Kevin stood up and stretched out his right hand to shake hands with Hayden. He smiled and greeted, “Mr. Queen.”After Hayden shook hands with him, she gestured for him to take a seat.Kevin sat down again, and Hayden sat next to her mother.Mrs. Queen turned her head to look at her imposing daughter, then turned to look at Kevin on the opposite side. She secretly sighed in her heart and thought that her daughter was manlier than Kevin.“Why’d you come back today?” Mrs. Queen asked her daughter gently. “You’re usually still in the office at this hour.”“I just closed a deal and have some free time, so I thought of visiting you and Dad.”Hayden’s voice was low. With outsiders present, she dared not let down her guard for fear that Kevin would discover that she was actually a woman.“Mr. York, when did you arrive?” Hayden asked Kevin.He replied with a smile, “I just arrived today. I need to deal with some business, so I’ll be in Jensburg for a while. Last time when we dined toget
Hayden had a team of bodyguards, so she could ask one of her bodyguards to act as Kevin’s driver and take him back to the hotel.Thinking of this, Hayden responded in a low voice, “Sure, Dad, but don’t drink too much.”“We’ll just have a few drinks. Your mother is watching us, and she won’t let me get drunk.”If Mr. Queen got drunk, Mrs. Queen would have to take care of him. Mrs. Queen was also worried about his health, so she usually would not allow him to get drunk.Hayden stopped talking.Since her parents wanted Kevin to stay for dinner, Hayden, who just wanted to drop by for a short while to see her parents, also had no choice but to stay. However, it was still too early for dinner, so Hayden got bored and a little uncomfortable just sitting there.The main reason was that Kevin would look at her from time to time. Hayden did not know if she was overthinking it or if it was a fact, but she felt like Kevin was looking at her strangely.“Hay, this is Kevin’s first time visiti
After a while, Hayden could not help but laugh. “I didn’t expect your parents to rush your marriage, Mr. York. You’re an outstanding man, so I assume you would have many admirers.”“I do have admirers, but I don’t like any of them, so in the end, it’s none of my business.”Kevin admitted that he had many admirers. In fact, all of the York brothers had many admirers. Even the youngest among them, Rowan who was not yet an adult, often received love letters from girls at school.Hayden agreed with Kevin.She also had many admirers, but she did not like them because she did not like women. Thus, she would never accept those girls’ confessions.Hayden just rejected an actress’s confession before she came here.“You’re just too outstanding, Mr. York.”Hayden praised Kevin honestly. Kevin was indeed a remarkable man. There was nothing wrong with the York brothers. All of them were excellent and independent. Even if they did not rely on their family, they were all entrepreneurs and coul
“I heard from my grandma that my great-grandfather was a womanizer. People in that era had multiple mistresses. Although my great-grandmother was his first wife, she suffered a lot and made sacrifices to keep her marriage and protect her children’s interests.“My grandpa and his siblings also saw how much my great-grandmother suffered and felt sorry for her. Therefore, after my great-grandfather passed away and my great-grandmother took charge of the household, she established that family rule. My grandparents abided by that rule and were all loyal to their marriage.“My brothers and I will do the same. If we get married in the future, we will be absolutely loyal to our partners. Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we must be cautious. We can’t be impulsive and should think twice about it.”Kevin admired the courtyard scenery in Queen Manor while they walked. Although it was not as nice as his family’s Wildridge Manor, it was still beautiful and vast. Kevin still preferred Wi
Hayden stood still as she turned her head to look at the handsome face that was right next to hers, and met Kevin’s smiling eyes. She thought for a moment that Kevin knew that she was a woman.On second thought, it seemed impossible.No one in Jensburg knew that she was a woman. She had disguised herself as a man for more than twenty years, and she was very experienced in doing so. No one could know her true identity unless she took off her pants.Kevin had been to Jensburg several times and had interacted with her many times, but they did not spend much time together, so it was impossible for him to know that she was a woman.“Mr. York, are you interested in men? Will your elders accept it if you bring a man home?”Kevin was leaning in so closely to Hayden yet she remained calm.He praised her for her composure and thought that she deserved to be the young owner of Queen Enterprise.“I’m not interested in men. If I bring a man home, my elders might not accept it for a while, bu
Donald had overdrunk. Kevin, who had good alcohol tolerance, indulged in drinking.Mrs. Queen scolded her husband, “Kevin is a generation younger than you. He could be our son, yet you called him ‘bro’. This form of address isn’t right. There’s an issue with seniority.” At first, it did not concern Kevin. At the thought that his nana wanted him to marry Hayden, Kevin felt there was indeed an issue with seniority if his future father-in-law called him “bro”.He laughed without saying a word. He left Mrs. Queen to scold her husband.Donald burst into laughter and said, “Kevin and I regret not having met earlier. Kevin, I treat you as my friend. We’re good friends despite the great difference in age. You can come over for a meal or drink whenever you’re available.”“Alright. No matter how busy I am, I’ll put my work aside and come over to drink with you as long as it’s your treat, Donnie.”Hayden’s mouth twitched.“Dad, Mr. Kevin is busy with work, unlike you who takes a hands-off
Hayden turned a blind eye to her parents’ act.She initially wanted her bodyguard to disguise himself as Kevin’s chauffeur to send Kevin back to the hotel.Donald said, “Hay, send Kevin home since he drank quite a lot. I’m worried that he’ll feel sick and have no one to look after him during the journey.”Hayden replied, “I got it.”She must be adopted. Her parents were not even this thoughtful and concerned about her and her brother.Under her parents’ request, Hayden had no choice but to let Kevin get into her exclusive car. One of the Queens’ bodyguards drove Kevin’s Maybach back to the Yorks’ hotel.After the car drove out of Queen Manor, Hayden tilted her head and looked at Kevin, who was resting with his eyes closed while leaning against the seat.“Are you drunk, Mr. Kevin?”“I’m not, but the after-effects of the wine are strong. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Even so, I’m still able to think clearly.”After keeping quiet for a moment, Hayden said, “My parents are very fond of
“Look at what industry Kevin is in charge of. F&B isn’t York Corporation’s main business. Ever since Kevin started to manage the business, it has emerged as a leader in the industry.“How wonderful it would be if this outstanding kid becomes our son-in-law.”Donald sighed. “Hay is already twenty-eight, yet she refuses to revert to her female identity and isn’t interested in anyone. She’s planning to be a man forever and, worse still, a single man.”Sophia said, “As I said, she has always enjoyed disguising herself as a man since she was young. I let her be when she chose to be a brother to Hugh. When they were young, they looked cute and so much alike. It was hard to distinguish their gender.“Now that she’s all grown up, I can’t leave her to continue disguising herself as a man, but you said it was up to her. You even said she has an aura of an elder brother, so it’s okay for her to act so. Look. She has been a man for over twenty years now and is reluctant to switch back to her r
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa