Grandma May said to Quinn, “We’re all easy-going people, Ms. Crawford. You don’t have to be too cautious or feel you’re intruding. Just enjoy yourself here at this manor and come often if you like.”Quinn smiled. “I’ll definitely visit you again if my students have competitions here in the future.”She had finally met Grandma May in person, someone she had heard a lot about. The old lady was friendlier than she had imagined; also enthusiastic and hospitable, much like her own grandmother.“You can visit us without having to bring your students to Wiltspoon for competitions. Julian can pick you up, and you can be our guest and even stay overnight. We have plenty of rooms. You won’t get bored even after staying here for half a month.”Quinn simply smiled and gave a courteous reply. However, she dared not come as she pleased. She knew she owed Julian a huge favor just by visiting the manor once. Julian always talked about repaying her for saving his life. He took her and the childre
“Grandma May, you must be busy now as Zachary and Serenity’s wedding is coming soon. It’s your eldest grandson’s wedding after all. I shall not take up more of your precious time. I’ll stay with Quinn.”Julian was openly requesting the elderly woman not to steal his moments anymore. He needed a chance to show off his charms to Quinn. Grandma May smiled. “Zack’s wedding is coming, but I don’t have much to do. I’m old and even need a walking stick to move around. Do you think they’d dare order me around?“I simply have to move my mouth, and everything will be done accordingly. I have a lot of time, and people get bored easily when they’re too free.“Wildridge Manor hasn’t been this lively in a long while. I’ve never seen so many children having fun at my manor in so long. I like this atmosphere. You can show off all you want. I’m not stopping you.“If you can’t even win against an old woman, how will you fare when a rival appears? Will you admit defeat and give your destined woman
Quinn knew her students better than Julian did. She went with Julian’s suggestion and walked toward the tree he pointed at. There was a swing on the tree. “I noticed there are many swings around the manor,” Quinn said after sitting on the swing.“Indeed. Many of them were installed much later. Serenity likes to be on swings. Since Zachary is a doting husband, he installed many swings in the houses they owned.“That way, Serenity can sit on swings wherever they live.”“Mr. York treats Mrs. York so well. I’m so jealous.”There were many stories describing how Zachary spoilt Serenity. “Where’s Old Mrs. York?” Quinn asked curiously as she just saw the elderly woman here a moment ago.“Grandma May’s the anchor of the York family. She has to supervise many family matters. As Zachary’s wedding is around the corner, she’s busy planning for it. “By the way, can you extend your stay for several days?” Julian suddenly asked. “I can’t. The children have to return to school. Although
Julian said, “I’m not worried about my business. The company has a dedicated team. My only concern is only whether I can decline to be Zachary’s groomsman.”“Of course you can’t. Many people wish to attend Mr. York’s wedding but don’t have the chance to do so. You’re lucky to be able to be his groomsman.”Quinn secretly wished to attend Zachary and Serenity’s wedding, but she was neither their friend nor had she met them before. She also rejected Julian’s offer because she did not know anyone from that social circle. Besides, she really had to escort the children back as they had to go to school. Julian smiled and did not say a word. Without Grandma May being the third-wheeler, Julian and Quinn’s bond improved tremendously. Julian continued being a tour guide for the next two days. He brought Quinn and the children around and introduced them to experience local delicacies. Two days later, Quinn and the kids left Wiltspoon; happy times were always short-lived.Soon, it wa
“Ms. Stone,” Mrs. Lane greeted Elisa with a smile. “Why are you here, Mrs. Lane?”A grin lit up Elisa’s face when she saw a familiar face. “Mrs. York has moved back here, so Mr. York assigned a few of us here to look after her. Jim is here too.”Zachary had sent them over as they were most familiar with Serenity and Liberty. He told Mrs. Lane that she and Jim would be working at Liberty’s villa in the future. They could continue drawing their salary from him, which he had even raised.Liberty and Sonny were closest to Mrs. Lane and Jim out of all the helpers and bodyguards working for Zachary. That was the rationale behind his arrangements. Serenity would only be in a good mood if Liberty and Sonny were doing well. Elisa said, “That does sound like something Zachary would do. He gets all the nitty-gritty right when it comes to Seren. What an attentive man.”She used to think Zachary was cold and heartless. Her many years of crush on him was never reciprocated.Zachary did
“That’s how children are.”Mrs. Lane said, “It’ll get better once they grow up. Although Sonny doesn’t want to attend school, he doesn’t make a big fuss about it. At most, he would purposely move slowly to waste time. Even someone as good-tempered as Ms. Liberty could not stand his dilly-dallying.“She said despite Sonny’s slow movements, he was afraid of being late because it was embarrassing.“Sometimes, Ms. Liberty deliberately leaves Sonny behind and walks off with his bag. He would then panic and cry.”Elisa said, “I guess it’s better to watch other people’s kids than have one myself.”Sonny was an obedient kid to her. She could not believe that what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg. She would probably go crazy from looking after a child every day. Mrs. Lane laughed. “That’s true. We often find other people’s children adorable and want many of our own. However, when we raise our own, they’re like little devils.”Elisa decided she would let Remy be in charge of the c
Serenity laughed. “Of course. Not just anyone can handle Julian’s special condition.”“He found the woman destined for him,” Elisa said. “I know. Julian told Zachary about it a few days ago. He wanted to bring Ms. Crawford to our manor for a visit and Zachary agreed. Nana said Ms. Crawford was smart and sporty, a perfect match for Julian. She mentioned that only a woman of Ms. Crawford’s caliber could be the Bucham family’s head missus.“Nana also talked about Ms. Crawford’s exceptional skills in martial arts. Zachary would not be able to win against her. She had been training since a young age, and her family had been involved in martial arts for generations. How can an amateur like Zachary beat her?“I’m an amateur too.”Elisa smiled, “Zachary’s face might turn dark upon hearing our words. He’s overconfident and arrogant, always thinking he’s the best man in the world. He won’t be satisfied if you label him as an amateur in martial arts.”“If he’s unsatisfied with it, he can c
Serenity could not convince Elisa. At the same time, she was moved by Elisa’s devotion to sisterhood. Elisa had been nothing but kind to her before they found out they were cousins. She was a true friend because she would do just about anything for a friend. However, Elisa did not consider just anybody as a good friend. Apart from her long-time best friend, Serenity and Jasmine were also in Elisa’s close circle. “You need to sit down and talk to Remy. Get his take on it. If he isn’t on board, I don’t want you to have a fight with him because of me, Elisa.” Serenity took Elisa’s hand and said, “I want you to be happy. I don’t want to be the reason that comes between your marriage to Remy.” Elisa held Serenity’s hands and replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, Seren. We won’t fight. I believe Remy will understand where I’m coming from. Besides, our plan is to get engaged and not rush into marriage.” Remy could not wait to start a new chapter in his life, but he did not bring tha
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa