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
The bodyguards drew close and stared at Serenity. “Missus.” Drawing a few deep breaths, Serenity tried to get a grip on herself. “I’m fine.” She lowered her head and looked at the urine test results scrunched in her hands. Serenity folded the piece of paper and slipped it into her pocket before walking away. The security team followed her out of the hospital and into the hospital’s parking lot. While walking, the bodyguards prayed that Mr. Zachary was waiting for the missus in the car. Mr. Zachary had a bad temper, but he was all bark and no bite every time he fought with the missus. Mr. Zachary would never abandon the missus. Alas, the bodyguards were in for a disappointment. They marched behind Serenity to the parking lot, but Zachary’s car was nowhere in sight. Only two vehicles belonging to the bodyguards were still there. Serenity cocked her head back and asked, “Where’s your car key?” With a bodyguard fishing out his car key, Serenity put her hand out. The bod
“Sir, ma’am, Mr. Zachary is back.” “What is he doing here?” Liam asked skeptically, “Did Serenity come back with him?” “Only two cars returned. Mr. Zachary drove one himself, and the other was the security vehicle. It appears the missus isn’t in the car.” “Oh.” Liam then instructed the maid, “Tell the kitchen to cook extra servings. Zachary should at least stay for dinner.” The maid wanted to laugh. This was Mr. Zachary’s home. It was normal that Mr. Zachary could dine at his own place. Yet, Mr. Liam acted as though Mr. Zachary was the guest trying to freeload a meal. The maid gave the couple some space. Liam turned to his beloved wife. “Have you figured out a way to checkmate? I’m going if you’re stuck.” “Let me mull this over. Don’t bother me. I will come up with a way. What did Eunice say? Is Zack back? Oh, he has time to come home?” “Who knows? He rarely comes back to the manor now that he has a wife. He usually just comes back for a brief talk. It’s like th
“Your nana mentioned that whoever brings a daughter to the family will get a five-hundred-million-dollar reward from the family fund. Your mom and I will give you something too. Well, we won’t give more than your nana. We’ll add five hundred million dollars to the pot too.” Liam and his wife had personal assets amounting to several hundred million dollars. The extra five hundred million dollars out of their pockets was not a small amount to them. “No one has gotten the five hundred million dollars. Zack, maybe you and Seren will get lucky.” Tania gleefully chimed in. “I’ll give half of my jewelry to my granddaughter if you give us one.” Zachary looked at his parents. He waited until his parents had a happy moment to themselves before murmuring, “The pee result was negative.” “Negative?” Liam turned his attention to his wife whose smile froze. Tania uttered, “It’s okay. You’re still young. You’ve only been married for six months. You still haven’t had your wedding recept
Zachary answered, “I didn’t say anything harsh. I just left. Why would she feel hurt and cry?” The thought of Serenity shedding tears broke his heart. “How would you feel if Serenity leaves you alone in the hospital?” Tania asked her son. Her son had no game when it came to relationships. It was no wonder Grandma May made Zachary marry Serenity to repay her kindness. With that temper of Zachary’s, any woman would give him the snub. Zachary pursed his lips and said, “It’s not like I don’t have legs. I know the way. I know my way home even if she doesn’t leave with me.” Tania was at a loss for words. “I said we’re fine in health, and there’s no need for a physical. She said that I’m scared of doctors and that I looked like I’ve seen a ghost.” Zachary whined, “She won’t trust my word. She doesn’t trust me enough. She can’t get pregnant just because we want her to. I’ve not been married to her for long. We can get a physical when we can’t get pregnant in a decade or so.” Ta
Zachary could not pull a longer face. “Don’t you wish to have grandchildren too?” Tania said, “Yes, we do, but we never want to rush Serenity, so don’t put the blame on us. We never pressure Serenity to give us a grandchild.” “Seren puts the burden on herself.” Zachary knew Serenity was feeling it when she talked about getting a physical.He believed Serenity was stressed from trying to get pregnant. “You should be telling Seren that the child will come when the time comes if she’s feeling the pressure. It’ll be harder for her to get pregnant while sitting under a lot of pressure. Tell her not to think too much about it. You have not been together for long. I think the medical examination is necessary after two to three years of trying without hearing any good news.” “That’s what I’m saying. I don’t think we need a check-up since we’re both fine and healthy. She’s just under a lot of stress. I told her that I’ll take her on a trip after Josh and Jasmine’s engagement party.”
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