around with him anymore. You two can show your affection openly in public. I think most women want that, right?“Hank is only thirty years old, and he’s successful. If you miss out on him, you might not be able to find someone better than him in the future. Ms. Yates, for your happiness, this is the time to shi
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