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.”
The Soxes had just had their dinner. Since Serenity was not in the best of moods, Jasmine had a walk with her nearby after dinner. “Seren, I remember you saying that your in-laws didn’t pressure you to have children. Why are you taking in all the stress?” The pair were best friends who could pass as sisters. Jasmine had been there throughout Serenity and Zachary’s journey together. She had never heard about the York family rushing Serenity to have a baby. “They did not pressure me, but I’m worried I might be the problem that I’m not expecting yet.” Serenity sighed and added, “No one is giving me pressure, but I can’t help putting the strain on myself. Even if my in-laws are from an ordinary family, I would be worried about not getting pregnant despite being married for a while. I won’t feel much of it if we have been using protection.” Jasmine’s mind flew to the families she knew. The women usually got pregnant soon after the wedding, but most of them had a shotgun wedding no
Ring, ring, ring…Jasmine’s phone rang. She looked at the caller on the display screen before telling her best friend, “It’s Josh. I think your man might have sought help from Josh. Josh must be calling to ask where you are.” Serenity faintly uttered, “Just ignore him. Does he think he’s the only one with a temper? I have a temper too.” Always having Serenity’s back, Jasmine believed her best friend was not in the wrong. Serenity was a confident and cheerful person, but for her to be worried about not being pregnant, the pressure had to somehow come from her man, Zachary. Jasmine felt sorry for her best friend. She wanted to help her best friend give Zachary a taste of his own medicine. Ring, ring, ring…With the phone ringing endlessly, Jasmine had to pick up the call. “What are you busy with, Jasmine? Don’t you miss me? It took you a long time to pick up. I miss you so much. I thought about driving to your place to check on you if you take any longer to take my call
“Oh, you didn’t dig into it?” Josh immediately said, “I didn’t because you didn’t like that everything was in my control while you know nothing. I won’t use my connections to investigate if it has anything to do with you. I’m just guessing that Serenity is with you. You guys are bosom buddies. She tells you anything that’s going on in her life.” “Seren is with me. Tell Mr. York that Seren is staying with me for the night. She’s not going home for the time being.” Josh answered, “Okay, I’ll let him know later. Is there anything you want to say to me, my dearest wife?” “Your boss should serve as a cautionary tale. Don’t learn from him.” Josh uttered with a smile, “Don’t worry. I do the opposite of what he does. I won’t copy the things that he angered his wife with.” “You gave me no reason to worry. I love you, Josh. I love you to death!” “Me too.” Jasmine said, “You better reply to Mr. York before he freaks out. He loves Seren so much, but the little things he does… I’m g
Serenity turned over and gave Jasmine a light pinch. “Alright, I’ll sleep. I’m not flipping pancakes.” Jasmine hugged her and offered comforting words. “You’re basically an elderly couple now. Mr. York loves you a lot. It’s just a miscommunication. It’ll be over before you know it. Relax and go to bed. You’re able to face another day once you get a good night’s sleep.” “I’m so lucky to have you, Jasmine. At least I have someone to talk to when I don’t feel good.” “Duh, we go way back. I come to you when I’m feeling down too. Come on. Let’s sleep. Don’t torture yourself with all those thoughts.” “Okay,” Serenity answered. Her best friend’s assurance soothed Serenity to dreamland. It was dark and quiet all around by the time Zachary arrived at the Soxes’ residence. Everybody was deep in slumberland. He pulled up at the gate of Jasmine’s family home. Zachary parked the car and gave Serenity another call. Since Serenity was asleep, and her phone was on silent mode, she di
Zachary believed that Serenity would go home with him so long as he made it inside without bothering the Soxes from their rest. With that in mind, a certain somebody got into action. He had no idea that the Soxes’ hounds were spying on him in a corner. Zachary climbed up the gate, ready to jump off when he turned and saw two wolfhounds fixating on him. Zachary nearly lost his wits. He knew that the nearby neighbors had dogs. These dogs were barking as he drove past their houses to get to the Soxes’ residence. However, he had no clue that the Soxes kept dogs. The dogs belonging to the neighbors stopped barking when he pulled up in front of the Soxes’ residence and the Soxes’ dogs did not make a sound either. It never occurred to him that these hounds were not barkers. The saying was all bark and no bite, but if it were the other way round… These dogs would have ripped him apart if he jumped without turning over to look. Woof! Woof—Seeing that Zachary had no int
Zachary watched as Mrs. Sox returned to the house and closed the door behind her. He stood in front of the gate for a while before waltzing back to his car. He sat in silence for a few minutes before starting the engine and driving off. Zachary arrived at the Soxes’ residence first thing in the morning. The gate to the Sox family’s home was wide open, and the two hounds were tied to a leash. Zachary had a bad feeling that he arrived too late. He pulled up and before he could even get out of the car, Mrs. Sox, who was sweeping the yard, approached him with a broom. “Mr. York, Jasmine and Serenity are out. They went to Liberty’s diner.” Zachary asked, “How long have they been gone?” “Around twenty minutes. Serenity woke up and said she needed to pick Sonny up from her sister’s, so they left early.” Zachary thanked Mrs. Sox and uttered, “I’ll head to my sister-in-law’s breakfast place then.” “Okay,” Mrs. Sox answered. Zachary quickly drove away from the Soxes’ reside
“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
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