Jessica was taken away by the police. She was supposed to face jail time, but she could serve her sentence out of prison with an ankle monitor because she was pregnant. Now that Jessica lost the baby and was involved in an armed assault with the intent to kill, the charges would only pile on. In the event Hank did not make it out alive, Jessica might not escape the death penalty following a retrial and the new charges. Liberty wanted to meet with Duncan and his mother at the entrance of the in-patient department, but Mrs. Lewis called and told her that they had returned to the ward. Hence, she made her way toward Duncan’s private ward. “You’re here, at last, Ms. Liberty. Mr. Duncan threw another fit. He’s smashing whatever things he can reach.” The Lewises’ bodyguard immediately informed Liberty of Duncan’s tantrum upon her arrival. “Why did he lose his temper again?” Liberty asked while entering the ward. The bodyguard answered, “We aren’t too sure. Mrs. Lewis brought Mr
Duncan immediately hurried Liberty to handle the discharge paperwork. The doctor whined in his head, ‘The doctors and nurses have enough of your daily fuss anyway. The early discharge is not a big deal, so you can leave if you want to.’ The Lewises were wealthy, and they had their family doctors. The Lewis family would hire specialized care for Duncan when he got out of the hospital. “Doctor, is my son fine to be discharged?” Mrs. Lewis was worried that her son’s condition may worsen after the discharge. “Mr. Lewis can be released from the hospital if he wants to. He might feel better recuperating at home. The speed of recovery is linked to the patient’s moods too.” Since the doctor said so, Mrs. Lewis told the bodyguards to pack up while she and her husband went to deal with the paperwork for Duncan’s hospital release. Duncan, the tantrum thrower, was left in Liberty’s care. Now that he could get out of the hospital, Duncan felt merry and quit whining. He sat in the liv
Zachary looked at Liberty and only started congratulating Duncan after seeing Liberty nodding her head in approval.“Congratulations on your recovery and discharge from the hospital, Duncan. I came just at the right time to give you a ride home.”Duncan replied, “Now that I don’t need to be on an IV anymore, it doesn’t really matter where I lie down. Besides, I think my mood will improve if I get to rest at home instead of this rotten place.”He would never ever want to be hospitalized again if possible.“Feeling better now, Dunc?”Concerned, Sonny asked while walking over to Duncan.“I can finally be discharged from the hospital today.”Duncan pulled Sonny closer and picked him up. He wanted to sit Sonny down on his lap, but Sonny struggled to get down. The little guy said sensibly, “Your leg could hurt, Dunc. I can’t sit on your lap.”Liberty once mentioned that Duncan injured his legs and needed time to heal, so it would be best not to sit on his lap.Sonny remembered it we
“It’ll be fine.”Zachary encouraged Duncan. “You’re a strong and confident person. Believe in yourself, Duncan. As long as you keep up with your rehabilitation, you will definitely recover. The doctor said your chances of recovery are high.”Duncan remained silent. The doctor said that there were chances of recovery, but he did not mention the certainty of Duncan’s full recovery.“Hang in there, Dunc!”Sonny could understand the ongoing conversation well. He waved abruptly at Duncan to cheer him up.Duncan patted Sonny’s head affectionately.Zachary said, “Liberty took over a restaurant and it’s currently being renovated. It’ll be back to normal soon as it is a simple renovation. Look how hard she’s working. You better not give up so easily.”“Is All You Can Eat closing?”Liberty had never talked about her business with Duncan before, nor had he ever asked.He thought it was impossible for him and Liberty to be together unless he could fully recover. Otherwise, he would never
Zachary sighed and said, “Won’t you do your best in rehab and recover as soon as possible, for my sister-in-law’s sake? Are you really willing to watch her be taken away by another man?“If you really think that way, then I’ll tell my nana and have her introduce some good men suitable for Liberty to meet. If sparks fly, as Liberty’s family, Seren and I will make sure she gets married off grandly.”Duncan was pale around the gills.He cared about Liberty, very much so.When Hank had an accident and his life was in danger, Duncan was jealous knowing Liberty went to visit him. He made a fuss and demanded to be discharged early, just so that Liberty would not have to visit her ex-husband every day.Grandma May once said that there were a few outstanding men who were suitable for Liberty. If Duncan could really let go, Grandma May would have introduced Liberty to someone new.“Duncan, if you give up on something you haven't even tried yet, then you won't have any hope of succeeding.”
Mrs. Brown pressed Sonny’s head against her chest, choking up as she spoke, “Yeah, Daddy will definitely get better. Sonny, daddy loves you very much. He knows you are here to see him, he’ll definitely get better.”Sonny snuggled in his grandmom’s arms. As a young child, he knew that his father loved him, but not as much as his mother did. He lost his trust in his father, who would abandon him just because Jess had a tummy ache.As Hank was lying motionless on the hospital bed, Sonny was sensible enough not to speak his mind.Ring, ring, ring…Liberty’s phone rang.It was a call from Serenity.She walked away to answer the phone.“Are you still in the hospital, Liberty?”“Yeah. I brought Sonny here to visit his father. Also, Mr. Lewis is going to be discharged from the hospital. We'll go back soon.”After Duncan got discharged from the hospital, Liberty thought that she did not need to go to his house and take care of him anymore.Duncan would mainly be in rehabilitation afte
“Liberty, is Mr. Lewis being discharged from the hospital today?”Serenity asked her sister through the phone, “Didn’t you say that it would take a while for him to be discharged from the hospital?”“Mr. Lewis was making a fuss about wanting to be discharged. He did so from the very beginning, but the doctor always advised him against it. I wonder why it’s different today. The doctor said that he was good to go home. The doctor also said that he needs to rest for a while at home before he can start rehab.”Liberty sounded a bit helpless. “Mr. Lewis’s mood is as unpredictable as the weather in June.”Though, she could also understand where he was coming from; she would go crazy too if she had to lie down every day.“Now that there is no need for IV infusion, it’s not a big problem recuperating at home. I think it's better for him to go home. He can go out for a stroll in his wheelchair every day and breathe in some fresh air to improve his mood. I heard that a good mood speeds up recove
With the hospital release paperwork all done, Duncan sat in a wheelchair while his bodyguard wheeled him downstairs. Having found out that Duncan was getting discharged, Duncan’s sister-in-law laid aside the matters at hand and hurried over to pick him up. Since there were a lot of people fussing over Duncan, and Duncan was under the bodyguards’ care, Liberty wanted to deal with her own stuff. She told Mrs. Lewis, “Mr. Lewis is getting out of the hospital, and you have a lot of people at home to look after him. I won’t go with you then. My newly acquired restaurant is under renovation now, so I want to check on it.” Mrs. Lewis wanted Liberty to come along to the house as Duncan would hold back a little on the tantrum when Liberty was around. Noticing the weariness across Liberty’s face, Mrs. Lewis felt bad and replied, “We can take care of Duncan, Liberty. Go on with your work, but don’t work too hard. The last few days must have been draining on you.” She took Liberty’s han
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s
“It’s okay if you don’t want my bouquets. Can you feel my sincere love for you through these letters?“I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell even harder the second time I saw you.”Manny’s gaze was affectionate as if he truly loved Tati. To be honest, Tati was outstanding in various aspects. She was good enough for him, a young master of the Longbottoms. They were also close in age and definitely had common topics to talk about. However, Tati refused to give him a chance and rejected his confession. That did not matter. After all, it had not been long since he started pursuing Tati. As the O’Connors had more daughters than sons, he could understand that their daughters would be especially cautious regarding romantic relationships. They did not want men dating them solely for the O’Connor family’s money. Although that had been Manny’s initial intention, he was satisfied with Tati after meeting her in person. He was willing to marry her. Besides, Tati was com
Meanwhile, in Satbury, Tati returned to the company but was forced to stop her car at the entrance. Some people were decorating the entrance with flowers. Security tried to chase them away, but they did not even budge. The security guards seemed wary of something and did not force those people to leave. A few cars were parked nearby, including a truck that still carried fresh flowers.Tati did not honk. There were people and flowers on the road before her and honking was useless anyway, or she could simply drive past without a care. She got out of the car to have a look. “Sweet Tati.”An unfamiliar voice rang. Tati looked toward the person who called her and frowned. She recognized that person. He was Manny Longbottom, the eldest son of the interim head of the family.Mr. Longbottom had come over several times for business negotiations. However, it was not yet his scheduled timing. Even if he were the Longbottom family’s interim head, there would be no special treatmen
First, Adrian poured himself a glass of water. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Jacob while sipping his water.When the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “We’re going ahead with the plan. Caroline will be heading to Fortress Hotel later to meet with a client. After the meeting, she’ll have dinner there.“The discussion and dinner will take a long time. By the time she leaves the hotel, it’ll already be nighttime. She probably won’t go anywhere else after that.“Wait for her on the route she usually takes home. Her license plate is CA 201. Got it?”Adrian made sure Jacob remembered Caroline’s license plate number. He had also sent the information via text, so unless the person had an exceptionally bad memory, they should be able to recall it.Jacob replied, “Got it. We’ll have to start preparing, then. Try to get Caroline to drink some alcohol. If she’s drunk, it’ll be easier to handle her.”After all, they could not guarantee that the
Adrian snapped, “Are you saying that I don’t do real work? Caroline, I was working at Fisher Enterprise long before we even knew you existed.”Caroline said neutrally, “Yes, yes, Adrian, you’ve been at Fisher Enterprise for a long time, but what achievements have you made? I mean, achievements that you accomplished on your own.“The results credited to you in the past weren’t actually your doing. You know better than anyone how they came about, so I won’t spell it out. I may have joined Fisher Enterprise only recently, but look at the position I’m in now.“Adrian, I’ve made it very clear. If you want to keep your job, do it well and take it seriously. Stop trying to take credit for other people’s work.”Adrian’s expression darkened. “I only said a couple of things, and you fired back with dozens. Can’t you give me some grace? I have pride, too.”“Adrian, go back to work. I need to get ready to head out soon.” Caroline was done talking to her brother.Adrian fell silent for a mo
Adrian was sullenly quiet. Was he really that incompetent? He thought he had done a pretty good job.Back when their mother was still around, he had not even needed to lift a finger. He just had to vaguely outline the requirements, and the elite team under him would come up with a proposal that satisfied everyone upstairs.All he had to do was wait for the praise and the compliments about how capable he was.After doing this for so long, Adrian had started to believe that he truly was talented.Then, he found out that Celine was not his biological sister and that Caroline was, but the latter had grown up in the countryside, appearing weak and timid, and seemed useless to the company—a good-for-nothing. Thus, Adrian began to harbor ambitions. He wanted to replace his sister and become the successor of the Fisher family.He had repeatedly expressed to his mother his desire to take over, to become the first male successor in the Fisher family’s history. He even said he was willing
Adrian tried several times to interrupt his sister, but Caroline’s barrage came at him like a machine gun, rapid and relentless. All he could do was glare at her, his face flush with anger. If looks could kill, Caroline would have been torn to pieces long ago.After finishing her lecture, Caroline picked up her cup and took a few sips of her coffee. She then said, “Adrian, look at me, I’m parched from all this talking. I’ve really gone out of my way to persuade you for your own good, just like how you tried to persuade me not to hand over control of the Fisher family. “To be honest, even if I didn’t give it back to Audrey and the rest, do you think I could hold onto the position of the matriarch?“The rest of the family doesn’t support us. They might not necessarily side with the Wiltspoonians either, but they definitely won’t side with us. They’ve long been dissatisfied with Mom and us.“Without their support and unable to win against Audrey, the Fisher legacy would eventually be