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
Jasmine asked in surprise, “Really? Brynfield is a high-end neighborhood, but I didn’t expect someone who drives a Rolls-Royce would live there. If they’re so rich, why not live in a villa?”“Mr. York said that perhaps some rich kid went to a nearby school, so the parents bought an apartment for the kid in Brynfield. That way, it’s more convenient for the kid to travel to school. That family might have countless villas.”Jasmine smiled. “True. Let’s go to the supermarket. By the way, didn’t Grandma May say that she’s coming over?”“Not anymore.”“Why now?”“The owner of the house disagreed.”Jasmine was speechless.The owner of the house was Zachary, Grandma May’s grandson. Grandma May wanted to come over for the weekend, but her grandson did not allow it. What an unfilial child!The two got into Jasmine’s car and left Beans and Cream.Shortly after, Jasmine parked the car in a large shopping mall.After strolling around the mall, the two of them came out with many bags of go
Jasmine and Serenity went to Liberty’s apartment.Serenity got out of Jasmine’s car. Her face stiffened when she saw a familiar car parked there.“What’s wrong?”“That car belongs to Liberty’s sister-in-law. She must’ve come to trouble my sister again. Liberty’s sister-in-law is definitely one of the worst people I know. She’s comparable to the relatives from my hometown.”Jasmine said, “Let’s hurry up, then. If she bullies Liberty, we’ll kick her out together!”Serenity had already grabbed her things to head inside.Jasmine quickly followed.The Browns visited again. As usual, it was just Chelsea and Mrs. Brown.They came to persuade Liberty to take Hank back from their house.Hank went to live at his parents’ house but ate his meals at his sister’s house because his parents took care of Chelsea’s children and cooked at her place.Fortunately, both his parents’ and sister’s houses were close by. They were in the same neighborhood but opposite blocks.Chelsea watched as her
Instead of answering whether he missed his father, Sonny only said, “Daddy work!”Liberty and Serenity raised Sonny, and Sonny only got to see his father on weekends. When Sonny woke up, his father had already gone to work, and when Sonny fell asleep at night, his father had not come home.Thus, Sonny did not have much of a bond with his father.Even when Hank was at home, Hank would not play with Sonny and rather play with his phone.“Liberty, look! Sonny grew distant from his dad after being apart for a few days. That’s not good for his growth. A boy can’t grow up without fatherly love. There are many things that fathers need to teach their sons.”Mrs. Brown initially thought that her grandson would say that he missed his father, so she could use it as an excuse to make Liberty compromise for Sonny’s sake. However, to her surprise, Sonny did not miss Hank.Fortunately, Mrs. Brown was quick-witted and made up a conversation, picking up from where her grandson left off.Liberty
Serenity put the bags on the coffee table before hugging Sonny and asking him gently, “Sonny, are you eating porridge?”Sonny nodded. “Yes.”“Are you full?”Sonny rubbed his belly, thought about it, and shook his head. He felt that he had not had enough and was still a little hungry.Serenity smiled. She sat down in front of the sofa and took the half-eaten bowl of porridge from her sister and said, “I’ll feed Sonny, okay?”“Okay.”Jasmine greeted Liberty and put the things she was carrying on the coffee table too. She also nodded to the Browns in greeting.Liberty only turned around to talk to her in-laws after Serenity took over the task of feeding Sonny. “I won’t pick up Hank. He can come back whenever he wants. If he doesn’t want to, you two will just need to take care of him.”Hank even asked Liberty to refund his share of the food expenses. What else could she say when they have already come to this point?Liberty knew she was also at fault.Her mistake was trusting Han
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