“Why are there so many flower stands? Who sent them?”Hank was a little jealous.Liberty was just a woman he threw away, and she opened a small breakfast diner with the money she took from him. However, there were long rows of flower stands on the opening day.“There’s no space for my flowers? Then I’ll get a re—”Hank was just about to say that he would get a refund from the flower shop, but Olivia immediately interrupted him. She took the flower stand from his hand and glared at him fiercely, then said to Liberty with a smile, “There’ll be space if you squeeze it in.”She took the flower stand outside and placed it at the spot of the stand that Duncan sent. If not for the fact that Serenity and Zachary, two people who she could not afford to mess with, were present, she would have smashed the flower stands sent by Duncan and thrown them away.Liberty did not want to have a fight with Hank and Olivia on the first day of business, so she turned a blind eye as long as they did not
Serenity knew the Brown family too well. She was worried that the Browns and Hunts would come over and cause havoc during the opening of her sister’s new store.The last thing anyone wanted on their store’s opening day was trouble.Serenity asked her husband for help, requesting him to arrange for people to keep watch nearby so they could help deal with any problems as soon as possible.Serenity, who was independent and reluctant to rely on her husband, took the initiative to ask Zachary for help. Zachary was overjoyed and felt that his wife finally thought of him as family.He immediately agreed.In fact, he would have arranged for people to keep watch even without her request. Like Serenity, he was also wary of the Brown and Hunt families causing trouble.When Jessica saw all the bodyguards from the Yorks and Duncan, her madness stopped at once. Then, she looked into the store and saw that there were only Serenity, Zachary, and Elisa.Elisa had ignored her the first time she g
Liberty explained why there were security guards patrolling the street as she served the eggs benedict to Elisa.Serenity did not notice that the security guards were only patrolling half of the street including Liberty’s store. As for the other half of the street, the guards simply looked from afar and did not patrol there.However, the overall security of the street was still heightened with the presence of the guards.Serenity’s beautiful eyes twinkled. She felt that Duncan’s action was because of her sister, but when she saw that Liberty did not seem to be interested at all, there was nothing else she could say. Who knew if Duncan did it for her sister or really for the safety of all his tenants?The store rented by her sister indeed belonged to Duncan.Duncan would pass by here every day to and from work. Since he was friends with Zachary, it was normal for him to look out for Liberty.Duncan did not explicitly say that he was interested in Liberty, so Serenity could only wa
“Our lady is someone who can’t stand to see the Hunt sisters doing whatever they want.”Jessica blinked. It was someone that the Hunt sisters had offended?What did that person want her for?She did not have the ability to suppress and retaliate against the Hunt sisters.“You’ll know once you come with us, Ms. Yates.”Jessica said, “I don’t even know who you are. Who knows what you’ll do to me if I follow you? You’re still wearing masks, so I can’t see what you look like. However, I’ll go with you if you take off your masks and let me take a photo to send to my husband.“That way, you guys won’t get away with it if anything happens to me.”“Our apologies, Ms. Yates, but we can’t take off our masks. If you don’t come with us, our lady will come over to invite you personally. You won’t like it if that happens. Our lady has a bad temper.”“Save your breath and just knock her out,” the other man said impatiently.When Jessica heard this, she immediately turned around and tried to
One of the men waited for her to finish throwing up and handed her a mask.Jessica hurriedly put on the mask, but she could still smell the stench through it. She quickly used her hand to cover her mouth and nose, then followed the two men into the incomplete building.It was only after entering the building and away from the garbage dumps did she lower her hand from her mouth and nose. She looked around to survey the surrounding environment. There was no one living nearby. No one would find out even if she met with misfortune here and her body decomposed.That thought caused another shudder to run down her spine.She did not know who these men were. Since it was the Hunt sisters who offended them, they should find the Hunt sisters instead. Why did they come to her?She was also enemies with the Hunt sisters.“Don’t be afraid, Ms. Yates. I told them to bring you here because I wanted to talk to you about a deal. Let’s work together to get back at Mrs. York.”An unfamiliar woman’
“Sonny... Sonny is still a child. Besides, his custody was given to Liberty. Hank only needs to pay three thousand a month for child support, which will end when Sonny turns eighteen. Hank won’t need to pay if Sonny wants to buy a house or car in the future. He has no way of fighting for the family assets.”“People’s hearts change. The only way you’ll be sure that he won’t compete with your son for the family fortune is if he’s dead.”“But I don’t have a son… I don’t even have a daughter.”“Can’t you give birth to one?”Jessica choked.The other party laughed. “It seems that you’re just slightly morally reprehensible, but you still have humanity in you. I just told you about my plan. I didn’t say anything about killing Sonny.“I want to use Sonny to lure Serenity over. She has a good relationship with her nephew, so I believe she’ll be willing to come and see me alone.”What she wanted was for Serenity to meet her alone.Jessica sighed in relief.She only had the ability to st
However, being busy for a period of time in exchange for peace of mind for the rest of her life was worth it.“It’s been hard on you, Seren.”Zachary kissed her forehead, distressed at how much she was going through because of him.“I asked for it. If I learn well, it’ll serve me for the rest of my life.”Serenity yawned again.She got up early in the morning, so she was sleepy now.“You have to go back to the office in the afternoon too. Your time is much more valuable than ours.”He lost more by sacrificing half his day for her sister’s sake.How would he be willing to make such a sacrifice if he did not love her deeply?Serenity looked at Zachary and reached out to touch his handsome face. Her eyes were filled with emotion. “Babe, how did I manage to marry you? Don’t worry, since you’ve entrusted me with your life, I’ll never let you down. I’ll treat you well for the rest of your life.“My sister is always nagging me to treat you better. It’s as if she’s afraid that I’ll a
Serenity returned to the bookstore at 2:50 pm.Zachary personally sent her to the store.“I have a social function tonight,” Zachary said somberly when Serenity got out of the car.Serenity looked at him and instinctively asked, “What time will you leave the office? Don’t drink too much, and definitely don’t drink on an empty stomach. It’ll hurt your tummy.”“I took medicine for three days. My stomach will be fine.”Serenity said, “Even if your stomach is fine, you still have to take care of it. I’ll send you some food before you leave work. Eat a little before going, but still, don’t drink too much. It’s best if you can forgo drinking altogether.”“Okay, I’ll listen to you. I’ll wait for you to send food to me before leaving.”Zachary’s dark eyes burned as he looked at Serenity.Serenity instantly understood what he wanted and turned back to kiss his face. Then, she pinched his cheek. Just as Zachary was about to strike, she slipped out of the car swiftly so he could not catch
Fortunately, Quinn herself was strong, and her family was not pushovers either. She turned to look at Julian.Without asking, Julian knew exactly what she was thinking, and he quickly reassured her, “Quinn, you don’t have to worry. That kind of thing won’t happen to us. I’m your rock. As long as I’m around, no one can bully you. In my family, apart from my parents, everyone else has to accede to me, and you know how my parents feel about you. They’re so grateful to you that they practically worship you like a goddess.“You’re familiar with the York family now and have seen the way they operate, right? Well, my family and the Yorks are old family friends. Birds of a feather flock together. The reason our two families are so close is we have similar family values.“Setting aside the fact that your family is powerful enough and supportive of you—even if you were like Serenity in the beginning, my family would never look down on you or mistreat you. They would only love and cherish you.
Stacy was actually hoping that Julian and Quinn could get their marriage license today and hold the wedding right away. However, the date they had picked was after Christmas and they still had to wait over a month for the actual wedding. At least once they signed the papers, there was no need to worry about Quinn changing her mind. Stacy was afraid that Quinn and her family might have second thoughts, especially since her son was afflicted with a disorder.“Hey, sweetie.”When Stacy addressed Quinn, her tone was very gentle. Quinn thought that her future mother-in-law was even kinder and more considerate than her own mother. Her father had looked into the Buchams' character and knew that Stacy was actually quite formidable. To Quinn though, Stacy appeared so gentle and kind that she did not seem like the kind of person who would be overly strict or tough. Of course, anyone who could hold fast the position of the Buchams’ head missus and secure her husband’s love for decades as if
Quinn could not stop laughing when she saw him.Julian blushed a little in response. He asked, “What are you laughing at? Is my outfit ugly? Does it not look good?”He was used to wearing black clothes all the time. Although he had a white suit, he rarely wore it. Today, for the special occasion of legally getting married to Quinn, he had specifically chosen to wear white, a color symbolizing purity, to proclaim how his feelings were as pure as snow.“It’s not ugly, it looks great! You look even more handsome than usual. I’m just not used to seeing you in a white suit. Now, you look like a prince from a fairy tale—my prince.”Julian smiled indulgently. “That’s right. I’m your prince charming and yours alone. You look great in white, too, my dear wife.”It was Quinn’s turn to blush slightly. She was not used to being called his wife, especially since they had not even registered yet. Since they were about to go get their marriage license though, she might as well start getting used
Serenity laughed and said, “I hope I’ll be toasting at your wedding soon.”Peter replied, “I think I'll get married before Dylan does.”Dylan’s romantic path had been much more complicated because he had not wanted to follow the smooth, well-paved road that Grandma May had arranged for him.“We have lots of happy occasions lined up after Christmas, then,” Camryn remarked.“Yes, lots,” Serenity agreed.The courtyard was lively, with the elders occasionally joining in on the fun. Meanwhile, inside the house, Dylan was thinking about what Serenity had told him. She had repeatedly said that the person Grandma May picked for him would definitely be the right one, someone who would suit him well.She also suggested that he look into Imogen and that there might be a pleasant surprise in store for him, but that he was not to let Imogen know. The implication in Serenity’s words was that Imogen might be Fox and that Fox’s real identity was Imogen Doyle herself.After understanding Serenit
Dylan frowned as he pondered deeply.“The scent from outside is wafting in. I think the food’s ready. I’m going out to have a couple of skewers to satisfy my cravings. You can stay here and think things through.”Seeing that Dylan had finally grasped the main point, Serenity stopped the conversation and went out to have some barbecue. It had been a long time since she had eaten barbecue.After getting pregnant, although she was not as strictly monitored as Jasmine was, she still paid close attention to her diet and would do her best to avoid things she could not eat or had to limit. Liberty called her every few days to remind her to be careful.When Zachary saw Serenity come out of the house, he immediately picked up a plate of freshly grilled skewers to his beloved wife, saying, “I deliberately used less seasoning on these for you, so you can eat them with peace of mind. Sonny’s asleep now, right?” “He fell asleep long ago, after playing so hard today,” Serenity replied, then gr
In that case, Grandma May would not even need to step in to teach him a lesson. His older brothers would beat him up multiple times for tarnishing the York family’s reputation and dragging their names in the mud with his own.“Dylan, I told you that if you didn’t trust Nana, you’d face the consequences. Look, you’re starting to suffer now, aren’t you?” Serenity said. Who was Grandma May? She was a kind-hearted but cunning old fox who could sell someone out and still make them feel grateful for it as they counted the money she made for her. How could she pick a bad match for her grandsons? There was no way they would be unsuitable. “Serenity, it’s not that I don’t trust Nana, it’s just that I really couldn’t fall in love with Imogen. I feel like if I couldn’t fall for her in almost three months then I just won’t. And I always thought about Fox when I was with Imogen. I’m not some naïve kid who doesn’t understand what that means.” Dylan smiled bitterly. His family always compla
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.