“Where’s Duncan now?” Zachary asked with concern. “I’ll go see him.”“Mr. Duncan is alone in the backyard, and he doesn’t allow anyone to go there. He said he wants to be alone for a while and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”Zachary hesitated for a moment but still followed the housekeeper into the house. After greeting Duncan’s parents, he stood up and said to them, “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, I'll go find Duncan."Derek nodded. “Go ahead. You’re his best friend. He might be willing to see you.”“Zack, please talk some sense into Duncan, and tell him to calm down. As soon as he was discharged from the hospital, he wanted to stand up and walk by himself. He couldn’t do rehabilitation yet, but he was anxiously eager to start.”Distressed, Corey felt worried and added, “I’m afraid that if he’s so impatient, it might backfire on him.”Zachary agreed. “I’ll talk to Duncan.“I'm going to look for Duncan in the backyard.”Zachary walked out of the main house toward the direction of the backy
Zachary had no choice but to push Duncan to a cool place and told him, “You can’t be here alone, Duncan. It’s getting hotter, you’ll get heatstroke in this scorching sun.”Duncan wiped the sweat off his face and replied, “It was still shady when I got here.”However, as time passed, the sun gradually moved toward a spot that exposed Duncan to direct sunlight.“I have water and napkins in a bag attached to my wheelchair,” said Duncan.Zachary quickly unhooked the bag behind the wheelchair and took out a bottle of water, along with some napkins, and handed them over to Duncan. Zachary nagged, “You have to pick a better time to practice your walking. Preferably at dusk or dawn, when the sun is not scorching. It’ll be cooler and more suitable for your practice.”The trees in the backyard made a pleasant shade, which made it a cool and refreshing place to hang around.“Also, you shouldn’t come out alone. No one will know if something happens.”After Duncan wiped off his sweat and dra
Duncan questioned, “...is it Grandma May?”If this were someone else, with Zachary’s possessiveness, to whoever dared abduct his wife, he would have already wreaked havoc long ago and would not have the mood to see him.Zachary said with a wry smile, “Who else could it be? Only my nana dares treat me like this.”Even his parents would not treat him in this way.Duncan laughed. “You must have stepped on your nana’s toes for her to treat you like this. Grandma May knows how and where to hit to hurt us the most.”Like Zachary, his weak spot was the woman they loved, and for him was Liberty.Grandma May told him that if he really let go of Liberty, she would immediately help Liberty find a good man and make him regret his decision.Duncan did not dare to say anything after hearing Grandma May. It was because he knew it was not that he did not love Liberty anymore, it was just that he was disabled now. He was worried he could not give Liberty happiness, so he treated her harshly.
Duncan said, “I'll go to her new restaurant when it opens.”He could not walk, but that would not stop him from sending her a floral basket to wish her business success.“Liberty will definitely treat you for dinner.”Duncan sighed, “But Liberty doesn’t love me, she still sees me as a friend. She took care of me in the hospital because she felt indebted to me. She tried to repay the debt by helping me. Other than that, my mother also paid her a daily salary of ten thousand dollars.”“Mrs. Lewis paid Liberty a daily salary of ten thousand dollars, but she didn’t take a penny. She only said that to give herself a reason to argue with you.”Duncan was not surprised. He said, “She does not want to owe me a favor. She took this opportunity to repay me. If she took the money, she would feel like she was always indebted to me. I already knew she would not take it. She insisted on presenting herself as someone who works for money.”“Zachary, how about you accompany me to visit Liberty's
Callum casually asked, “Where’s Serenity?”Camryn answered, “She’s probably away on a business trip. Serenity said she had to go on a business trip these two days.”If it were not for her eyes, Camryn would often have to go on business trips too. Since Dalton would always come over now, she did not have to travel.Camryn wanted to go to the office very badly. Considering that she was blind, it would be troublesome for her to travel to a faraway place, unless she took a private jet. Neither did she have one nor would she want to use her future in-laws’ private jet.Zachary did not give an explanation.He let Camryn assume that his wife was on a business trip.When his wife was not at home, he felt miserable as time seemed to creep by. Even after a long time, the sky had not turned dark and the sun was still high in the sky. The sun was not even at its highest point.They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder”.This saying is absolutely true.Zachary was experiencing it.Whe
“I can identify with Mr. Lewis.”Camryn said softly, “He suddenly met with an accident and hurt his legs. Now, he’s unable to stand up. It’s normal that it takes a while for him to come to terms with it. His case is considered fine. Many people do extreme things when they can’t accept the fact that they become disabled.“I almost died back then. When I woke up, all I saw was darkness. I heard Aunt Evelyn’s voice, so I asked her whether it was nighttime and why the lights were off.”As Camryn recalled the time she had just gone blind, she was so calm that it was as though she was describing someone else’s story. “Aunt Evelyn said it was daytime. The sun was bright, and there was no need to switch on the lights. She was frightened shortly. She kept asking me if I could see anything, and I said all I saw was darkness. She quickly called the doctor… I turned blind. She wept while hugging me.“It felt like the end of the world for me. All I could see was darkness, and it made me feel
Camryn withdrew the hand that she used to cover Callum’s mouth and she casually rose to her feet. Before she walked around the counter, the shop assistant came in.With a sulky expression, Callum walked away and continued to water the flowers.The shop assistant handed the money to Camryn and turned around to glance at Callum who just walked past her. After Callum walked out of the shop to water the plants outside, she asked in a soft voice, “Boss, did I do something wrong?”Camryn took the money and counted the notes to confirm that the amount was right. Upon hearing the shop assistant’s question, Camryn answered, “No. You’re fine. You didn’t do anything wrong.”“Good to hear that. I thought I made a mistake. When Mr. Callum walked past me just now, he glared at me.”After ascertaining that she did not make any mistakes, she heaved a sigh of relief.Deep down, Camryn roasted her fiancé but on the outside, she said with a gentle smile, “Your eyes could be deceiving you. Why would
Spring Blossoms was situated in the city center. As the shop was not far from Wiltspoon Hotel, Callum and Camryn arrived at the hotel shortly.Coincidentally, Trenton was walking out of the hotel while carrying a bag. They wondered where he was heading. Callum swiftly got out of the car and said to Camryn, “Trenton is going out. Let me stop him first. Take your time and be careful when you get out of the car.”“Alright. Hurry up and stop him. I can get out of the car on my own.”She was forced to take a ride in his car frequently whenever she went out. Since she was familiar with it, she could get in and out of the car without falling down.Callum quickened his pace toward Trenton, who had probably booked a Uber ride in advance. Trenton walked toward the car at the hotel entrance and opened the door to get in.“Trenton.”Trenton turned around and looked at Callum, who was walking toward him. Subsequently, Trenton’s eyes settled on Camryn, who was approaching him with a white ca
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
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