“Yeah.” Zachary answered in a deep voice. Serenity drew close, holding a carrier bag in hand. “I bought cranberries. Do you want some?” Black in the face, Zachary gave her a dirty look. All she did was eat at the dinner party. Yet, she still had room for more. She was such a glutton! “Cranberries can taste bitter when eaten raw, but there’s a sweet aftertaste that comes through. It was once the favorite of my most cherished man.” Taking the seat next to Zachary, Serenity opened the container of cranberries. Zachary discreetly scooted to the side to pull away from her. He did not want his clothes stained. “Your most cherished man?” “The man on the hundred-dollar bill.” Zachary was speechless. Money to him was a series of numbers in his account. “Do you want to try a bite? It’s tasty. For real. It’s delicious. I can’t get enough of it.” “No. Knock yourself out. One more thing. Can you take it to the dining hall? I can’t stand to see the furniture stained.” Seein
“I wasn’t at the shop tonight. My friend wanted to attend a dinner party and asked me to tag along. Oh, right. Mr. York, I want to ask you about something, but I’m not sure if it’s something you’re comfortable answering.” Taking the seat opposite Zachary, Serenity stared at the man with her big bright eyes. The man was aloof, distant, and nasty toward her. She knew he built a wall around him to keep nobody out but her. However, he was blessed with good looks. His face was aesthetically pleasing as if she was looking at a beautiful scenery. “The party was held at the Wiltspoon Hotel. I heard the hotel belongs to the wealthiest family in the city. Guess what? The heir of the family attended tonight too. His last name is York, but I think you’re unrelated to that family, right?” Without batting an eye, Zachary blasély replied, “We just so happen to share the same last name.” Serenity heaved a sigh of relief and responded with a smile, “I knew you have no relations to the wealthi
“I’m taking a trip back to my hometown after meeting your parents this weekend. I want to chop down a few bamboos to make the rails.” Zachary replied faintly, “No need, I’ll get someone to install the rails tomorrow.” The lady of the York house wanted to go all the way to her hometown to chop down some bamboo and haul them back for laundry-airing purposes. The only person who could come up with this is Serenity. “Sure. Thanks.” “This is also my home.” “Yeah,” Serenity answered before carrying her laundry to her bedroom. She pushed open her bedroom door before turning around to look at Zachary, “If you want, you can leave your dirty clothes out after shower. I’ll wash your clothes when I’m doing my laundry.” “It’s fine. Thank you. I’ll get someone to deliver two washing machines tomorrow. It’d be easy to have a washing machine in each of our bathrooms.” “Alright. Tell me how much you pay for the washing machines. I’ll split with you.” Serenity could not let him foot the
“Let’s go.” Zachary drew close and faintly uttered. “Kay.” Serenity went with him. As the couple walked together without a word, Serenity wanted to make conversation. However, that ever solemn and tensed face with an invisible “keep out” sign on that forehead of his was off-putting. His talent would go to waste if he did not become a school teacher. With a face like that, he could easily keep the children in check. A short while later, they arrived at the market. Serenity directed Zachary to park the car in an empty lot. After getting down from the car, she told him, “Come on. Let’s have breakfast.” Without a word, Zachary followed behind her. The great Zachary York was out of place for his first trip to the market, but he rolled with it and hid his discomfort from Serenity. The pair ordered a bagel sandwich each, and Serenity requested extra toppings for herself. Still, the bagel sandwich did not quell Serenity’s hunger. Zachary took his time with his food, observi
Zachary watched as Serenity picked the flowers and haggled with the florist. She lowered the price by half from fifty bucks for a potted plant. Not to mention, she made it seem like the florist would not get a better deal than what she was offering. It was intriguing, to say the least. He was not one to look at the price tag or bargain when shopping. Too bad for the florist though because his wife could drive a hard bargain. The look on the florist’s face was priceless. After paying up, Serenity carried the flowerpots one by one into Zachary’s car. At first, Zachary stood by the car and watched but later realized he was standing out for the wrong reasons as the girl was doing the heavy lifting herself. He then helped Serenity transport the flowers until his vehicle was filled to the brim. It was a good thing the florist gave them some flattened cardboard to lay on the seats. That was better than getting his seats soiled. “Do you need anything else?” Zachary asked his wife a
Serenity figured senior white collars like Zachary could enjoy a special privilege or two. Pulling out the debit card, Serenity gave it to Zachary and urged, “Don’t forget to bargain the price to half with the florist.” Zachary stuffed the debit card back into her hands. “I have money.” Serenity looked at him curiously and left the subject at that. Since she had to get to her sister’s place, Serenity reminded Zachary to get the best deals before grabbing her keys and rushed out. Unbeknownst to her, her man waited until she was gone before taking a short video of the balcony to send it to the Yorks’ estate’s head gardener, Henry. It did not take long for Henry to return the call. “Sir.” “You’ve seen the video, Henry. How many pots of flowers do you think I need to turn the balcony into a mini garden? Pick a few cheaper ones in your greenhouse. I’m looking for the fast-growing kind with huge and intricate petals. Deliver them to unit 808 on the eighth floor of block B at
“A bit of breakfast won’t hurt the bank. Liberty, I won’t overdo it.” Serenity had adequate income to help her sister, but she would not pour her entire paycheck into doing it as she had her mind set on becoming a homeowner. “Has Sonny eaten?” Serenity asked while feeling Sonny’s temperature. His body temperature was in the normal range. “He had milk. I have chicken soup simmering on the stove. I’ll feed him some later when it’s ready.” Liberty took excellent care of her son. “Zachary will be home in two days. His parents will be visiting this Saturday. Come to Brynfield with Hank on the same day for dinner with the family. Can you let him know about this?” Liberty asked happily, “Is your husband coming back from his business trip?” “He said he’ll be back Friday night.” “Alright. I’ll keep my husband in the loop.” Liberty had a clear idea of why her sister decided to get married. Although she went along with Serenity’s lie, Liberty had her concerns about Serenity’s
“I saw you made a transaction in a clothing store. Did you buy clothes? What did you get for it to amount to a thousand bucks? Can’t you cut down on your spending? Do you think I have it easy making money?“I have a house mortgage, car loan, and my parents’ living allowance to think about. Sonny needs milk powder and diapers too! It’s not like you’re contributing to the expenses. I’m on my own. Can’t you reduce the expenditure and be a little understanding of me?” Liberty stopped walking and waited until her husband was done playing the blame game before explaining to him, “Seren said her husband will be back on Friday. The families will meet and have dinner on Saturday. As Seren’s family, I hope the meeting will go well. The clothes I have don’t fit me anymore, so I bought two dresses.“I also bought you a new suit and tie. Hank, we’ll have to skip going to your mom’s this weekend.” Following her clarification, Hank murmured something under his breath. Unable to catch what he sa
Although they had the two hundred thousand dollars, it did not change the fact that Liberty was fifteen and Serenity was ten—they were still just children. Having been pampered by their parents and never having experienced hardship, after their sudden death and being tossed out into the street, Serenity often cried, saying that she missed their mom and dad. Whenever Liberty tried to comfort her sister, they would end up crying together in each other's arms instead.Liberty could understand Caroline's feelings, though she also accepted that Caroline was much luckier as she was of age, had a father and three older brothers, and no one could kick her out of her home. “Yeah, I’ll go out once in a while. Please thank Audrey for me and ask her to let me know when she’d like to come over so that I can hand over all my responsibilities related to the company and the family. I’ll work with her schedule. And…I don’t blame any of you for my mother’s death.”That was her mother’s own doing
They were aware of everything Caroline had done for the family. To be honest, Caroline had indirectly saved Liberty. If she had not warned Liberty, Liberty’s bodyguards alone would not have been able to protect her when Belinda sprung that surprise attack on her. Liberty had already had a good impression of Caroline, but after that incident, that impression only grew stronger.Caroline’s smile faded a bit as she said, “There’s no rush for Darren and me. At the earliest, it’ll be at the end of the year. It’s too chaotic right now.”Liberty nodded in understanding. “As long as you and Darren are on the same page, that’s enough.”“He’s a good man. We haven’t really gone out on dates, but we know how we feel about each other. He suggested we date first, get engaged, and finally register our marriage. “He wants to take it step by step and promises I’ll have everything I want.”“Aunt Audrey and I are very reassured about your relationship with Darren. He’s a man worth spending a
At the mention of Liberty’s wedding, Caroline congratulated her. “Have you decided to register your marriage with Mr. Lewis? Congratulations in advance! I wish you both a long life together and hope you have a precious daughter soon.”Liberty already had a son, so it seemed normal to wish for a child the second time around.However, when Liberty became the head of the Fishers in the future, Caroline understood that Liberty would need a daughter to take over from her.Liberty smiled. “It hasn’t been easy for Duncan and me to get to this point. Considering we’re not young anymore, we decided to just get it done. Thank you for your well-wishes, Caroline, but we’re not in a hurry when it comes to kids.” She did not have the energy to raise a child at the moment. Whether she took over the Fisher family or not, she was too busy right now. Even though her new company seemed to be doing well, it had not truly stabilized yet and was only temporarily so through the influence of her brot
There were very few people left of Patrick’s generation. After a moment of silence, Caroline said, “Yes, he’s just returned to his hometown, so he should stay for a while longer. “Liberty, please tell my cousin to just give me a few days. I’ll clear the mansion out for you to move in. What I said before still stands!” Liberty elegantly sipped her coffee and did not respond immediately. Half a cup later, she set it down and looked at Caroline, who was also looking back at her.The two of them held each other's gaze for a full two minutes before Liberty averted her eyes and said calmly, “There’s no need to rush. Let’s discuss it after Christmas. My aunt hasn’t laid out a concrete schedule yet.”Caroline also set her coffee cup down. “It still needs to be cleared out and cleaned. It’s fine if you don’t move in immediately; letting it be for a bit will help disperse my mother’s lingering presence, so you won’t feel uncomfortable.” Fisher Manor did not belong to the head of th
Caroline did not care what her father and brothers thought of her. She could hazard a guess— they were most certainly not happy with her. With that in mind, she had Darren drive her back to the office. Just as she returned to her office and poured herself a cup of water, her secretary called her on the intercom to say that Liberty had arrived.“Let her in,” Caroline said. She had not expected Liberty to come looking for her so quickly but did not think the visit was to ask her to vacate her position. Perhaps it was to check on her. A few minutes later, the secretary led Liberty in.“You can go ahead with your work,” Caroline said as she dismissed her secretary. Once the secretary left, Caroline and Liberty exchanged glances before Caroline awkwardly said, “Liberty, I don’t know how to face all of you.” “Well, I’m not here to kill you, so there’s no need to be nervous,” Liberty replied as she walked over to sit on the sofa.“Killing me would only dirty your hands,” Caro
Not to mention the antiques. If they sold it all off, even at a conservative estimate, it could fetch them several billion dollars. That did not even include the jewelry Belinda had accumulated. Women, even the iron ladies, loved jewelry. Belinda was no exception. Many of her jewels were passed down through generations of the Fisher family, making them more valuable than the ones on the market today.Adrian’s eyes sparkled greedily but darkened just as quickly. “Dad, no one but Caroline is allowed inside the manor now.”“What? Who decided on that?” Hunter asked, alarmed.“Audrey Fisher left people to guard it. She’s even arranged for her people to take over and all the employees have been replaced, including the housekeeper.” Hunter was momentarily stunned before he spluttered, “What right does she have to do that?” Adrian was silent. Audrey was a Fisher and the eldest daughter of the previous family head, who should have inherited the title but was prevented from doing so
Hunter signaled for the caregiver to leave and even got Adrian to make sure the caregiver exited. Once the caregiver was gone, Adrian closed the door and sat down by the hospital bed. He reached for some grapes from the fruit plate and ate them.“Dad, has Caroline mentioned anything about taking over the company?” With their mother gone, Adrian felt that Caroline should step up.“The whole company is waiting. We don’t know what her plans are. Although the company isn't in danger, it’s just like a dynasty. Just as a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, a company cannot function without someone in charge.”Hunter's face darkened in displeasure. “Don’t even mention her taking over. That girl is not on our side. Your mother was infuriated by her countless times when she was alive. If she weren’t your mom’s biological daughter, her grave would be overgrown with weeds by now.“She even said she wants to return everything to the Fisher family, including your mother’s assets. S
It was no wonder that he was upset after hearing her say such things. “Darren, let’s go with the flow. There’s no need to force anything. We’ll let everything happen naturally.”She was not that young anymore so if she was going to get married, it would be just about time.Darren was a few years older than she was and was in his early thirties. Caroline thought that if she married him, they could get their marriage certificate after Christmas and maybe have a child the following year. Once they had completed life’s milestones, she could focus on her business.“Darren? Do you know how to take care of kids?” she asked suddenly.“I’ve never done it before, but it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” he replied.He wondered if she was already thinking about having kids so soon.“Once we have a child, you might need to be a stay-at-home dad for a while. I’ll be busy with work and you can’t help with the actual pregnancy, but you can help with the baby afterward.”Darren chuckled,
“Miss... Caroline, no matter what decision you make, I will support you regardless. Even if you don’t take over the Fisher family, you have enough assets of your own and your companies are doing well,” Darren assured Caroline.Darren had read up on Caroline's private businesses before and knew that the companies under her name were thriving. Even after returning to the Fisher family, she only occasionally visited, and still, the businesses ran smoothly. Caroline was an amazing woman to Darren. She did not need to inherit a family fortune to forge her own path. Still, what he loved most was Caroline’s confidence.“And you still have me,” he added.With his support, Caroline’s career would reach new heights.Caroline turned to look at him. After a beat, she smiled. “When I first came back, I really regretted it and wished I hadn’t returned to the Fishers because I couldn’t stand them. But ever since you came into my life, I’m grateful that Celine and I returned to our rightful