In fact, Liberty did not use force. Serenity shouted on purpose to make her sister feel sorry for her. “Sonny, quickly save me.” Serenity asked for her little nephew’s help. Sonny put in the extra effort. He immediately climbed on the bed and recused his aunt’s ear from his mom’s hand. He even protected his aunt by staying in front of her and said to his mom, “Mom, Aunt Ser will be in pain.” Serenity hugged the little one and kissed him on the cheek. She said with a smile, “I didn’t love you for nothing.” Liberty poked her sister’s forehead again and said, “Hurry up. Go wash up, change your clothes, and come downstairs to eat.” “Got it, my dear old sister.” “Am I very old?” “No, no. My sister is still very young, like an eighteen-year-old girl.” Serenity had a strong desire to live. Liberty responded amusingly, “I’d like to be eighteen but unfortunately, I’m not Aphrodite, and I can’t stay eighteen every year. I’m going to pick up the car this afternoon. Are you fre
“I was afraid Zachary would say that I’m stingy and cheap such that I’m unwilling to get Sonny a more expensive bicycle,” Duncan added. He pulled Sonny over and pointed at the cardboard box as he said, “Sonny, I bought you a small bicycle. Do you like it? Do you want to ride it?” Sonny thought about the other children with bicycles he saw during his evening walks with his mom downstairs at their place. He nodded and answered, “Dunc, I like bicycles.” Duncan smiled. “Then I’ll unpack it now and assemble it for you. I’ll take you outside to ride it later, okay? I also bought you a windmill. If it’s attached to the head of your bicycle, it’ll spin when you ride. It’ll look great.” Sonny was full of anticipation. He could not hide his happiness at all. When Liberty heard Duncan say that the bicycle was just over a hundred dollars and that he also brought up his friendship with Zachary, she stopped asking him about the bicycle’s cost. She just thought she would let him dine at her
Hank said on the other end of the line, “Sonny is three years old and is my son, so what’s wrong with him being my flower boy? Where are you and Sonny? I’m at the door of your rented unit and have been hitting the door but nobody is answering. You’re not inside, right?” Jessica was standing next to him as she listened to his conversation with Liberty. She rested for a few days after her fight with her sister-in-law the other day, so the bruises on her face were gone. Hank bought two more sets of skin care products for Jessica and reluctantly gave her a jewelry set to coax her. Moreover, Hank told his parents and sister that he and Jessica had gotten their marriage license and that Jessica was set on living the rest of her life with him. Since their wedding was approaching, he asked his parents and sister not to pick on Jessica anymore. He also blamed them for his divorce from Liberty back then. He asked his parents, “Do you want me to divorce again? Think about the cost of my
Hank said, “Even if I buy a small suit for Sonny, I have to take him along. I don’t know what size he is. What if it’s too big or too small?” Liberty immediately told him Sonny’s size and said, “Buy his suit according to this size. It’ll fit him.” “Liberty, are you stopping me from spending time with my son? When we got divorced, we agreed that I can see my son whenever I want to. Now that I miss him and want to buy some clothes for him, you won’t even let me see him.” Liberty hung up the phone right away. Ever since she became suspicious of Jessica, she no longer dared let Hank take Sonny away again. Hank probably listened to Jessica because he did not know that she was being used. When Jessica suggested that Sonny become their flower boy, he agreed without much thought. He also felt that there was no need to find someone else to be the flower boy, so he let Sonny have the role.Sonny could talk well and was sensible. He was slightly taller than his peers, so he would be
Hank said with a solemn expression, “Sonny is my son and will always be my son. If Liberty won’t let me see him, I can go to court with her again to fight for his custody.” Jessica could not let Hank fight for Sonny’s custody. She immediately comforted him, “You’re an Uber driver now without a regular income. We’re having our wedding soon and will go on a honeymoon after that, so it won’t be wise for you to fight for his custody.” She only wanted to use Sonny and not take care of him. Jessica would still have a child in the future. If they were to take Sonny with them, Hank’s love would be split between them. “Liberty closed her store early today to go to her sister’s place. Let’s go to her diner earlier tomorrow and pick up Sonny to try on his suit. It doesn’t matter if we do it tomorrow.” Hank said angrily, “If not for Liberty, we wouldn’t have lost our jobs. After Liberty took a share of my property worth more than a million dollars, I thought we could earn the money back
Jessica was not able to complete the task given to her by the unknown woman. She was worried that the other party would act on her family again, so she wanted Hank to send her home. Her family was also in the countryside. Hank was not too fond of visiting his mother-in-law. Every time he went, his mother-in-law would say that she was feeling unwell and that she lacked some things at home. Whenever he heard her, he would give her some money as he felt sorry for her. Although he did not give much, this happened every time he visited. He felt uncomfortable about it as if his mother-in-law was taking him as an ATM. Luckily, Jessica truly liked Hank and wanted to spend her life with him. When his mother-in-law demanded a high amount for bride price, Jessica stood by his side and went ahead to get their marriage license behind her parents’ backs. There was nothing his mother-in-law could do. In the end, the bride price was reduced to tens of thousands of dollars. Even so, it was
“Your parents treat me as a dupe. Do they think I’m rich? I’m just an Uber driver now!” Hank said to Jessica. He had been in a bad mood since Liberty hung up on him. As such, he took it out on the Yateses. Jessica agreed that her parents were covertly asking for money. Her mom used to do the same when she went home to visit in the past. In any case, Jessica had always given half of her salary to her family. No matter what her mom said after that, she did not give more. Over time, her mom stopped trying. Even so, Jessica could not stand Hank complaining about her family. As bad as they were, they were her parents, her brothers, and her sisters-in-law. “Don’t complain about my parents. They’re my parents, and it was hard for them to raise me. Now that you’ve married me, you’re their son-in-law. A son-in-law is like half a son. What’s wrong with giving them some money for them to see the doctor? “Have your parents not asked you for money before? Also, your outrageous sister is
Jessica could not help but squat on the ground. She covered her face and cried. After crying for a while, she stood up and took out a piece of tissue to wipe away her tears and snot. She then walked forward. Divorce? She would not divorce for the time being. If she did, what would she do if she could not complete the task given to her by the unknown woman? What would happen to her family? Besides, Jessica had snatched Hank from someone else. If she simply separated from him, she would be laughed at for getting what she deserved. Jessica gritted her teeth and told herself that she could not bow down or retreat. She must teach the Browns a lesson. She definitely would not follow in Liberty’s footsteps! Liberty was clueless about the conflict between Hank and Jessica. She had only hung up rudely because she did not like the tone of Hank’s speech. She did not want to care about her ex-husband anymore. If he truly wanted to buy clothes for Sonny, he should be able to buy
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