Serenity and Zachary were an old married couple now. A while later, Serenity emerged from the bedroom and watched as Grandma May kept up the act of rummaging for her non-existence reading glasses. Serenity uttered, “Never mind if you can’t find them, Nana. I’ll go with you to get another pair of glasses later.” “Alright. I’ll stop looking then. I’m getting old. My memory isn’t as good anymore. I remember putting them here, but I can’t find them now. Maybe the glasses grew a pair of legs and ran off.” Serenity replied with a smile, “Maybe they grew a pair of wings and flew away like a butterfly.” Grandma May thought it was a shame. “Oh, I didn’t get to see them flying away like a butterfly.” Serenity was amused by the old lady’s antics. “When did you come home last night, Nana?” “I was back before you were. I went to bed early last night. I don’t know what time you guys came home last night.” Although Serenity was skeptical of Grandma May’s answer, she left the conversat
Sonny was pretty well-behaved, but he was less than three years old after all. He had a cheeky side to him. Hank took Sonny to a nearby park the other day, and the playful and active child ran everywhere. Sonny would wander off far away if Hank took his eyes off the boy for one second. It frightened Hank as he thought he had lost his child. Since then, Hank did not want to take his son out anymore. In fact, the first time they went to the park together was because Hank ran out of excuses not to go. Sonny sensibly asked, “Oh. Do you need to work?” Hank lied, “Yeah. I need to work and make money.” He still had no luck in the job department. Since it appeared Liberty was doing well with her business, it got Hank into thinking of setting up a business with Jessica after the wedding. They could be their own boss.Without needing to take orders from other people, they could work on their own schedule. Would Zachary come after him if Hank were to set up a business though?
Sonny might not understand that it was a business, but he knew that no one else but Aunt Ser and Uncle Zack were the only exceptions to the paying rule.Hank was dumbstruck for a moment before remarking, “I’m your father, Sonny. How can you compare me with Mr. Lewis? He’s an outsider. Besides, Mr. Lewis isn’t a good man. He’s scary.” Sharing the sentiment, Sonny bobbed his head and replied in his childish voice, “Dunc is scary, but he’s not a bad man!” Hank did not forget the time he told his son to kick a fuss every time Duncan came looking for Liberty. Refusing to dwell on the same topic, Hank took the hint and talked about breakfast again. His son was stubborn. The little man said that Mr. Lewis was scary, but he was not a bad man. Despite Hank’s efforts to change the boy’s mind, Sonny stuck to his guns about Mr. Lewis. “Alright. I’ll pay. Happy now? I feel like it’s all about money for you after the divorce.“You’re so petty. You hold every dime against me. We were once a
Hank admitted that he was a bad man. He wanted to force Liberty to grow disconnected from society with no source of income and become a faded woman in her early thirties.Compared to many housewives who had suffered the same situation, Liberty was a very brave person. She decisively cut off her relationship with Hank.She never compromised just because of her child.Although divorce might be harmful to the child, it would be equally detrimental if they fought all day while remaining together and there would be no peace at home too. It was better to get divorced and raise her son alone. As long as she taught him attentively, she could raise him to be a confident person.Mrs. Lane took a plate of eggs and bacon and placed it in front of Hank.Hank was pulled back from his drifting thoughts. His life now with Jessica was also happy and sweet. Although there were some family conflicts, the husband and wife were still in the break-in period. He would live a better life than with Libe
When Serenity previously lived in his home, she handled all the household chores...“J-Jessica, I-I just came here to have breakfast.”Hank picked up the fallen fork and threw it into the trash can under the table.He stood up and explained to Jessica that he was just here for breakfast.Jessica looked at Sonny.Sonny looked back at her. His face took after Liberty, and his eyes were bright and clear. He was a lovely child.Jessica could not bring herself to continue looking at him.Hank quickly explained, “Liberty was very busy earlier, and there was no one to look after Sonny, so I let him sit next to me and looked after him while I ate. Sonny is still my son, after all.”He knew that Jessica greatly disliked it when his family brought Sonny up in conversations, and she hated it when he visited Sonny.Jessica took a few deep breaths and suppressed her anger. She did not like her husband and his family always coming to visit Sonny and talking about him at all. Her in-laws alw
Hank gave Jessica a sideways glance and joked, “Jessica, did the sun rise from the west today?“I went to Liberty’s diner early in the morning to have breakfast and accompany Sonny. When I saw you, I was afraid that you’d quarrel with me and embarrass me in front of Liberty. I didn’t expect that you’d be willing to let me bring Sonny home to stay for a few days.“You treated Lucas badly, so I thought you hated children.”Jessica hated Lucas since he broke her cosmetics. However, he was Chelsea’s son. As long as Chelsea and Hank did not break off their sibling relationship, they would still come over and meet up.Jessica hated the boy, but the only thing she could do when Lucas came over was to lock their bedroom so that Lucas could not get in.Lucas would make a mess of the place, and his grandparents would not care. They were happy to let the little brat do whatever he wanted.Jessica knew that Chelsea’s three children were raised by her parents-in-law. They treated their three
“It’s conducive to our family’s happiness. I’m not a petty person. When all’s said and done, you’re Sonny’s father and have to pay for his child support, so you have to maintain your bond with him. Otherwise, it’ll be a waste if he isn’t close to you despite him growing up with your money.“We’ve been together for so long, but I haven’t gotten pregnant yet. Maybe I’ll be able to conceive if you bring Sonny over. There are many people who remain childless after years of marriage, but after they adopt a child, they have one of their own after a year or two.”Hank was overjoyed to hear this and praised her. “Jessica, I was right about you. You’re a wise and sensible wife and mother.”“What woman doesn’t think about making a good life for herself when she marries her husband. I was forced to become a shrew because your family bullied me. Your sister, especially, is a troublemaker.“She stirred up your marriage with Liberty, and now she wants to stir us up too. Hank, I’m not trying to s
Jessica wisely dropped the topic.No matter how terrible Chelsea was, she was still Hank’s sister.Hank could not really cut ties with his sister.In any case, Jessica made her stand. Her purpose was to let Hank and her get closer to Sonny, and to break down Liberty’s defenses. As time passed, Liberty would not object if they wanted to take Sonny out to play.Then, she would be able to complete the task given to her by that unknown lady.She was not being ruthless. Her family’s lives were on the line. All she had to do was bring Sonny to a crowded place so that the other party had the opportunity to strike. Sonny would be fine as long as he behaved well.If anyone was to blame, it was Serenity.That person was targeting Sonny because Serenity offended her.The woman also said that she was just using Sonny as bait to lure Serenity out. The person she wanted to deal with was Serenity....Spring Blossoms always opened earlier than others. Camryn had already opened the store bef
The O'Connor family, due to a predominance of daughters rather than sons, was extremely cautious about their sons-in-law.Even though they did not have a son-in-law yet, it was clear from the way Isabella’s uncles were not allowed to interfere in the family business that they were worried about a son-in-law taking control of the O'Connor family’s wealth.Even Isabella’s aunts were forbidden from involving themselves in the family business. This was to protect their love-obsessed selves from being easily manipulated or influenced by their in-laws.At twenty-seven, Isabella had not even considered dating, as she knew once she had a partner, her elders would put their guard up against her and her partner.It was not just the elders who would be cautious, Isabella herself would be wary of her own husband.Too many men had used their wives’ family wealth to rise to power, only to later swap their wives out for younger and more beautiful women. Some even swallowed the entire family fort
“If the woman’s side minds her moving so far away and wants us to go to her family, except for Zack, who can’t move because he’s the head of the family, the elders in our family don’t really care. As long as we’re happy, they’re fine with it.”They had the powerful York Corporation backing them, and each of them was highly capable. Even if one of them married into another family, they would not be bullied by the woman’s family. If the woman wanted to push them around, she would have to think twice, with the York family’s influence behind them.However, so far, none of his brothers had done so.Austin thought to himself that he might just set a precedent.Isabella now bore a heavy burden. Her brother was too young, and it would take at least a decade before he could take over. Isabella would have to manage the family business for many more years.Isabella’s eyes sparkled. “Your family’s so open-minded. With your family’s wealth and standing, there’s really no need for you guys to l
“Zack is much more at ease now, but honestly, the person who was the biggest help to him wasn’t any of us—it was Josh. He and Zack are really good friends, and after graduation, Zack brought him into York Corporation.“He’s Zack’s right-hand man, and he’s really impressive.“Zack is incredibly efficient too. Back then, no one in the company could keep up with his work speed. He slowed down a bit after marrying my sister-in-law and starting a family. Now, he likes to stick close to her, and he’s not as crazy about work as he used to be.“He also goes to fewer networking events now. He used to attend these events and work late into the night, but now he’s home before ten at night. No one can stop him.“Those CEOs who work with our family know this too. If they have a business to discuss with him, they try to get it done during the day. They don’t want to drag it into the night.”Isabella laughed softly, her eyes showing a hint of envy. “Before, I didn’t know you were a York. But aft
This was the main reason he insisted on his daily morning runs. Austin did not have much time alone with Isabella because she was always busy. She left for work early and came back late too. He could only see her during mealtimes, but even then, she only had a short time to eat. After finishing her meal, she would try to squeeze in a bit of rest. Austin did not want to disturb her rest, so the only time they could have some quiet moments together and chat was during their morning runs. Fortunately, back in Wiltspoon, he had already gotten into the habit of going for a morning run. “Good morning, Ms. Isabella.”As Isabella approached, Austin smiled and greeted her. Isabella, a bit tired after running for a while, stopped when she saw Austin. She walked over to him and smiled. “Good morning.” Isabella already had a good impression of Austin when she learned that he was a member of the York family, the wealthiest family in Wiltspoon. Now, knowing more about him, her attitud
Zachary had told him that the old pervert from the Longbottom family wanted to take over the O'Connors’ family business and turn it into his own private property because the pervert did not have actual inheritance rights to the Longbottom family headship, nor did he have the family head’s seal, token, or totem.“Dylan, I don’t have much advice for you. As Zachary said, we should trust Nana. As long as you follow what she says, you won’t suffer any losses.”“We’re beyond the age where Nana can make us suffer now anyway.”When they were younger, they often got the short end of the stick, largely because their grandparents would discipline them. They were told that if their abilities and plans were not sufficient, it would make them vulnerable to being taken advantage of.“Dylan, I think I’ll clock in a couple more hours of sleep before my morning run. After that, I have to prepare breakfast for Ms. Isabella.”“Okay, go to bed then. Don’t overwork yourself.”“I’m not. I’m enjoying i
Austin would not admit that he wanted to hear the gossip about Dylan’s love life.Dylan asked, “Are you free to talk right now?”“Sure. I have a whole dormitory unit to myself, and it’s quite spacious. I live quite comfortably. My salary comes on time every month, and I’m well-fed. My cooking skills have improved a lot, too.”Dylan was silent for a moment before he responded with another voice message.“You’ve only been focused on cooking? It’s been several months since you went there, and you didn’t even come back for the Christmas holidays. All you have in your brain is cooking.”“I came here specifically to cook in the first place.”Dylan was speechless.Indeed, Austin had heard that Isabella had an extremely picky palate, which he viewed as a challenge. Their nana had not even urged him once when he had eagerly gone to Satbury of his volition.Occasionally, Dylan heard his family mention Austin, saying that he was always busy researching new recipes and cooking, but seemed
Chameleon Fox turned to look at Dylan.After some time, she said, “Thanks for returning the token to me.”It was the end between him and Fox.Dylan stared at her and said, “Don’t be outside at midnight this often in the future. You should have a good rest.”It would make her fatigued in the morning. She would have to drink a few cups of coffee to stay alert.Fox smiled. “I like going out at midnight. It’s become a habit. Goodbye, Dylan.”She waved at him and opened the door. Soon, she disappeared from his sight.Since Imogen knew her token was in Wildridge Manor, she was no longer in a rush to get it back.It was because Dylan was still in Huntington. If she were to go to Wiltspoon and Dylan could not find her at the company, he would link her to Chameleon Fox. He already had suspicions that they were the same person.Wildridge Manor was a safe place anyway. She was not worried that the token would go missing.Dylan had hidden the token at the manor to keep it safe and preven
“Whether it’s Imogen, Chameleon Fox, or Sugar—aren’t they all you?”“I said I’m not Ms. Doyle.”Chameleon Fox’s expression hardened. “You’re a bastard, Dylan York. You flirted with me and Ms. Doyle before figuring everything out. This is two-timing. I won’t accept you, and neither would Ms. Doyle.”Dylan’s heated gaze focused on her face. He said, “You’re saying that you aren’t Imogen. Do you dare to remove your makeup, tear off your hyper-realistic mask, and show me your true face?”“Do you know what happens to those who have seen my true appearance? Death.“Everyone who has seen my face is already dead. If you wish to die, I can fulfill that wish for you. However, I don’t want to offend the York family and be their enemies. Don’t make me kill you.”She had only put on a layer of hyper-realistic mask that night. If she tore it off, it would reveal her true appearance.Dylan smiled. “That’s because you feel guilty. You dare not show me your true face because you’re Imogen and Su
Both Sugar and Chameleon Fox were not her true identity—her true self was Imogen Doyle. Dylan had to love her as Imogen. Imogen could not handle Dylan’s intense stare. She stood and asked, “When are you going to return my item? Give it back to me now. We should cut ties and never cross paths again.”“I don’t have it with me. I used to bring it along with me wherever I went, but you never came to get it. I left it at home. I didn’t bring it over.“Are you that desperate to cut off all communication with me? We’ve known each other for over half a year. Although we didn’t start on a good note, didn’t we get along afterward?”Dylan thought Imogen was trying to remove Fox from his life so he could get used to her being Imogen.“Do you have some misunderstanding toward the concept of ‘getting along’? We’ve only been quarreling or fighting whenever we met. Is that considered ‘getting along’? If it were not for you taking my thing and not returning it to me, I wouldn’t have had to chas