Hayden was speechless. If she knew Kevin was so difficult to deal with and would create such a mess, she would have accepted his bouquet and thrown it away after he left. Such a mess may not have occurred. “Are you done with work?”Kevin raised his head to look at the sun in the sky. He could not open his eyes because of the sunlight, so he quickly lowered his head. He asked Hayden, “Will you let me treat you to a meal, Mr. Queen?”“I’m sorry. I have a lunch appointment in the afternoon. I’m not free.”Hayden rejected him right away. Kevin said, “It’s okay. You may not be free today, but you’ll have time in the future. I’ll come to invite you for a meal and arrange flowers at your company’s entrance every day until you agree to have a meal with me.”Hayden was exasperated. She did not hit Kevin only because she was well-mannered. She could not be bothered to continue talking to him too. He had already decided to use her. Hayden waved her hand and said to company secur
Hayden did not say a word. She walked to her car. Hugh gestured to the secretary not to follow them anymore and followed his sister to the car. Soon, Hayden got into the car. Hugh squeezed into his sister’s luxury car as well. The driver watched Hugh and silently started the car engine. “Bro, I asked Kevin just now, and he admitted that he’s using you to escape his parents’ nagging about marriage.”Hayden watched her brother coldly. “Do you believe him?”Hugh choked briefly and said, “Based on my investigation and the information we obtained, I do. If I don’t, could he possibly be gay? Even if he is, he won’t publicly pursue you after only meeting you several times.”It was Hayden’s turn to be speechless. She did not believe Kevin was only using her to create a scandal and that he was actually gay. If he liked men, Wiltspoon was filled with young talented men. He already had someone he liked. Why did he have to come to Jensburg to bug her?What was Kevin’s motive if it we
“I heard that even his parents don’t know.”Hayden said in a low voice, “Mr. Zachary definitely knows. Kevin and his brothers revere him. They prioritize his opinions in every matter and would talk to him about anything. They might not tell their parents, but they’ll surely tell Zachary.”“Zachary’s mouth is sealed. It won’t be easy to get information from him. You can try getting information from Mrs. York. Serenity is Zachary’s beloved. She basically knows everything Zachary does.”Hugh said, “Aren’t Old Mrs. York and Mrs. York on a trip now? It might be difficult to find her.”Hayden went silent again. After some time, she said, “I’m not expecting you to investigate everything in a day. You can just keep this in mind. Of course, the quicker, the better.”“What if I can’t find anything?”Hayden’s expression and gaze darkened. She said icily, “Then we’ll have to adapt accordingly.”No matter what scheme Kevin had, he would definitely reveal his motives one day. “How about you
About ten minutes later…“Mr. Queen.”The driver suddenly turned his head and said, “Mr. Queen, Mr. Kevin is already waiting at the hotel with a bouquet of flowers.”Kevin was not at Fortress Hotel. With a big bouquet of roses, he went opposite instead, to the hotel belonging to Queen Enterprise. He stood at the entrance, awaiting Hayden’s arrival. She said she had a lunch appointment. Whenever she had a meal with clients, the venue would always be her company’s hotel. Kevin had chased her all the way to the hotel and even arrived ahead of time to wait for her. Upon hearing that, Hayden’s expression darkened. Hugh said puzzledly, “He was still at the entrance of our company when we left. How did he arrive earlier than us?”The driver replied, “Mr. Kevin must’ve taken a shortcut.”Hugh scolded him, “Then why didn’t you take the shortcut?”The driver was speechless. He did not know Mr. Kevin would tag along and be quicker than them. Hayden took a deep breath. She told
However, it was unfortunate that such a handsome man was shameless. Hayden snatched the bouquet over forcefully and threw it on the ground before Kevin. She raised her foot and stepped on the bouquet several times. After that, she walked past Kevin. “I’ve accepted the flowers. You can leave now, Mr. Kevin.”Hayden left cold words as she left. Kevin looked at the bouquet on the ground and watched as Hayden left. He chuckled. “She’s feisty. That’s interesting.”Initially, he was not interested in Hayden at all. However, the time Grandma May gave him was almost up. He had to make a move. However, he still had no interest in Hayden. After pursuing her, he found her reaction amusing and finally developed some feelings. Hugh saw the flowers on the ground. He walked over. Kevin immediately put on an embarrassed expression. “Mr. Kevin.”Hugh bent over and picked up the bouquet his sister had stepped on earlier. “Don’t be sad. My brother really doesn’t like men. If you prefer
Hayden was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Kevin publicly announced that he would pursue me, but I’m a man! I believe you wouldn’t want to see your cousin become a homosexual. You must handle this matter well, Mr. York.”“Kevin publicly announced that he would pursue you? Did he take action? Or was he just saying it?”Zachary clearly already knew all the juicy details, but he feigned ignorance and asked Hayden anyway.“He courted me today—sent me flowers and even spelled out a sentence using roses in front of my company building, attracting the attention of countless people. Now, everyone in Jensburg is probably discussing my relationship with him.“Mr. York, as far as I know, Kevin was still a straight man when he was in Wiltspoon. I have not heard of him having tendencies of swinging the other way. Now that he has, you must hurry up and nip it in the bud. You can’t let him go on like this.“Most importantly, I won’t reciprocate his pursuit and feelings. They’r
When Hayden ended the call with Zachary, Zachary immediately called Kevin.Kevin quickly picked up.“Zachary.”“You act really quickly. You called for help just last night, but you’ve already started your bombastic pursuit today. You gave Hayden a fright.”Kevin had already returned to Fortress Hotel from the Queen family’s hotel. In any case, his purpose was achieved.He would give Hayden half a day to adapt to the situation.Hayden would be attending a banquet in the evening, and coincidentally, so would Kevin. He would court her properly at the banquet later.He wanted to see just how long Hayden could maintain her identity as a man.“Callum and Serenity both suggested that I do so, and I thought they made sense too. The time that Nana gave me is running out. There are only a few months left. If I don’t make a bold move, Nana will kick me out of the house during New Year’s.”Kevin chuckled. “Zachary, I have to say that this method works quite well. Hayden’s serious face com
“When I was pursuing Serenity, all of you said that you had learned your lesson and would never hide or lie when wooing your wives.”Kevin paused. “She’s the one hiding the truth now and deceiving me. Okay, I get it. I’ll come clean to her when the time is right.”“Well, look after yourself. I’m going to Wiltspoon Hotel to meet with a client.”Zachary finished speaking and hung up the phone.He was on his way to the hotel.There was no wife accompanying him. There were just his bodyguards.In the past, Josh would follow along, but he was a slave to his wife now. Jasmine was the most important person in his life.Even before office hours ended, Josh would run home early to accompany his wife.Zachary could not help but send a few messages to his beloved wife. He naturally told Serenity about Kevin’s flashy move so that Serenity could continue to have a front-row seat to the show....Over at the Daniels Group, most employees had gone out to eat after work, but some ordered tak
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing