Worried that his wife would screw things up, Derek had no choice but to meet Liberty with his wife since he could not stop her.In order to continue talking his wife out of meeting Liberty, Derek asked his chauffeur to drive.The couple was seated in the back. Along the journey, Derek kept advising his wife. He said, “If Duncan finds out that you go and meet Liberty, he’ll surely have a row with you. This will affect your relationship with him.“If Serenity finds out, it means Zachary will too. You know full well how much he protects and pampers his wife. Liberty is his sister-in-law. Forcing Liberty to leave Wiltspoon will stir up a hornet’s nest and greatly damage the relationship between the Lewises and the Yorks.” Mrs. Lewis tilted her head and glared at her husband before she said, “I’m just going to have a talk with Liberty. I’m not forcing her to leave Wiltspoon either. Why are you nagging at me non-stop? You’re annoying.“The Lewises and the Yorks are family friends. S
After moving closer, Liberty got a better sight of Jessica.Jessica had thinned down a lot. She had a dull complexion and was dressed in loose clothes. Only those who were sharp-eyed could tell that she was pregnant.“Let’s go, Hank,” Jessica said to her husband.Currently, she disliked seeing Hank being close to Sonny. She was afraid that if they got very close, Hank would not take care of her child wholeheartedly.Regardless of whether she gave birth to a son or daughter, the Browns would surely be biased toward Sonny.Jessica had to continue serving her sentence in the future, so she would not be able to watch her child grow. If her child turned out to be a girl who failed to please the family, who would know how much the child would suffer when Jessica was not by her side? Therefore, Hank was the child’s support.Sonny was a lot more fortunate than Jessica’s child.With so many people loving and supporting Sonny, there was no need to worry that he would suffer. “Sonny, w
“Dunc.”Sonny’s mannerism toward Duncan and his father, Hank, was the same.Once Sonny saw Duncan, he shook off Liberty’s hand and scurried toward Duncan.Hank’s expression became graver.His parents and elder sister had always nagged him, telling him that Liberty had a pursuer. If he was not going to divorce Jessica and go after Liberty again, Sonny’s father would be someone else.Duncan would most likely become Sonny’s new father.Hank knew full well that Liberty would not accept him anymore. As for Jessica, he still had feelings for her. He also felt sorry for her.He hurt two women because of his unfaithfulness. Liberty was already divorced from Hank and had started her life anew. She was leading a wonderful life. He did not want to hurt Jessica again, especially by divorcing her when she was in jail. If he did that, she would be homeless after she was released.Ever since Jessica was arrested, her brother and sister-in-law had established boundaries with her.Although h
“Sonny.“Sonny.”Something seemed to be wrong with Hank. He kept shouting his son’s name as he strode toward his son.“Sonny, I’ll play with you.”Hank hurriedly caught up with Duncan and blocked him.He stretched out his hand to snatch Sonny over.Sonny was Hank’s son!He shared the same surname as Hank, namely Brown!He had nothing to do with Duncan at all. There was no need for Duncan to play with Sonny.Sonny’s biological father was here!“Sonny, let Dad play with you, okay?”As Hank asked Sonny, his eyes were fixed on Duncan. He purposely stressed the word “Dad”.Hank would forever be Sonny’s father!If Duncan wanted to be Sonny’s father, he could dream on!Hank failed to stop Duncan from going after his ex-wife. After all, he was still married to Jessica. What was more, Jessica was pregnant with his child, which meant he could not divorce her at this point.If Liberty wanted to remarry, she had the freedom to do so.Besides feeling annoyed, there was really nothin
Liberty watched the situation indifferently.Jessica was faking it, yet Hank could not see through it?Perhaps it was because Hank was concerned about Jessica and her baby.Soon, Hank left with Jessica by car.He did not even bid goodbye to Liberty and the rest.Liberty and Duncan wished Hank could quickly leave.However, Sonny was dejected.Hank said he would play with Sonny. However, once Jess said she was unwell, Hank instantly ignored him and left with Jess.“Mom.”Sonny walked toward Liberty. He extended his hands to ask for a hug from Liberty.Liberty carried him. Seeing his dejected look, she fell quiet for a moment before explaining on Hank’s behalf.“Sonny, Jess isn’t feeling well, and your dad is worried about her. He had to send her to the hospital for a check-up, and that’s why he can’t play with you. It’s not because he doesn’t want to play with you or he doesn’t love you.”Duncan’s lips twitched. He felt that Hank did not love Sonny dearly.Hank loved Jessica
“It’s on the third floor, huh? There’s a lot of food on the first floor. Do you want to buy something to eat?”Sonny shook his head.Currently, he was not keen on eating or playing.With Aunt Ser around, he had all kinds of good food.Upon noticing that Sonny was not interested in buying things, Duncan took him straight to the third floor of the mall.On the third floor, the kids’ playground occupied one side whereas the other was a fashion store. When some parents came here to buy shoes, they would drop their children off at the playground and leave them to play there. There was an entrance fee with staff members keeping an eye on the kids. The kids would not run out unless they wanted to stop playing.Even if they wanted to run out, the staff members would not allow the kids to do so without the presence of their parents.Therefore, the parents would feel at ease. By placing their children at the playground, they could shop around the mall freely without being annoyed by the
Liberty did not believe that Mrs. Lewis would randomly pass by somewhere near her rented house. Surely, Mrs. Lewis came to meet her on purpose.She took a glimpse of her son who was having fun. Then, she turned her eyes to Duncan and said, “Mrs. Lewis, I’m outside now. It’ll take time for me to return.”“Oh, you’re out? Are you alone?” Mrs. Lewis asked patiently.She did not know Liberty’s number. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis deliberately went to All You Can Eat and jotted down Liberty’s number from the signboard.“I’m on the third floor of Gloria Mall with my son. There’s an indoor playground, and Sonny enjoys playing here. We bumped into Mr. Lewis at the entrance of the mall, so he’s here as well.”When Mrs. Lewis heard that her son pretended to create the encounter to be involved with Liberty, her face turned grim.However, she was not angry at Liberty. After suppressing her anger, she said to Liberty, “Liberty, since Duncan is there, you can have him look after Sonny. We’ll… find a p
Liberty wished she could keep a distance from Duncan all the time. Nevertheless, he always used Sonny as an excuse, which left her feeling helpless.“You deserve it. It serves you right. You rejected Lily who’s interested in you and wants to get into a relationship with you, but you like Liberty instead. You know full well that Liberty has no feelings for you, yet you shamelessly pester her in spite of your status.”Mrs. Lewis did not take pity on his son for going through a hard time pursuing Liberty.She even hoped that Liberty would persist in treating her son the same way so he would eventually give up.“Mom, I have no feelings for Ms. Harmon. I simply like Liberty.”“Tell me in what way Liberty is better than Lily,” Mrs. Lewis asked her son huffily.The kid really made Mrs. Lewis’s blood boil.“Ms. Harmon and Liberty have their own qualities; everyone’s positive traits differ.”Duncan was not averse to Lily, but he knew that she was not his cup of tea.Lily was a career w
Liberty did not need them to push her husband. She continued to push Duncan toward the car, and only then did the bodyguards help him into the vehicle. Soon, the luxurious car carrying the family of three drove away from the city hall and merged into the street traffic, gradually disappearing into the distance.It was not until the car was out of sight that the car parked not far from the city hall slowly began to move.The driver was Hank.He would not stop Liberty and Duncan from registering their marriage and neither did he have the right nor the standing to do so. He had intended to take customers but had not received any orders, and without any particular destination in mind, he ended up at the city hall by chance, arriving before Liberty and Duncan.However, his car was parked farther away, and many other cars were occupying spaces near the city hall. After the divorce, Liberty no longer paid much attention to him and did not notice that Hank’s car was already there, waiting.
Liberty was his wife now.Sonny was completely confused. He had come here with his mother and Dunc. Everyone here was so friendly and smiled at them as they congratulated Liberty and Duncan. Why, though, did they not congratulate him?“Mom, Dunc is smiling so brightly. What’s so special about that paper? Mom, can I see it?” Sonny asked, looking up at Liberty, curious about what was so interesting about the marriage license that made Dunc smile so widely.Liberty glanced at Duncan and teased him, “Duncan, the corners of your mouth are almost reaching your ears.”“I’m happy. Very happy,” Duncan responded with an even brighter smile.The weather today was cloudy, though occasionally, the sun took a peek while sometimes it became overcast. Still, the power of the sun today certainly could not compare to the beam of Duncan’s smile.Liberty handed the marriage license to Sonny to view.Sonny eagerly took it and started reading it. Some of the words he recognized, but overall, he did n
“That brat is already at that age and still doesn’t think about settling down. Every time we pressure him, he hides away.” When Audrey talked about Anthony, who did not want to get married, she could not help but feel a headache coming. Out of her three children, the one who worried her the most was Anthony.Serenity walked over to Audrey and affectionately linked arms with her, smiling, “Aunt Audrey, you don’t need to worry. Anthony’s a good man. When the right person comes along, he’ll get married.”“Let’s hope so—he’s not young anymore. Children are always a worry, aren’t they? There’s always something to be concerned about. What about Sonny? Why didn’t he come along?” Audrey asked. “Didn’t you come from your sister’s place?” “Sonny went with my sister and Duncan to the city hall. They said they wanted to go as a family of three,” Serenity replied.Audrey laughed, “Duncan doesn’t mind bringing along a little third wheel, huh? Well, that’s fine. They’re going to be a family, aft
Zachary said those words, but in his heart, he was thinking that he had to keep an eye on the younger generations of the major families in Wiltspoon, particularly those who stood out. He would make note of any promising boys, so that when he had a daughter, he could arrange for that boy to grow up alongside her. If they became childhood sweethearts, she would not have to marry far away. Of course, once he had a daughter, he would not want her to get married too early. He would still be fine even if she was unmarried at thirty.Zachary drove his beloved wife to the Stone residence. Audrey was walking in the yard with Patrick. The weather was nice today, and the temperature had risen a few degrees. Patrick had been ordered by Audrey to stay inside and avoid the cold wind, but he was now finally able to get out and walk around.Elisa had gone to Annenburg with Remy to celebrate Christmas. Anthony, afraid of his parents’ constant nagging to settle down, had bought a plane ticket abroad
“Duncan is a good man. Being with him, you will definitely be happy, Liberty. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, growing old together, and may you have children soon.” After a pause, Hank added, “Or maybe don't have children, I'm afraid that if you have your own kids, you might not love Sonny as much.”He was still quite selfish. He hoped that Sonny would be Liberty’s only child. As long as Liberty and Duncan did not have children, the fortune and empire Duncan built would eventually become his son's legacy. Then again, thinking about Liberty’s current status, Hank sighed quietly, knowing that his selfish prayer would never come true. Liberty would definitely have another child. She would need a daughter to take her place and eventually take over the Fisher matriarchy in Jensburg.What if Duncan had a biological child? Would he still treat Sonny well?Hank was actually quite worried that if Duncan had his own child, he might not treat Sonny well. That was why, when he last s
“Go cook some food. It's rare for Hank to be resting at home, so don't say those unpleasant things in front of him. Honestly, if he hadn’t gone after Jessica, she wouldn't have ended up like this. As a married man, Hank shouldn't have pursued a young, innocent girl in the first place. Everything that happened to him is his own fault—it’s all self-inflicted.”Ever since Hank divorced Liberty, and after seeing how Liberty had turned her life around and was living a better life, Luke had changed a lot because of regret. It made him realize many things and change a lot.Olivia opened her mouth as if to say something, but said nothing in the end. After a heavy sigh, she stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare food for her husband and son.In the past, when Liberty was still part of the Brown family, every time Olivia came to her son’s house, she never had to cook. She only had to mention what she wanted to eat, and Liberty would prepare it for her. All she had to do was eat and still
“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