After the meal, Liberty wanted to go home and rest.Liberty felt exhausted having looked for a job all morning.Her confidence took a hit as she did not get to find a job. Thus, she wanted to go home and rewrite a few resumes while mentally preparing herself to see if she could get hired.“Liberty, I’ll take you back,” Serenity said.Liberty looked at her brother-in-law.Zachary said timely, “I’ll head back to the office then.”“Okay. Drive carefully,” Liberty instructed. After her brother-in-law left, Liberty carried her son, who was still asleep, and got into her sister’s car. “If Zachary doesn’t have a long lunch break, you can send him back to his office so he doesn’t have to drive. Else he won’t get to rest during his break.”“Alright,” Serenity said as she started the car.She would never go to York Corporation again.However, Serenity did not say this aloud lest her sister lectured her. Serenity could tell how much Liberty approved of Zachary as a brother-in-law.Lunch
Zachary said lightly, “Remy’s self-defense isn’t up to par. The Johnsons, like my family in Wiltspoon, are the richest family in Annenburg. For safety reasons, Remy has no choice but to bring more bodyguards everywhere he goes. It’s not like you’re not aware of this fact, so why are you making a fuss now? If you’re envious of Remy’s ostentation, you can also hire eight to ten bodyguards to follow you around.”Josh did not have bodyguards because he was proficient in martial arts.Moreover, not many people knew of his identity, so it would be too conspicuous for him to go out with bodyguards.The two were talking about business when the secretary knocked on the door.“Mr. York, this is the coffee you asked for.”The secretary brought over the freshly brewed coffee and placed it gently in front of Zachary.After the secretary left, Josh joked with his friend-cum-boss. “You don’t have the energy to work after your little romantic rendezvous with your wife, huh? You should drink two
“Duncan asked us out for lunch tomorrow at our usual spot. That guy always goes back to the same place with us every time! I know the food at Grace’s Diner is delicious, but I wouldn’t bother to go if it wasn’t for Grandma May’s Beans and Cream next door. At least we can hang out at the cafe.”“We used to go there often. Duncan is such a nostalgic guy,” Zachary chimed in.Before they got to their current positions in the company, Zachary was not yet a manager and was still in training. Even then, he also did not like to reveal his identity, so he would often eat at regular diners with his friends.Beans and Cream was the largest and fanciest cafe in Wiltspoon. The clothing stores and restaurants nearby were not exactly low-end either.That was because low-end stores would not be able to receive the flow of customers coming from Beans and Cream.The patrons of Beans and Cream were mostly working professionals who liked to treat themselves. They would often try out other restaurants
After some thought, Zachary finally sat down at the dining table. He opened the lid of the disposable box and silently ate the breakfast burrito that he was not a fan of.Zachary had to admit that living with Serenity made him more like an ordinary person.He ate a lot of street food that he had never tried before.After breakfast, Zachary went to the balcony. He sat down on the swing and admired Serenity’s flowers and plants.He sat there until eleven o’clock when he received a phone call from Josh reminding him of their lunch appointment. Zachary then went back to his room, got dressed, and went out.Knowing that Serenity was at her sister’s house, Zachary thought they would not cross paths, so instead of driving the national MPV, he sat in his luxurious Rolls-Royce. As usual, he was ostentatiously escorted to Grace’s Diner by a convoy of bodyguards.The convoy parked in front of Grandma May’s cafe, and Zachary walked to the diner so it would not cause much of a commotion.Whe
Zachary went back to his table with a calm face. After the dishes were served, he ate quietly without joining in on his friends’ conversation.All he kept thinking about was Serenity smiling and putting food on Shawn’s plate.“Zachary, you’re acting a little weird today.”Duncan picked up a vegetable with a fork and ate it. He looked at Zachary, who was sitting across from him, and said, “Why are you so quiet today? You just kept shoving food into your mouth.”Josh nodded in agreement.Zachary said blankly, “I’m hungry.”He only ate a breakfast burrito that he did not like in the morning. It was not filling, and he was famished.Of course, Zachary was also in a bad mood.When he was in a bad mood, he would just eat non-stop.Zachary thought, ‘So what if she serves Shawn food? I don’t care. Did she think I’ll get jealous?’As he said before, he did not know what jealousy was and would never experience it!They were just husband and wife in name and had signed an agreement tha
Duncan would not be happy even if it was just a nominal marriage that was kept hidden.Zachary listened to his two friends joking around and kept silent while continuing to eat his meal.Soon, he was full.“I’m going to my nana’s cafe. You two can take your time eating here.”Zachary put down his cutlery and wiped the oil stains around his mouth with a tissue before getting up to leave.“We’re done eating. We’ll go with you!”Duncan and Josh also put down their cutlery and went to Beans and Cream next door with Zachary.The bodyguards had gotten their fill too. Seeing that their boss was leaving, they silently got up and walked out quietly to protect their boss.They were afraid of disturbing the boss’s wife.Serenity was eating with Shawn, who had seen Zachary before, so the bodyguards could not alert Serenity. Otherwise, Zachary’s identity would be compromised.Duncan went to pay the bill.Josh waited for Duncan to settle the bill and walked out with him. He whispered, “Du
Serenity did not know that Zachary was having lunch at Grace’s Diner with his friends.Serenity, Jasmine, and Shawn chatted while they ate and spent quite some time there.Shawn received a call and had to excuse himself by leaving early, so Serenity said, “Jas and I are done eating. I’ll get the bill soon. Shawn, you can go ahead and deal with whatever you need to. Jas and I will go to the cafe next door.”Serenity fell in love with Beans and Cream’s tranquility the last time she accompanied Jasmine on a blind date there.This street was busy, so surrounding businesses were booming. The owner of the cafe was willing to spend money on sound insulation, so when customers walked into the cafe, the noise outside would be filtered out.Shawn thought that his cousin drove, so she could take Serenity home later. He said, “Jas, Serenity, I’ll get going then.”“Go ahead! Drive carefully on the road,” Jasmine urged her cousin.“Jas, please send Serenity home later.”Serenity had a car, b
Josh was a little dumbfounded when he saw this.Was Zachary merely acting all this while when he showed off about his wife?However, Grandma May no longer cared about the company affairs and rarely went to the office, so there was no need for Zachary to act in front of Josh.Josh was confused.Forget it. That was Zachary’s private affairs, so Zachary could manage it himself. They were just Zachary’s friends and would just wait to watch the drama unfold with some popcorn in hand.If there was no drama to watch, Josh would just go home and sleep.Two hours later, Serenity looked at the time and saw that it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. She said to her friend, “Jas, let’s go back. I have to go to my sister’s house.”“Alright.”Jasmine also looked at the time and did not object to Serenity wanting to go home. “Let’s drop by the supermarket later to buy some fruit and toys for your sister and Sonny. I want to visit your sister’s house with you. I don’t want to go home
Twenty million dollars!It was the Clark brothers’ turn to exchange glances. They did not expect Jacob and Michael to name such a high price. While they could pay that amount, they did not want to hand the money to Jacob and Michael. After all, it was no longer a small sum to them, given their situation. Adrian was nervous that he would have to fork out the money himself. While he had significantly more assets than an ordinary person, most were fixed assets, and he only had a few tens of millions of savings. Therefore, he was unwilling to pay twenty million dollars out of the blue. After exchanging glances, Adrian said, “Twenty million is too much. We don’t have that much. We may be wealthy people to you, but it’s all fake. We aren’t as rich as you think.“You’re aware of the Fishers family rules—only daughters can be the successors. Sons can’t even take on the Fisher surname, let alone inherit the family assets.“When my mom was alive, she would support us financially in
“If the plan fails, we have a backup plan—hit her bodyguards’ car and force her car to stop. That way, you two can take Caroline away and leave the rest up to us.”Adrian was prepared for various scenarios.If the car accident did not succeed, then they would first eliminate Caroline’s bodyguards. Without them, and with Darren on a business trip, they could easily take down Caroline, who did not know how to fight. After kidnapping her, they would kill and cut her to pieces before throwing her into the sea. No one would be able to find her. If Caroline were dead, the inheritance from Belinda would belong to the Clark brothers. They still could not take over Fisher Enterprise and the Fisher family or do anything to Liberty. However, with Caroline dead, there would be no one to teach the new and inexperienced Liberty. Whether Liberty could hold her ground was an unknown variable. After a discussion between Adrian and his brothers, they set two goals. Firstly, they would kill Car
“Caroline will definitely receive retribution for this.”Adrian said with spite, “I shall see how she meets her death. The people in Wiltspoon will kill her sooner or later.“Does she think they’ll treat her well just because she betrayed her family? They despise us. She’s still my parents’ biological daughter. There’s no way she can be spared.”“You’re absolutely right.”The three men kept cursing Caroline throughout their journey. Upon arriving at Adrian’s villa, he parked the car. Jacob and Michael looked around after getting out of the vehicle. They thought Adrian’s place was luxurious. Adrian mentioned it was a small place, but it was already a lavish place to them. It was many times bigger than their house in the countryside. Adrian invited Jacob and Michael into the villa and they followed suit.Jacob whispered to Michael, “The Clark brothers are fighting with Caroline for the inheritance, Michael. They must be up to no good, calling us here.“No matter what request
“Although Caroline is our biological sister, she doesn’t treat us as her brothers. We only recognize Celine as our sister. I really wish we could turn back time.“We shouldn’t have allowed Caroline to return to the Fisher family. Ever since she came back, the family had been declining. Many things had happened. My mom’s dead, and my dad’s crippled. All of these are related to her.“Caroline’s an ungrateful bitch. I can’t believe she sided with the people from Wiltspoon. Even now, she’s constantly in contact with them and giving away Fisher Enterprise.“It should’ve belonged to Celine.”Jacob and Michael stayed quiet. They had known for a long time that their biological sister was not Caroline but Celine, the then-successor of the Fisher family. Therefore, they treated Caroline badly and often abused her.Although Caroline had learned to put up resistance after growing up, she was still bullied by Jacob and Michael.She hated them. She did not know the truth in the past and
The two men were Celine’s biological brothers, Jacob and Michael Dott. Adrian nodded. “That’s good to hear. Grieving is useless. Avenging Celine and seeking justice is more important.”Jacob and Michael remained silent. They could not do much. When their father was still the Fishers’ butler, he received a high salary with excellent benefits; the Dotts were the wealthiest family in their town. Since their family was rich, the brothers never put effort into studying. They spent time with questionable friends and led a life of debauchery. Jacob and Michael only matured after marrying and having kids. However, their father was already in prison. Meanwhile, Caroline, whom they used to abuse, had returned to the Fisher family. Celine had refused to return to the Dott family and simply gave them some money. Jacob and Michael had built houses in their town and furnished them well. The money they used was from Caroline and their parents’ savings. Since then, their financial crisi
In the afternoon, Duncan fetched Liberty from Fisher Enterprise for dinner. Caroline stood at the building entrance, watching Liberty and Duncan leave. She was envious. She missed Darren. Although he was still following her, he could not expose himself before others. She was not used to it. Nevertheless, she had to endure it to lure the Clark brothers into her trap. She thought, ‘Please make your move soon, brothers. Don’t keep me waiting.’At that moment, Adrian and his brothers exited the elevator. They were discussing something as they walked. When they saw Caroline standing at the entrance, they paused for a moment. However, they quickly pretended they did not see her and walked past her.Soon, three cars left the company.Caroline stood there for a few more minutes before heading to the parking lot. Her personal bodyguards were waiting at her car. They quickly went to her when they spotted her, while one of them opened the door for her. After Adrian left the com
“I’m used to him being by my side. Now that he’s hidden, it just feels weird.”Caroline added, “Even if I want to kiss him, I can only do it in my dreams.”Liberty was speechless. Seeing Liberty being at a loss for words, Caroline smiled. “Did I renew your impression of me?”“Yes. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.”Caroline giggled. “Darren’s too serious and respectful. If I don’t take the lead, we might sleep on opposite ends of the bed after getting married. He probably won’t even dare to turn in bed.”Liberty thought of Darren’s face, which constantly had a stern expression. He only looked normal around Caroline. He indeed treated her respectfully and never dared to offend her. Liberty said, “You’re still his master. It’s only natural that he’s acting that way.“When you two become husband and wife, he’ll change. However, you won’t have to doubt his love and loyalty for you.”The next thing Liberty knew, Caroline asked her private questions regarding married lif
Caroline moved first, exiting the elevator.Adrian blocked her path, refusing to give way.Caroline did not want to argue with her brothers, so she simply sidestepped and continued toward the CEO’s office. The Clark brothers watched her leave.“Let’s go, Adrian.” Justin entered the elevator first.Adrian withdrew his gaze and led Jason into the elevator.“I heard Darren’s out on a business trip and has been sent to another province to handle some matters, so he won’t be back for at least ten days to half a month,” Jason shared in a low voice. “And for the past few days, Caroline’s only been accompanied by those few bodyguards of hers. There really hasn’t been any sign of Darren with her. I’ve asked someone to look into it and verified Darren left Jensburg by flight a few days ago. What do you think, Adrian?”Adrian replied under his breath, “We’re at work. Don’t talk about that here. We’ll talk about it when we get home tonight.”Justin and Jason immediately shut their mouths.
“I’m in charge now, not your mother. If you can’t do the work, then don’t cling to your positions and collect a salary for doing nothing.”Liberty had no intention of tolerating their laziness any longer.The three brothers had tried investing and running their own businesses, but they mostly ended up losing money. The only stable income they had was from renting out the properties and shops they owned.That was why Hunter had advised his sons to return to Ashford, buy more properties and shops, and live off the rental income. It was much more stable than their business ventures.If the properties were hard to rent out, they could always sell them and recover some money, but with their business investments, not only did they lose money, they often ended up in debt by the time the businesses failed.It was a mystery how much of Belinda’s personal wealth had been spent helping her sons pay off their debts while she was alive.However, there were times when they made money. They wou