Liberty stopped her car at the entrance of the manor.“Sonny, wake up. We’re at Aunt Seren’s house.”Liberty turned her head to call her son.The little boy went with the sandman after getting in the car and slept the entire journey.He slept so soundly that not even his mother’s calls could wake him up.Liberty got out of the car first.“Liberty.”Serenity’s smile was as bright as the sun. Zachary also came over to greet Liberty.“It’s so hot out. Why are you two standing here waiting for me? Hurry inside. I’ll drive the car in.”Zachary smiled and said, “Your sister started counting down the time when she heard that you were coming. She thought you were almost here, so she insisted on coming out to wait.”Liberty admonished her sister, “If you wanted to wait outside, why didn’t you at least bring an umbrella for shade?”“It’s fine. We sat at the security booth for a while. There’s air conditioning inside. When we saw that it was almost time, we came out just in time to see
Liberty hummed.She drove straight to the main building.Soon after she arrived, she saw Tania coming out from inside the house just as she parked the car.Tania walked down the steps to the front of the car and asked Liberty, “Is Sonny here?”Liberty said with a laugh, “How would I dare not bring Sonny after how much you urged me on the phone? He’s in the back, but he fell asleep.”“It’s fine if he’s asleep. It’s just in time for an afternoon nap. I also just woke up from my nap.”When Tania heard that Sonny was in the backseat, she was just about to open the door when she saw her son coming out of the car. She quickly reached out when she saw Zachary carrying Sonny. “Let me carry him. Be careful not to bump him into anything.”Zachary said in a low voice, “Aren’t you worried about me bumping into anything?”“You have thick skin, so it doesn’t matter if you bump into something. You’ll get a scrape at most.”Tania gently took Sonny from her son.Then, she walked into the hous
The house turned lively after Sonny woke up.Serenity, his biological aunt, did not have the chance to get close to Sonny. She took her sister out of the manor to enjoy the scenery.The scenery at Wildridge Manor differed over the four seasons.Spring blossomed with beautiful flowers while summer let one admire the magnificent lotuses.Fall saw red leaves at the foot of the mountain and while there was no snow in Wiltspoon for one to enjoy the white blanket of scenery, that did not affect the lovely surroundings of the manor.“How is Hank?” Serenity asked her sister.“He’s recovering well. His mental state today was much better than when he just woke up, but he still can’t get out of bed and walk around. Jessica was really trying to kill him with every stab. The doctor said it was a miracle he survived.”Serenity said after a moment of silence, “If he’s alive, Sonny will still have a father. He can’t influence you anymore anyway, so you can just take Sonny to visit him occasiona
“After a few peaceful days, I learned about my true identity, and then it was a long road of investigation. Seren, don’t you think that we are ill-fated? Why do pain and suffering always find us?”Serenity comforted her. “Aunt Audrey, don’t say that. No one’s life can be smooth sailing all the time. We will encounter setbacks along the way. I’ve talked to Zachary, asking him to help investigate. With more people, we might be able to find some evidence.”“Okay.”Audrey had spoken those pessimistic words to her niece out of momentary frustration.“Has your sister arrived at your place?”“She just arrived not long ago. Do you have something to say to my sister, Aunt Audrey?”Audrey said, “Pass the phone to your sister. I want to talk to her for a moment.”Serenity handed the phone to her sister.“Aunt Audrey.”Audrey responded and asked Liberty, “Liberty, can you free up some time recently?”“Of course. What would you like me to do? Just let me know.”“In that case, free up a w
Serenity pondered for a moment and felt that her sister made sense.She was currently very busy with her own business, assisting Zachary with his personal matters, and also taking on some small tasks from her mother-in-law. She was learning how to juggle them.Serenity needed to work hard to become a competent lady of the house.The main issue was that she grew up in an ordinary family. Serenity would not need to work so hard, and she would have even less pressure if the Hunts and the Yorks were a perfect match.Serenity could not have anticipated that her aunt had the plan to push her sister into the head position of the Fisher family.The Wildridge Manor was a boisterous place. The Queen family far away in Jensburg, although not as lively, was relatively more bustling today compared to its usual quietness.Under their parents’ request, Hayden and Hugh had returned for the weekend.Hugh came back earlier and had gone to Jensburg Hotel with Kevin to pick up Hayden.The four o’c
As long as she returned home and Kevin was also there in her house, she felt as if her parents were conspiring to sell her to him.“Let’s go.”Kevin reached out and grabbed one of Hayden’s hands, trying to pull her along.Hayden instinctively shook off his hand, not letting him touch her. She coldly warned him, “Kevin, have some self-restraint. Don’t get handsy. Just because my parents side with you doesn’t mean I won’t dare to retaliate against you.”Kevin smiled and explained, “I’m not taking advantage of you. I just wanted to escort you downstairs.”“I have legs and I can walk on my own. No need for you to guide me.”Hayden pushed the bouquet back into Kevin’s arms and said indifferently, “I’ve told you, I don’t like flowers or things that girls like.”After speaking, she walked by Kevin and went downstairs.Kevin followed her with the bouquet in his arms, saying as they walked, “Then what should I do? I have a challenging task, Hayden. Mr. Hayden, since our relationship is
When Hayden approached, Caroline stood up and greeted her with a smile, saying, “Mr. Queen.”Hayden smiled unusually and asked, “When did you arrive, Ms. Fisher? You should have given me a call beforehand so I could meet you at the main gate.”Blushing slightly and looking a little embarrassed, Caroline replied, “I don’t work on weekends, and I was bored at home. I don’t have many friends either. It’s just that you treat me a bit better, so I took the liberty to come and chat with you, Mr. Queen.”She no longer had any illusions about Hayden, but he did indeed treat her with a certain gentleness. Hayden was cold and distant toward other young women, but he showed her a warm side.Hayden was still smiling at her, even now.Caroline found his smile particularly attractive.Even though he rarely smiled.She figured it was because he had so many admirers.Everyone wanted to melt his icy cold demeanor and become the one and only in his heart among all his admirers.If he smiled lik
Hayden, being so outstanding and good-looking, could easily captivate Kevin. Despite the judgmental eyes of society, Kevin openly pursued him, displaying both courage and Hayden’s boundless charm.Later, Caroline learned that her aunt’s two daughters were in Wiltspoon, and the second aunt’s younger daughter happened to be the esteemed daughter-in-law of the York family, Serenity.It all became clear to Caroline.She probably resembled someone closely. Judging by Kevin’s attitude toward her, Caroline believed she resembled Serenity.As Serenity was Kevin’s sister-in-law and it was said that the young masters of the York family held great respect for their eldest brother, Zachary, naturally, they would also hold respect for Serenity as their sister-in-law.Caroline also wanted to visit Wiltspoon to meet Audrey, and to meet the two sisters, Serenity and Liberty.Mrs. Stone was her cousin, the two sisters would have to address her as their aunt.However, it was not the right time ye
Meanwhile, in a private room at Fortress Hotel in Jensburg, Caroline and Liberty stood up together and shook hands with their client, having successfully closed a business deal.The two of them escorted the client downstairs.After the client got into their car and left, Caroline turned to Liberty and said, “Liberty, it's getting late. Mr. Lewis is still waiting for you inside, so go get him and head home early to rest. The weather is really cold.“He still has trouble with his legs and isn’t used to the cold here, after all.”Duncan had caught a cold on his third day here.After seeing a doctor and taking medication, he was still coughing a little.Liberty did not move. Instead, she asked Caroline, “Are they making their move tonight?”“How would I know? They’ll act whenever they want. I’m just waiting. It’s likely to be soon, though. I’ve spread the word that Darren is on a business trip for half a month.”She did not want Liberty to worry, so she did not tell her that her fi
How long had it been since she last truly appreciated the night view of Satbury?Every day, she left home early and returned late, rushing from one place to another, with endless meetings, piles of documents to process, and countless business deals to negotiate.It always felt like there was not enough time.Before she knew it, time had flown by.It seemed just yesterday she had taken over the family business, but in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.Back when she first took over, many people had looked down on her, doubting her ability to manage the O'Connors’ vast empire. Many had wanted to devour the O'Connor family, to carve it up and take a share for themselves.Her parents’ generation was utterly mediocre, and after her grandparents passed away, they could not hold things together.As a result, the O'Connors’ family business declined and they lost a significant amount of money.On top of that, their extended relatives tried to exploit the situation, digging p
Isabella smiled, “Every time I hear you talk about your family, my heart gets restless, and I feel like going to meet them myself.”She even felt the urge to join their family, but she could not bring herself to say that out loud.Austin treated her very well. Tati said that when Austin looked at her, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and she kept saying that Austin had come here for her.Technically, Austin could indeed be considered to have come here for her, but it was really because of her picky palate and because she was hiring a private chef.To put it bluntly, Austin had come for the sake of culinary art.Sometimes, when Isabella locked eyes with Austin and saw him looking at her so intently, she could not help but wonder if he felt something for her.However, such thoughts were always quickly brushed aside.She and Austin were simply employer and employee.Austin treated her well because she was his employer. If there were any issues with the dishes he prepared, she coul
Austin smiled meaningfully, “My entire family will be very happy and warmly welcome you if you come with me to attend my nephew's sip-and-see shower.”In fact, his family would likely treat Isabella as his future wife, extending the kind of hospitality reserved for a daughter-in-law.However, Austin did not voice this thought.He and Isabella had not reached the stage where they could openly flirt like that.In any case, he was not in a hurry. Like a good stew, he would gradually win Isabella’s heart with time, and everything would fall into place naturally.“Your sister-in-law hasn’t given birth yet, so why are you already saying it’s a nephew?” Isabella teased belatedly. “Are you all hoping for a boy?“I heard from Ruth that your family elders are all hoping for a baby girl, though.”At the mention of that, Austin smiled wryly. “Ms. Fuller’s been to Wiltspoon and has heard about my family. She knows that our elders have always wanted a baby girl, so she must have also heard ot
Isabella asked, "When is your sister-in-law due?"She did not have a private chef who could fill in for Austin. If he took a leave of two or three days, she could manage, but if he requested a longer leave, she might not approve it.Zachary York’s wife was pregnant. Isabella had learned about the Yorks’ situation through a friend. Since she was Austin’s sister-in-law, it was natural for him, as the uncle, to want to go back and see his nephew.“I’m not sure. I asked my brother, and he said it might be in about two months. It could be earlier or later, it’s hard to say. I’ll go back when my sister-in-law is hospitalized. Once she’s discharged and returns home for postpartum recovery, it won’t be convenient to visit, so I’ll come back to work.“Then, when the baby is one month old, I’ll definitely go back for another couple of days. After all, he’ll be my first nephew and the eldest in the family’s new generation.”Isabella thought for a moment and said, “If it’s just two or three d
Austin knew she said that because she was afraid he would not agree, but how could he not? Rather, he wished for it.“Alright. If you don’t mind, I’ll eat with you from now on. Ms. Isabella, please go ahead and eat. I’ll quickly prepare some fruits for dessert.”Isabella glanced at him but said nothing and left.In the past, unless it was a social engagement, she would rarely have dessert.Usually, after finishing her meal, she would hurry back to her lounge to catch some rest, never bothering with fruits.Isabella realized belatedly that Austin had subtly influenced some of her small habits into changing.These small changes allowed her a bit more time to rest, which in turn improved her health.Soon, Austin came out.He had sliced some of the fruits and arranged them into the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings, while the smaller fruits were left whole to serve as the finishing touches.“In just this short time, you actually managed to create a phoenix,” Isabella praised.
“Isa has a networking event tonight, so she’ll be working overtime. You should bring her dinner.”“Sure.” Austin was here precisely to do that.Tati entered the elevator. When she turned around, she saw that Austin had already walked off.Tati chuckled to herself, “When will it be my turn to meet a good man who only has eyes for me?”Isabella had Austin now. Even though they had not officially started dating, they were clearly interested in each other. In the near future, they would definitely become a couple, and if both sides’ parents had no objection to it, they would eventually be a loving husband and wife.Though, at the thought of her family circumstances, Tati was still a little worried that Isabella and Austin might not get to that point.Isabella could not move far away after getting married as she still had to manage the family business. Her husband and her in-laws had to be understanding and tolerant of the fact that she would be very, very busy.They had all heard th
Isabella wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. Tati had a point. She could push the boys too hard. They were still young, and they deserved a carefree and happy childhood. She had already put too much pressure on Louis and Phillip. “Austin accompanies the boys when he’s free. I think he’s great with kids. Maybe he has experience from babysitting in his family.”The York family had nine sons in their youngest generation and no daughters. Austin was the sixth in line with three younger brothers. Rowan was the youngest and still a minor. Thinking about it, he must have been raised by all his older cousins and brothers. No one understood how much pressure Rowan was under as he grew up. His older brothers were outstanding individuals. He would not have been that stressed if any of them were mediocre. He kept chasing after his brothers’ footsteps. He did not know when he could ever catch up to River and Austin. He would have to live with that pressure fo
“Isa, do you know many hotels and restaurants are waiting for you to switch Austin out? That way, they can snatch him away and make him their star chef.”With Austin’s culinary skills, he could be the head chef at any hotel.Isabella smiled. She said, “It depends on how much they can offer him. He already has his own hotels and restaurants. He’s already successful in the F&B industry.“How can they possibly hire him to be their chef? That’s unless Austin buys their hotel.“Besides, I haven’t gotten bored of Austin’s food. They’ll have to wait. “You can make a bet on whether Austin can last a full year as my private chef. I think you might win, but there’s always the possibility of losing.”There would always be wins and losses in a bet. Tati smiled. “Some people already made their bets. However, they betted on whether Austin could last for three months first. I guess those who put their money on him leaving before three months are up will lose.“For the second round, they’re