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
“Remy, allow me to consider this.”Neither did Elisa reject nor accept him immediately—she wanted to think about it. Remy said understandingly, “I know. You can take your time. I’m not in a rush. Even if you reject me, I’m willing to wait for the day you can accept me.”Elisa smiled. “I just find it too sudden.”“I was abrupt,” Remy said apologetically. He thought that since everyone could already sense his feelings for Elisa, it would not be suitable to keep delaying his confession. Since Elisa asked about it, he immediately confessed. He loved her, so he had to let her know his feelings for her. Not everyone could feel others’ love for them. Silence fell between them. After sitting for a while, Elisa stood up and said, “Let’s go back.”“Okay.”When they headed out, they chatted and laughed. However, both of them did not talk much on the way back. It was Elisa who did not wish to speak. After returning to the Stones’ house, Remy did not linger too long and retur
Elisa laughed. She said, “I’m only a nice girl to you guys. Others say I’m the wild daughter of a rich family. Those madames never considered having me as their daughter-in-law. They think they can’t control a daughter-in-law like me.”She would not be suppressed. Her family was strong. The usual wealthy families truly did not consider having Elisa as a daughter-in-law. Men of equal social standing to her were married or younger than her. She would never consider dating a younger man. “That’s because they have bad eyes and blindly follow other people’s opinions. They believed the rumors without trying to understand you. When Serenity and I first met you, we thought you were an honest, straightforward person.”Jasmine returned to the kitchen to prepare the juice. “Elisa, you’re really great. We’re not deceiving you with sweet words just because we’re friends.”Elisa entered the kitchen.She watched as Jasmine blended the juice. “Can you tell me who confessed to you? Is it
Elisa said with a grin, “Speak of the devil.“Jasmine made pear juice. She said she’ll make you a cup because she thinks you’ll be back soon. You came in just after she spoke. Luckily, we were not talking about you behind your back.”Serenity laughed. “Jasmine must’ve heard my footsteps.”Jasmine passed the blended juice to the girls. Serenity held the juice and went to the cashier counter. After putting the juice down, she moved the small dining table she and Jasmine usually used for meals over. The three of them sat around the table with their glass of juice. “Seren, did you go to Spring Blossoms to look for Ms. Newman?”Elisa asked, “How’s she now? She’s amazing. She managed to sue her stepfather and mother even though she’s blind.”“I went to get flowers for Zachary. I didn’t see Camryn. She was gone for the entire day. The store employee said she would tell Camryn to call me after she returned. Camryn hasn’t been contacting me, and she switched phone numbers.”After ta
As long as Elisa did not get married, Serenity would always feel that she had stolen Elisa’s happiness. Elisa liked Zachary so much, yet it was Serenity who got married to him. Therefore, Serenity sincerely hoped Elisa could quickly find her significant other. She would only feel better if Elisa found her happiness. Elisa had never blamed Serenity. She did not think Serenity had snatched Zachary away from her. Elisa said she and Zachary were destined to meet but not fated to be together. It had nothing to do with Serenity. It was a fact that Zachary did not love her. Even without Serenity, other women would still appear. Elisa would rather Serenity than other people. She had said smugly before that Zachary even had to acknowledge her as his cousin after being with Serenity. She was secretly happy that she could make that arrogant cold man bow down and call her his cousin. “Seren.”Elisa held Serenity’s hand. “Don’t feel guilty for me. You didn’t do me any wrong.”
Josh said, “Don’t you have a business dinner tonight?”He changed the topic. It was to prevent Zachary from talking about the flowers again. Zachary made it look as if Josh had never received flowers. “I’m going to pick my wife up. She’s accompanying me tonight.”Josh hummed in acknowledgment. “I’m going to take a break after working for another week.”It would be his and Jasmine’s wedding soon. Zachary said, “Isn’t there still half a month until the wedding day?”As Josh walked outside with Zachary, he said, “Half a month is only two weeks. Can’t I take a break a week in advance?” He could not possibly work up till the day of his wedding, right?Zachary had nothing to say about that. “Mr. York, Mr, Bucham.”Everyone greeted them respectfully as they walked out. “Shall we leave together?”Josh was walking toward Zachary’s car. Zachary asked him that question with raised eyebrows. “I have to bring my wife home to have dinner and then visit the house we’ll live i
Zachary’s cell phone started ringing.Before Zachary even looked at his phone, he told Josh, “It must be my wife that's calling. Maybe she wants to pick me up after work.”Josh pouted. “Hey, I am doing pretty well myself. Heck, I even had my wedding before you. You don’t have to show off, I'm not provoked at all.”With a wide grin on his face, Zachary replied, “I’m not showing off. That’s just how my wife and I get along every day.” It became the daily routine for the couple that Zachary would pick up Serenity or the other way round.The moment Zachary took out his phone and realized that it was Remy calling, his ever-handsome face twitched.Zachary thought it was Serenity who called. He did not expect it to be Remy.With eyes as sharp as a hawk, Josh saw that it was Remy’s name on Zachary’s screen.Josh busted out laughing.Zachary shot him a mean glare, and Josh turned away to continue his gleeful laughter.Despite the humiliating circumstance, Zachary answered Remy’s call
“The Yorks have so many men. Even if you and I aren’t around, they’ll be able to hold up. Besides, I’m just going to be away for a few days. York Corp is a big group with mature management. Even if we’re not available for a month, the company will be fine,” Zachary said to Josh. The mid-level and senior managers in the company were not raised for nothing. Josh breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled as he said, “As long as you’re not asking me to stay in the office to work my butt off for you.” Zachary said with amusement, “I’m not an exploiter. Look how nervous you are. I’ve never ordered you around, have I?” “No, no, I’ve always volunteered to be ordered about by you.” Zachary was lost for words. Josh chuckled and said, “I should be glad to have worked hard for you. After finding your happiness, you didn’t forget about me and matched Jasmine to me. We’re good friends and brothers.” “You're as sweet as ever with your words. No wonder Ms. Sox fell for you and agreed to mar
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing