Serenity was amused by Jasmine’s statement.“You’ll actually feel jealous of your child.”Jasmine said in a self-righteous manner, “Josh is my man. How can I not feel jealous when other people grab his attention, even if they’re my children? My children will be pampered by their other halves in the future, so they can’t share Josh’s love with me.” “Perhaps Mr. Bucham is worried that he’ll be jealous of his children.”Serenity laughed and said, “My husband is definitely going to be jealous of my child. He’s an overbearing person. On the outside, he looks magnanimous, but he’s actually narrow-minded and overbearing.”“Seren, I feel that you’re now publicly displaying your affection with Zachary.”“I don’t have to publicly display our affection. You and Mr. Bucham are lovey-dovey. Jas, you’ll be staying at the store today, won’t you?”“Mhm.”Jasmine then asked, “Do you have anything to take care of? You can carry on with your work. I can watch over the store.”“I’ll head to Spri
Serenity called Callum. When Callum picked up the call, she said, “Callum, Camryn has changed her number. I went to her flower shop twice this morning but didn’t see her. Have you seen her?”Callum answered, “I’m waiting for her at Beans and Cream to send me flowers.”He had no idea what Camryn’s new number was as the shop assistant refused to tell him. He had no choice but to recall the number for Spring Blossoms. Then, he got the store manager of Beans and Cream to phone Spring Blossoms to have Camryn send the flowers over.He would only be able to see her by doing so.“Is Camryn going there alone?”“Another worker is sending her over by an electric scooter. Thank you, Serenity.” Although Serenity had not been able to see Camryn and speak up for Callum in front of her, she had visited Spring Blossoms twice in the morning. This touched Callum and made him feel that Serenity was concerned about his matter.“Don’t mention it. We’re family. When you see her, don’t frighten her ag
It so happened that Elisa and Remy could get along well. This made Mrs. Stone feel ambivalent about it.The message that Mrs. Stone had Zachary convey to Remy did not seem to work.Remy still often came over as a neighbor to visit the Stones. He even purposely came during mealtimes. Obviously, he wanted to sponge food off the Stones.After everyone entered the house, Elisa poured a glass of water for Grandma May. Remy helped to bring some fruit and dessert over.Grandma May noticed that Remy had become familiar with the surroundings of the Stones’ house.What a cunning kid.He even left Mrs. Stone feeling helpless.After all, he had not confessed his love to Elisa and it was normal for him to have familiarized himself with the surroundings of the Stones’ house considering that he came over frequently.What was more, Remy was very shameless. He would turn a blind eye to Mrs. Stone’s grim expression and Mr. Stone’s glower. Anyhow, he would brazenly come over as long as Elisa wa
“Do you still get morning sickness, Ally? You’re three months along, right?” Old Mrs. York asked out of concern.Alice, who was sitting nearby, answered, “Yes, it’s been three months. I still get morning sickness about half an hour after eating. I only feel more comfortable after vomiting. My mom said I might have to deal with morning sickness until I give birth.”Although Alice had terrible morning sickness and felt awful every time she vomited, it did not stop her from loving the baby in her womb. She would be able to feel fetal movement after some time. When Alice hit three months, she went to the hospital for a checkup and ultrasound scan. She saw the doctor’s report. The doctor said her baby’s fetal movement was ideal. However, she could not feel the movements as they were still subtle.According to books, fetal movements could be felt after sixteen weeks. As the fetus grew, the movements would become more detectable. Back then, Clive had wanted her to abort the child.
“I’ll play poker with you whenever I’m free in the future.” Mrs. Stone agreed with Grandma May. Regardless of their past relationship, they had become relatives. Relatives only got closer if everyone visited each other more.Mrs. Stone was a representative of Serenity’s family. She had to support Serenity. Additionally, she needed to have more frequent interactions with the York family to prevent people from saying Serenity was not on good terms with her in-laws. “Okay.”Grandma May agreed happily. “Let’s go and have our meal,” Mrs. Stone said again. Grandma May gave a hum of approval. She only stood up after Mrs. Stone got up. Elisa was the closest person to Grandma May. She went forward to help her. Grandma May only let Elisa support her slightly. She smiled. “I can still walk swiftly without a walking cane.”She did have a walking cane, but it was used to hit people. It could be due to her practicing martial arts and having a special identity back when she was young
After the meal, Grandma May and Mrs. Stone had a chat before the former left the Stones’ residence with River. Everyone saw the grandmother and grandchild out. After River drove away with Grandma May, Mrs. Stone turned to look around. When she saw Remy, she pressed her lips together. Ultimately, she did not say anything and went back into the house. Alice had to take a nap after having a meal. Mr. Stone went to accompany his wife. Elisa and Remy were the only ones left in the garden “Do you want to go for a walk?” Elisa asked. He smiled gently. “It’s said that taking a walk after meals promotes longevity.”Elisa looked toward his smiling face. He gave off a gentle and elegant aura. Whenever he talked to her, he would have a gentle smile. That smile felt like the spring breeze, soft and warm. They walked out of the Stones’ manor. In one of the rooms on the second floor, Mrs. Stone stood by the window. She watched her lovely daughter walk outside with Remy. She said to
Elisa had no clue that her family was worried about her being taken away by Remy. After she and Remy left the villa, they walked slowly along the concrete road. Usually, Elisa would enter and exit the villa in a car. She had never admired the scenery around the villa properly before. “After living here for so many years, I just found out that the scenery here is quite pretty. The greenery is great, and there are many benches by the road for people to sit and rest if they’re tired. There are also gazebos built within certain distances of each other.”There was a garden upon entering the vast area of the villas. It was filled with lush green trees. It also had fitness equipment and a children’s playground.The Stones had bought a few smaller villas and connected them to build a bigger villa. They had a complete range of sports and entertainment facilities. Therefore, Elisa rarely walked around the garden in the estate area. In her own words, she simply glanced at the passing sc
Elisa sat on the bench. “That’s great. I can’t stand the provocation from seeing you people being lovey-dovey now. I feel jealous every time I see Serenity and Jasmine.”“Elisa, you don’t have to be envious of them. You’ll be as happy as they are in the future.”“Who can be certain about the future? However, if I were to be unhappy, I wouldn’t compromise. If my future husband doesn’t treat me well, I’ll divorce him and return to my family. My two brothers can support me for the rest of my life.”The confidence of a married woman came from her family’s support. Elisa felt that her family was very supportive. “That won’t happen. Your in-laws will be great people.”Remy felt the elders in his family were nice. No one would make things difficult for their daughter-in-law.“Let’s stop talking about me. Tell me. Who’s the lady on your mind? It must be someone from Wiltspoon, right? Did you buy a house here because of her?”Remy nodded and admitted it honestly. “Yes. I did it for
Since Carrie was approaching Spring Blossoms, she decided to drop by. It was a pity she could not wreck the store as she was heading there as Mrs. Longbottom.When she arrived, Camryn was not in the store. Only Louise and Leah were there. Carrie asked casually, “Where did your boss go?”“Our boss is very busy. Usually, we’re the ones looking after the store. She only comes by when she’s free. Are you looking for her, Mrs. Longbottom?”Louise and Leah recognized Mrs. Longbottom. “No. Your boss is always around whenever I’m here to buy flowers, so I’m just curious since she isn’t here today. Get me two jade plants. The ones I have aren’t growing well. I want to change them,” said Carrie. She really had jade plants at her villa and she was the one who bought them. In fact, they were growing well. It symbolized her having great luck with wealth.Indeed, she was doing well financially. Mr. Longbottom had never mistreated her in terms of living standards.Carrie wanted to get
Tati kept trying to match her with Austin.As soon as Austin left, Tati came in. Isabella could tell, just by the timing, that it had to be related to Austin.If she had not known how loyal Austin was to her, Isabella might have suspected her cousin was being bribed by him.Tati smiled. “I happened to see Austin leaving when I came in. He was very polite to me and his smile was gentle, and the way he looked at me was respectful. But it’s completely different from how he looks at you, Isa.“I noticed it long ago. When he looks at you, there’s light in his eyes, there’s affection, and tenderness. He’s utterly devoted to you, or rather, he dotes on you.”Isabella was quiet.“Isa, the first time I saw Austin, I knew he was no ordinary person, and I thought you two made a great match. You know me, I don’t joke around about these things, but when I saw him, I just couldn’t help it.“I really think you two are perfect for each other. Before, we didn’t know his real identity, so you mig
Tati hummed in agreement.After her cousin reviewed the documents, Tati said, “Isa, why don’t you try dating? Neither of us has a boyfriend, so outsiders are always thinking they can take control of us through marriage alliances.“You could just date. There’s no need to get married. Or you could even just pretend to date. Make them give up.”Isabella looked up at her cousin, amused. “What? That’s a crazy idea.“I haven’t been in a relationship until now because they all know I’m hard to deal with. They think I don’t even have feelings. If I start dating, they’ll realize I’m just like any other girl who dates and wants to get married. Then, they’ll get even more ideas.”Unless her boyfriend was someone so powerful that no one would dare to touch him. He would have to come from a family strong enough to protect the O'Connor family, and he would need to love only her and not be after her family’s money.Power, status, wealth, and good character were all essential.There were men
Austin quickly left the CEO’s office. Just as he stepped out, he ran into Tati, who was looking for Isabella.“Ms. Tati,” Austin greeted politely.Tati nodded and waited for Austin to leave before she knocked on the office door and entered.“Austin came early today to cook for you,” Tati said, holding a folder in her hand and opening it as she walked toward Isabelle.She sat down at the desk, handed over the folder, and said, “Isa, this is urgent. Please take a look.”Isabella took the document, glancing through it as she replied, “He comes around this time every day, neither early nor late.”“That Longbottom fellow came by again?” Tati asked.It was only after Mr. Longbottom had directly asked to see Isabella that Tati found out the old lecher had come again.“Yes, but I didn’t meet him. He brought some gifts, claiming they were holiday presents for us. I had them sent back. He’s too ambitious, and he has bad intentions. We’re absolutely on guard against him. Why would we give
Isabella turned her head to look at Austin.Austin stopped the massage and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you feeling any discomfort? I can work on it. I don't give people massages often, so I don’t have much experience. I'll keep giving you more massages as practice so I'll be able to serve you better.”“It's not that,” Isabella smiled. “It's actually very comfortable. It’s just that I really want to meet your grandmother every time you mention her.”In Isabella's mind, Austin's grandmother had already become something of a legendary figure.Austin thought to himself, ‘Nana’s already met you. You probably met her before, you just didn't know it was her.’His nana had surely spent a lot of time observing Isabella, getting to know her, and confirming that her character and abilities were suitable for him before choosing Isabella for him.“When you’re less busy, if you’re willing, you can come visit us in Wiltspoon. Lots of flowers bloom in spring, and there’s beautiful scenery ever
When Isabella first took over the family business, many of her grandparents' and parents' friends and relatives openly tried to sabotage her. They played dirty tricks, schemed, and tried various ways to undermine her.They wanted to take advantage of her, and they also did not want her to take control of the family’s legacy. They tried to prevent her from establishing herself in the company, even going as far as to collaborate with outsiders to trap her.She had suffered countless setbacks, faced numerous conspiracies, and even experienced several so-called accidents, nearly losing her life. It was only after all this that she truly understood the treachery of human nature. From that point on, she learned to arm herself with cold indifference.Though she was taking over her own family’s business, it felt like she had to fight through a bloody battle to secure her place, as if she were a king striving to ascend the throne. It was exhausting and disheartening.However, she endured an
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge