Jasmine looked at her cousin suspiciously and asked, “Shawn, why are you asking about this?”Shawn would not admit his feelings for Serenity and that he was looking forward to Serenity’s divorce, so he lied. “I just care about Serenity. I don’t mean anything else. Serenity is a nice girl. If her husband doesn’t treat her well, it’ll be better to get a divorce sooner so she can find a man who will appreciate her. That way, she can live a good life.”“That’s true. Serenity is great! I believe Mr. York will fall in love with her. He might even fall for her sooner than the other way round!”Jasmine only wished the best for her friend.Shawn’s heart ached.He could not tell his cousin that he had a crush on Serenity because he was afraid Jasmine would tell his mother.Not to mention, Shawn was a little younger than Serenity. Even if Serenity were to divorce, his mother would never accept Serenity as a daughter-in-law.Before Shawn had full confidence in pursuing Serenity, he was care
Zachary was in dismay. However, on second thought, Callum recommending Serenity’s handicrafts would only mean more money for Serenity. Since Serenity was his wife, he could still reap some benefits from it. With this in mind, Zachary no longer felt too depressed about it.When Serenity finished cooking, she brought all of the dishes and placed them on the table.The couple took their seats and had dinner together.Zachary was in a good mood and ate with much gusto.He had to admit that Serenity had great cooking skills and he was blessed to have her.After the meal, Serenity washed the dishes and picked up the bag of clothes from the couch. She retrieved the clothes from the bag and handed them to Zachary. “Mr. York, try these two sets of clothes and see if they fit?“You’ve been of great help to me, so I think treating you to a meal isn’t enough. That’s why I bought you two sets of new clothes and ties to match. They’re all in black, your favorite color.”Zachary had guessed lo
A lot of people were taking a stroll in the neighborhood. Most of them were parents bringing their children out for walks while others included young couples holding hands intimately.Despite seeing how affectionate other couples were, Serenity and Zachary just walked side by side, without taking the initiative to extend their hand to the other.However, many people turned to look at them because they were a good-looking couple.Finally, Serenity stopped by a children’s playground and said to the man beside her, “Let’s sit here to watch the kids play.”Serenity liked children.She loved her nephew, Sonny.Zachary did not speak and followed her silently to sit on a stone bench.“If Sonny was here, he’d definitely have a good time.”Zachary hummed in response.Serenity tilted her head to look at him. Zachary felt weird that she was looking at him like that, so he asked her defensively, “Why are you looking at me like this?”“You look exquisitely handsome, so I thought of soothi
Zachary was speechless again.He had no idea what he should talk with her about.The young couples around them were newlyweds and behaving intimately, interlocking their fingers as they walked together. The couples with children were focused on their kids, so they had more things to talk about; unlike them, who had neither feelings nor children.It was an onerous task for them to chat.Seeing that Zachary was at a loss for words again, Serenity smiled and stood up, before pulling him up too. “Let’s go back so you won’t feel uncomfortable, wondering if I’ll jump you at any moment.”“Serenity, you’re a girl!”“So what if I’m a girl? I’m just saying…”Serenity pulled him away, but she only pulled on his sleeve without touching his hand for fear he might wash his hands a hundred times when he got home.“Didn’t you see the trending story two days ago? It was about Ms. Stone and Mr. York. Ms. Stone really likes him, so she confessed to him and wooed him openly. Men will pursue the wo
“You’re a manager in the company, yet you barely have the chance to meet your boss. Your boss is truly… unattainable and mysterious,” Serenity said.There were no photos of Mr. York on the internet.Mr. York was followed around by a security squad. Last time at the dinner party, there were so many tall and brawny bodyguards surrounding him to the point where Serenity and Jasmine could not catch a glimpse of Mr. York’s face even when they tiptoed.Now knowing that Zachary who was a white-collar employee in York Corporation and yet he rarely saw Mr. York, Serenity felt much better about herself.Zachary did not carry on with the conversation.He did not care what others say about him and acted according to his own wishes.The couple chatted about Mr. York and returned to their block.Zachary’s bodyguards wandered nearby. Although they did not follow Zachary and Serenity closely, the guards were always watching the young couple and kept them within range of vision, wherever they we
Zachary finally felt the benefits of being married.He left for work with the insulated lunch box.While on the way to the office in the car, he savored the breakfast that his wife prepared for him with love.He ate it with much gusto and felt satisfied.The driver and the bodyguard who sat in the same car as Zachary were a little puzzled. The breakfast Serenity prepared was extremely simple, yet the picky Zachary relished it. Perhaps, Serenity’s cooking skills were excellent.After Zachary left, Serenity routinely called her sister and left the house knowing that her sister was fine.When she got out, it was already rush hour, so there was traffic congestion which eventually got heavier as she was halfway into her journey.Many who were rushing for work were feeling utterly anxious till they almost went berserk.Elisa Stone was one of them.While her brother and sister-in-law were behaving lovey-dovey during breakfast, Elisa quietly slipped out of the house and secretly packe
Serenity was unaffected by the traffic congestion as she rode her electric bike.It took more than ten minutes to arrive at York Corporation.She stopped the bike and turned to Elisa and said, “We’re here, Miss.”Elisa returned the helmet to Serenity and thanked her.“It’s just a small favor. No need to thank me.”Elisa looked at her and asked, “May I know what’s your name? You look really familiar for some reason. Have we met before?”“My last name is Hunt. I also quite like you, Miss. Unfortunately, we’ve never met before.”Beautiful women had always left an impression on her, but she had no recollection of this lady.“Your last name is Hunt? Oh, I remember now. There was news about an unfilial granddaughter that went viral before. The granddaughter’s last name was also Hunt, and there was a photo attached as well. I think you look a bit like one of the little girls in the photo. Was that you?”The “unfilial granddaughter” news had left a deep impression on Elisa, and she re
Elisa did not want to owe Serenity a favor, but also because she felt she could hit it off with Serenity. Thus, she gave the latter her business card.Serenity also saw the line of luxury cars and said understandingly, “You should get going, Ms. Stone. I wish you all the best.”“Thank you.”Elisa hugged the bouquet and carried the insulated lunch box. Instead of running toward the luxury cars, she went straight to the building’s entrance and stood in the middle of the gate.Serenity was dumbfounded.Ms. Stone was truly formidable.Zachary was late to arrive at the office. Although he left early today, he had to drop by the villa to get something. After leaving the villa, the car drove for a short while before getting stuck in a traffic jam. Regardless of the car one drove or the people in the car, it was equal in the eyes of a morning rush congestion; nobody could get away with it.The bodyguard sitting in the passenger seat happened to be Jim, who had brilliant eyesight. He saw
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
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