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
Julian was driving a multi-million-dollar luxury car when Quinn "saved" him. He told her that he was a major CEO, so there was no need for him to lie about his bank account. Today, Julian drove a seven-seater MPV to fit the toys he had prepared for the kids. They were at the age where they were obsessed with toys, and his usual ride simply could not accommodate all the stuff.Plus, an ordinary vehicle would not attract attention. Julian was well-known in Wiltspoon, but he was elusive; few people had met him in person. It was pretty inconspicuous to drive a car in the hundred-thousand-dollar range to Wiltspoon Hotel.Julian did not get out of the car right away after pulling up at the hotel. He first gave Quinn a call. Quinn quickly answered, “Mr. Bucham.” “Good morning, Ms. Crawford.” “Good morning, Mr. Bucham. What’s up?” Quinn was chaperoning the students at their competition, so she was not at the hotel. She kept her eyes on the students competing while she took Julian
“Mr. Bucham, see you later.” Julian smiled. “Okay, Ms. Crawford. That reminds me. Do you and the kids need a ride back to the hotel? I can pick you up.” “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Bucham, but our transport is sorted. We chartered a bus, so we’ll take the bus back to the hotel after the competition.” “Alright then. You don’t have to hire a bus next time. Just give me a call, and I’ll plan the logistics.”Quinn grinned. “Alright. We’ll be in your care if we come over for another competition.” There would always be competitions, but rarely were they held in Wiltspoon. Quinn did not say no when Julian offered since the likelihood of her returning to Wiltspoon was slim to none. At least she would not be troubling Julian. After the phone call, Julian was not going to sit and wait in the car until the afternoon. The car was not the most comfortable place to wait, even if the air conditioner was blasting. It was sweltering outside.He got out of the vehicle and entered the h
“Ms. Stone, um… What's going on? I kept it a secret. How did it get leaked?” Elisa angrily uttered, “How would I know? You’re the heir of the Buchams, for Heaven’s sake. How am I supposed to know when you don’t? Mr. Bucham, you started it and dragged me into this. I don’t care where you are and what you’re doing right now, but you must come here. Stat!” Knowing he was at fault, Julian embarrassedly said, “Don’t be mad, Ms. Stone. It’s my fault, and I got you into this. I’ll head there right away to explain to my parents. Please let me know if you ever need my help. I will assist you unconditionally.”Julian, who was in the wrong, made a promise to Elisa as the last thing he wanted was for Elisa to hold a grudge. “I’ll keep that in mind. I won’t be shy to ask when I need you.” Elisa then hung up. Serenity, who had heard the whole phone conversation, waited until Elisa tossed her phone aside before approaching her. She picked up Elisa's phone and placed it back in front of her
Elisa gave a nod. “That sounds like my mom. She annoyed me to no end and the same went for Mr. Reading. He didn’t know what my mom was up to, but he avoided me and my family like the plague when he belatedly found out. I even heard he sold his villa so as not to live in the same neighborhood as us.” Elisa was helpless about the situation. She believed she did Andrew dirty by dragging him into the matter for no good reason. “Andrew is Zachary’s cousin. He didn’t want a part in Aunt Audrey’s plan, so he sought advice from Zachary.” Elisa could guess where this was going before Serenity could finish the story. “Seren, did Zachary suggest to Andrew that Julian woo me?” “Zachary had no say in telling Julian to pursue you. He told Andrew to ask Julian for help. Julian has an illness, so anyone who isn’t his soulmate would only be looking at marriage without physical intimacy. If Julian agreed to help Andrew divert Aunt Audrey’s attention, Andrew could walk away from this. One more
Liberty and Sonny had a lot to share with each other. Meanwhile, Caroline had not gone home yet. She told Liberty she was going home after they separated but ended up going shopping instead. It was still early. There were too many cars on the road. Even a fool would not choose that time to make a move. To play along with her brothers’ scheme, she had to go shopping and only head home late at night. That would make it easier for Adrian and his brothers to take action. Darren sent Caroline a message to tell her that the Dott brothers and Clark brothers were waiting to ambush her when she was on her way back. When she approached them, they would hit her car with theirs. Her dying on the spot would be the best-case scenario. If she did not die, they would kidnap her. Adrian was already waiting in a deserted place by the sea. They planned to chop her up and throw her body into the sea. The fish in the sea would eat her up. The Clark brothers were cruel. Caroline wa
Sonny himself needed taking care of. Duncan said, “Summer vacation, then. Since it’s a long holiday, you can be in Jensburg for two months.“Once you graduate from preschool and come over to Jensburg for elementary school, you’ll be able to see your mom every day. I’ll also move my business to Jensburg. That way, the three of us can reunite as a family.”While Lewis & Co. had businesses in Jensburg, there were not many. Since Liberty would be living in Jensburg permanently, Duncan increased his investments there to expand into a new market. Therefore, he had to be in Jensburg as the CEO. It also presented him with the opportunity to accompany Liberty and Sonny there. Sonny pouted. “Okay.“Mom, you haven’t answered my questions.”Sonny turned his attention back to Liberty. Liberty smiled. “I’m not as busy tonight, so I don’t have to work till late. I’m on my way home now. I called you because I knew you’d be going to bed soon.“Do you miss me, Sonny? I miss you so much.”“
Serenity shouted from the stairs, “Sonny, your mom’s on the phone.”Sonny was concentrating on his game of chess with Liam. Naturally, he was not as good as Grandpa Liam. He lost most of the time, aside from the few games Grandpa Liam let him win. However, even if Sonny always ended up losing, he was determined. Liam realized Sonny would change his strategy after every loss. He would learn from his mistakes and even emulate Liam’s playstyle. Sonny had a versatile mind. He was clever. Liam thought, ‘Maybe this is why our family loves Sonny.’Sonny was intelligent, studious, and thoughtful. Serenity was about to give birth. If Liam’s grandson would be as adorable as Sonny, he would not mind having a few more. “Let’s pause this round for now, Grandpa Liam. We can continue after I talk to Mom on the phone.”Liam smiled. “You should go to bed soon, Sonny. You still have to go to school tomorrow. We can leave this here and continue tomorrow evening. I promise not to move the
After the divorce, her life went on an upward trajectory.Hank’s, on the other hand, went on a downward spiral, although that was due to Zachary. He had orchestrated Hank’s downfall behind the scenes, causing him to lose his job. No other employer dared to hire him either.Initially, Hank hoped to join Stone Group, as the Stones and the Yorks were sworn rivals.He thought that if he could make a name for himself within Stone Group, he could wield its influence to take revenge on Zachary.However, who could have expected that Audrey Stone was actually Liberty and Serenity’s biological aunt?Audrey had spent decades searching for her sister, only to find just her two nieces in the end. She doted on them as if they were her own daughters.Elisa and Serenity, who could have been considered love rivals, unexpectedly became close friends. Instead of fighting, they became as close as sisters, and Elisa even gave up on Zachary, whom she had admired for years.Now, she had found her own
Duncan held his wife’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about her. Fletcher’s secretly protecting her and she won’t be in any life-threatening danger.“You’ve been working all day. You must be tired.” Duncan patted his shoulder. “Lean on me.”Liberty smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as he immediately wrapped his arm around hers.“Duncan.”“Hmm?”“It’s wonderful to have you. I finally have someone to rely on too.”In the past, she had been the one her sister and son relied on. Now, she had someone to lean on as well.Duncan said affectionately, “It’s even more wonderful to have you. You’re my support too, my pillar of strength. I really thank God for bringing us together.”He thanked God that they met, got to know each other, fell in love, and would spend the rest of their lives together.“Do you remember the first time we met?”Duncan chuckled. “How could I forget? You were pushing a stroller with Sonny in it, and you accidentally bumped into my car.“My brand-new car g
It would prevent them from ending up with nothing.“Mr. Lewis is coming over. You should go to him.”As they entered the hotel, they saw Duncan slowly walking over. His two bodyguards followed behind him, pushing a wheelchair. People coming in and out of the hotel could not help but glance at Duncan. The hotel manager wanted to help him, but Duncan declined.Liberty took a deep breath and said to Caroline, “Call me if anything happens. Good luck.”“Thank you!” Caroline said and smiled. “We’ll both have good luck.”Liberty walked over to Duncan.Caroline, on the other hand, turned and walked out.“Duncan.” Liberty stepped forward to support him. “Let’s go home.”Duncan let her help him, and the couple slowly made their way out.“Ms. Fisher left.”“Yes, she didn’t tell me, but I think it’s probably happening tonight. Adrian Clark and his brothers left work on time this evening instead of staying late, and they’ve finished everything assigned to them.”Duncan whispered, “They h
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