Liberty turned up right outside Duncan’s office. She knocked on the door and only entered the room once given permission. Duncan sat behind his desk while his wheelchair was parked to the side. If he needed to leave the office, Duncan could leverage the table to transfer himself to his wheelchair.His two personal bodyguards were nowhere to be found. They were probably on standby in the lobby. Duncan was back in the office to take care of business, so his bodyguards could not possibly stay by his side all the time. He had his secretary when he needed help in the office. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Duncan lifted his head and saw Liberty. He stood up with the support of the table and tried to make his way around. Liberty immediately stopped him. “Sit there. Don’t move. I don’t want you to fall.” Duncan said with a grin, “Alright. I'll stay put. My legs aren't quite cooperating yet.”Nevertheless, Duncan's recovery was progressing, and he was doing much better than whe
Liberty said, “The novelty has worn off, I guess. He has to wake up early for preschool every day and has homework after school too. He doesn’t have time to go to his aunt’s place for some fun.” “You can't cram too much into Sonny's schedule. He already has self-defense classes on weekends. Three-year-olds learn through play. We want to make sure he has a happy childhood. Putting too much pressure on him to study will take the joy out of it.”“I don’t think I’m pushing him too hard. He only has to complete a page of homework every day. I signed him up for self-defense classes before preschool started. My hope is that he plays and enjoys his childhood years. I didn’t sign him up for other classes unless he’s interested to learn.”Duncan said with a smile, “You know, kids. They can’t make up their minds about preschool. Give it time, and he’ll get used to it and stop talking about not attending.” Liberty remembered how the young Elisa refused to go to school so much that her parent
Duncan had his own selfish reason too. He wanted to bond with Sonny like father and son, and be a better father than Hank had been, even though he was already ahead of him. He wanted all Wiltspoonians to know how fond he was of Sonny. Duncan wanted to be Sonny’s stepfather. If his dream came true, he would be the father that Sonny deserved.In fact, Liberty was aware of Duncan’s little sneaky plan. Still, she did not stop him. Liberty responded, “You can pick Sonny up from preschool later if you don’t mind Sonny bugging you.” While enjoying breakfast, Duncan said, “I will never mind. Sonny might have his moments, but he’s a sensible kid. He plays with himself when the adults are at work.” Three-year-olds were curious and emotional creatures, so it was understandable that they would act up sometimes. They were still learning how to control their emotions and express their curiosity in a constructive way.Sometimes, Duncan would receive silly and strange questions from Sonny that
“Sonny’s fine, but I don’t think it’s safe to live there anymore. Don’t be mad. The drunk man didn’t do anything to me,” Liberty comforted Duncan. Duncan tensed his facial muscles. “He has targeted you.” Many men would have their eyes on Liberty since she was young, single, and beautiful. Though most people were interested in Liberty, they would back off knowing that Duncan was courting her. Only the unsuspecting others, like the drunk man, would go after Liberty. Liberty was his! Duncan had waited so long for Liberty to accept him. The last thing he wanted was for somebody to step in and take her away from him. “You should move, Liberty. You should do it right now. I’ll contact a moving company for you,” Duncan uttered. If he had his way, Liberty would move out of East Hill Apartments right away. “I told Zachary that I will buy the property off his hands, but I can’t pay in full. I don’t have a lot of available funds since I need some operating funds for my two outlets.
Since Liberty had the ambition to establish a chain of restaurants across the country, she needed to have her own signature dishes. Hence, Liberty needed to dedicate herself to learning and push forward with determination while Duncan would have her back all the way. Liberty soon left Duncan’s office and once she was gone, Duncan quickly finished his breakfast. A full stomach improved the mood. Duncan grabbed his phone to call his best buddy. He said to Zachary, “Liberty just delivered breakfast to me. She told me about the villa. Just take the payment since Liberty is insisting on buying the place. At least then she would feel right to accept the property. Buying a house with her own money gives her a sense of ownership and belonging. However, living in someone else's house can make her feel like she’ll always be a guest.”Zachary held the phone in one hand while twirling his pen in the other, chuckling. “I expected you to tell me not to accept Liberty's money, or that you wo
Liberty arrived at All You Can Eat Restaurant. The doors were already opened for business by the manager she hired while the employees were at their stations, ready for the lunch hour rush.“Ms. Hunt.” “Ms. Hunt.” Everybody happily greeted the boss upon her arrival. Yesterday was the restaurant's grand opening. The business was great, and everyone was excited to welcome valuable customers. They believed their future was bright with a boss like Liberty, and could expect a better income or a promotion if they worked hard.If Ms. Hunt were to expand her restaurant chain, the first employees could potentially be assigned to managerial roles in the new branches. Everybody was highly motivated by this.Liberty nodded with a smile. She entered the kitchen to check on the purchased grocery, making sure the ingredients were of the finest quality. She then returned to her office. Liberty would rather earn less than compromise on good ingredients. The breakfast diner and restaura
Olivia and Chelsea were still trying to make things happen between Liberty and Hank. Hank was not even divorced. Even if he was, there was no turning back for them anymore. Hank knew that, so he never talked about getting back together with Liberty. The mother and daughter were trying to interfere in Hank and Liberty’s lives as always, which was indeed a major factor in their divorce.Olivia embarrassedly smiled. “We will call to order the food. Liberty, business is looking good for you. Are you hiring?” “Not at the moment. I told Chelsea the same thing.” Chelsea forced an awkward smile, remembering how Liberty had turned down her request for a job.They did not know how to carry on the conversation, so they picked up their glasses, taking their time to sip on their drink. After staying for a few minutes, Olivia could not stand the awkwardness and said, “I don’t want to keep you from working, Liberty. I should go back and take care of Hank. It’s the weekend in another two d
Once out of the restaurant, Olivia put her hand out to her daughter. “What do you want, Mom? Chelsea played dumb. Olivia said, “Give me the five-thousand-dollar cash gift Liberty returned.” “Mom, my building supply business hasn’t been doing well lately. I haven’t turned a profit, and I’m struggling to put food on the table for my family of five. The five thousand dollars would be a great help. Besides, I’m glad I was there when Hank had an accident. Hank only survived because I shielded him, but I got hurt in the process.“Jessica might be behind bars, but I didn’t get any medical compensation. I paid for my hospital bills. Hank and the wicked woman aren’t even divorced and she’s still your daughter-in-law. Your daughter-in-law harmed your daughter. Consider the five thousand dollars as compensation.”Olivia poked her daughter on the forehead. “Don't cry to me about being poor. Your father and I have helped you plenty, but it's never enough. The situation at home is differen