Zachary remembered the words of advice Serenity had offered to Clive back then.Having a miscarriage could be harmful to the body.The husband and wife should know each other best.Serenity was aware of Zachary’s expression. Soon, she was able to guess what was going on in his head. Also, he bit his tongue several times just now.“Zachary, don’t even think about it!”Serenity warned him seriously, “If you dare act as my cousin did, we’ll get a divorce. I’ll raise my child, and you don’t have to meddle in it.”“Seren.“What’s wrong?”Grandma May and Liberty were stupefied to hear what Seren said.Seren actually brought up divorce.Just like when Zachary revealed his identity, Serenity’s reaction was extreme and she mentioned that she wanted to get a divorce. Zachary acted like a lunatic at that time.The couple’s relationship then was stiff, which was worrying.Fortunately, they made peace afterward.Serenity never brought up divorce again with Zachary.She knew the me
Grandma May was about to slap Zachary again. Serenity quickly pulled the old lady’s hand back. “I’m not angry anymore, Nana. Please stop hitting Zachary. He’s already in his thirties. He’ll be embarrassed if you keep beating him.”“Although Seren is protecting you and hiding your mistakes from me, I’m still giving you a warning—I won’t let you off if you don’t behave yourself.”Zachary smiled bitterly. “I know, Nana. I’ve always behaved myself properly.”Mrs. Lane soon returned with the sour prunes. Serenity tore the package open eagerly and ate one. The sour taste spread in her mouth. She smiled and said, “I love this taste.”Zachary breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Serenity enjoying the sour prunes. After a short rest, Zachary brought Serenity to the hospital for a checkup. Grandma May and Liberty remained in Brynfield. Mrs. Lane continued going about her business. Since they had nothing to do, Grandma May could finally ask Liberty about her and Duncan’s relation
After a moment of silence, Liberty said, “He’s out of the ICU and transferred to a normal ward. He’s recovering. I brought Sonny to visit him previously.”Grandma May hummed in acknowledgment. “Does Hank still want to make up with you?”“He regrets his decision but has never mentioned anything about remarrying me. He and Jessica aren’t divorced yet. His family hopes he’d get a divorce with her, but he doesn’t seem to think the same.“However, even if he gets divorced, I won’t remarry him. I won’t stop him from meeting and bonding with Sonny because he’s his dad, but I’ll never remarry him out of consideration for Sonny. My feelings for him were already gone the moment he suggested we split our bills.”After a pause, Liberty added, “The Browns are persistent about getting Hank to remarry me. How can I do that? My heart was wounded terribly. It’s as good as dead. There’s no way I’ll go back to him. Even if I don’t marry again for the rest of my life, I’ll never remarry him.“Besides
Grandma May said, “You’re just like Seren. You two have the same personality. Since you’ve said so, I can make Duncan happy when I visit him later at the Lewises’.”Liberty was speechless. She felt Grandma May was addicted to being a matchmaker. Grandma May had chosen Liberty as her next target after she had settled the marriages of her grandsons who were at marrying age. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Liberty released Grandma May’s arm and said, “I’ll get it. I wonder who it is.”Zachary had brought Serenity to the hospital, so they would not be back so soon.Besides, not many people knew they were back. That was unless they could see Serenity’s post on Facebook. “I think it’s probably your aunt.”Liberty went to open the door. Snowball followed her while wagging its tail vigorously. Surprisingly, the person standing behind the door was Jasmine. “Liberty.”Jasmine greeted Liberty with a smile. Liberty moved aside to let her in. When she saw the two b
Liberty chimed in after Jasmine, “Seren vomited after breakfast. Zachary was so worried. Aside from getting Serenity’s body checked at the hospital, he’s also going to ask the doctor for ways to ease her morning sickness.”Liberty smiled and said, “I think he’s so anxious that he’d rather be the one vomiting instead of Seren.”She was relieved to see her brother-in-law fussing over her sister. Serenity was definitely more fortunate than she was. Liberty and Hank used to be classmates. They dated for a long period before getting married and she got pregnant right after. The time Hank spent with her lessened because his career was taking off at that point. He always went out early in the morning and returned late at night. He did not even accompany her to prenatal checkups, let alone feel worried for her. He always told Serenity to attend those appointments with her. Liberty shook her head. She no longer wanted to recall her failed marriage with Hank. Jasmine said with a grin
Throughout her pregnancy thus far, Jasmine felt as if she was in prison because she did not have much freedom. She wondered how the York family would treat Serenity. Would Serenity also be restricted to only looking after the bookstore like her? “You’re past your first trimester, right? The pregnancy should be stable. You can go out and get some fresh air as long as it’s not a dangerous place. Don’t tire yourself out though. When you’re in your late stages of pregnancy, it’s best to avoid traveling far.”Jasmine got even more jealous upon hearing Grandma May’s words. She was not jealous of the old lady but of her friend. Grandma May’s words made Jasmine realize that Serenity would not be restricted to just being in Wiltspoon like her. The three of them chatted for a while before Jasmine took her leave. She did not go home. Instead, she had her bodyguards send her to York Corporation. When Jasmine arrived at the company, there was still half an hour before the employees’
Josh said, “The security guards remember the car you and Serenity usually use. They informed me after seeing that you’d arrived but didn’t enter.“I thought I had done something wrong because you didn’t visit me inside despite coming over. I was so scared that I ditched my work. I even rolled and crawled to leave my office.”Jasmine burst into laughter. Even the bodyguards could not hold their laughter in. However, they dared not laugh out loud like their missus. They simply turned their heads and stifled their chuckles. “You make me sound evil. Did you roll and crawl? I saw you running but not rolling or crawling. Since you said so, do you want to get down and perform how you rolled and crawled just now?”Josh said, “Since my wife wishes to see me rolling and crawling, I shall get out of the car and show you.”As he spoke, he was ready to exit the car. Jasmine pulled him back and complained, “Are you really doing it? I was just teasing you.”Josh chuckled and said, “I’ve said
Jasmine was a Wiltspoonian. Her family had become rich because they were relocated to make way for development in the past. “I don’t want to eat in a hotel, but heading home is a bit of a distance. I’m hungry.”Josh asked, “Isn’t the car stocked with your favorite snacks? Haven’t I told you to keep some snacks you like in the car? You can grab a bite whenever you’re out and not let yourself go hungry.”“I don’t leave the house much lately aside from going to the bookstore, so I didn’t prepare any snacks.”“We can pop by a supermarket later and buy some food for you. Let’s have lunch at your house. It’s nearby.”The Buchams’ house was quite a distance from York Corporation. However, the Soxes’ home was pretty nearby. “Okay,” Jasmine replied happily. She preferred returning to her house to have her mother’s home-cooked food, rather than the exotic, expensive food she had been having for every meal in her in-laws’ house.She found it utterly delicious and delightful, even if
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s
“It’s okay if you don’t want my bouquets. Can you feel my sincere love for you through these letters?“I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell even harder the second time I saw you.”Manny’s gaze was affectionate as if he truly loved Tati. To be honest, Tati was outstanding in various aspects. She was good enough for him, a young master of the Longbottoms. They were also close in age and definitely had common topics to talk about. However, Tati refused to give him a chance and rejected his confession. That did not matter. After all, it had not been long since he started pursuing Tati. As the O’Connors had more daughters than sons, he could understand that their daughters would be especially cautious regarding romantic relationships. They did not want men dating them solely for the O’Connor family’s money. Although that had been Manny’s initial intention, he was satisfied with Tati after meeting her in person. He was willing to marry her. Besides, Tati was com
Meanwhile, in Satbury, Tati returned to the company but was forced to stop her car at the entrance. Some people were decorating the entrance with flowers. Security tried to chase them away, but they did not even budge. The security guards seemed wary of something and did not force those people to leave. A few cars were parked nearby, including a truck that still carried fresh flowers.Tati did not honk. There were people and flowers on the road before her and honking was useless anyway, or she could simply drive past without a care. She got out of the car to have a look. “Sweet Tati.”An unfamiliar voice rang. Tati looked toward the person who called her and frowned. She recognized that person. He was Manny Longbottom, the eldest son of the interim head of the family.Mr. Longbottom had come over several times for business negotiations. However, it was not yet his scheduled timing. Even if he were the Longbottom family’s interim head, there would be no special treatmen
First, Adrian poured himself a glass of water. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Jacob while sipping his water.When the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “We’re going ahead with the plan. Caroline will be heading to Fortress Hotel later to meet with a client. After the meeting, she’ll have dinner there.“The discussion and dinner will take a long time. By the time she leaves the hotel, it’ll already be nighttime. She probably won’t go anywhere else after that.“Wait for her on the route she usually takes home. Her license plate is CA 201. Got it?”Adrian made sure Jacob remembered Caroline’s license plate number. He had also sent the information via text, so unless the person had an exceptionally bad memory, they should be able to recall it.Jacob replied, “Got it. We’ll have to start preparing, then. Try to get Caroline to drink some alcohol. If she’s drunk, it’ll be easier to handle her.”After all, they could not guarantee that the
Adrian snapped, “Are you saying that I don’t do real work? Caroline, I was working at Fisher Enterprise long before we even knew you existed.”Caroline said neutrally, “Yes, yes, Adrian, you’ve been at Fisher Enterprise for a long time, but what achievements have you made? I mean, achievements that you accomplished on your own.“The results credited to you in the past weren’t actually your doing. You know better than anyone how they came about, so I won’t spell it out. I may have joined Fisher Enterprise only recently, but look at the position I’m in now.“Adrian, I’ve made it very clear. If you want to keep your job, do it well and take it seriously. Stop trying to take credit for other people’s work.”Adrian’s expression darkened. “I only said a couple of things, and you fired back with dozens. Can’t you give me some grace? I have pride, too.”“Adrian, go back to work. I need to get ready to head out soon.” Caroline was done talking to her brother.Adrian fell silent for a mo
Adrian was sullenly quiet. Was he really that incompetent? He thought he had done a pretty good job.Back when their mother was still around, he had not even needed to lift a finger. He just had to vaguely outline the requirements, and the elite team under him would come up with a proposal that satisfied everyone upstairs.All he had to do was wait for the praise and the compliments about how capable he was.After doing this for so long, Adrian had started to believe that he truly was talented.Then, he found out that Celine was not his biological sister and that Caroline was, but the latter had grown up in the countryside, appearing weak and timid, and seemed useless to the company—a good-for-nothing. Thus, Adrian began to harbor ambitions. He wanted to replace his sister and become the successor of the Fisher family.He had repeatedly expressed to his mother his desire to take over, to become the first male successor in the Fisher family’s history. He even said he was willing
Adrian tried several times to interrupt his sister, but Caroline’s barrage came at him like a machine gun, rapid and relentless. All he could do was glare at her, his face flush with anger. If looks could kill, Caroline would have been torn to pieces long ago.After finishing her lecture, Caroline picked up her cup and took a few sips of her coffee. She then said, “Adrian, look at me, I’m parched from all this talking. I’ve really gone out of my way to persuade you for your own good, just like how you tried to persuade me not to hand over control of the Fisher family. “To be honest, even if I didn’t give it back to Audrey and the rest, do you think I could hold onto the position of the matriarch?“The rest of the family doesn’t support us. They might not necessarily side with the Wiltspoonians either, but they definitely won’t side with us. They’ve long been dissatisfied with Mom and us.“Without their support and unable to win against Audrey, the Fisher legacy would eventually be