“Noah Hunt, you know me, right? If you don’t talk, I’ll slash a few lines across your face. You’re already ugly enough with pimples all over your face. It’ll be horrid if I add some blade scars to that. You’ll never get a wife and have to stay single all your life.”Noah visibly blanched and stammered, “I-I can’t say...”With just that, Serenity knew that her relatives were planning something big to deal with her.She said to the two bodyguards, “Bring him in for me. I’ll take good care of my little cousin.”“W-Wait, I’ll go by myself. Don’t let them touch me. They’re too rough.”Noah jumped and followed Serenity into the store.He knew how to behave himself after falling into Serenity’s hands. She would beat him into a pulp if she did not get what she wanted.Back in the store, he moved a stool for Serenity and poured water for her to drink.“Talk. Why did they ask you to follow me? It’s fine if you don’t tell me. You know my identity now. As long as I give the command, I’ll s
However, Liberty was not as valuable as Serenity in the eyes of Old Mr. Hunt and the others.One was a pitiful woman who divorced and lived alone with a child, whereas the other was the eldest missus of the York family, the richest family in the city. Even a three-year-old would know who was more valuable.“Get out!”Noah stammered, “My fare...”As soon as Serenity glared, Noah scampered out.She went back on her word!She tricked him!How could he have a cousin like Serenity?Noah scolded Serenity all the way back to John’s rented house.As for John’s luxury car, he could not drive it back because all four tires were slashed. He could only let John think of a way himself. Fortunately, he brought back the car keys.When John found out that his little cousin not only failed and was discovered, but also left his car in front of Serenity’s shop, he was furious.He kicked Noah and yelled, “Even if you got scared and ran away, you should have run away with the car! How could you
After Noah ran away, Jasmine said to her friend, “Seren, those guys might be trying to replace you.”“It’s not that they ‘might’ but rather they’re already planning it.”Serenity sat down behind the cash register looking slightly exhausted.Her sister and she were really unlucky to have been born into that family.To think they were related by blood!“Is that Harriet whom Noah mentioned older or younger than you?”“We’re the same age. I’m a week older than her.”Serenity thought about her cousin who was only one week younger than her. She had not seen Harriet for more than ten years and had little memory of her. Did Harriet and her look similar?When her parents were alive, she and Harriet went to school together and were in the same class. She seemed to remember her classmates mentioning that they looked alike.Even if they did, they would only look somewhat similar. Did Harriet think she could replace Serenity by just impersonation?Did they think Zachary was stupid?Unles
“There’s always wind blowing from any direction.”Grandma May slapped away Callum’s hand that wanted to support her. “No need for that. I’m still hale and hearty. I won’t die until I see all of you marry and have children.”“Then I won’t marry and have children. I’ll let you live until you’re two hundred years old, Nana.”Grandma May whacked Callum.“You little brat. I followed your big brother back to the office today to talk about your marriage.”Callum was speechless. Was it too late for him to escape now?Of course, it was.He hurriedly helped his nana to the couch for a seat, then knelt in front of her and helped to massage her legs. He asked a little curiously yet nervously, “Who do you have your eye on, Nana? Is it someone I know?”He was aware that his nana had recently set her target on him.It was because he was the second born. Since the eldest got married, it was his turn now.“Nana, I’ll say this first. I’m not interested in getting married out of nowhere. Don’t
Callum pointed to the handsome man in the photo. “So, he’s a she?”“She has a fraternal twin brother, but they look exactly the same. Her family raised her as a boy since childhood, so she acts like a man. People outside of her family think that she’s the eldest son.”“How did you know she’s actually a woman?”Callum heard of Casey Stoll before, and he had seen pictures of her too. At first glance, she really did look like a man, but it was not because she was deliberately trying to come off as the opposite sex. She dressed androgynously, but since she was known for her power and influence, people misunderstood and thought she was a man.The handsome guy in the photo was different from Casey. She was raised as a man and also deliberately dressed like a man. She had thick eyebrows and large eyes, looked grim and cold, and her tall figure was dressed in a suit. Anyone who looked at her would think she was a he.Callum flipped over the photo and read the woman’s profile on the other
“No. I’ll only help you and Kevin find a candidate for the time being. There’s no hurry for the others.”Callum tried to drag his younger brothers into this. “Only Rowan is still a minor. Alex just turned twenty this year, and the others are at the legal marriageable age. You can’t be biased, Nana. Let them all get married. The more granddaughters-in-law you have, the greater your chance of having a great-granddaughter.”Grandma May said, “I’m counting on Seren to give me a great-granddaughter. The fortune-teller said that Seren’s firstborn will be a girl.”Callum asked, “When did you become so superstitious?”“Since your big brother actually fell in love with Serenity. Fortune-telling is an age-old art. It’s worth believing in a little.”After she finished speaking, she stood up. “I won’t bother you with your work. I’ll go to Liberty’s shop to have a look. I miss Sonny after not seeing him for so long. Liberty’s breakfast diner will be open for business soon, right?”Callum said
“Mrs. York.”“Mrs. York.”The two receptionists greeted Serenity respectfully with a smile when they saw her come in.Serenity smiled in return. The receptionists had always been very nice to her.One of the receptionists went around the desk and led Serenity toward the elevator entrance. She glanced at the insulated lunch boxes that Serenity was carrying.“Zachary’s stomach isn’t feeling well lately, so I brought him food. It’s almost lunch break, right?”Serenity came over early.The receptionist looked concerned. “Mr. York’s stomach isn’t feeling well? He should take care of himself.”She thought in her heart, ‘The CEO has been working all day nonstop recently and isn’t having his meals on time. Most of the time, it’s Mr. Chaplin who packs food for him to eat at the office, but I heard Mr. Chaplin say that Mr. York still often forgets to eat because of his busy schedule.‘It’s only natural that he’ll have stomach problems like that.’“We’re having our lunch break soon,” th
“Seren, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve gone downstairs to pick you up.”Zachary took the insulated lunch boxes from his wife, fearing that she would be tired from carrying them. He turned around to place the two boxes on his desk, then led her by the hand to sit on the sofa.His fiery eyes glued to her body.Callum spat in his heart, ‘If he could dig out his eyeballs and stick them on Serenity, I guess he would do it without hesitation.’“It’s not the first time I came to your office. You don’t have to pick me up. I brought you food, so eat it while it’s hot. Eating your meals on time every day will help your stomach recover.”Zachary grinned. “Thank you, honey.”Serenity could not help but pinch his cheery face and smile. “Is the company giving out bonuses today? Everyone I saw today was beaming brightly.”Callum chimed in with a laugh, “Serenity, having you come here is more gratifying than getting a bonus.”Zachary looked at his brother.‘Didn’t you see
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
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