After glancing at Elisa, Andrew said with a smile, “The soup Ms. Stone makes will definitely taste good. However, I don’t really like drinking soup.”Elisa had sent soup over frequently back when she was pursuing his cousin.Andrew was aware of it. Mrs. Stone maintained her smile and said, “You haven’t tried the soup Elisa makes. You’ll like it after tasting it. It’s decided then. Please come to our house for a meal next time.”Andrew grinned. “I’ll definitely go if I have the time.”Only then did Mrs. Stone feel satisfied and stop her attacks. She asked Elisa to order the food. Elisa had the waiter bring the menu. She passed one to Andrew, “You can do the honor, Mr. Reading.”Andrew smiled. “This is the Stone family’s hotel. You must be aware of which dish tastes great. You should order, Ms. Stone. I’m not a picky eater aside from disliking soup.”Actually, he liked drinking soup. Wiltspoonians loved boiling soup. Some people could not even eat without having soup for each
When Remy and Elisa could no longer see Andrew’s car, they prepared to return to the hotel. However, Mrs. Stone walked out of the hotel. “Mrs. Stone,” Remy greeted. Mrs. Stone nodded as a form of acknowledgment. Then, she said to Elisa, “Elisa, can you accompany me to the night market? I haven’t walked around one for a long time.”Elisa looked toward Remy. Remy read the atmosphere and said, “Mrs. Stone, Elisa, I also have some matters to see to. I’ll leave first.”Elisa whispered apologetically, “Remy, please don’t take what my mother did or said to heart.”Remy returned a gaze to reassure her. He was generous and would not resent his mother-in-law for being hard on him. Mrs. Stone walked toward her car. Elisa had no choice but to follow. They sat in the same car while Elisa’s car was left in the parking lot of their hotel. When Elisa got into the car, Mrs. Stone poked her forehead. She told Elisa, “How many times have I told you to keep a distance from Remy? He’s a cu
“Will you and my brothers not seek justice if I were together with Remy and got bullied by the Johnsons?”Elisa returned a question to her mother. “Besides, I’m not someone who’s easily bullied. It has always been me bullying other people.”Mrs. Stone choked for a moment and said, “You can act recklessly in Wiltspoon, and no one will dare to do anything to you. That’s because you have the huge Stone Group behind your back. Clive can back you up and clean up your mess.“If you were to be with Remy, you'd live in Annenburg. Who’ll dote on you and be your shoulder to rely on if you move to a faraway place after marriage?”Elisa argued her case. “Remy’s job is based in Wiltspoon, and he lives here long-term. I’ll be living in Wiltspoon in the future with him as well. Even if we must return to Annenburg, it’ll only be during the festive seasons to accompany his parents.“What trouble can arise from that? Besides, you’re aware of what type of family the Johnsons are. The Johnsons are
However, how Elisa’s parents treated her might not be what she wanted at times.Upon noticing that her mother was quiet, Elisa had no choice but to get out of the car.The moment she did, Mrs. Stone ordered the chauffeur to resume driving.Slightly dazed, the chauffeur turned his head and looked at Mrs. Stone before he said, “Madam, Ms. Stone…”“Since she has legs, she can go home on her own.”Mrs. Stone said indifferently, “If she was still in the car, the two of us would definitely have a blazing row.”By kicking her daughter out of the car, Mrs. Stone believed that it would allow the two of them to calm down.It did not trouble her in the slightest whether her daughter could reach home. Feeling helpless, the chauffeur had no choice but to continue driving.Elisa stood by the roadside, watching her mother’s car leave and soon blend in with the traffic.‘My mom actually abandoned me.’Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Elisa felt aggrieved.She did not bother to return
Andrew’s words caused Zachary to keep a straight face. Zachary stopped mocking his cousin and stared at him solemnly. He asked, “Andrew, are you really in love with Elisa?”“No such thing.”Andrew promptly denied it.“It was only tonight that I was aware of Mrs. Stone’s motive. There were several times she met with accidents on the road, then I bumped into her and sent her home. Now, I suspect that those were her plots.”Andrew was no fool.After realizing Mrs. Stone’s motive, he analyzed it and felt that it was Mrs. Stone’s plot to change meetings with him.Mr. and Mrs. Stone had a great relationship. After they retired, Mr. Stone would follow Mrs. Stone wherever she went.Nevertheless, Mr. Stone did not tag along when Mrs. Stone strolled around. Also, it happened that Mrs. Stone did not carry her phone along when she sprained her ankle. How could there possibly be so many coincidences?“Zack, I know Elisa used to love you and went after you publicly. I won’t get into a relati
Elisa greeted Zachary and Andrew.When Zachary heard Elisa greet him, his lips twitched.Given that Serenity was one year younger than Elisa, she was Elisa’s younger cousin.“Ms. Stone.”Andrew behaved normally.Elisa’s and Andrew’s eyes met. At the same time, they thought, ‘What a coincidence!’The two of them came over spontaneously.“Didn’t Remy accompany you here, Ms. Stone?” Andrew asked Elisa with a smile.Elisa responded, “He has something to attend to, so I asked him to carry on with his work. He’s going back to Annenburg a few days later as his eldest sister-in-law is due to give birth.”Andrew hummed in acknowledgment.Serenity added, “Jane’s estimated due date hasn’t arrived, has it? Yet she’s due so soon.”“That’s what Remy said. I’m not sure either.”“But Jane is pregnant with twins. I heard twins are usually delivered in advance.” Serenity admired Jane who was going to give birth soon.Indeed, Jane had it all. Jane and Serenity were both the eldest missus o
Andrew looked at Elisa who was different from what rumors had said about her. Not wanting to stay any longer, he stood up and was going to take his leave. “Zack, Serenity, I’m leaving now.”“Why don’t you stay for a little while? You can go back after supper.”Serenity tried to persuade Andrew to stay.Andrew laughed and said, “I don’t usually have supper. After each supper, I need to spend a long time working out to maintain a good body shape. Serenity, I’m single, so my image is important.”Serenity grinned. “You’re like your cousin. He doesn’t want to have supper because he also wants to maintain his figure.”Since Andrew is insistent on leaving, Serenity stopped persuading him. She asked Zachary to walk his cousin out.“Seren, can you lend me your car so I don’t have to stay here overnight?”Upon her arrival at Serenity’s house, Elisa impulsively wanted to stay there as she did not want to return home. However, she thought it would be better to borrow a car and stay in her o
Remy flew back to Annenburg the next afternoon. Two days after he returned to Anneburg, Jane gave birth to a pair of fraternal twins.Remy instantly phoned Elisa to share his joy with her.This was not his first time being an uncle but it was different this time.Previously, he became an uncle to his cousin’s child.This time around, he was an uncle to his brother’s children.When Elisa picked up his call, she was still staying in her house. She did not return to the Stones’ residence.After Mrs. Stone found out from Serenity that Elisa was staying in her own house, she did not take the initiative to call Elisa. There was a deadlock between Mrs. Stone and Elisa. Seemingly, they gave each other the silent treatment.Mrs. Stone felt that she was right—it was her daughter who was immature, unfilial, and disobedient.On the other hand, Elisa found her mother stubborn. Remy had gotten things squared away, yet Mrs. Stone remained resolute just because Remy was not a Wiltspoonian.“T
“Although Caroline is our biological sister, she doesn’t treat us as her brothers. We only recognize Celine as our sister. I really wish we could turn back time.“We shouldn’t have allowed Caroline to return to the Fisher family. Ever since she came back, the family had been declining. Many things had happened. My mom’s dead, and my dad’s crippled. All of these are related to her.“Caroline’s an ungrateful bitch. I can’t believe she sided with the people from Wiltspoon. Even now, she’s constantly in contact with them and giving away Fisher Enterprise.“It should’ve belonged to Celine.”Jacob and Michael stayed quiet. They had known for a long time that their biological sister was not Caroline but Celine, the then-successor of the Fisher family. Therefore, they treated Caroline badly and often abused her.Although Caroline had learned to put up resistance after growing up, she was still bullied by Jacob and Michael.She hated them. She did not know the truth in the past and
The two men were Celine’s biological brothers, Jacob and Michael Dott. Adrian nodded. “That’s good to hear. Grieving is useless. Avenging Celine and seeking justice is more important.”Jacob and Michael remained silent. They could not do much. When their father was still the Fishers’ butler, he received a high salary with excellent benefits; the Dotts were the wealthiest family in their town. Since their family was rich, the brothers never put effort into studying. They spent time with questionable friends and led a life of debauchery. Jacob and Michael only matured after marrying and having kids. However, their father was already in prison. Meanwhile, Caroline, whom they used to abuse, had returned to the Fisher family. Celine had refused to return to the Dott family and simply gave them some money. Jacob and Michael had built houses in their town and furnished them well. The money they used was from Caroline and their parents’ savings. Since then, their financial crisi
In the afternoon, Duncan fetched Liberty from Fisher Enterprise for dinner. Caroline stood at the building entrance, watching Liberty and Duncan leave. She was envious. She missed Darren. Although he was still following her, he could not expose himself before others. She was not used to it. Nevertheless, she had to endure it to lure the Clark brothers into her trap. She thought, ‘Please make your move soon, brothers. Don’t keep me waiting.’At that moment, Adrian and his brothers exited the elevator. They were discussing something as they walked. When they saw Caroline standing at the entrance, they paused for a moment. However, they quickly pretended they did not see her and walked past her.Soon, three cars left the company.Caroline stood there for a few more minutes before heading to the parking lot. Her personal bodyguards were waiting at her car. They quickly went to her when they spotted her, while one of them opened the door for her. After Adrian left the com
“I’m used to him being by my side. Now that he’s hidden, it just feels weird.”Caroline added, “Even if I want to kiss him, I can only do it in my dreams.”Liberty was speechless. Seeing Liberty being at a loss for words, Caroline smiled. “Did I renew your impression of me?”“Yes. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.”Caroline giggled. “Darren’s too serious and respectful. If I don’t take the lead, we might sleep on opposite ends of the bed after getting married. He probably won’t even dare to turn in bed.”Liberty thought of Darren’s face, which constantly had a stern expression. He only looked normal around Caroline. He indeed treated her respectfully and never dared to offend her. Liberty said, “You’re still his master. It’s only natural that he’s acting that way.“When you two become husband and wife, he’ll change. However, you won’t have to doubt his love and loyalty for you.”The next thing Liberty knew, Caroline asked her private questions regarding married lif
Caroline moved first, exiting the elevator.Adrian blocked her path, refusing to give way.Caroline did not want to argue with her brothers, so she simply sidestepped and continued toward the CEO’s office. The Clark brothers watched her leave.“Let’s go, Adrian.” Justin entered the elevator first.Adrian withdrew his gaze and led Jason into the elevator.“I heard Darren’s out on a business trip and has been sent to another province to handle some matters, so he won’t be back for at least ten days to half a month,” Jason shared in a low voice. “And for the past few days, Caroline’s only been accompanied by those few bodyguards of hers. There really hasn’t been any sign of Darren with her. I’ve asked someone to look into it and verified Darren left Jensburg by flight a few days ago. What do you think, Adrian?”Adrian replied under his breath, “We’re at work. Don’t talk about that here. We’ll talk about it when we get home tonight.”Justin and Jason immediately shut their mouths.
“I’m in charge now, not your mother. If you can’t do the work, then don’t cling to your positions and collect a salary for doing nothing.”Liberty had no intention of tolerating their laziness any longer.The three brothers had tried investing and running their own businesses, but they mostly ended up losing money. The only stable income they had was from renting out the properties and shops they owned.That was why Hunter had advised his sons to return to Ashford, buy more properties and shops, and live off the rental income. It was much more stable than their business ventures.If the properties were hard to rent out, they could always sell them and recover some money, but with their business investments, not only did they lose money, they often ended up in debt by the time the businesses failed.It was a mystery how much of Belinda’s personal wealth had been spent helping her sons pay off their debts while she was alive.However, there were times when they made money. They wou
They had taken a few days of sick leave, but after receiving the news, they miraculously “recovered” and returned to work.However, their behavior did not improve. They continued strutting around the company, acting as if they owned the place, just as they had before.While others completed the tasks Liberty assigned on time, the three Clark brothers always dragged their feet. They only ever barely managed to finish them after repeated urging, and the results were still always far from satisfactory.“Look at the plans and reports you submitted. They’re a complete mess! What kind of work is this? You all sit in the positions of vice president, earning high salaries, and this is how you perform?“Do you think your work justifies your pay?”In the CEO’s office, Liberty sat behind her crescent-shaped desk. The three Clark brothers stood in front of her, having been summoned.Liberty slammed their work results onto the desk in front of them and her face was filled with anger as she be
Darren stopped walking.Caroline stopped as well.“What’s wrong?” Caroline looked at him. “You don’t want to follow my plan?”“I’ll do whatever you ask of me. It’s just, could we delay it for a couple of days? I’m worried…”“Darren.” Caroline’s expression turned serious. “Trust me! And trust yourself. I have the ability to protect myself, and you have the ability to protect me too. I might get hurt, but I won’t be in any life-threatening danger.”She glanced at Liberty and Duncan walking ahead, both had not noticed that the two behind had stopped. The distance between them had widened.Taking advantage of Liberty and Duncan’s oblivion, Caroline quickly cupped Darren’s face, tiptoed, and kissed his warm lips.Darren immediately tightened his arms around her, turning his passiveness into action, and deepening the kiss. The two were clearly in love, but Darren never took the initiative in intimate gestures. It was always Caroline who made the first move.In Darren’s eyes, Caroline
Among the younger generation of the Fisher family, very few could work at the headquarters of Fisher Enterprise. Most of them worked in subsidiaries, no different from ordinary workers.They worked themselves to the bone for a monthly salary of four to five thousand dollars as being part of the Fisher family did not guarantee them high-paying jobs. Those without ability and who were lazy could not even get into the subsidiaries.When Belinda was alive, she had made it clear that the Fisher family’s companies would not support idle people. Those who wanted to slack off and collect a paycheck for doing nothing were dreaming!The biggest benefit of being part of the family was that during holidays, they could receive gifts and a generous bonus from Fisher Enterprise.These holiday gifts and bonuses were distributed uniformly, regardless of age or seniority. Everyone received the same amount—a newborn baby received the same as an eighty-year-old elder.After some thought, Liberty said