It was not that Mr. Newman did not want his daughter to marry into the York family but rather it was a question of whether it was possible.Serenity reached the top without even knowing how, but other people would not be able to step into Wildridge Manor no matter how hard they tried.It was really infuriating.“Then, we’ll choose Mr. Stone?”Mr. Newman looked at his wife and said, “You become muddle-headed when you care about Carrie. You only think about marrying our daughter to the best families, but you forget their relationships. Serenity is Mrs. Stone’s niece. Do you think Carrie will have a good time as Mrs. Stone’s daughter-in-law?”Mrs. Newman was speechless.Yes, she forgot about that.“Carrie is still young, so there’s no need to rush. We can take our time to pick. Our top priority is to get her out of jail, find someone whom the York family respects to mediate, and let Serenity give up on suing Carrie.”Mr. Newman felt that as long as Serenity was firmly seated in th
Even though many gowns were made in that style, they just did not like it.The York men wanted to cover their women tightly; not even exposing their arms.At that moment, Camryn’s appearance made others want to bite into her.“Ms. Newman looks very beautiful tonight.”Callum praised Camryn before turning back to the Newman couple. “Mr. and Mrs. Newman, I saw an acquaintance of mine and will go to say hello to him. Head on inside. Many bosses are here already.”“Go ahead, Mr. York,” Mr. Newman spoke politely.He caught the amazement in Callum’s eyes when the latter looked at Camryn earlier. However, Callum only glanced at her twice, praised her, and stopped looking at her. It was clear that he was not charmed by Camryn.Mr. Newman thought that if Camryn could bewitch Callum, he would give her to Callum and let Callum speak up for Carrie. Serenity would definitely spare Carrie for the sake of her brother-in-law.What a shame; even the stunning Camryn could not tempt Callum.They
Wiltspoon Hotel was owned by York Corporation. Josh was the administrative executive and came in and out of the hotel every day, but he still wanted her to take him inside.Josh said, “You don’t have to rush in. Your friend hasn’t arrived yet. I didn’t see his car parked at the entrance.“It’s not just Zachary. I didn’t see the Stone family’s car either. They’re not as punctual as I am.”Jasmine was not convinced. “Maybe their cars are in the underground parking lot.”“If you don’t believe me, just ask the lobby manager.”Jasmine pursed her lips and let go of Josh’s hand to take his arm instead, saying, “Okay, let’s go inside.”Josh contentedly took Jasmine into the hotel.Callum, an old acquaintance, was left standing at the entrance of the hotel. Josh did not say a word to him.Callum was speechless.Oh, the woes of being a bachelor.No matter how close a friend was, once the said friend had a partner, they no longer cared about you.Fortunately, he was just making an excu
The same person also looked down on Serenity’s background.A country bumpkin sprinted up the social ladder just because she saved Old Mrs. York.There were so many elders in the York family, but no one raised an objection and allowed a country bumpkin to become the eldest missus of the family. She would be the lady of the family in the future. Was the York family not afraid that Serenity’s incompetence would disgrace the family and make them the laughingstock of others?If Serenity had married another son of the York family, she might not have attracted that much jealousy.“You’re right. I also think that Serenity isn’t insightful enough. She doesn’t think things through and is too impulsive. She takes advantage of her husband’s status and doesn’t show respect to many people, so she casually meddles in other people’s business and makes enemies for Mr. York.”This time it was Mrs. Newman who spoke.“Exactly. Serenity is really meddlesome. You’re Mrs. Newman, right? I remember Sere
Zachary’s team of bodyguards responsibly opened a path for him and Serenity. They prevented anyone from approaching them as they wished. The husband and wife followed behind their parents and walked toward the Marshalls.Everyone greeted each other. The Marshalls’ gaze focused on Serenity in the end. Serenity was charming. Her aura was not inferior either. She was elegant and graceful without being petty. Zachary and Serenity had gone public with their marriage long ago. However, they had not attended any event of the elite circle together. Serenity usually attended banquets with Mrs. Stone, while Mrs. Marshall did not show up much. Therefore, it was the Marshalls’ first time meeting Serenity.The famous figure of Wiltspoon for the past six months, Mrs. York, was not as inferior as the rumors described so to the Marshalls. On the contrary, they felt she was a good match for Zachary when they stood together. They looked as if they were made for each other. Those who said S
Mrs. Marshall thought Serenity’s voice was pleasant. She held her hand in a friendly manner and complimented her. Serenity responded to everyone’s compliments with grace, which disappointed those who wanted to see her make a fool of herself. Some people thought Mrs. Stone was indeed good at teaching. Serenity had only attended a few banquets with Mrs. Stone, yet she had managed to train a country bumpkin into a graceful missus of a wealthy family. The York family of four went on to meet Old Mr. Marshall. After looking at Serenity for some time, Old Mr. Marshall did not say a word. However, he gave her a generous gift in front of everyone. He even told Zachary, “You two must live a happy life. Your nana won’t go wrong.”Zachary was soft toward Old Mr. Marshall. “Thank you, Old Mr. Marshall. I’ll cherish and love Seren a lot.”Old Mr. Marshall smiled kindly. He was much older than Old Mrs. York, and his energy could not compare to hers. He would only meet youngsters of higher
After greeting the hosts, everyone started looking for their friends to chat with or discuss business. At first, Serenity stayed by Zachary’s side. He did not have to go to other people to discuss collaborations as there were many CEOs who wished to collaborate with him. Serenity watched as Zachary became the spotlight no matter where he went. Everyone revolved around him. She whispered to her husband, “I overestimated myself when I said I wanted to be on equal standing as you.”Rather than thinking of being on par with him, running behind him would be good enough for her. Zachary raised their interlocked hands. He stared into her with smiling eyes and said gently, “We’re holding hands and standing shoulder to shoulder now.“Honey, to me, there’s no distance between us. If there were any, it would be me being a man and you being a woman.”Serenity smiled. She had learned socializing from Aunt Audrey for some time. She figured out and learned many things along the way and gai
It turned out that Zachary had been using Serenity as an excuse for some time. No wonder he smelt nice and fresh when he came home recently. Of course, Serenity did not want Zachary to drink so much alcohol. His stomach had been unwell before, and she had spent time nursing him back to health. It would be better if he avoided drinking whenever he could. However, he deliberately created an image of him being bossed around by his wife…Zachary held onto Serenity’s waist. He scolded Josh with a smile and said to Jasmine, “You shouldn’t be laughing happily, Ms. Sox. Josh uses you as an excuse too.”Jasmine said, “I’m okay with it. He can use me as an excuse as much as he wants to as long as he’s healthy. You two are the same. Serenity and I have never been strict and given you guys enough freedom. You’re the ones labeling yourselves as men who’re afraid of their wives.” Serenity grinned. “They’re not even scared of being ridiculed.”“No one dares to laugh at me for being afraid
Although they had the two hundred thousand dollars, it did not change the fact that Liberty was fifteen and Serenity was ten—they were still just children. Having been pampered by their parents and never having experienced hardship, after their sudden death and being tossed out into the street, Serenity often cried, saying that she missed their mom and dad. Whenever Liberty tried to comfort her sister, they would end up crying together in each other's arms instead.Liberty could understand Caroline's feelings, though she also accepted that Caroline was much luckier as she was of age, had a father and three older brothers, and no one could kick her out of her home. “Yeah, I’ll go out once in a while. Please thank Audrey for me and ask her to let me know when she’d like to come over so that I can hand over all my responsibilities related to the company and the family. I’ll work with her schedule. And…I don’t blame any of you for my mother’s death.”That was her mother’s own doing
They were aware of everything Caroline had done for the family. To be honest, Caroline had indirectly saved Liberty. If she had not warned Liberty, Liberty’s bodyguards alone would not have been able to protect her when Belinda sprung that surprise attack on her. Liberty had already had a good impression of Caroline, but after that incident, that impression only grew stronger.Caroline’s smile faded a bit as she said, “There’s no rush for Darren and me. At the earliest, it’ll be at the end of the year. It’s too chaotic right now.”Liberty nodded in understanding. “As long as you and Darren are on the same page, that’s enough.”“He’s a good man. We haven’t really gone out on dates, but we know how we feel about each other. He suggested we date first, get engaged, and finally register our marriage. “He wants to take it step by step and promises I’ll have everything I want.”“Aunt Audrey and I are very reassured about your relationship with Darren. He’s a man worth spending a
At the mention of Liberty’s wedding, Caroline congratulated her. “Have you decided to register your marriage with Mr. Lewis? Congratulations in advance! I wish you both a long life together and hope you have a precious daughter soon.”Liberty already had a son, so it seemed normal to wish for a child the second time around.However, when Liberty became the head of the Fishers in the future, Caroline understood that Liberty would need a daughter to take over from her.Liberty smiled. “It hasn’t been easy for Duncan and me to get to this point. Considering we’re not young anymore, we decided to just get it done. Thank you for your well-wishes, Caroline, but we’re not in a hurry when it comes to kids.” She did not have the energy to raise a child at the moment. Whether she took over the Fisher family or not, she was too busy right now. Even though her new company seemed to be doing well, it had not truly stabilized yet and was only temporarily so through the influence of her brot
There were very few people left of Patrick’s generation. After a moment of silence, Caroline said, “Yes, he’s just returned to his hometown, so he should stay for a while longer. “Liberty, please tell my cousin to just give me a few days. I’ll clear the mansion out for you to move in. What I said before still stands!” Liberty elegantly sipped her coffee and did not respond immediately. Half a cup later, she set it down and looked at Caroline, who was also looking back at her.The two of them held each other's gaze for a full two minutes before Liberty averted her eyes and said calmly, “There’s no need to rush. Let’s discuss it after Christmas. My aunt hasn’t laid out a concrete schedule yet.”Caroline also set her coffee cup down. “It still needs to be cleared out and cleaned. It’s fine if you don’t move in immediately; letting it be for a bit will help disperse my mother’s lingering presence, so you won’t feel uncomfortable.” Fisher Manor did not belong to the head of th
Caroline did not care what her father and brothers thought of her. She could hazard a guess— they were most certainly not happy with her. With that in mind, she had Darren drive her back to the office. Just as she returned to her office and poured herself a cup of water, her secretary called her on the intercom to say that Liberty had arrived.“Let her in,” Caroline said. She had not expected Liberty to come looking for her so quickly but did not think the visit was to ask her to vacate her position. Perhaps it was to check on her. A few minutes later, the secretary led Liberty in.“You can go ahead with your work,” Caroline said as she dismissed her secretary. Once the secretary left, Caroline and Liberty exchanged glances before Caroline awkwardly said, “Liberty, I don’t know how to face all of you.” “Well, I’m not here to kill you, so there’s no need to be nervous,” Liberty replied as she walked over to sit on the sofa.“Killing me would only dirty your hands,” Caro
Not to mention the antiques. If they sold it all off, even at a conservative estimate, it could fetch them several billion dollars. That did not even include the jewelry Belinda had accumulated. Women, even the iron ladies, loved jewelry. Belinda was no exception. Many of her jewels were passed down through generations of the Fisher family, making them more valuable than the ones on the market today.Adrian’s eyes sparkled greedily but darkened just as quickly. “Dad, no one but Caroline is allowed inside the manor now.”“What? Who decided on that?” Hunter asked, alarmed.“Audrey Fisher left people to guard it. She’s even arranged for her people to take over and all the employees have been replaced, including the housekeeper.” Hunter was momentarily stunned before he spluttered, “What right does she have to do that?” Adrian was silent. Audrey was a Fisher and the eldest daughter of the previous family head, who should have inherited the title but was prevented from doing so
Hunter signaled for the caregiver to leave and even got Adrian to make sure the caregiver exited. Once the caregiver was gone, Adrian closed the door and sat down by the hospital bed. He reached for some grapes from the fruit plate and ate them.“Dad, has Caroline mentioned anything about taking over the company?” With their mother gone, Adrian felt that Caroline should step up.“The whole company is waiting. We don’t know what her plans are. Although the company isn't in danger, it’s just like a dynasty. Just as a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, a company cannot function without someone in charge.”Hunter's face darkened in displeasure. “Don’t even mention her taking over. That girl is not on our side. Your mother was infuriated by her countless times when she was alive. If she weren’t your mom’s biological daughter, her grave would be overgrown with weeds by now.“She even said she wants to return everything to the Fisher family, including your mother’s assets. S
It was no wonder that he was upset after hearing her say such things. “Darren, let’s go with the flow. There’s no need to force anything. We’ll let everything happen naturally.”She was not that young anymore so if she was going to get married, it would be just about time.Darren was a few years older than she was and was in his early thirties. Caroline thought that if she married him, they could get their marriage certificate after Christmas and maybe have a child the following year. Once they had completed life’s milestones, she could focus on her business.“Darren? Do you know how to take care of kids?” she asked suddenly.“I’ve never done it before, but it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” he replied.He wondered if she was already thinking about having kids so soon.“Once we have a child, you might need to be a stay-at-home dad for a while. I’ll be busy with work and you can’t help with the actual pregnancy, but you can help with the baby afterward.”Darren chuckled,
“Miss... Caroline, no matter what decision you make, I will support you regardless. Even if you don’t take over the Fisher family, you have enough assets of your own and your companies are doing well,” Darren assured Caroline.Darren had read up on Caroline's private businesses before and knew that the companies under her name were thriving. Even after returning to the Fisher family, she only occasionally visited, and still, the businesses ran smoothly. Caroline was an amazing woman to Darren. She did not need to inherit a family fortune to forge her own path. Still, what he loved most was Caroline’s confidence.“And you still have me,” he added.With his support, Caroline’s career would reach new heights.Caroline turned to look at him. After a beat, she smiled. “When I first came back, I really regretted it and wished I hadn’t returned to the Fishers because I couldn’t stand them. But ever since you came into my life, I’m grateful that Celine and I returned to our rightful