After a moment of silence, Zachary replied, “Yes, but I trust my eyes and feelings more. That was why I concealed my identity to examine your character.”“Given your character, you wouldn’t agree to marry me either if you didn’t get a background check on me. Why did you still suspect me of going after you for your money?”“I was afraid that the investigation was wrong.”Serenity was speechless.“Marriage is a life-long event. Women are afraid of marrying the wrong man, but the same goes for men. I have to get along with you personally before knowing what you’re really like. A background check is just a few lines of summary.”“Yes, marriage is a life-long event. It seems we were both too hasty.”Serenity sighed, but said gratefully, “Fortunately, we fell in love with each other.”If she could do it all over again, she would probably make a different choice.“Keep going, Seren. I’ll listen to the story.” Zachary did not want to talk about the time when their marriage was hidden b
“Waters run deep in wealthy families. They can do anything for the sake of their interests, but don’t worry, Seren. Our family isn’t like that. Even if I paid someone in our family to take my spot as the head, they wouldn’t want to.”Serenity believed in Zachary’s words.She met her in-laws several times. Whether it was her elders or peers, they were all good people. The only person who was a little prejudiced against her and was not satisfied with her was her mother-in-law, but the latter still did not do anything to harm her.When she was angry at Zachary, her mother-in-law accompanied Grandma May to apologize to her instead of taking the opportunity to tell Zachary to divorce her.Perhaps to Tania, although she cared about what her daughter-in-law’s background was, her son’s feelings and happiness were more important than that.“Mrs. Newman was glaring at me like she was trying to kill me. I wonder if she’ll badmouth me to her husband when she goes home. Zachary, is the Newman
“Go back to the room and change out of your dress.”Zachary wanted to pick Serenity up as he spoke, but she stopped him.“I can walk.”Serenity stood up. Her legs felt much better after Zachary’s massage.“Seren, you won’t even give me the chance to perform. I want to train my arm strength. Carrying you around is a good way of training.”Serenity pinched his face lightly. “What do you mean you want to train your arm strength? You work out every day. Let’s go to sleep already.”“I’ll draw the bath for you.”Zachary did not carry her back to the room and went ahead to draw the bath for her. Then, he brought her pajamas so she could sleep comfortably after soaking in a hot bath.After coming out of the bath, Serenity climbed into bed and lay beside Zachary. She suddenly remembered something, propped her head up, and kissed him twice on the cheek. “Good night, Babe.”Zachary kissed her back. “Good night. Sweet dreams.”“I rarely have nightmares.”Serenity lay down and habitually
“Mr. Newman is protective and dotes on his children the most, but your daughter-in-law caused his beloved daughter to make a fool out of herself in public. Mr. and Mrs. Newman probably hate your daughter-in-law now. Isn’t she causing trouble for the York family?“Mrs. York, you should discipline your daughter-in-law. She represents the York family now. She has a bad background, and her parents are dead, so she had no one to educate her. Shouldn’t you correct that wild nature of hers? How can someone like her be the missus of the York family?”The other party went on a tirade about Serenity.Tania’s expression darkened on the spot.Liam saw the drastic change in his wife’s face and asked with concern, “Who’s calling? What did they say?”Tania did not immediately answer her husband’s question, but coldly refuted the other party and said, “Mrs. Walker, what does this matter have to do with you? You went on and on about my daughter-in-law not minding her own business, but aren’t you d
“Ms. Carrie drugged her own sister?” It came as a shock to Liam. “I know, right? Serenity did a good thing by saving Ms. Camryn’s life, but the busybodies said Serenity should mind her own business. “They had the nerve to say that Serenity’s meddling rubbed Mrs. Newman and her younger daughter off the wrong way. Apparently, Mr. Newman can be very protective of his family. So what? I’m protective too! My daughter-in-law fears no one! I have Serenity’s back even if she upset all Wiltspoonians. Of course, on the condition that she’s in the right. “That really riled me up. I can’t believe they tried to stir the pot with me. Are they trying to make me the first person ever to break apart the peace of the Yorks?”Liam uttered with a smile, “My wife is too smart to be fooled.” “I’m fuming here, and yet you’re smiling there. Serenity is your daughter-in-law too, you know. Let me put this out there. You better criticize anyone who calls Serenity an insensible and meddling country bum
The chilly spring and the soak in the bath of ice water gave Carrie a cold. With her temperature running high in the middle of the night, Mrs. Newman was quick to notify the family doctor. The doctor examined Carrie and prescribed her medication. Mrs. Newman fed her daughter the medication and stayed by her daughter’s side. Mrs. Newman only left her daughter’s bedroom when Carrie’s fever subsided. “Where’s Camryn? Didn’t she come back last night?” The mention of her elder daughter turned Mrs. Newman’s tenderness into a scowl. “That blind girl got Ms. Stone’s help through some dumb luck. That country bumpkin was on her side too.“That country bumpkin with no parents thinks she’s all that after marrying into a wealthy family. Carrie would’ve been fine if she stayed out of our business. The country bumpkin struck fast. She must work out in the gym a lot.” The couple talked about last night’s incident while walking down the stairs. Mrs. Newman hated Serenity’s guts. Her daughter
Complying with her husband’s request, Mrs. Newman reluctantly put a gift together. She then saw Mr. Newman out the door. Once Mr. Newman was gone, Mrs. Newman murmured to herself, “She’s just a country bumpkin. I doubt Mr. York will love her forever. The girl’s just a breath of fresh air to Mr. York for now. The country bumpkin won’t be the lady of the house for long once he’s bored of her.” Half an hour later, Zachary got a call through the intercom. Mr. Chaplin relayed Mr. Newman’s wishes to meet. Needless to say, Zachary knew why Mr. Newman was here. Mr. Newman turned up before Zachary had a chance to get even with the guy. “Let him in,” Zachary callously responded to Mr. Chaplin. Mr. Chaplin hung up and relayed the message. Sitting in the building’s VIP lounge on the first floor, Mr. Newman quietly but restlessly waited. He pulled himself together at the sound of incoming footsteps, pretending to play it cool as the receptionist approached. “Mr. Newman, our CEO wi
It had long come to Mr. Newman’s attention that Zachary was aloof and not the easiest to get on with. It was too early for Mr. Newman to say if he could get along with Zachary. Nevertheless, it was true that Zachary was an indifferent man. Mr. Newman had been around the business world for many years, and during his management of Newman Enterprise for more than a decade had turned a small business into a billion-dollar corporation. Although the Newmans thrived in foreign business, Mr. Newman had influence and connections in Wiltspoon too. “Mr. Zachary, I’m here to apologize on behalf of my daughter and wife,” Mr. Newman explained with a smile. Zachary callously replied, “I’ve never met your wife and daughter.” “Here’s the thing, Mr. Zachary. My wife and daughter got into a bit of a misunderstanding and conflict with your wife. I have given them a telling-off, but since my wife has to take care of my sick daughter, I’m here on behalf of them to apologize to your wife. “I didn
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge
Tony Longbottom was the only person who would put on such a parade. The big shots in Satbury usually had entourages of their own, but none would put on a spectacle as big as Tony would.As they departed in their car, Tony’s gracious demeanor utterly shattered.His face twisted into an ugly, cruel expression as he said, “I’ve never been treated like this before, even when the legitimate branch of the family still lived, and those two ignorant little girls actually refused to see me multiple times.”Manny was very angry too and he said, “Pops, since they refuse to go about this the easy way, we’ll have to show them the hard way. We can approach it from other angles, and once they’re completely out of business and they have nowhere else to turn to, they’ll be at our mercy.“Won’t they have to do as we please then? I want to marry them, they’ll have to marry me, and if I don’t, I’ll just make them my mistresses. Don’t the O’Connors have plenty of daughters? I’ll fuck every one of them
“Isabella O’Connor is so outstanding, so why are you asking me to go for Tati O’Connor instead?” Manny said under his breath in puzzlement.He had seen photos of the two ladies and Isabella’s appearance was more striking. She had a cold and aloof aura that easily triggered his desire to conquer her, and after just a few glances, he was captivated.If it were up to him, Manny would choose Isabella.Tony looked at his son, smiled, and said, “You can’t control her. Of course, if you manage to make her fall for you, we can talk about switching. But for now, focus on Tati O’Connor.”Tati was also beautiful. However, she did not have Isabella’s cold demeanor. She seemed much gentler, like she smiled often.“Marrying Tati O’Connor would be a big advantage for both you and our family.”Manny thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “Got it, Dad.”Manny’s good looks, wealth, honeyed tongue, and generosity toward girls made him good at winning them over. Pursuing a rich youn
After testing the O’Connor sisters and realizing they were not like other women, Mr. Longbottom thought of having his son marry Tati.He knew that his son would not be able to handle or control Isabella, so he set his sights on Tati. Tati probably did not realize she was considered an easy target. Most people underestimated her because she had always kept a low profile.At that moment, a young man got out from the other side of the Rolls-Royce. He resembled Mr. Longbottom. Indeed, he was Mr. Longbotton’s eldest son, Manny.“Dad.”Manny went to his father’s side and glanced at the building before him. He asked, “Aren’t we driving inside?”In Havenmill, Manny could do whatever he wished because his father was the interim head of the Longbottom family. While he had no respect for ordinary people at all, he was clever enough not to offend people he should not.He never parked his car outside the places he wanted to go and simply drove his car through the gates. However, Manny
Meanwhile in Satbury, a few luxury cars stopped at the entrance of Costa Corporation. The door of the first car, a Rolls-Royce, opened. A bodyguard came out of the car.He waited for his boss, who was sitting in the backseat to exit.Mr. Longbottom got out of the car. Although he was over fifty years old, he looked like he was in his forties as he maintained his appearance well.He wore a white tailored suit with a tie, which made him look more youthful.The bodyguards in the other cars alighted as well.They quickly stood behind Mr. Longbottom to protect him. It was also his display of power.A few bodyguards grabbed many gift boxes from the trunks. Mr. Longbottom stood in front of the company and raised his head to look at the sixty-eight-storey office building. It was a symbol of the O’Connor family’s abilities.Costa Corporation was not the family’s only business. They were involved in many industries and were successful in all of them.The O’Connors were wealthy and powe
Jasmine added, “In some cases, the divorced women can get married to a better man, while the divorced men can’t even find a new wife. There are many single men now.“Isn’t there a saying nowadays that men who have wives are extremely lucky?”When Jasmine was at the bookstore, she would also visit the neighboring stores to listen to juicy gossip. Many of the store owners were not locals and they had many stories to tell. Someone said there was an evil mother-in-law in a rural area who looked down on her daughter-in-law. She would egg her son on to abuse his wife and get a divorce. She would also tell her son that she could find a better and younger wife for him. However, once the divorce went through, news of the mother-in-law’s evil deeds and the son’s domestic abuse spread far and wide. Who would dare marry off their daughters to a man like that?Besides, holding another wedding would require a lot of money. The cost of a wedding had increased a lot compared to the past.Whe
“Sonny’s fine. He has recovered. You want to get Sonny from school?”After thinking about it, Serenity agreed and said, “Okay. I’ll message Sonny’s teacher later to tell her you’ll be taking him.”“Okay, Serenity. Thank you.”Hank was thankful that Serenity did not make things difficult for him. Serenity and Liberty had great character. Liberty had a new relationship and already let go of her resentment for Hank. She could coexist with him peacefully. On the other hand, Serenity still held grudges against Hank. However, since he and Liberty had divorced, he could no longer hurt her. He was also Sonny’s father. Serenity was willing to tolerate him for Sonny’s sake. Therefore, she always said yes whenever Hank requested to meet his son. “You’ll be taking Sonny out to eat after picking him up, right? Remember not to let him eat too much fried food, especially fried chicken and fries. He’ll get a sore throat.“He got a fever that day due to a throat inflammation.”“Got it. I’ll