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.
Darrell agreed. “This is a misunderstanding, Mr. Bucham. Mr. Julian must’ve had a reason for not pursuing Elisa earnestly. Elisa already has a boyfriend anyway. Their relationship’s doing well.”Walter smiled and said, “I have all the answers. Julian has been giving Elisa presents and flowers behind our backs recently. He had even visited your house several times and fetched her from the airport when she returned from her business trips.“We didn’t know a thing because that boy hid it too well. We would’ve come over sooner if we had known. Our families have been acquainted for decades, and we know everything about each other. Don’t worry. We’ll treat Elisa like a daughter after she joins our family.”Stacy chimed in, “That’s right. It’s good that our families are well acquainted. Since we don’t have a daughter, we’ll dote on our daughter-in-law like our own. You don’t have to worry about Julian mistreating Elisa. We’ll definitely be on her side.”They could finally rest in peace if
Julian and Elisa would have gotten along well if not for his existing condition. Alas, he had a tricky illness. Everything was up to fate, but Elisa and Julian did not share the same thread of destiny. Neither of them would be happy if they were forced to be together. Although Audrey could not bear Elisa leaving after marriage, she hoped Elisa could attain happiness. She did not want Elisa to be a widow. “Mr. Julian is here, Mr. and Mrs. Stone,” informed a maid.Audrey had never looked forward to Julian appearing as much as she did now. She said, “Quick, invite him in.”Not long after, Julian entered and Elisa happened to have returned as well. Remy was with her. “Dad, Mom, what are you guys doing?”Julian looked embarrassed when he saw the gifts on the coffee table. “You rascal. You didn’t tell us that you’re attracted to someone and worried us all this time. We’ve been thinking of how to save you. You, on the other hand, kept the fact that you’re in love with Elisa a
“If Mom said she would create an opportunity for you to get with the king, would you really believe her? It’s just talk—nothing actually happened.” Trenton could not resist poking Carrie’s forehead a few times. “Carrie, can you please come back to earth? In your current state, forget about finding a great guy like Callum—even a regular, decent guy would be turned off by you.”Carrie swatted away her brother’s fingers, irritated and embarrassed. “Am I really that bad? I’m young, beautiful, have a great figure, and a dignified heiress. If the monarchy still existed, I could marry the king and be his queen without a problem.”“Carrie, you have sky-high ambitions, but be careful, don’t fly too close to the sun and end up like Icarus.”As soon as he said that, Trenton was met with a smack from his sister.“Is there a brother who curses his own sister like that? What do you mean by that? I’m destined to have the princess life. I’ll be fine.”However, deep down, she was still worried bec
Camryn was right—he was just too soft-hearted. If he were as ruthless as her, Carrie would have found a job long ago after running out of money.To encourage Carrie to become independent, Trenton decided that after Christmas, he would stop giving her living expenses. He would also tell their parents during his visit to prison that Carrie was truly hopeless.“Trenton, you keep siding with her, and one day you'll regret it. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has deceived who knows how many people. Do you really think she cares about you? She just wants to win your complete trust to take everything that belongs to you for herself. By driving us out of our home, she’s not only seeking revenge on Mom and Dad but also on us—especially you. She’s just pretending to be nice to you to sow discord between us siblings.”“Carrie!” Trenton said seriously, “Don’t talk about Camryn like that. She’s not that kind of person. I believe in her, one hundred percent.”Carrie was so furious she wanted
“Alright, alright, I can't win with the two of you against one,” Carrie sulked. “Give me money to spend. I'm out of money.”She reached out her hand toward Camryn, wanting her to give her money. Camryn slapped her hand away. “Even Trenton knows to take advantage of the winter break to find a part-time job and earn some pocket money. You’re perfectly capable, yet you don’t look for a job.“To put it bluntly, if you’ve gone to sweep the streets, you'd still have a source of income. I have money, but I won’t give it to you. Don’t think that just because we’re sisters—estranged, too, at that—I have an obligation to support my adult sister. I’ve said it before: if you want money to spend, earn it yourself.” With that, Camryn walked away to tend to her plants.As Christmas approached, the flower market was bustling. Every day, many people came to buy flowers, and all her employees were out delivering flowers to clients. Sometimes, when it got too busy, she even had to ask her two bodyguar
Trenton was relieved that Dalton was indebted to Camryn. That was why Dalton had been loyal to Newman Enterprise.If Newman Enterprise did not fall into Camryn’s hands, there was no doubt that Dalton would leave the company. If that happened, the company was doomed.When his parents went to prison, he was merely 18, and Carrie only knew how to spend money. Not only that, their relatives were hungry to get a share of the Newman family’s assets. He and Carrie could not have protected their family’s wealth alone.After Camryn regained her sight, she still could not strain her eyes for long hours. Therefore, Dalton remained in charge of the company.Luckily, they had Callum as well. Even if anything were to happen, Callum would not leave Newman Enterprise to fall because many of the Newman family’s assets belonged to Camryn.He would not let Camryn lose anything.“You’ve been brainwashed by Dalton after working with him. Our dad treated him well and trusted him, yet Dalton betrayed
Camryn said, “She’s just using her lack of money as an excuse to start a fight with me.“Do you really think she has no money?”Carrie had somehow become Mrs. Longbottom yet she was still hiding her identity. Camryn had not understood the entire situation yet.Nevertheless, she was certain that Carrie did not need money.After she spoke, a familiar car arrived.It was the car Carrie had always used in the past.When she returned to the Newman family’s villa after getting out of prison, she only drove that car. She could not take other cars. The cars were still parked in the garage. “Come out, Camryn.”Carrie had gotten out of the car and started shouting for Camryn.When the York family’s bodyguards saw her, they simply glanced at her and did not stop her from entering the store. They knew Camryn had always been lenient with her younger sister.Since Camryn did not give any orders to stop Carrie from entering, the bodyguards simply kept an eye on Carrie to ensure that sh
“I want to go to Spring Blossoms as Carrie,” she told the bodyguard who was driving. “Your sister’s people are keeping an eye on your apartment. She’ll get suspicious again if you head over in your outfit. Everything Mr. Longbottom arranged will go to waste,” the bodyguard reminded her.Carrie thought it over. “Okay. Let’s head home first. I’ll change my clothes and remove my makeup before heading over.”She would also check if her stand-in had damaged any of her stuff.If she did, Carrie would tell the stand-in to compensate her.The bodyguard remained silent.Once they arrived at Longbottom Villa, Carrie took off her hyper-realistic mask and removed her makeup. After changing her clothes, she returned to being Carrie and went out with her bag.Her two bodyguards did not stop her from leaving.She could do anything as long as it would not rouse Camryn and other people’s suspicions.Besides, Carrie had just gotten scolded by their boss on the phone. Although Mr. Longbottom
Mr. Longbottom thought he was not so inferior to men younger than him.More accurately, he was far superior. He had status, money, and power.Which of the younger men could be on par with him unless they came from a wealthy family?Many sons of wealthy families could not compete with him.“I can’t go over because I’m busy these days. But I do miss you too.“It’s more difficult because of the festive season. There are many events, and I have to accompany my family. My wife doesn't care about me, but her request is that I be with her during the holidays because we have to meet our friends and families. Do you understand?”Mr. Longbottom had a wife and children. Carrie knew about it. He had never hid that fact.Carrie did not know if he was close to his wife. Although he said they no longer had feelings for each other, Carrie dared not believe him because he had never let other women take his wife’s place.He also never allowed other women to become pregnant with his children.Mr
Carrie thought she had matured since she could figure out that much. In the past, she would not have understood a thing. Love was about accepting everything about someone. Most people could tolerate their partner’s shortcomings when they were deeply in love. However, without love, even a person’s strength would seem like a fault. Carrie smiled. “Mr. York is a workaholic. Serenity must’ve gotten the habit from him and turned into one herself. I can’t believe she’s working so hard even though she’s pregnant.”“She’s still in the early stages of pregnancy. Going to work is fine.”“Do you need anything else, Mrs. Longbottom?” Jasmine asked.“No. I shall take my leave now, Mrs. Bucham.”Jasmine was on guard and unwilling to reveal much about Serenity. Therefore, it would be better for Carrie to leave. She was not close to Serenity and her friends yet. “Bye, Mrs. Longbottom.”Jasmine saw Carrie out and watched as she got into her car.Once Carrie got far enough from the booksto
Mr. Longbottom had been surprised by her question. He told her coldly that she should refrain from asking unnecessary questions.One who knew too much would not live long. Carrie got intimidated and dared not ask another question. Although she got more curious, she did not try to gather more information for fear Mr. Longbottom would choke her again if he found out. “Nothing. I just asked because I haven’t seen her in a while.”Of course, Carrie could not reveal that she was looking for Serenity. Jasmine would get suspicious if she did. No one around Serenity was a fool. “Seren is busy with work. I rarely see her these days,” Jasmine said.Carrie knew it was a lie. She was aware that Serenity's closest friends did not trust her yet. It made her feel defeated. It had been months since Mr. Longbottom found her and asked her to approach Serenity. Despite her efforts, she still had not obtained Serenity’s trust, let alone become her friend.However, Jasmine and Serenity go