Chelsea and Hank left. In subsequent days, Hank sold his house after obtaining Jessica’s permission. He initially wanted to split the money with her, but she refused. The house was bought before Hank’s first marriage. Even Liberty could not receive the house as compensation during their divorce, let alone her. Jessica wanted Hank to hand over her share of the sale to Liberty and Sonny. She had wronged them the most. Whether Liberty accepted it or not, Jessica was repenting for her mistakes in her own way. After that, Hank returned to his hometown to recuperate. Aside from visiting Sonny occasionally, he and his family never again appeared before Liberty for any other matters. The Browns eventually faded out of everyone’s lives. …At the Newmans’ villa, Trenton stood outside the gates with a black backpack. However, he did not press the doorbell. It was his home. Well, it was Camryn’s home, to be exact. Trenton’s grandparents had given the villa to Abel, whom his own pa
“I see.”Trenton was deep in thought.After discovering what his parents had done, he had been suspicious whether the doctor in charge of treating Camryn back then had died of natural causes. His parents could have played a part in it. “Why did you return all of a sudden, Mr. Trenton?”The maid found it weird. Was Trenton not supposed to be studying at the university?It would have made sense if he returned during a long break but the break was already over.“I requested a leave of absence because I was worried about Camryn.”Trenton revealed that he had taken some time off his studies to come home. “Camryn’s inside, right? I’ll go meet her.”He was eager to meet Camryn and verify that her eyes were recovering. “Ms. Camryn and Mr. Callum are together.”Trenton seemed to have missed the maid’s last sentence as he had gone inside the house in a hurry. Once he stepped inside, he saw his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Callum, entangled in a steamy kiss with his sister. Trento
Trenton walked over and glared at Callum. Callum smiled. “Why are you back?”Trenton was furious at him for taking advantage of Camryn. Even while blushing, he said angrily, “This is my house. I can come back whenever I want. It’s none of your business.”Callum did not argue with him. He knew Trenton had caught them making out and must have felt Callum was taking advantage of Camryn.“It’s me, Camryn.”Trenton approached Camryn and pushed Callum aside to stand before her in the most ideal position for her to see him clearly.They had been siblings for seventeen years, yet ten years had passed since she last saw her brother’s face. He was merely a second grader when she lost her vision and in a flash, he was now a university student.Instead of being displeased from being pushed aside, Callum smiled. He said, “Trenton, your sister can see in close distances now, albeit slightly blurry. Dr. Carden likened her eyesight to that of a person with severe myopia without their glasses
Camryn hugged Trenton after calming down. Trenton glanced at Callum, worried he would get jealous. He had heard rumors of how overbearing his future brother-in-law was, but Callum could probably tolerate it since he was Camryn’s brother. Trenton recalled that Camryn was cold and often ignored him when he was young. However, when he fell, she would always help him up and soothe him in her arms.Trenton had liked Camryn for as long as he could remember. His aloof sister would only express her concern whenever he fell down. Hence, he liked falling because it was the only way to make Camryn show her concern for him. In his memories, her embrace was frail yet heartwarming. When Trenton was younger, he could never understand why his mother treated Camryn badly or why Camryn always ignored him. As he grew older, he finally discovered that he and Camryn did not share the same father. Although they shared the same mother, Paige never liked Camryn. Whenever Trenton saw Camryn gett
“Okay.”Camryn got Trenton to sit. She asked, “Why did you come back all of a sudden? There are no special occasions. Don’t you have classes?”“I was quite worried after our call last time. I wanted to know how you were doing after the treatment, so I requested a leave of absence to visit you.”“You could’ve done it over a call. You should return to school as soon as possible after a brief stay.” Callum chimed in, “Since Trenton’s home, he can attend Zachary’s wedding before heading back to uni.”Camryn asked how many days of leave Trenton had requested. “A week.”Zachary and Serenity’s wedding would be held in three days. Camryn said, “You can return to school after attending Zachary’s wedding. Next time, don’t skip classes if there’s nothing urgent. You should concentrate on your studies and come home during the winter break. I can arrange an internship for you to train yourself.”She would never monopolize Newman Enterprise. Trenton would always have a share. “I’m not
Brenda and Amy, who were once the young ladies of the Newmans, had lost their arrogance and elegance. They stood at the villa’s entrance in ordinary clothing with not a piece of expensive jewelry in sight. Neither were any Hermès bags. They even took a taxi over because they did not have a car. The two families had sold everything they could to pay off their debts and had no choice but to live in rented houses. Although Amy and Brenda were born into the Newmans when they were not as rich as now, they were still well-off. The sisters had never experienced hardships or financial struggles. They obtained a generous amount of money from their parents when they got married because then the family had become wealthier. Their husbands’ families were equally rich. Now, despite being grandmothers, they were forced to live in poor conditions after losing their wealth. Job finding was difficult due to their old age and pampered attitude. The only job available for them was to be cle
So what if Dr. Carden was the legendary doctor’s best disciple?He was still human and there were bound to be illnesses and complex conditions that he could not cure. “Trenton, Trenton.”Amy and Brenda were delighted to see Trenton behind Camryn. Their nephew was easier to talk to compared to their niece.In the past, they would join Cain and Paige in bullying and abusing Camryn. Despite knowing Camryn was a victim, they remained as bystanders and wished for her death. That said, Camryn’s hatred and desire for revenge was understandable. In contrast, Amy and Brenda loved their one and only nephew. Prior to joining the fight for inheritance, they had hoped the Newman family could become more influential. That way, they could each hold more authority in their husband’s family and no one would have dared to look down on them. “Stop calling Trenton. He has no say in this.”Camryn walked over and talked to her aunts with the gates between them. Callum was not with her becaus
Brenda was terrified. She could not bear the thought of living another day as a house renter.She was broke. Her children faced challenges in looking for jobs. As they had upset York Corporation, no company would give them jobs or was hesitant for fear of retaliation from York Corporation.“Trenton! Trenton! Please put in a good word for me. Think about all the times I've been good to you. I'm sure you don’t want Camryn to drive me to the brink, right?”Trenton was surprised to see his aunts pleading with him. He looked at his solemn sister, who showed no signs of budging. He guessed that his aunts must have done something to her while he was not in Wiltspoon.“Aunt Brenda, Aunt Amy, Camryn is the head of the house. I don’t know why she would do that to you, but she’s not a ruthless person. She must have her reasons. Did you do something to her?”Trenton trusted his sister wholeheartedly. Camryn would not have messed with their aunts if they had not crossed the line. Trenton rec
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
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