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
Elisa hurriedly left the office and drove out of the building. Serenity saw Elisa off before returning to the office to call Zachary. She told him that Elisa was made privy to the reason behind Julian’s pursuit of her. Terrified of Elisa, Zachary asked, “Was Elisa angry enough to want to skin me alive?”“She’s livid. She wants me to kick you out of the bedroom,” Serenity deliberately uttered. “That won’t do. Nobody can separate us. She could be mad that I gave Andrew advice, but how was I supposed to know that Andrew could actually get Julian’s help? Andrew was caught in between Elisa and Remy’s relationship, innocently dragged into it, so it was only right that I offered him advice. Elisa is your cousin while Andrew’s mine. We were only doing what’s best for our cousins.” Zachary indignantly said his piece before cautiously asking, “Honey, was Elisa really angry?” “I was only kidding. Elisa wasn’t angry to learn the truth. She’s a reasonable person. We shouldn’t doubt her.
Imogen did not know that Dylan had woken up. She was still on the phone with Maria outside.Maria felt reassured when Imogen mentioned that the person she liked was a member of the richest family in Wiltspoon. All was good as long as he was not a social climber. Imogen asked, “Maria, when are you coming back? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Kade will be back soon. Are you really not coming back?“Maria, Kade and I are like siblings. Please don’t misunderstand or overthink it. Actually, you should know this—the person Kade likes is you. You two are the real childhood sweethearts, you grew up together.”Imogen and her mother’s godchildren had known each other since they were young, but the three of them had not actually spent much time together as she had always stayed with her master while she learned the trade, only returning home during the summer and winter holidays.Once the holidays ended, she would leave again. Even her formal education was completed in th
There were so many other possible choices. Why were they so fixated on him?Leticia sighed. “Alright, just pretend I never said that. You youngsters will decide for yourselves anyway, we don’t have a say in it. Remember to fetch Kade from the airport on Saturday.“I’ve already told him and he knows you’re supposed to be picking him up. And remember to get some flowers too. You two haven’t met in ages and you should give flowers at a reunion.” She reminded Imogen.“Mom, I can pick him up, fine, but I’m not giving him flowers. Who said you’re supposed to give flowers at a reunion?” Imogen refused to give Kade flowers when fetching him from the airport. “Oh, Mom, I gotta go. Bye!”Imogen quickly hung up, not allowing her mother the chance to speak further. Then, after a moment of thought, she texted Kade to ask when he was expected to arrive at Huntington Airport.It took a while before Kade replied that he would arrive around eleven in the morning on Saturday.Imogen replied wi
“I know you only view Kade as a brother, but who knows, if you nurture the relationship, those feelings might turn romantic? Jen, before you agree to be with Dylan, give yourself another option.“Make Dylan nervous. He’ll get jealous. He was jealous when he overheard our conversation that day.“You need to make him realize that even without him, you can still marry well. The Butchers like you a lot, and our families have a close relationship. You and Kade have known each other since you were young, so you guys could be considered childhood sweethearts.”Imogen said weakly, “Mom, I’m worried that if I get too close to Kade, not only will Dylan misunderstand, but even Maria might misunderstand. Kade and she are a thing, after all.“I really don’t understand what’s going on with Kade. He and Maria clearly have feelings for each other, they just haven’t made it official yet. Don’t their families see this?”She did not have any romantic feelings for Kade, but both families were trying
Although Leticia was angry over how Dylan had treated her daughter previously, at least he was not two-timing. He made things clear to Imogen right after realizing his feelings and stopped her from loving him. He still had a decent character.Besides, Imogen had also kept secrets from Dylan and she tricked him. Dylan still did not have sufficient evidence to prove that Imogen was the Chameleon Fox he loved. Dylan would start pursuing Imogen again after some time. Leticia heard that it was Serenity who had given Dylan a hint that Sugar was Fox. After that, Dylan sought confirmation from Old Mrs. York but only received a vague answer. However, he decided to continue pursuing Imogen because he believed his nana would not bring him harm.After going in circles, Dylan still ended up returning to Imogen.Actually, Leticia already viewed him as her son-in-law.Since Imogen’s happiness was on the line, she was concerned about her future son-in-law’s condition.“Dylan’s hospitalized.”
“Please look after Dylan, Imogen. Message me when he gets better. I just need to know that he’s alive.”Grandma May knew Dylan would be okay with Imogen by his side.Imogen quickly said, “Don’t hang up yet, Grandma May. Where are you now? Wiltspoon?“If it’s convenient, please get his parents to come and take care of Dylan. I’m busy with work. I can’t stay in the hospital to look after him.”Grandma May replied, “His dad is home, but he doesn’t know how to take care of others. I think Dylan will meet his death quicker under his dad’s care.“My daughters-in-law and I are at the Johnson family’s place in Annenburg. We won’t be back that soon because we just came not long ago. We’ll head back closer to Seren’s due date. That’s why we don’t have time to look after Dylan.“If you’re busy, you can return to work once Dylan’s fever breaks, Imogen. You don’t have to care about him. He can take care of himself. It’s just like a bad cold. He’ll be fine once his fever subsides.”Grandma Ma
Imogen should have gone to stop Dylan earlier than she had. Since Layla was helping Imogen to get revenge, Imogen thought she would let Dylan put on a show to display his sincerity. She could only stop Dylan once Layla was satisfied.After handling the hospitalization procedures, Dylan lay on the bed and received an IV drip. Meanwhile, Imogen brought him water and told him to take his medicine.“Take this medicine for your fever. Your face is red from the heat.”Dylan’s temperature was close to 103 degrees Fahrenheit when they measured it at the hospital. He would cough constantly, and his face was flushed red from the fever. He looked tired and weak as well. Dylan sat up and accepted the glass of water. Imogen handed him the right dosage of medicine according to the doctor’s prescription.“Make sure you’re hydrated.”Imogen refilled his glass and told him to drink more water.“I don’t want to drink water.”Dylan lay back down.Perhaps because he was on an IV drip, his
Dalton said, “Callum spoils you a lot too. Many people are envious of you two.”Camryn smiled. “You’re right. Our lives are objects of envy to other people.“You can head back to work, Dalton.”“Okay.”Camryn saw Dalton out. She sat for a few minutes before returning to her desk to continue working.Meanwhile, in Huntington, Dylan was coughing badly. He quickly grabbed the glass of water Imogen had just offered him and took a few sips. After moistening his throat, he stopped coughing. However, he started coughing again after a few minutes. Imogen said, “Why is your cough getting worse after seeing the doctor and taking medicine?”“Ah…”Dylan pointed at his throat. He could not speak. His throat was badly inflamed from eating excessive chili peppers. His voice was so hoarse that he could not talk, and he was hacking non-stop. Imogen had already brought him to a doctor, who had prescribed some medication for him. However, his condition was so bad that the medication was no
“Did you think of your mother again?”Dalton said gently, “It wasn’t your fault, Camryn. You don’t have to overthink it or care about how she treated you. You have loving in-laws now. You’re like a daughter to them.“Your husband dotes on you a lot too. I believe there’ll be better days ahead of you. As for your mother… Let her regret what she did.”He had never seen a mother like Mrs. Newman. There were many biased mothers, but not many of them were as evil as Mrs. Newman.“She does feel regret. However, it isn’t because she had hurt me, but because she gave birth to me. She regretted not getting an abortion or strangling me to death after giving birth to me.“She said I was the bane of her existence. She had gone to a psychic when she was pregnant with me. The psychic said I was an unlucky child who would bring bad luck to my parents and that if she didn’t kill me after I was born, I would become her downfall.“My mom was just finding excuses for herself. How would I be her d
“It’s getting better. Don’t worry, Dal. Dr. Carden will be here to check on me after some time and adjust my prescription. She said I’d be able to get pregnant after two years.“Dr. Carden is the legendary doctor’s best student. I trust her skills. She was the one who helped me to regain my sight.”Camryn reassured Dalton. “You just have to take good care of Melissa and tell her not to worry about me. I believe the heavens won’t take away my right to be a mother.”If Dr. Carden said she was infertile, then it would be impossible to get pregnant. However, Dr. Carden had guaranteed that Camryn could give birth after two years of recuperation. Therefore, Camryn was at ease.“Even if I can’t get pregnant, Callum won’t divorce me. He said we could adopt if it didn’t work out.“He and his family didn’t give up on me when I was blind. I believe my in-laws won’t abandon me just because I can’t get pregnant, Dalton. Besides, I’m not actually infertile.”Camryn knew Dalton and Melissa we