Zachary clinked glasses with Josh, but he did not drink. He replied, “Clive’s wife is pregnant. You didn’t just find out about this. If it were you, would you have brought your wife to such a venue tonight?”After a moment of silence, Josh said, “I forgot about it. People of no importance are none of my concern. If my Jasmine were pregnant, I wouldn’t even let her walk. I’ll carry her around.”Zachary found it funny and said, “Being pregnant isn’t the same as falling sick. There’s no need to be so nervous. Pregnant women have to have sufficient exercise too.”Josh pouted. “You’re talking now, but wait till your wife gets pregnant. If you can maintain the same opinion when that time comes, I’ll treat you to a meal.”“You’re talking as if I don’t have food. I cook for Seren whenever I have time. My cooking skills have leveled up.”They chatted in low voices as they walked toward the crowd. Many people raised their glasses in their direction as a form of greeting. Josh smiled and
Otherwise, even Mrs. Stone would have wanted to bring Jasmine and her son together.Josh would have thought, ‘I was lucky that Zachary introduced me to Jasmine first.’Zachary deserved a reward for playing matchmaker. Elisa breathed a sigh of relief after getting away from the mothers. She complained that Serenity and Jasmine rescued her too late. “You’re exaggerating.”Serenity found it funny. She said, “You even used the word ‘rescue’.”“The ladies seemed easy going though.”Jasmine smiled and said, “Their gazes on you were so gentle.”Elisa shuddered. She said, “They were looking at me as if I was their daughter-in-law.”That statement made Serenity and Jasmine laugh. “Seren, look.”Elisa suddenly nudged Serenity and stuck her lips out in a direction. “What’s wrong?”Serenity and Jasmine looked in the direction Elisa indicated. Jasmine saw Duncan was with an unfamiliar woman. Serenity did not find anything unusual because she had seen Duncan and Lily before. She
“Mrs. York.”They were stopped by Mrs. Newman and Camryn just after taking several steps. Camryn was being dragged by Mrs. Newman. When Serenity saw Camryn was about to fall, she instinctively stretched her hand to support her. “Be careful, Camryn.”Serenity steadied Camryn before looking toward Mrs. Newman. Mrs. Newman squeezed a smile. “Thank you for helping Camryn, Mrs. York. She can’t see, so she falls easily.”Elisa said, “She’s blind, yet you keep dragging her.”Mrs. Newman’s smile faltered. “I guess the sun will rise from the west tomorrow,” Elisa said sarcastically. She gave Mrs. Newman a sidelong glance. “This is your first time bringing Camryn to a banquet, Mrs. Newman. How rare. Do you guys think the sun will rise from the west tomorrow?”Elisa’s mockery infuriated Mrs. Newman, but she did not let it show on her face. She maintained her smile and said, “Camryn is blind, and I can’t always be by her side even if I brought her to banquets. I was afraid of her ge
Serenity asked Camryn softly, “Is she trying to arrange a marriage for you and some rich man’s son?”After pressing her lips together, Camryn replied softly, “She won’t let me get married to a rich man. She’ll only give me to someone else. She can give me to anyone who’ll benefit her.”Serenity was furious upon hearing that. Sensing her anger, Camryn smiled unexpectedly. She said, “Don’t worry. I can protect myself.” She had a small blade with her wherever she went. Serenity still wanted to say something, but Camryn poked her palm again. Therefore, she did not say anything else. Mrs. Newman chose a quiet and relatively remote spot. She gestured to Serenity to sit. “Do you want anything to eat, Mrs. York? I’ll take some food for you.”“No, thank you. You can talk about what you want, Mrs. Newman.”Mrs. Newman laughed sheepishly. She said, “Mrs. York, you and Camryn clicked right away and are friends. Carrie is Camryn’s biological sister. Can you not sue Carrie for Camryn’s s
Serenity said seriously, “Mrs. Newman, I’m not insisting on having your daughter sentenced. Your daughter committed a crime. Whether or not she’ll be convicted, I don’t want myself to get hurt anymore. You should know your daughter well. You said she knows her mistake and guarantees not to hire someone to hurt me again. “You might believe her, but I don’t.”Mrs. Newman glared at Serenity with a dark expression. Her husband kept telling her to build a good relationship with Serenity and plead for mercy for their daughter. Did he think she did not want to build a good relationship with that country bumpkin? Did she not apologize, offer compensation, and plead for mercy for their daughter?She even asked Camryn to look for Serenity. However, Serenity was stubborn. She was determined to sue Carrie. Hatred boiled in Mrs. Newman’s heart. Since Serenity would not make things easier for them, she would not let Serenity live a peaceful life either.Mrs. Newman stood up and said wit
Serenity used to see scenes of people being drugged and set up in novels or TV shows. She did not think that that would actually happen in real life. Moreover, it was a younger sister drugging her elder sister to ruin her life. After a moment of silence, Camryn said, “It’s not once or twice that she drugged me.”Serenity was speechless. “They’re treating you so poorly. You can move out.”The risk of living together with them was too huge. Camryn was silent again before saying angrily, “My father left me that house. Why do I have to move out? The people who are supposed to move out are them! They used to bully me for being a kid, and now they’re bullying me for being blind.”Serenity’s eyes gleamed. That was a lot of information. Zachary analyzed the situation for her before. Camryn’s biological father might have been killed. Camryn almost died from being gravely ill when she was sixteen years old, but no one in the Newman family sent her to the hospital. It was obvious tha
Callum said cheekily, “It’s only a matter of time before she becomes my wife. I’m just doing this to get in some early practice. I wouldn’t want to end up like my brother who had trouble doing so.” Serenity chuckled, “That’s a strange lesson you took from your brother.” “Using my brother’s many mistakes as a guide allows me to avoid many pitfalls in my relationship.” Serenity was speechless. When was the first time Zachary addressed her as his wife? She barely remembered. Perhaps it was not a very significant experience for her, which explained why it did not leave an impression. If it was something impactful, she would have remembered. Fortunately, Zachary would never find out that this was her impression. It would have plagued him with countless sleepless nights thinking about it. Serenity walked away. She was going to see her business partner. Elisa took Jasmine with her to introduce Jasmine to her best friend Tasha. Tasha’s cousin was joining them as well
“You! Certainly.” “Doesn’t that make me the matchmaker?” Josh thought about it and answered, “Yes.” “I’m giving you my bank details so you can send me a little token of appreciation for pairing you two together. Come on, I’m not going to give you money as a wedding gift, I have better things in mind than something as impersonal as that. However, I will admit that I am a shallow man and would like some money as a way of thank-you for my role as a matchmaker..” Josh was struck speechless. Serenity had transformed Zachary into a man who kept checks and balances even when it came to his interpersonal relationships. This banquet continued well into midnight. In the past, Zachary would only show up for ten to fifteen minutes at most, just as a formality. After that, he would immediately excuse himself. Tonight was an exception. He waited until the banquet was over before leaving with his beloved wife. His actions were a testament to the love and affection he had for his
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
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc