“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
Camryn maintained her smile and answered, “I also sell flowerpots, fertilizers for flowers, potting soil, and so on. What do you need, sir?”Callum pursed his lips. The woman in front of him spoke with a constant smile, but she gave off a wispy feeling. However, her words were sharp.“I’ll just take a look.”Callum walked past Camryn and entered the store to wander around.After making a round, he turned to find that Camryn was following him not far behind.Why was she following him when she was pretending to be blind? Was she revealing herself?“Sir?” Camryn called out to Callum when she did not hear his subtle footsteps anymore.Callum felt uncertain again when he saw her expression. Was she blind or just pretending to be blind?He decided to test her.After looking around the store, his gaze finally locked on a potted cactus. He took the pot and put it on the counter, asking, “I want this one. How much is it?”Camryn turned toward the direction of his voice and walked towa
Callum took out his phone but saw that there were no cashless payment options on the counter. He asked, “Your store doesn’t accept payments via e-wallets?”Camryn said honestly, “I can’t see, so I didn’t set up cashless payments. I don’t have an e-wallet account.”She took out her phone and showed it to Callum. It was an old-fashioned model that sported a keypad. She could only make phone calls and send messages with the phone.Camryn could not see, so she could only call others by pressing the keypad. She could not use a smartphone either.“I posted a sign at the door saying that the store only accepts cash. If you don’t have cash and if my two shop assistants are present, you can pay her via Apple Pay and she’ll pay me back in cash.”Callum hummed and took out a one hundred dollar bill from his wallet, handing it to Camryn.He did not tell her that it was a hundred-dollar bill.Then, he stared at her and watched as she touched the money. After feeling it several times, she wen
Zachary hummed in response. When he saw Callum holding a cactus, he asked, “Did you buy that?” “Yeah, I went to Spring Blossoms before work.”“Spring Blossoms?” Zachary found the name a little familiar. He seemed to have heard it from his beloved wife before.Callum did not hide it and said honestly, “It’s Ms. Camryn’s flower store. The name of the store is so unoriginal.”Zachary said faintly, “Flowers blossom during spring.”Callum choked.“Since you went all the way there, why didn’t you buy more potted plants?”Callum pouted and said, “I didn’t go there to buy flowers. I bought this cactus because I had no choice.”He could not just leave without buying anything when he caused her to prick her hand with the thorns.“Wouldn’t a ball cactus look nicer if you place it next to your desktop? Normal cacti have longer thorns. Be careful not to get pricked.”Zachary made a few passing remarks and entered the office building. He left his brother behind and went upstairs first.C
Camryn was very surprised to hear that.He was from York Corporation.Was he an employee of York Corporation or someone from the York family?Camryn could not tell.She thought, ‘I’ll ask Serenity who that number belongs to the next time she comes to my store to buy flowers.’Serenity did not know Callum had begun to approach Camryn. After Zachary sent her to the bookstore, she chatted with Jasmine for a while before her old classmates she invited over to help weave the handicrafts arrived. Serenity told them to weave a small trinket according to her instructions.She first had to make sure that their skills were not rusty, then she took a lot of materials from the small storeroom and distributed them to everyone to take home and weave.After sending them off, Serenity turned and was just about to go back into the store when Elisa arrived in her car. She watched Elisa park in front of the bookstore and get out of the car.“Seren.”Elisa walked over to Serenity with a smile. “W
Whether it was Serenity’s hometown or the neighboring villages, the young worked in the cities while only the older generation stayed behind. The elderly could not do much farm work, so the fields were deserted. Since there was someone rich who wanted to rent the fields from them, they would not refuse the opportunity to earn money.Serenity and Jasmine were very pleased to hear this.After Elisa finished updating them about the investment project, she looked at Serenity and hesitated a moment before saying, “That was the good news. Time for the bad news. Seren, I also got someone to inquire about what your relatives were up to while talking about contracting the land.”“Everything they’ve done has been bad news. Just say it, Elisa. I’m prepared to hear whatever it is they’re doing recently. At most, they hauled away the bricks, sand, and gravel and sold them.”“The trucks of materials you sent to rebuild the house were still there. They were stacked properly untouched. Your relati
“They can try every dirty trick under the sun, but we’re not going to change our minds about taking them to court. We’ll only take what is ours and nothing more,” Serenity spoke firmly. She was not a heartless person, but she could show no mercy when it came to her money-hungry relatives. It would take Serenity a lifetime to get over the hurt from her childhood. “Of course. They can talk and make up stories all they want. We’ll take the legal route, so it’s a fair game for them and us.” Elisa said, “I have never met anyone more shameless than them. Are you sure your father is their blood family, Seren?” “I believe so. My father shared an uncanny resemblance with his old man. They’re just playing favorites…. That’s the case with some parents—they dote on the oldest and youngest while the middle child tends to get ignored. “I will request for a DNA test if they put up a defense, saying that my father isn’t their child in court. The DNA test will prove the blood relations. “
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc