Not feeling awkward at all, Marcus retracted his hand. He sat back in his seat with composure, but his eyes did not break contact with Caroline. Celine smiled and said, “Caroline, Dad chose Marcus for you. You should try and get along with Marcus. Although the Wrights aren’t super rich and powerful, their assets are worth at least a few million dollars. “Marcus’s parents don’t mind their son taking our family’s name. You know it’s hard to find a man to take the wife’s family name. Dad immediately thought of you when Marcus was happy to compromise. See how good Dad is to you.” Celine was gloating. The Fishers encouraged Celine to pursue Hayden. Although Celine had not made much progress, her family demonstrated their support for her to marry into wealth and power. Yet, Hunter found a mediocre husband for Caroline. Sure, the Wrights were worth several millions, and to an ordinary family, the Wrights were wealthy. However, they were considered poor to the rich and powerful lik
Hunter’s smile froze. Marcus was once him. If Hunter had something to show for, he would not have married into the Fisher family and become a sperm donor to Belinda. At least, Belinda was good to his family. His sacrifice had given something back to his parents and siblings. However, Hunter did not have freedom, especially financially. His wife only gave him a daily allowance of five hundred dollars to prevent him from cheating. He did not have the guts to cheat on Belinda anyway. Many women threw themselves at him over the years while he was already married, but Hunter dared not cross the line. He did not have the courage to talk with those beautiful women. He knew too well what Belinda was capable of and would be in for it if he got on her nerves. Even his family could feel her rage. After Caroline was born, Belinda settled down and reduced their bedroom activities by a large margin. He was afraid she would leave him now that he had lost his value to her. Cheating was the
Hayden would not even look at Celine. Yet, the man was nice to a country bumpkin like Caroline. “Mom, I’ll go with Caroline tomorrow,” Celine proposed since Caroline mentioned buying Hayden a meal. Madam Fisher said indifferently, “Don’t go, Celine. You know what Mr. Queen thinks of you. I don’t care how you approach Mr. Queen. I only want results. But Caroline is treating Mr. Queen to a meal, which will be beneficial for the company. You can’t ruin this for us.“Caroline, I don’t have a problem if Mr. Queen accepts your invitation. I’m happy that you closed the deal tonight. I’ll get you a new car tomorrow. You can pick one yourself at the dealership. Your budget is five million dollars.” Celine uttered with envy, “Mom, my car isn’t even that expensive.” Caroline replied, “You’re adopted, but I’m the biological daughter. How can you compare yourself to me? Celine, you should know where you stand.” Celine had no words and showed her mom those puppy dog eyes. Madam Fisher p
Belinda provided benefits to his family, but they had always kept a low profile outside due to her authority over them. Hunter also had to be meek in front of his wife, like a maid, and that upset him. He had no choice but to bet all his hope on his daughter. “Cece, I can’t change what your mom has decided. You should go to her. I can’t do anything. Didn’t you hear what Caroline said? I married into your mom’s family. I don’t have any authority.”“Dad.”Hunter said resignedly, “Cece, my hands are tied. You know what status I hold in this family.”Celine pouted. She knew her dad was telling the truth. He had no authority in the Fisher family. In the study room on the second floor, Belinda was already seated behind the table and waiting for Caroline. She said, “Lock the door.”Caroline did as told. “Why did your car break down?” Belinda asked. “It was tampered with.”Belinda leaned against the chair and asked, “Do you suspect anyone?”“I can’t think of anyone besides my d
Belinda would be over the moon if Hayden became her son-in-law. “Mom, Mr. Queen and I are friends. He told me not to fall in love with him and that he would never accept me. If I were to like him as Celine did, I’d get hurt in the end.“We’re better off as friends.”Caroline had a crush on Hayden, experiencing that natural sense of admiration that came with meeting an outstanding individual. Though after Hayden expressed his thoughts honestly, her admiration did not go beyond that. Belinda was silent for a moment before giving a hum. She said, “Mr. Queen doesn’t suit our family. It’s better if you two stay as friends.”Befriending Hayden would benefit Caroline as well. “Did you have someone you liked before you returned to this family?”She was concerned about her daughter’s marriage. “Let me know if you have someone you fancy. You can bring him back and let me meet him. I won’t object if he has a good character. Those who are financially well-off won’t marry into our family.
Belinda’s expression softened. She said, “You don’t have to mind what others say. They don’t want you or Celine to be the next matriarch.“The Fisher family has been around for a century. We’ve been through ups and downs. What else out there that we’ve yet to encounter?“We’ve overshadowed our distant relatives for many years, so of course they’d be dissatisfied and want to move up the hierarchy whenever possible. They must’ve been the ones who spread the rumors too.”Belinda could never tell Caroline that she herself was the one who had caused her sisters' deaths. Those who knew about it were all dead and all evidence was destroyed by her. Thinking about it, did she forget anyone?It had been decades since the incident. She would never admit to her crime if there was no concrete evidence. Her nieces were young back then, so any recollection they had was vague at best. Plus, they were difficult to locate. For decades, she had been keeping an ear to the ground about her nieces
Belinda sighed and said, “She’s indeed different from us, but the multiple DNA tests and results tell us that she’s our daughter.“Caroline’s features do resemble us. It’s just her way of doing things is too soft. She’s too weak for someone with Fisher blood flowing in her veins. I’m getting older, but I don’t know when she’ll be ready to succeed me. Otherwise, I could retire and take care of our grandchildren with you.“I wonder when our daughters-in-law can give us a granddaughter. I hope our first grandchild is a girl. I’ll feel reassured that way. If Carol isn’t capable enough, I can nurture our granddaughter to be the successor while I’m still alive.”Hunter started having ideas upon hearing this. Caroline was a better fit as the matriarch than his granddaughter. However, she did not grow up by his side. Their relationship as a father and daughter was distant.If Caroline were the matriarch, he would have to behave and be cautious.On the other hand, if his granddaughter were
Caroline had no idea what her parents were talking about. She returned to her room and sent a message to Darren to inform him that Belinda found out about her visit to Wiltspoon. Immediately, he replied: [I’m sorry, Ms. Caroline. I was incompetent.]Caroline texted him: [It’s normal that something was discovered since my mom’s assistant was the one investigating. You don’t have to blame yourself. They were just some receipts proving my spending in Wiltspoon. This outcome is good enough.]Darren still felt bad about it and replied: [I made a mistake, Ms. Caroline. Please deduct my salary and bonus for this month.]Knowing his personality, Caroline replied: [I’ll deduct your bonus but not your salary. You still need to survive. I can’t possibly pay for your living expenses, right?]Darren stared at Caroline’s message for a long time before replying: [I accept this punishment.]He did not want Caroline to pay for his expenses. Instead, he wished to become her right-hand man. From