The whole of Wiltspoon knew Zachary was crazy for his wife. It would be the death of Zachary if anything were to happen to Serenity. “Do you think Mrs. Newman is in on it?” Serenity’s first thought was Mrs. Newman. After a brief silence, Zachary said, “I can’t tell for sure, but I told Josh to keep an eye on Mr. Newman and his wife after your argument with Ms. Carrie. There’s no unusual activity on their end. “Seren, we can only know through an investigation if the mastermind is after you or me.” Zachary put Sonny next to him and pulled Serenity into his arms. Locking Serenity in his embrace, he vowed solemnly, “Don’t be scared. I’m here for you. I won’t let anyone harm you.” Lifting her chin, Serenity looked into his eyes with worry. “If they’re out to get you… You must be careful, Zachary.” “Unfortunately, I hold a status that tends to attract danger. I’m used to it. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” The York family sheltered their descendants from the outside world until t
“It’s a personal choice to take up self-defense if you're an ordinary person, but now… Sonny should learn to fight and protect himself.” Zachary had always held a torch for Sonny. He believed Sonny had a lot of potential and thought about taking the boy under his wing when he was older. Now, Zachary was merely carrying the plan out ahead of schedule. “That’s true. Alright, we’ll go with your idea. Thank you, babe.” For Zachary to help Sonny tap into his potential and creativity, Serenity was happy for her nephew and thanked Zachary for it. Zachary carried Sonny with one hand and dabbed on Serenity’s nose with his free hand before uttering, “You always call me Zachary, but suddenly I’m “babe” when I talk about getting Sonny a coach. Does Sonny hold a bigger space in your heart than I do?”Serenity replied with a smile, “You both hold equal spaces. No, you take up a bigger space in my heart.” Sonny was only a kid, but Zachary was an adult. Of course, Zachary took up more
The pair must have returned from a shopping trip. Lily held Mrs. Lewis’s arm while carrying a few shopping bags herself. “Are you heading out, Duncan?” Running into her son, Mrs. Lewis asked. “Mom. Ms. Harmon.” Duncan said hello before adding. “I have an emergency, Mom. Sorry, I can’t attend to you and Ms. Harmon. You can either wait in my office or go home for now?” “What’s the emergency?” Mrs. Lewis asked with concern. “It’s an emergency.” Duncan may be dense, but he was not going to tell his mother that he was ditching work to check up on Sonny. He was afraid Mom might get the wrong idea about him and Liberty. A lot of people took it the wrong way and believed Duncan had a thing for Liberty. Nobody believed Duncan when he said he took a shine to Sonny. People thought he was trying to earn Sonny’s regard to become his stepdad. “Is it work-related?” Mrs. Lewis asked. Duncan lied, “Yes, Mom. I got to go.” “Alright. Go on then. Come home for dinner. Lily bough
“I’ve been busy with my wedding and will be taking off for my honeymoon. Mr. Lewis can’t go without a secretary.” The secretary gave an air-tight answer. Lily had nothing to say. Duncan had no idea his mother and Lily would interrogate the secretary in his absence. It was a good thing this secretary gave great answers that did not raise his mother’s suspicion. Mrs. Lewis and Lily did not follow the news about the incident at the zoo because it was unrelated to them. Knowing that Sonny was at Brynfield, Duncan made haste there. Zachary and Clive were no longer there by the time Duncan arrived at Brynfield. Only the ladies were at home. Elisa was still there. Duncan gave Liberty a call. With Liberty taking his call, he asked, “Are you and Sonny still at your sister’s place, Liberty?” “Yeah, Seren said she’ll drive us home after dinner. What’s the matter, Mr. Lewis?” “I heard about what happened today.” Duncan uttered, “It was on the news. I asked Zachary, and he t
“Ahem…” Grandma May cleared her throat. When Duncan looked at her, she reminded him, “Duncan, Sonny wasn’t scared by the robbers but by you. Look at how he’s struggling to get off you to the ground.” “Dunc, let go of me,” Sonny asked again. The little guy’s small face was tense. It was obvious that he was mad. Dunc was too strong, hence Sonny could not break free from his embrace. Duncan immediately put Sonny down and squatted as well. He grabbed Sonny’s shoulders instead and said gently, “Sonny, as long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay.” Sonny looked at Duncan with his big twinkling eyes. Dunc treated him quite well. Sonny could sense Dunc’s sincerity toward him. Dunc was not teasing him and really liked him. Sonny lifted his small hand and placed it on the scar on Duncan’s face. He lightly touched it and then retracted his hand as if he was afraid. Seeing as Duncan was not in pain, Sonny reached out his little hand again to touch the scar. “Dunc, does it h
Duncan sat on the sofa by himself and asked about what happened. “It feels like their goal was to abduct Sonny.” Duncan’s intuition was the same as Serenity’s and Zachary’s. “Liberty, do you remember what they look like? If you can draw composites of them, I can have someone find them.” Duncan was no longer a part of the underworld, but his legend remained. If he needed help from those people, they would do anything they could to help him as they used to in the past. “They were wearing black masks and sunglasses, so I couldn’t see their appearances. I only know that they’re tall and strong. They’re not like ordinary thugs and are more like bodyguards.” Zachary always had a bunch of bodyguards with him, so Liberty was used to seeing them. They were all tall and powerful, so she felt that the thugs were closer to bodyguards. Duncan’s eyes darkened. He did not comment on what Liberty said and only asked for more details. Soon, it was time to eat. At this time, his mother c
“You said you’d be back for dinner tonight. Look at the time now. Are you still not coming home?” Mrs. Lewis urged her son, “Hurry up and come home. Lily cooked you some of her best dishes. I tasted them, and they’re delicious. They’re on par with dishes by a five-star hotel chef.” “Mom, I’m not going back for dinner. I’m not done with things yet. You and Ms. Harmon can dine together. Mom, Msr. Harmon is a guest in our house, so don’t make her cook. That’s poor hospitality.” Mrs. Lewis frowned. “You’re not done with things yet? Even if that’s the case, you still have to eat. It’s dark now, so come home to eat first. You can continue to work after dinner.” “Mom, I’ve eaten. I ate outside.” Mrs. Lewis responded, “Lily made a lot of food…” “You’re blessed with delicious food.” Mrs. Lewis choked. She was almost pissed off by her son. Mrs. Lewis tried so hard to create opportunities for her son, but he either avoided them or found excuses to turn them down. Lily was outs
In any case, Duncan’s future wife had to be well-matched with him in terms of their families’ social status. Mrs. Lewis remarked, “Lily is still the most suitable one, but that brat isn’t giving her a chance at all. If he spends some time with her, they might end up being together. I’m going to York Corporation tomorrow.” Mr. Lewis asked her, “Why are you going there?” “Duncan, Zachary, and Josh are a trio. They’re the closest friends. Zachary and Josh are both taken and have tasted the sweetness of love. I’ll ask them to do the thinking for Duncan and get them to persuade him to give it a shot with Lily. “He might not listen to his parents, but he’ll listen to his good friends. He’s even staying at Zachary’s place now. Dear, send me Zachary’s phone number. I’ll call him later and not wait until tomorrow.” Mrs. Lewis thought about asking Zachary and Josh for help. “Zachary’s bad at talking and is worse than your son. Call Josh instead. Josh knows how to talk, so he’ll be mo
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