While it was a cooking spree at Liberty’s diner, Zachary woke up back at home and as always before opening his eyes, he turned to his side and reached out to hold his wife. Alas, all he grabbed was air. Zachary opened his eyes. Serenity was no longer in the room. He looked at the sky outside. The sun was high. Turning over, Zachary grabbed his phone on the bedside table to look at the time. “Nine o’clock?!”He jolted up. Even during the weekend, Zachary had never gotten up this late. Maybe he came home a little too late last night. Zachary washed up and got dressed in record time. He even picked an outfit Serenity had bought for him. He opened the bedroom door to find Mrs. Lane watching TV on the sofa with a cat on her lap. With the door swinging open, Mrs. Lane cocked her head to look at him. She then rose to her feet and said with a smile, “You’re awake, Mr. Zachary. Should I get a start on breakfast?” “It’s after nine now.” Zachary mumbled as he walked out of
Serenity bent over to hold the cat up. “Missus, you might want to sweet-talk Mr. Zachary. He hasn’t eaten anything since he got up.” Mrs. Lane had no words for her boss’s sudden tantrum. She would not know Zachary had a childish side to him if she did not work here. While stroking the cat, Serenity remarked, “Mrs. Lane, you must let me know why he’s angry before I can calm him down. I didn’t do anything.” Mrs. Lane whispered, “I think Mr. Zachary is angry that you went out early in the morning. He must be hoping you would spend time with him since he’s home for the weekend.” Serenity replied, “I went to help my sister at her diner… Although it’s the weekend, many factories are not closed. The workers still went to work. My sister’s breakfast place was going to be packed, so I left early to help her. But I came home early. I’m back before ten o’clock.” It did not cross her mind that Zachary would sulk over a trivial matter.Mrs. Lane was at a loss for words. “I’ll go in
“When’s Nana coming back? I miss her so much.”Serenity missed the days when the old woman lived with them.Mrs. Lane said, “It was too late by the time I wanted to remind you. You already pushed the door and went in.”Serenity sighed again. “I’ll go wash my hands.”She washed her hands twice with antibacterial soap and went back to the room where she used to sleep. She then took a set of clean clothes from the closet and changed before she re-entered the master bedroom.“Babe, I washed my hands twice with antibacterial soap and changed my clothes too. There won’t be a single cat fur on my body.”Serenity walked behind Zachary and reached out to encircle his waist.“I’m sorry, okay? I really just forgot that I was holding the cat. In fact, they’re really cute, and you were the one who gave them to me. I treasure everything that you give me. You said you’d treasure it even if I gave you grass, and it’s the same for me. I’ll treasure whatever you give me.”Zachary did not turn ar
“Putting aside all the things we have to do, even if we retire in the future, there’s no guarantee that we’ll wake up every day and see each other right when we open our eyes.”There would always be one of them who would wake up earlier than the other.Zachary knew that he was being absurd.“Mrs. Lane said that you haven’t eaten yet. You must be hungry. Come on, let’s go eat. I’ll accompany you.”Serenity refuted him until he was speechless, and she could tell that he realized he was being unreasonable. Thus, she stopped dwelling on the topic and took the initiative to change the subject.The couple would just end up arguing if they dwelled on it further.“Okay.”Zachary hummed and let go of his beloved wife.Serenity pulled him out.Mrs. Lane already served Zachary’s breakfast on the table.Zachary was fussy, but in front of Serenity, he would always have to bow his head and compromise.Mrs. Lane was not worried at all that the breakfast she made would be wasted.“Why didn
Serenity once again sighed at her fortune. Although the man she married liked to throw tantrums, he was very good to her. He never raised his hand against her, and she did not have to worry about him cheating on her.More importantly, his family was great. Having open-minded and tolerant in-laws like the Yorks was rare among wealthy and influential families.She remembered Grandma May saying that since Serenity saved her life, she would never introduce a bad grandson to Serenity.In fact, all of her grandsons were exceptional.Zachary was just the oldest and thought to be the most exceptional by his elders.“Mrs. Lewis already helped pick a wife candidate for Mr. Lewis. Her name is Ms. Lily Harmon. She’s young and beautiful, but she also seems to be smart and competent. I could tell at a glance that she was an experienced person. The self-confidence and nobility that emanates from her gestures show that she came from a wealthy background. Furthermore, she must be good if she could
“I think Mrs. Lewis showed your sister Ms. Harmon’s picture deliberately to test whether your sister has any ideas about Duncan. In the end, she found out that Liberty has absolutely no interest in her son and was purely focused on her store and making money.”Zachary’s analysis was more thorough than Serenity’s.“If Liberty showed the slightest hint that she was interested in Duncan, Mrs. Lewis would not allow her to continue operating her store.”Serenity agreed with her husband.Mrs. Lewis was testing Liberty, but Liberty did not know anything. However, that was good. At least Liberty would not be influenced.“Babe, do you think I should tell my sister about all this?”“Mrs. Lewis’s hands are tied, which means she’s on the same boat as we are. She only has speculations but no way to prove them. You don’t need to say anything to Liberty. I’ll talk to Duncan and tell him not to go to your sister’s store for breakfast so often in the future.”Zachary grumbled about Duncan in his
“If it’s something you like, I’ll do my best to satisfy you as long as it’s within the scope of what I can tolerate. Don’t thank me. I don’t like to hear you thank me. If you really want to thank me, give me something practical.”Serenity laughed. “You don’t lack anything, and I wholly belong to you. What else can I give you?”Zachary liked what she had just said very much.Ring, ring, ring…Serenity’s phone rang.When she took out her phone to look at the caller ID, she excitedly answered the call.Zachary tried to guess who the person calling was. Why was Serenity so eager to answer their call?Was she also this excited whenever he called her?Zachary tended to be jealous of her loved ones and compared himself to them. He hoped that in the end, she would consider him to be the most significant.“Nana.”Serenity did not know that the man beside her was being jealous because she answered the phone so quickly.The call was from Grandma May.When Zachary heard Serenity’s gree
Serenity chuckled along. “Nana, Zachary is very good to me.”Grandma May said the same thing her sister always nagged her about.The old woman laughed on the other side of the phone.Zachary asked, “When are you coming back?”“I’m still lying in the hospital now. I won’t be back soon.”Zachary and Serenity both asked with concern at the same time, “What happened?”Even after chatting for so long, Grandma May did not mention that she was in the hospital. She acted like everything was fine and talked with a smile, so the couple did not expect her to be hospitalized.“I went out alone and fell when I was startled by Mr. Queen’s car. I just bumped my hip bone a little. Mr. Queen sent me to the hospital and helped me to notify my family. The only family I have in Jensburg is Kevin.”Zachary was speechless. “Nana, can’t you use a different method?”His nana was not young anymore. If she was not careful enough, she might actually hurt herself from the fall.Grandma May appeared aggr
Zachary said those words, but in his heart, he was thinking that he had to keep an eye on the younger generations of the major families in Wiltspoon, particularly those who stood out. He would make note of any promising boys, so that when he had a daughter, he could arrange for that boy to grow up alongside her. If they became childhood sweethearts, she would not have to marry far away. Of course, once he had a daughter, he would not want her to get married too early. He would still be fine even if she was unmarried at thirty.Zachary drove his beloved wife to the Stone residence. Audrey was walking in the yard with Patrick. The weather was nice today, and the temperature had risen a few degrees. Patrick had been ordered by Audrey to stay inside and avoid the cold wind, but he was now finally able to get out and walk around.Elisa had gone to Annenburg with Remy to celebrate Christmas. Anthony, afraid of his parents’ constant nagging to settle down, had bought a plane ticket abroad
“Duncan is a good man. Being with him, you will definitely be happy, Liberty. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, growing old together, and may you have children soon.” After a pause, Hank added, “Or maybe don't have children, I'm afraid that if you have your own kids, you might not love Sonny as much.”He was still quite selfish. He hoped that Sonny would be Liberty’s only child. As long as Liberty and Duncan did not have children, the fortune and empire Duncan built would eventually become his son's legacy. Then again, thinking about Liberty’s current status, Hank sighed quietly, knowing that his selfish prayer would never come true. Liberty would definitely have another child. She would need a daughter to take her place and eventually take over the Fisher matriarchy in Jensburg.What if Duncan had a biological child? Would he still treat Sonny well?Hank was actually quite worried that if Duncan had his own child, he might not treat Sonny well. That was why, when he last s
“Go cook some food. It's rare for Hank to be resting at home, so don't say those unpleasant things in front of him. Honestly, if he hadn’t gone after Jessica, she wouldn't have ended up like this. As a married man, Hank shouldn't have pursued a young, innocent girl in the first place. Everything that happened to him is his own fault—it’s all self-inflicted.”Ever since Hank divorced Liberty, and after seeing how Liberty had turned her life around and was living a better life, Luke had changed a lot because of regret. It made him realize many things and change a lot.Olivia opened her mouth as if to say something, but said nothing in the end. After a heavy sigh, she stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare food for her husband and son.In the past, when Liberty was still part of the Brown family, every time Olivia came to her son’s house, she never had to cook. She only had to mention what she wanted to eat, and Liberty would prepare it for her. All she had to do was eat and still
“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