Liberty left the hospital and went to her breakfast diner.“Boss, you’re back!”The two shop assistants saw Liberty and greeted her. They looked at her and hesitated to speak.Liberty was distracted and did not notice their expressions.The diner was busy at this hour, so the two assistants went back to work thinking that they could talk about it with their boss later.Seeing their boss’s absent-minded expression, they figured Liberty was aware of the trending topic.Their boss’s sister was the young missus of Wiltspoon’s richest family, so the news would travel much faster to her than to them.Liberty sat down in front of the cash register, thinking about what Duncan said to her.Duncan got into a car accident, so Liberty was worried about him. However, he blamed her for his accident. Liberty thought, ‘I didn’t ask him to come over then. Why did he blame me?’“Liberty.”A familiar voice brought Liberty out of her thoughts.Liberty looked up and saw her sister sitting down
“I’m relieved that’s how you think now. Just know that Mr. Lewis doesn’t mean what he said to you, no matter how bad his attitude was. Don’t take it to heart.”Serenity and Zachary went to the hospital earlier, and Duncan’s father told the couple everything.She felt that Duncan did not mean to say whatever he said.Duncan was just worried that he would be crippled and wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life, so he did not want everyone to pity him.Liberty was silent for a while before saying, “I hope Mr. Lewis won’t give up on himself. I hope he’ll continue his rehabilitation after he gets discharged from the hospital. That way, he’ll recover soon.”“I’m sure he will.”Serenity looked at her sister.“Is there anything else you want to say to me?” Liberty asked.“Mr. Lewis’s car accident made headlines in Wiltspoon. Those people’s imaginations ran wild and dragged you into it.”Liberty was stunned for a moment. She then took out her phone and looked at the local news. She s
Grandma May stared at Duncan. “What? Did you lose all your confidence now that you’re lying here, so you’re pushing Liberty away?”Before Duncan could answer, Grandma May said, “Who do you think you are to Liberty that you can make arrangements for her? You should at least bring her into your world first before you have a chance to push her away.“I bet you haven’t even held her hands. You haven’t even started a relationship with her, so what makes you think you can arrange her life for her?“Does it hurt here?”Grandma May pressed on Duncan’s injured leg with a little force.“Ouch! Nana, it hurts!”Duncan was a tough guy, but he was now in so much pain that he broke out in cold sweat.He had been enduring the pain and did not make a sound.However, he could let down his guard in front of Grandma May.“It’s good that you can feel the pain. It proves that the nerves in your legs aren’t dead, so you won’t be paralyzed. Of course, it’ll take a long time for you to get back to nor
Grandma May got up and looked at Duncan for a moment. She sighed and walked out of the room.......At the Browns’ residence, Jessica was lying on the sofa, playing with her phone looking delighted.At this time, the door opened.Mrs. Brown and Chelsea came back.Jessica did not like Chelsea, her sister-in-law, because she thought Chelsea was shameless.Chelsea did not greet Jessica either. Jessica and Hank moved back into their newly renovated apartment since Liberty destroyed the previous renovation. Even after moving out of the rented apartment, they did not have any peace.Chelsea was not at all conscientious. She regarded their apartment as her second home and came whenever she pleased. She would come empty-handed and would leave with whatever she could find in the refrigerator.How shameless!Jessica quarreled with Chelsea many times because of this.Jessica thought that her husband’s family would treat her well when they found out she was pregnant, but that was just
Chelsea pointed fingers and cursed at Jessica. “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re pregnant with Hank’s child, I would’ve slapped you a long time ago! I don’t think Liberty is the jinx. You are!“How could you be so wicked to curse your own husband?! If it wasn’t for Hank, you’d still be in prison! He was the one who applied for a reprieve for you, but you cursed him to get into a car accident?!“What does Liberty have anything to do with Mr. Lewis’s accident? Liberty didn’t accept his feelings. He was the one who was going to see Liberty, and his mother chased after him. That’s why he got into an accident. The media is spouting nonsense. They deliberately dragged Liberty into it to attract more attention. How unprofessional!”Chelsea yelled back at Jessica in one breath.Jessica did not have a chance to speak even if she wanted to.Chelsea’s voice was so loud that the neighbors downstairs could hear her.However, the residents in this community had long regarded the Brown fa
Mrs. Brown was mad that Jessica cursed her grandchildren terribly just now.Upon seeing Jessica moan that her stomach ached, Mrs. Brown promptly went forward to hold Jessica and said nervously, “Quickly take a seat. Or you can return to your room and lie down.” “Mom, she’s lying. This is not her first time faking a tummy ache.”Chelsea did not believe that Jessica was having an ache in her abdomen.“Chelsea.”Mrs. Brown called her daughter’s name out before she assisted Jessica to the room and laid her on the bed. She noticed that Jessica’s face became swollen as a result of Chelsea’s slap. Worried that Hank would come into conflict with Chelsea when he saw this upon his return, Mrs. Brown said, “Jessica, I’m going to get ice and put it on your face.”Jessica touched her face without saying a word.Mrs. Brown went out to get her ice. Lying on the bed, Jessica was thinking about the life she was living. She felt so aggrieved that tears rolled down her face.Nevertheless, this
Mrs. Brown felt relieved. As she was speaking to Jessica, she brought her to the bed and laid her down.Jessica’s expression changed shortly. She gripped Mrs. Brown’s hand and said in fear, “Mom, my tummy hurts.”Upon hearing that, Mrs. Brown dashed outside and shouted, “Chelsea, quickly call an ambulance. Jessica is having a tummy ache.”Chelsea was eating an apple. As soon as she heard her mother’s shout, she walked over leisurely and leaned against the door of the room before she said, “Mom, she’s always saying that her stomach hurts. Don’t buy it. Calling an ambulance is a waste of medical resources. Let’s leave the service to other people who are in need.”“Jessica fell down just now!”Mrs. Brown roared, “Hurry up and call an ambulance.”It was only when Chelsea saw Jessica suffering on the bed did she trust that it was real. Chelsea swiftly rang for an ambulance.…At four in the afternoon, the sunlight was pale.All You Can Eat did not close in the afternoon like it usu
Of course, Chelsea firmly denied that the incident had something to do with her.It was karma that hit Jessica for being evil. Not only did Jessica claim that Liberty brought bad luck to her husband, but she also cursed Chelsea’s sons.Jessica’s baby was a boy. She only learned about it after the miscarriage. Mrs. Brown and Jessica were weeping bitterly.Chelsea was upset for some time, but she soon got over it. Jessica had only herself to blame for being spiteful. She cursed Chelsea’s sons, hoping that they would be stunted or meet with an accident. Indeed, an accident had happened, yet it happened to Jessica. Chelsea strongly believed that this was karma!“Liberty, you don’t know how spiteful Jessica is. She watched the news and found out that Mr. Lewis met with an accident. Those unethical media made false assumptions and mentioned you in the news. Jessica claimed that you brought bad luck to Mr. Lewis. She said Mr. Lewis was involved in the accident only because he was in
Meanwhile, in a private room at Fortress Hotel in Jensburg, Caroline and Liberty stood up together and shook hands with their client, having successfully closed a business deal.The two of them escorted the client downstairs.After the client got into their car and left, Caroline turned to Liberty and said, “Liberty, it's getting late. Mr. Lewis is still waiting for you inside, so go get him and head home early to rest. The weather is really cold.“He still has trouble with his legs and isn’t used to the cold here, after all.”Duncan had caught a cold on his third day here.After seeing a doctor and taking medication, he was still coughing a little.Liberty did not move. Instead, she asked Caroline, “Are they making their move tonight?”“How would I know? They’ll act whenever they want. I’m just waiting. It’s likely to be soon, though. I’ve spread the word that Darren is on a business trip for half a month.”She did not want Liberty to worry, so she did not tell her that her fi
How long had it been since she last truly appreciated the night view of Satbury?Every day, she left home early and returned late, rushing from one place to another, with endless meetings, piles of documents to process, and countless business deals to negotiate.It always felt like there was not enough time.Before she knew it, time had flown by.It seemed just yesterday she had taken over the family business, but in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.Back when she first took over, many people had looked down on her, doubting her ability to manage the O'Connors’ vast empire. Many had wanted to devour the O'Connor family, to carve it up and take a share for themselves.Her parents’ generation was utterly mediocre, and after her grandparents passed away, they could not hold things together.As a result, the O'Connors’ family business declined and they lost a significant amount of money.On top of that, their extended relatives tried to exploit the situation, digging p
Isabella smiled, “Every time I hear you talk about your family, my heart gets restless, and I feel like going to meet them myself.”She even felt the urge to join their family, but she could not bring herself to say that out loud.Austin treated her very well. Tati said that when Austin looked at her, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and she kept saying that Austin had come here for her.Technically, Austin could indeed be considered to have come here for her, but it was really because of her picky palate and because she was hiring a private chef.To put it bluntly, Austin had come for the sake of culinary art.Sometimes, when Isabella locked eyes with Austin and saw him looking at her so intently, she could not help but wonder if he felt something for her.However, such thoughts were always quickly brushed aside.She and Austin were simply employer and employee.Austin treated her well because she was his employer. If there were any issues with the dishes he prepared, she coul
Austin smiled meaningfully, “My entire family will be very happy and warmly welcome you if you come with me to attend my nephew's sip-and-see shower.”In fact, his family would likely treat Isabella as his future wife, extending the kind of hospitality reserved for a daughter-in-law.However, Austin did not voice this thought.He and Isabella had not reached the stage where they could openly flirt like that.In any case, he was not in a hurry. Like a good stew, he would gradually win Isabella’s heart with time, and everything would fall into place naturally.“Your sister-in-law hasn’t given birth yet, so why are you already saying it’s a nephew?” Isabella teased belatedly. “Are you all hoping for a boy?“I heard from Ruth that your family elders are all hoping for a baby girl, though.”At the mention of that, Austin smiled wryly. “Ms. Fuller’s been to Wiltspoon and has heard about my family. She knows that our elders have always wanted a baby girl, so she must have also heard ot
Isabella asked, "When is your sister-in-law due?"She did not have a private chef who could fill in for Austin. If he took a leave of two or three days, she could manage, but if he requested a longer leave, she might not approve it.Zachary York’s wife was pregnant. Isabella had learned about the Yorks’ situation through a friend. Since she was Austin’s sister-in-law, it was natural for him, as the uncle, to want to go back and see his nephew.“I’m not sure. I asked my brother, and he said it might be in about two months. It could be earlier or later, it’s hard to say. I’ll go back when my sister-in-law is hospitalized. Once she’s discharged and returns home for postpartum recovery, it won’t be convenient to visit, so I’ll come back to work.“Then, when the baby is one month old, I’ll definitely go back for another couple of days. After all, he’ll be my first nephew and the eldest in the family’s new generation.”Isabella thought for a moment and said, “If it’s just two or three d
Austin knew she said that because she was afraid he would not agree, but how could he not? Rather, he wished for it.“Alright. If you don’t mind, I’ll eat with you from now on. Ms. Isabella, please go ahead and eat. I’ll quickly prepare some fruits for dessert.”Isabella glanced at him but said nothing and left.In the past, unless it was a social engagement, she would rarely have dessert.Usually, after finishing her meal, she would hurry back to her lounge to catch some rest, never bothering with fruits.Isabella realized belatedly that Austin had subtly influenced some of her small habits into changing.These small changes allowed her a bit more time to rest, which in turn improved her health.Soon, Austin came out.He had sliced some of the fruits and arranged them into the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings, while the smaller fruits were left whole to serve as the finishing touches.“In just this short time, you actually managed to create a phoenix,” Isabella praised.
“Isa has a networking event tonight, so she’ll be working overtime. You should bring her dinner.”“Sure.” Austin was here precisely to do that.Tati entered the elevator. When she turned around, she saw that Austin had already walked off.Tati chuckled to herself, “When will it be my turn to meet a good man who only has eyes for me?”Isabella had Austin now. Even though they had not officially started dating, they were clearly interested in each other. In the near future, they would definitely become a couple, and if both sides’ parents had no objection to it, they would eventually be a loving husband and wife.Though, at the thought of her family circumstances, Tati was still a little worried that Isabella and Austin might not get to that point.Isabella could not move far away after getting married as she still had to manage the family business. Her husband and her in-laws had to be understanding and tolerant of the fact that she would be very, very busy.They had all heard th
Isabella wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. Tati had a point. She could push the boys too hard. They were still young, and they deserved a carefree and happy childhood. She had already put too much pressure on Louis and Phillip. “Austin accompanies the boys when he’s free. I think he’s great with kids. Maybe he has experience from babysitting in his family.”The York family had nine sons in their youngest generation and no daughters. Austin was the sixth in line with three younger brothers. Rowan was the youngest and still a minor. Thinking about it, he must have been raised by all his older cousins and brothers. No one understood how much pressure Rowan was under as he grew up. His older brothers were outstanding individuals. He would not have been that stressed if any of them were mediocre. He kept chasing after his brothers’ footsteps. He did not know when he could ever catch up to River and Austin. He would have to live with that pressure fo
“Isa, do you know many hotels and restaurants are waiting for you to switch Austin out? That way, they can snatch him away and make him their star chef.”With Austin’s culinary skills, he could be the head chef at any hotel.Isabella smiled. She said, “It depends on how much they can offer him. He already has his own hotels and restaurants. He’s already successful in the F&B industry.“How can they possibly hire him to be their chef? That’s unless Austin buys their hotel.“Besides, I haven’t gotten bored of Austin’s food. They’ll have to wait. “You can make a bet on whether Austin can last a full year as my private chef. I think you might win, but there’s always the possibility of losing.”There would always be wins and losses in a bet. Tati smiled. “Some people already made their bets. However, they betted on whether Austin could last for three months first. I guess those who put their money on him leaving before three months are up will lose.“For the second round, they’re