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
That was why business on her online store improved.“I finished the plan and just discussed it with Jasmine. Have a look.”Elisa took out the plan she spent the night making from her bag and handed it to Serenity to read. “I’m also a rookie, but there are three of us. Three heads are better than one. Let’s work hard and make money together.“Stop that for now, Seren. Don’t work while you’re reading, or you might hurt your hand again.”Elisa took Serenity to the hospital the last time the latter hurt her hand. Her legs had gone weak when she saw the blood. The fearless Ms. Stone was afraid of blood.“That time was an accident.”Serenity did not admit that she was injured because of Zachary, but she still stopped weaving the craft and took the plan made by Elisa. She read it carefully and discussed it with her two friends from time to time.“I haven’t shown this plan to Clive yet. I figured we have to experience it ourselves. We can’t rely on others for everything.”“I think the
Serenity thought about Zachary and herself. It seemed like she rarely coaxed him.When she saw how easily Josh became elated when Jasmine coaxed him, she thought, ‘I’ll buy Zachary a gift when I bring dinner to him later. I’m sure it’ll make him happy.’“Jasmine, what are we eating tonight?” Serenity asked.Jasmine said, “Liberty treated us to lunch earlier, so I didn’t buy any groceries. What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it now.”“You have dinner plans, and I have to send dinner to my husband too. His stomach is unwell, but he has a dinner party. I’m worried his stomach will hurt more if he drinks on an empty stomach. You guys chat. I’ll buy some food and come back.”Jasmine and Elisa hummed.After Serenity left, Elisa said enviously, “I envy Seren. It’s not easy for Zachary and her to become an ordinary couple. Zachary is arrogant, but Seren can make him break his character for her.”“When Mr. York came over in the past, he was like an ice sculpture. The students become timid
“We’re also relieved after hearing that it’s Zachary taking care of you at home. I was really worried that you’d be too timid and take care of all the household chores, then end up living like how Liberty was in the past.”Serenity paused her movement before continuing, “I learned from my sister’s experience. I won’t live a life like hers.”“It’s good to stay aware at all times. I’ve seen many people who lose sight of themselves when they’re in love.”Elisa’s phone rang as soon as she finished. It was from the only friend she had before she met Serenity. She answered the call and said, “Seren, my best friend just broke up. I’m going to go see her.”“Okay. Drive slowly.”“I’ll arrange for someone to go to your hometown to talk to the village chief about contracting the fields tomorrow. I’ll also help find out what those relatives of yours are up to these days.”“Sure.”Jasmine and Serenity let Elisa take the lead for the investment project. With Elisa’s background, she grew up in
“Do you own this parking space? Is your car the only one that can park here?”Serenity also had a problem with Carrie, so she did not budge an inch.She did not have a good impression of Carrie at all.Carrie choked and said loudly, “This is the front of Camryn’s store. I’m her sister, so I naturally should be able to park here.”“Oh, so you’re also fully aware that Ms. Camryn is your sister? What did you do to your sister on the night of the Dowling family’s banquet?”Carrie was spoiled by her parents and was used to bullying Camryn for fun. She said righteously, “That mole rat is just for me to make fun of!”Serenity really wanted to teach her a lesson.How could there be a sister like that?No, she should say that it was Mr. and Mrs. Newman who did not educate their daughter well.Camryn was not born blind. She became blind because of a serious illness she contracted when she was sixteen. However, Mrs. Newman was cruel and did not care about her, and Mr. Newman was so busy
Hank’s parents had always been biased toward his sister, Chelsea. It would be difficult to change them. Their father, Luke, was a slightly better case because he had felt regretful ever since knowing Serenity was the York family’s missus. He regretted letting Hank date Jessica. After going through so much, he was more convinced that Liberty suited Hank better. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Hank could no longer return to the past. On the day Serenity and Zachary brought Sonny to the Browns’ place for a meal, Chelsea also brought Lucas back to visit her family. When Chelsea entered the house, Olivia was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She said, “I heard Liberty and Duncan getting married soon, Mom. The Lewises are preparing for the wedding. The couple will most likely get their marriage license after she returns from Jensburg.”Olivia looked indifferent. “That’s bound to happen sooner or later. Why are we still talking about her?“Even if she gets a boost in her
Next, she posted the pictures on social media. Many of her followers were her students’ parents. Only a minority of them were her friends or ex-classmates. She was flooded with blessings from them as well. One of Zoey Crawford’s worries was finally resolved. Since her daughter had gotten married, she would continue urging her sons to do the same. Zoey had been anxious that Quinn could never find a suitable partner because of her easy-going personality and proficiency in martial arts. Although she was introduced to a few men through matchmaking services, the men usually refused to show up. They were scared of the potential domestic abuse they could face since Quinn was good at fighting. They had heard of her countless accomplishments as well. Therefore, no one was interested in Quinn despite her decent figure, looks, and family background. This was where Zoey’s constant urging for her to find a life partner came from. Quinn had felt frustrated about Zoey’s nagging. She did not
Julian said gently, “You can meet Serenity, Jasmine, and Elisa often in the future.“By the way, don’t trust anything Elisa says. Take her words with a grain of salt.”Quinn asked, “What will Ms. Stone say to me? Why are you specifically asking me not to listen to her?”Julian cleared his throat. As he drove, he said embarrassedly, “I pretended to pursue Elisa for some time to help Remy back then.”Quinn said, “I didn’t know I had a love rival.”“Elisa isn’t your love rival. She and her family don’t fancy me anyway. When they knew I was pursuing her, Mrs. Stone immediately changed her mind and agreed to Remy and Elisa’s marriage. To her, I’m like a fierce beast unsuited for her baby daughter.”Quinn got invested and asked, “Why did helping Remy involve pursuing Elisa?”Julian came clean and recounted everything to Quinn. He did not want her to misunderstand.“Even your parents fell for your acting. I didn’t think you’d do such a thing.”“Don’t misunderstand, honey.”Quinn smi
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