Liberty did not care that her ex-husband was not living a good life after their divorce.All that mattered was that she was happy.At four in the morning, she woke her son up and brought him to All You Can Eat.Another busy day began.Sonny was still small and fell asleep along the way.When they reached the store, Liberty put two chairs together to let her son sleep on them, and a few more chairs on his sides to prevent him from rolling over and falling to the ground.The two assistants she hired came to work at six in the morning.Usually, the breakfast rush hour would be from half-past six to half-past nine.Serenity would come to pick up her nephew at seven.Sonny would be awake by that time.The little man was such a good boy and did not cry after waking up. He sat by himself at the cashier, playing with the set of blocks that he had not assembled yet.“Liberty.”Serenity called out to her sister as she entered. She lent a hand when she saw it was a full house at the d
Sonny recalled Jessica’s and his mom’s explanation, but he still could not fully understand the meaning of his mom’s words. He tilted his head and asked, “Dunc, are you married?”“No, I don’t have a spouse, so I’m not married.”“Why don’t you have a spouse?”“Because I don’t have a woman I like.”Sonny blinked and asked curiously, “You don’t like my mom? Also, my Aunt Ser and Aunt Elisa are very nice. Don’t you like them too?”Duncan was speechless.He said in amusement, “Your Aunt Ser is very nice, but she already has your Uncle Zack. I can’t like your Aunt Ser. Your Aunt Elisa is also very good, but I don’t like her that way. She’s not my type.“As for your mom... I only think of her as my friend. I come over every day because I like you.”Sonny seemed to vaguely understand the part where Duncan said he liked him.He asked instinctively, “Do you want to marry me?”Duncan froze. “Sonny, we’re both boys, so we can’t get married. Although I don’t have a girlfriend yet, I’m a s
“You don’t need to care about Liberty, nor do you have to find her since it’ll make you appear as having no confidence. I’ll handle her. I’m Duncan’s mother. It’s normal that I can’t accept a divorcee as my daughter-in-law.”Mrs. Lewis was afraid that Lily would go looking for trouble with Liberty and anger Duncan, causing him to dislike her.She added, “From now on, just focus on pursuing Duncan. I'll take care of Liberty for you.“I’m Duncan’s mom. No matter what, Duncan won’t fight with me.”Lily said while driving, “Mrs. Lewis, are you going to look for Liberty now? I think Duncan just treats her son well. He didn’t seem to pay much attention to Liberty. Maybe we’re overthinking.“Maybe Duncan simply likes Liberty’s son? I also saw what the boy looked like. He looks smart and is utterly adorable. There’s also nothing strange about Liberty renting Duncan’s store to open a breakfast diner. As long as she pays the rent, she’s just a tenant.“Furthermore, Liberty is Mr. York’s si
Liberty answered sincerely, “It’s Mr. Lewis’s lot and he said that he was going to charge me a cheaper rate since I am Zachary’s sister-in-law. We settled on eight thousand a month for the rental and if you add the utilities and all that, then it comes down to just shy of ten thousand.” Mrs. Lewis was relieved to hear that her son had charged Liberty a proper rental—at least he was not giving the shop away as an act of charity. Considering Liberty’s relationship with Zachary, charging her eight thousand per month for rental was a reasonable and fair price. "That brat is taking your money? You’re Mr. York’s sister-in-law, he should have the decency to let you use the lot without charging you a rental,” Mrs. Lewis said this intentionally to elicit Liberty’s reaction. Liberty quickly explained, “At the end of the day, business is business and I don’t think personal relations should play a part in it. I would not dare use the shop lot if he was not going to charge me rent at al
“Mrs. Lewis.” After Liberty glanced at the picture, she handed it back to Mrs. Lewis. After taking the photo, Mrs. Lewis asked Liberty with a warm smile, “Liberty, what do you think of this girl?” She made a point of observing Liberty’s expression to see how she would respond. Liberty gave her opinion candidly, “She looks beautiful and inspires a lot of confidence. I’d say she’s a very capable and independent woman, very trustworthy.” Mrs. Lewis noted the calm demeanor in which Liberty answered and said, “You’re very good at reading people, aren’t you? I would agree that Lily here is an independent woman. After graduating from university, she joined her family’s company and started from the foundation, keeping her identity a secret the entire time. “She climbed the ranks and is now the vice president of the company. It was only after she had been promoted to the top rung of the company that people found out that she was the chairman’s daughter and the younger sister of t
After Mrs. Lewis said this, she asked Liberty, “Liberty, how often do you see Duncan? He’s good buddies with your brother-in-law so I figured you see him from time to time. If you have the chance, please help me persuade and convince him to see Lily, alright?” Liberty smiled and assured her, “Mrs. Lewis, I’d be glad to help you out. Mr. Lewis is a wonderful person and I do see him now and then, but I’m not sure if I could influence him that much. “He comes to my place for breakfast most mornings and likes to play with my son. Next time he comes over, I’ll try to put in a good word for Lily and sway him to see her more often. “But I just have to tell you that there’s no guarantee, especially since our relationship for the most part is just that of a shop owner and a tenant. If you as his mother could not do much to sway him, I don’t think my words would have a much greater effect either.” Mrs. Lewis considered this and said, “You make a good point. Still, if he shows up for b
Lily steered the wheel while remarking, “Which is why I said that the Hunt sisters have very good characters. Considering how Liberty’s marriage had just fallen through, I doubt she would be looking for a new relationship so soon. “The only thing she’s focused on now is starting her business and making money. Another marriage has probably never even crossed her mind yet.” People who had experienced a failed marriage tend to be more vigilant when it came to founding a new relationship with another. Since her mind was fixed on building a foundation for her business, romantic affairs should not concern her in the least. Mrs. Lewis stated, “If she dares to hatch any ideas about Duncan, I’ll be the one chasing her out of the shop lot first. Don’t even think about setting up her restaurant at our property. It doesn’t seem like she’s up to anything now but I still feel strangely suspicious about her, like something’s going to happen between her and Duncan later on.” “You can dea
“See you.” Jasmine did not avert her eyes from the book she was reading the entire time. Serenity observed how intently she was reading and teased her, “Jas, you’ve probably read all the books lying around here enough times to recite them from memory. It’s a wonder to me that you’re still amused by the same books over and over. “Why don’t you learn to write a novel? With your years of experience as a bookworm, I guarantee your work will be a hit that’s going to fly off the shelves. I promise you I’ll place your books in the most prominent spot. “What do you say? Embark on your journey as a star author.” Jasmine smiled and dismissed the idea, “I just enjoy reading, writing is not for me. I’m so lazy that the only thing that would motivate me to move at all is good food, but you’re expecting me to write an entire novel? Besides, do you think writing a book is easy as you make it out to be? Just coming up with the plot alone is going to make you pull your hair out.” Serenity
“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