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
“Carrie Newman!”Camryn, who was manning the store inside, heard the argument at the entrance and slowly walked out with her white cane.Serenity looked at her and saw that she was the same as that night. She wore large black sunglasses so that her eyes were hidden, and her stunning face was still as expressionless as that night.“What are you screaming at?”Camryn was totally familiar with her own territory. When she heard the sound of two people quarreling, she determined their positions and walked up to Serenity, asking warmly, “Are you Mrs. York?”“What Mrs. York? That’s just a hillbilly. Don’t bother flattering her, mole rat. Just you wait. A country bumpkin like her will be chased out of the York family soon. I don’t believe that Mr. York actually likes a country bumpkin like her.Carrie hated it when others called Serenity Mrs. York. She did not dare go after Zachary because of his cold nature, but she was ambitious and wanted to marry into the York family too.There were
While Carrie was young and insolent, it was not like she did not know better. Her mind flew back to her plan being foiled by Serenity at the Dowlings’ party. She was manhandled by Serenity and forced to drink the drugged alcohol by Elisa. The drug overtook her sanity and drove her to take her clothes off at the Dowlings’ residence. Carrie’s mother jumped into action and brought her home in haste. Carried had to bathe in ice-cold water to regain her consciousness. However, the same cold bath spiked her fever. Her parents were heartbroken for her. Nevertheless, they did nothing to demand justice for her. This was because the country bumpkin had Mr. York by her side. Her father explained to Carrie that although the Newmans did not operate their business in Wiltspoon, they were not to cross Mr. York. York Corporation had business dealings across major cities, and the bad blood may provoke York Corporation to steal the Newmans’ business. Newman Enterprise would suffer as a conse
Camryn uttered with a smile, “I’ll arrange something for you since you trust me.” Putting her cane aside, Camryn began to design a floral bouquet for Serenity. Serenity watched Carmyn handle the task with ease and asked, “Ms. Newman, do you memorize the placing of each type of flower here?” While pairing flowers together, Camryn replied, “I have to since I can’t see. I hired some employees to separate the flowers every time the stock comes in. They’ll tell me where each type of flower is placed. “My flower shop has been around for a few years now, so I had a lot of time to memorize everything. I think I’m on top of it.” Looking into Camryn’s eyes, Serenity probed, “Is there any way you can see again, Ms. Newman?” With her smile fading, Camryn answered, “I lost my sight from an illness. I was lucky to even survive. I’m fine without my sight. I’m just grateful to be alive.” Due to the sudden blindness, she nearly lost her life to depression and insanity. Nevertheless, she
Serenity would not take no for an answer as she put the two hundred bucks in Camryn’s palm. Camryn felt the money with her fingers before pulling one bill and giving it back to Serenity. She said, “If you insist, I’ll take half the money.” Since the girls were not close yet, Serenity relented and took back a hundred-dollar bill from Camryn before replying with a grin, “Thank you, Ms. Newman. Your flowers here are beautiful. I’ll be sure to come back for more.” Camryn beamed. “You’re always welcome. You can call me in advance if you need anything. Just let me know who it is for, and I’ll have the flowers picked out and wrapped up. You can come and collect without waiting.” Turning on her heel, she went to the cash register. Camryn held onto the table as she got behind the cash register and pulled the drawer to get a box of business cards. She retrieved a business card before making her way back to Serenity. “This is my business card, Mrs. York.” Serenity drew close and took th
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s
“It’s okay if you don’t want my bouquets. Can you feel my sincere love for you through these letters?“I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell even harder the second time I saw you.”Manny’s gaze was affectionate as if he truly loved Tati. To be honest, Tati was outstanding in various aspects. She was good enough for him, a young master of the Longbottoms. They were also close in age and definitely had common topics to talk about. However, Tati refused to give him a chance and rejected his confession. That did not matter. After all, it had not been long since he started pursuing Tati. As the O’Connors had more daughters than sons, he could understand that their daughters would be especially cautious regarding romantic relationships. They did not want men dating them solely for the O’Connor family’s money. Although that had been Manny’s initial intention, he was satisfied with Tati after meeting her in person. He was willing to marry her. Besides, Tati was com
Meanwhile, in Satbury, Tati returned to the company but was forced to stop her car at the entrance. Some people were decorating the entrance with flowers. Security tried to chase them away, but they did not even budge. The security guards seemed wary of something and did not force those people to leave. A few cars were parked nearby, including a truck that still carried fresh flowers.Tati did not honk. There were people and flowers on the road before her and honking was useless anyway, or she could simply drive past without a care. She got out of the car to have a look. “Sweet Tati.”An unfamiliar voice rang. Tati looked toward the person who called her and frowned. She recognized that person. He was Manny Longbottom, the eldest son of the interim head of the family.Mr. Longbottom had come over several times for business negotiations. However, it was not yet his scheduled timing. Even if he were the Longbottom family’s interim head, there would be no special treatmen
First, Adrian poured himself a glass of water. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Jacob while sipping his water.When the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “We’re going ahead with the plan. Caroline will be heading to Fortress Hotel later to meet with a client. After the meeting, she’ll have dinner there.“The discussion and dinner will take a long time. By the time she leaves the hotel, it’ll already be nighttime. She probably won’t go anywhere else after that.“Wait for her on the route she usually takes home. Her license plate is CA 201. Got it?”Adrian made sure Jacob remembered Caroline’s license plate number. He had also sent the information via text, so unless the person had an exceptionally bad memory, they should be able to recall it.Jacob replied, “Got it. We’ll have to start preparing, then. Try to get Caroline to drink some alcohol. If she’s drunk, it’ll be easier to handle her.”After all, they could not guarantee that the
Adrian snapped, “Are you saying that I don’t do real work? Caroline, I was working at Fisher Enterprise long before we even knew you existed.”Caroline said neutrally, “Yes, yes, Adrian, you’ve been at Fisher Enterprise for a long time, but what achievements have you made? I mean, achievements that you accomplished on your own.“The results credited to you in the past weren’t actually your doing. You know better than anyone how they came about, so I won’t spell it out. I may have joined Fisher Enterprise only recently, but look at the position I’m in now.“Adrian, I’ve made it very clear. If you want to keep your job, do it well and take it seriously. Stop trying to take credit for other people’s work.”Adrian’s expression darkened. “I only said a couple of things, and you fired back with dozens. Can’t you give me some grace? I have pride, too.”“Adrian, go back to work. I need to get ready to head out soon.” Caroline was done talking to her brother.Adrian fell silent for a mo
Adrian was sullenly quiet. Was he really that incompetent? He thought he had done a pretty good job.Back when their mother was still around, he had not even needed to lift a finger. He just had to vaguely outline the requirements, and the elite team under him would come up with a proposal that satisfied everyone upstairs.All he had to do was wait for the praise and the compliments about how capable he was.After doing this for so long, Adrian had started to believe that he truly was talented.Then, he found out that Celine was not his biological sister and that Caroline was, but the latter had grown up in the countryside, appearing weak and timid, and seemed useless to the company—a good-for-nothing. Thus, Adrian began to harbor ambitions. He wanted to replace his sister and become the successor of the Fisher family.He had repeatedly expressed to his mother his desire to take over, to become the first male successor in the Fisher family’s history. He even said he was willing
Adrian tried several times to interrupt his sister, but Caroline’s barrage came at him like a machine gun, rapid and relentless. All he could do was glare at her, his face flush with anger. If looks could kill, Caroline would have been torn to pieces long ago.After finishing her lecture, Caroline picked up her cup and took a few sips of her coffee. She then said, “Adrian, look at me, I’m parched from all this talking. I’ve really gone out of my way to persuade you for your own good, just like how you tried to persuade me not to hand over control of the Fisher family. “To be honest, even if I didn’t give it back to Audrey and the rest, do you think I could hold onto the position of the matriarch?“The rest of the family doesn’t support us. They might not necessarily side with the Wiltspoonians either, but they definitely won’t side with us. They’ve long been dissatisfied with Mom and us.“Without their support and unable to win against Audrey, the Fisher legacy would eventually be