Ten minutes later, Serenity heard the sound of a car honking and spoke to her friend before taking her phone that was left on the table. She went around the counter and left.After a few steps, she turned back and picked up her bag. “I forgot to take the bag that Zachary gave me. He’ll pull a long face if I don’t go out with it.”Jasmine laughed. “What a blissful worry.”Serenity held the branded bag Zachary gave her and walked out of the bookstore. The two bodyguards saw that it was Zachary who came to pick her up and very sensibly did not follow her again.Zachary got out of the car, holding a bouquet in one hand and opening the car door for her with the other. He passed the bouquet to Serenity when she approached.“This is for you, honey.”“Thanks, babe.”Serenity took the bouquet, smiled and kissed Zachary’s face, and got into the car.Zachary touched the place she kissed with a smile in his eyes, then followed her into the car.“Honey, I brought you some pastries for afte
“What does it say?”Zachary had not seen the results yet. He watched her actions but could not see a smile on her face, so he assumed his father-in-law really was not the biological son of Old Mr. and Mrs. Hunt.“The results say that my granddad and I are related by blood. My dad is their biological child.”“They’re actually related by blood? With how badly they treat you, I always thought you weren’t biologically related.”Serenity looked at her husband and seemed amused. “You sound like you were hoping my dad wasn’t their biological child.”Zachary said sheepishly, “They’re so ruthless that I thought your dad wasn’t their own. How can they do this when he’s their actual son? It’s heartbreaking.”“My sister and I had our hearts broken by them long ago. We’ll never reconcile in our lifetime.”Serenity put the results away. She had not received a reply from her sister yet, so she guessed that Liberty should be sleeping.The business at All You Can Eat was booming, and Liberty wa
Serenity said, “Because I was the one who told him to pluck your hair.”“You told him to do it? Are you mad? Why do you want to pluck my hair? How could that runt obey your orders? Serenity, did you give Noah a lot of benefits?”She gave his youngest grandson benefits but not to her own grandfather. Sure enough, there was no point in raising a girl. She did not know how to take care of her grandfather after getting rich.“I heard you spread rumors saying my dad wasn’t your biological child. My dad died more than ten years ago, so he can’t refute the accusations. As his daughter, I have to refute it for him.“According to inheritance law, Grandmom and you can inherit a part of Dad’s assets. The results will be the same whether we go to court or negotiate. You wouldn’t have gotten into this situation if you weren’t this greedy.”Serenity took out the DNA test result. “I told Noah to pluck your hair to do a DNA test. Dad can’t get a DNA test done with you, but it’ll be the same if I
Mike persuaded his granddad to come to an agreement with Serenity and Liberty regarding the house.“Okay,” Serenity agreed.If negotiation was on the table, she wanted it. She did not want to waste time on a lawsuit.An hour later, Zachary arranged a private room in Wiltspoon Hotel for the Hunt family to talk.Liberty brought Sonny with her.Old Mr. Hunt called John back too. He was fighting for Scott’s house because he wanted John to inherit it. John had always been his favorite grandson, so he liked to discuss everything with John.After hearing that Serenity used their youngest cousin to get a DNA test done with Old Mr. Hunt in advance, John was cognizant that continuing their actions would only paint them as clowns.There was a mishap with Harriet’s cosmetic surgery too. She was supposed to change her face to Serenity’s, but she came out looking like their other cousin instead...It would be hard to carry out the plan of Harriet replacing Serenity as the missus of the York
The Hunt family was speechless.They exchanged glances, and then Mike said, “Serenity, discuss it with your sister and name a price. Just sell the house to us.”“If we offer to sell it, will it be you or our grandparents paying?”Mike said, “Our grandparents are the ones staying in the house, so of course they’ll be the ones paying. However, they don’t have much savings after Grandmom got sick. All of us pitched in to pay for her medical fees. They may not be able to fork out a large amount of money at once.“You can let them sign an IOU. They’ll pay you as much money as they can now. If it’s not enough...”“Can they owe you the money?”Serenity could not help but ask, “They’re old and don’t have a source of income. How are they going to buy a house?”Mike was silent.Old Mr. Hunt heard his grandchildren’s conversation and said to his two sons angrily, “You brothers help me pay for the house. Scott’s share can be considered paid for since your mom and I are staying in the house
“A few thousand per square foot.”Serenity looked at her two uncles and two cousins and asked them, “Do you have any objections? If you don’t, then we’ll go with Granddad’s idea. I’ll get someone to help me write the contract, then we’ll notarize the agreement. Granddad and Grandmom will have no share in the property my parents left behind in the future.“They don’t need to move out, but you have to pay for the rent and utilities every month. We won’t take advantage of you, but don’t even consider taking advantage of us either.”Zachary leaned into Serenity’s ear and whispered, “Transfer the ownership first. Although the name on the title deed is your dad’s, your grandparents are still around. Your sister and you will only be able to inherit it completely if they sign to give up their share of the inheritance.”If the title deed was transferred to the sisters’ names, there would be no need to wrangle with those people in the future.Serenity nodded.The Hunt family had no objecti
The driver was Lily.The car she was driving belonged to Mrs. Lewis and it was lent to her to use while she was in Wiltspoon.Mrs. Lewis really liked Lily and tried her best to matchmake her with Duncan. However, Lily was not in a hurry to pursue Duncan. Instead, she accompanied Mrs. Lewis everywhere when she was free so that Mrs. Lewis would like her more.She was trying to appeal to her mother-in-law first.At Lily’s words, Mrs. Lewis turned her head to look outside the window. Lily was driving, and there were many cars behind them, so she could not suddenly brake or slow down. They were already a distance away by the time Mrs. Lewis turned to look.However, a mother could still easily recognize her son.“It’s Duncan,” Mrs. Lewis said confidently.“Who’s that woman talking to him?”Mrs. Lewis did not see Liberty clearly and said, “Lily, there’s an intersection ahead where you can make a U-turn. Let’s go back and see who that woman is.”Her youngest son seldom interacted with
“Okay. Thank you, Mr. Lewis.”Liberty thanked him politely and added, “We’ll be going now. Goodbye.”Duncan said, “Drive safe. Bye, Sonny.”Sonny waved at him. “Bye bye, Dunc.”Liberty rode her e-bike and left with her son.Duncan stood where he was and watched the mother and son’s backs fade away. When they were out of sight, he turned back to his car, started the engine, and went back to his office.After his car left, the BMW parked a hundred feet behind his car drove off as well.“Drive faster, Lily. Overtake Duncan’s car and go further ahead to see who that woman is.”The two did not drive past Duncan after making the U-turn because they were afraid of being discovered by him, so they stopped not far from where he parked. However, they could not see the woman’s face clearly from that distance.Mrs. Lewis saw Liberty before, but that was when Liberty was still fat.Now that Liberty had lost dozens of pounds, Mrs. Lewis could not recognize her anymore.Furthermore, she on
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing