Serenity was only ten when her parents passed away and since then, Liberty had practically raised her. The bond between the sisters went deep beyond that. Liberty was like a mother to Serenity.Since Serenity became Mrs. York, Liberty was glad to accept help from her sister and Zachary on major matters. However, she firmly refused any handouts when it concerned her everyday life. Zachary and Serenity were at their wit’s end when it came to Liberty’s stubbornness. No one, not even Audrey, could shake her attitude and talk her out of it. “Mr. Lewis, I’ve been living here for a long time. It’s a safe area, and nothing ever happened. I ran into a drunk man tonight, but that’s all. I’ll be careful not to come home late like this again. Today’s incident was an exception. “It’s bad enough I can’t be a safety net my sister can fall back on, but you can’t expect me to mooch off her. A property in The Oasis cost tens of millions, and Zachary bought the biggest villa in the area. I belie
“Mr. Lewis, it’s late. You should get some rest.” “Okay. You should rest soon too. I don’t really have much to do, so I can sleep late and have a lie-in tomorrow.” The pair said their good nights. Duncan needed to exit the car. His bodyguard first removed the wheelchair from the trunk before helping Duncan out of the car. Once Duncan was seated in the wheelchair, the bodyguard wheeled him into the main residence. His parents, Derek and Corey, should be fast asleep at this hour. Nevertheless, the light came on before the bodyguard could reach for the switch after they stepped inside the house. Corey turned on the lights. She just came downstairs. “Mrs. Lewis,” the bodyguard greeted with respect. “It’s late, Mom. Why aren’t you asleep?” Corey drew close and relieved the bodyguard of his duty. She proceeded to push the wheelchair. “I couldn’t rest until I knew you were home safe. I kept my ears peeled for any outside noise and checked the balcony when I heard the g
Now that Liberty was a businesswoman, she upgraded her wardrobe to reflect the change. Liberty was gorgeous, to begin with. She managed to shed the extra pounds and shine through it all like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She was radiant and became the center of attention wherever she went. A beautiful woman always attracted attention. Besides, Liberty was a divorcee who lived alone with her son; a fact those who knew her were aware of. This made her more desirable to many men. One of them might act with ill intent, but there was no way to know for sure.“I advised her to accept Zachary’s gift and move into The Oasis. I have a villa there too, so I can live in the area if she decides to move there. We can look after each other. I can keep her company or have our bodyguard escort her.” “Liberty can be stubborn.” Corey remembered the time she met with Liberty to persuade her to leave Wiltspoon. Liberty refuted her to the point of speechlessness. She knew Liberty was a woma
The mention of Sonny softened Duncan’s facial muscles. Duncan said to his mother, “I held Sonny to sleep tonight. My heart just melted when I saw him settling down in my arms. The kid is cuter by the day, and I can’t help but grow fonder of him. I don’t expect him to call me Dad. It makes me happy enough when he calls me Dunc.” Hank was still alive. Even though Sonny was not close to his father, it did not change the fact that Hank was his father. In the past, Duncan would comfort Sonny, expressing his desire to be his stepdad. However, Sonny said he already had a father and did not need another one. Sonny mentioned he was not greedy enough to have two dads. Sonny showed Duncan that the boy would never call him dad. That was why Duncan would not ask for more. It was enough for Duncan if he could marry Liberty and raise Sonny together with her. Sonny could call him Dunc since he did steal the boy’s mommy.“Sonny is the most adorable thing. He is such a delight and a ball of sun
“Is Duncan home?” “Yeah, he’s back. He’s resting in his room.” Corey drew near. “Why are you up?” Derek closed the magazine. “You’re worried about our son, and so am I. I can’t get a good night’s rest until Duncan is home. I need to hear the sound of his car to know he’s back before I can sleep.” “I know, right? Neither of us can sleep until he’s home.” “Did he say why he was late home tonight? What did you talk to him about?” Corey sat in bed and pulled the covers while saying, “He was waiting for Liberty. He came home from escorting Liberty home after she was finished with work. Liberty was really busy today, but she won’t work this late anymore. Our son is doing well. Don’t worry. It’s late. Get some sleep. We didn’t talk much, only a little about his future with Liberty.” Derek waited until his wife was down and cozy before killing the lights. “What’s the point of talking about that? Duncan hasn’t fully recovered yet. He won’t be together with Liberty for fear he woul
“Hand over every valuable item you have on your body and in your car. Quick!”Quinn could not see what the driver looked like but she could vaguely hear the robber’s words. She ran over immediately. When the man handed his wallet to one of the robbers with trembling hands, Quinn rushed over and kicked the wallet out of the robber’s hand. Her actions were incredibly swift. She turned and sprinted to catch the falling wallet. Next, with a flick of her wrist, the wallet went inside the car through the open door, bounced off the windshield, then landed on the passenger seat, Everyone was stunned. Quinn’s movements were too fast. She did everything in quick succession. When everyone returned to their senses, Quinn had already kicked two motorbikes over. Before the riders could get up, she picked up the metal bat and beat them up. They howled in pain as they writhed on the floor. A few robbers, whose motorbikes had not been kicked over, jumped off and surrounded Quinn with
Julian fancied women like that. He did not like delicate ladies at all and was unable to develop feelings for them either. Actually, Julian was afraid when he confirmed that Quinn was his fated one, fearing that she would be a soft and delicate woman. However, the results of his investigation were a pleasant surprise. The surprise Quinn had given him after meeting her in person was greater. Her martial arts skills were most likely on par with his. As a young master of the Buchams, his wife had to be someone as skilled as Quinn. That way, she would be able to exercise her authority. “Are you okay, sir?”While Julian was staring at Quinn blankly, she was eyeing him too. Her first impression of Julian was that he was extremely attractive. She had never seen such a good-looking man before. Before coming to Wiltspoon, she heard that there were a few popular handsome guys in Wiltspoon. One of them was the CEO of York Corporation, Zachary York. It was difficult to spot
“May I have your name?” Julian asked. Quinn gave him a business card. “My name’s Quinn Crawford. I’m a martial arts coach, but my students are all children.”Julian took her business card and kept it after reading it thoroughly. He gave her his business card too. However, his identity as a young master of the Buchams was not stated on the card. He simply introduced himself as the CEO of a random company he owned. Quinn received the card with both hands. After taking a look, she smiled and said, “Are you a CEO? The CEOs on TV always have a team of bodyguards with them. Why didn’t you bring a few bodyguards with you, Mr. Bucham?”Julian grinned. “I did have bodyguards with me for several years. However, some of them had to care for their elderly parents while others were forced by their parents to get married. They had no choice but to resign and return to their hometowns for marriage.“Therefore, I haven’t found any suitable bodyguards to replace the old ones.”Quinn did not a
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