“Mr. Lewis?” With Duncan staring at Liberty without blinking, Liberty skeptically called him back to earth. Snapping out of his thoughts, Duncan said with a smile, “I guess I see you every day, so I don’t see the difference. I’m only realizing now that you’ve lost a lot of weight. You look good. You can give Lily a run for her money.” Duncan was stunned by what came out of his mouth. Why was he comparing Liberty to Lily? Liberty answered with a grin, “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m just an ordinary girl. Ms. Harmon is beautiful.” “Liberty, Lily is… the daughter of my mom’s best friend. She’s staying with me for the time being as she’s here on business. My mom loves her like a daughter. You know, we only have boys in my family. My mom doesn’t have a daughter, so she really likes girls. It’s like how Grandma May looks forward to having a great-granddaughter. That’s how much my mom likes girls too. They’re the same.“Lily is a little younger than me. We met before when w
Duncan was speechless. “Do you really think Lily and I are suited for each other? Don’t you think she’s out for my position and wealth?”“Lily’s family has a huge business. She’s the vice president of her family’s company, so I doubt she’s after your money. You have status, but so does she. It’s hard to believe that she’s out for your position and wealth. You two together will only be a union of power and wealth.” Liberty gave Duncan a look like he was out of his mind. That question was a bolt out of the blue. Mrs. Lewis was such a proud lady with high standards. The girl Mrs. Lewis picked for Duncan must be beyond amazing. “I mean, I might be the better pick out of all the men Lily knows. That’s why she wants to get together with me. It’s not that she likes me. I don’t believe she isn’t scared or disgusted by the scar on my face.”While fixating on his face, Liberty answered with a smile, “Once you fall in love with Ms. Harmon, you’ll wobble your way to get cosmetic surgery
Zachary’s personal car drove into the villa. He could hear Sonny’s crying before even getting out of the car. Once the car was packed, Zachary got out and took large strides to Serenity. Serenity and her sister were trying to settle Sonny down. Seeing that Zachary was back, Serenity said to Sonny, “Sonny, your uncle is here. Your uncle is the best. He can help fix your bike.” Tinkling with the bicycle, Duncan jumped in. “It’s okay, Sonny. I can fix your bike. No need to trouble your uncle.” It was a tiny issue from the bike being overturned. It was an easy repair. As Zachary drew close, Sonny put his hands out to his uncle. With Zachary holding him, he cried and asked, “Uncle Zack, my bicycle is broken. Can you fix it?” Zachary gestured for Serenity to bring him a tissue. Serenity grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. Zachary wiped away Sonny’s tears and tenderly uttered, “Dunc is repairing your bike right now. Don’t worry, your bicycle will be okay. It’s just a small
“You can ride the bicycle better if you pick up the art of self-defense. Do you want to learn to fight?”“I do.” Zachary carried Sonny to a man in black who was standing not too far away. As he was walking, Zachary said, “Sonny, I got you an instructor to teach you to fight. You must listen to him and work hard.” Everybody turned their attention to the stranger. Serenity said to her sister, “Zachary mentioned he’ll get someone to teach Sonny to fight for himself. He can train and learn to protect himself.” “That’s kind of Zachary.” Liberty was grateful. Her brother-in-law did bring it up after what happened at the zoo. Liberty believed boys should pick up a skill for self-defense. Duncan jumped in. “You could’ve told me that Sonny wants to learn to fight. I can teach him.” “Mr. Lewis, you’re busy with work. I wouldn’t want to bother you.” Liberty thought to herself, ‘It must cost a lot to hire Duncan to be my son’s instructor. Sure, I have made some money now, but
Liberty immediately told her son to greet William Jr. “Hello, William.” With Sonny greeting his instructor, William responded with a smile. The boy may not have a real talent to learn to fight, but he was the cutest little thing. William had a good first impression of Sonny. “Come in, William.” Zachary and Serenity invited William into the house. Taking Sonny by the hand, Liberty took strides into the house with Duncan. “Are you getting your car this afternoon, Liberty?” Duncan asked in a seemingly casual way. “Yes, I am.” Liberty was all smiles talking about the car. Although she did not buy a luxury car, it was the first vehicle she bought for herself. Liberty was over the moon. “I have nothing to do this afternoon, so I’ll go with you.” Liberty turned down the kind gesture. “It’s okay, Mr. Lewis. It’s only taking the car. I’ll just drive the car back. Seren is going with me.” Duncan smiled, “I thought you were going alone. I shouldn’t interfere since Sereni
Now, it was time for Lily to make her move. The maid served tea. Lily picked up a cup and elegantly took a sip. Serenity opened one of the boxes and tried a dessert. As the food was good, she invited everybody to sample. Zachary was not keen on anything sweet. He would only try it if the food was made by Serenity, so he would not bother with anyone else’s. Duncan would prefer not to eat sweet food either. Nevertheless, he would still taste the food out of courtesy. Now that he tried Lily’s dessert, Duncan thought his senses were not overwhelmed by the sweetness, so he took another. Seeing that Duncan grabbed the dessert twice, Lily reflected joy in her eyes. Although Lily said she was here to meet Serenity, everybody, excluding William and Sonny, knew Lily was here for Duncan. Still, Serenity could feel Lily’s intention to be good friends. Zachary and Duncan were best friends, and Lily liked Duncan. If Lily could win Duncan’s heart and be a couple with him, there w
“Do you want to go horse riding?” Zachary asked while behind the wheel.Determined to have a date with his wife, he did not allow his chauffeur to come along. He did the driving instead. The security convoy kept a good distance from the couple. “I don’t know how to ride.” Serenity was honest. Zachary smiled. “I can teach you. It’s the perfect weather to ride since it’s neither warm nor cold. I’ll take you to the family’s stable.” “Your family has a horse stable too, huh?” “My family is your family. Don’t be a stranger to me. We have a lot of horses in the stable. A lot of people who love riding would frequent our stable.” The equestrian facility had brought in quite the revenue. Those who had done equestrian were loaded. “Dylan is responsible for the operation. He lives and breathes horses. He’s doing good in the equestrian business. We can expect a sizable profit every quarter.” Serenity remembered Dylan as a smiling little sunshine. The boy was tan, probably from
Serenity had no idea what to feel when she got the results back. Despite engaging in intimate activities for a while, she had not been knocked up. Now that Serenity was in the hospital, she intended to do a full medical examination. Zachary did not want to as he believed they were fit and great in health. He simply believed that their time had not come yet. “Since we’re here, we might as well go for a physical. What if there’s something wrong with us? Early detection is early prevention.” Serenity tried to convince Zachary to have the full medical examination with her. “I’m healthy. I always have a full check-up every six months, so I would know if there’s something wrong with me. You’re fine too. You rarely catch a cold. How can you have an issue? We don’t need an examination. It’s just not our time yet.” Zachary dragged Serenity to leave. He was not in the mood for a physical. Zachary firmly believed he was fine! So was Serenity! “Many people look healthy, but som
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h