Alice would still throw up every day. She did not gain any weight other than the baby’s throughout her pregnancy. It hurt Clive to see her that way. He harped on about only having one child and refused to put Alice through another pregnancy again. Due to his nagging, Alice wished she would give birth to a son. Although Clive did mention that he preferred a daughter, she wished to have a son who could inherit the Stone family’s legacy. Serenity often told Zachary about Alice’s honesty. Many people would refrain from revealing their preference for a specific gender for fear of being accused of discrimination. However, Alice never failed to be straightforward in saying she wanted a boy.“Mom.”Speaking of the devil, Serenity and Liberty heard Sonny’s voice. At first, Liberty thought she was hearing things. It was still too early in the morning, and Sonny would usually not be up. After hearing his voice again, Serenity told Liberty, “It’s Sonny. He’s awake.”Liberty exited the w
Serenity and Sonny whispered to each other their complaints about Liberty being too scary as they walked. Liberty, who overheard them from behind, was speechless. She was like a mother figure to Serenity. She wanted to marry Serenity off extravagantly. “Missus.”The makeup artist Zachary hired stood and greeted Serenity with a smile when she saw her walking down the stairs. Serenity returned a smile. “Good morning, Ms. Gardner. Sorry to have made you wait. I woke up late this morning as I had gone to bed late last night.”“I didn’t wait long. Go ahead and have your breakfast. Then, we can start after you have a short rest.”Most people were not yet aware of Serenity being pregnant. As Ms. Gardner was the makeup artist, Zachary had disclosed Serenity’s pregnancy to her. He also reminded her to use skincare that was harmless for pregnant women. “Let’s eat together, Ms. Gardner.”Ms. Gardner refused politely, “I’ve eaten before coming over.”As she was a seasoned bridal mak
Noah continued, “But Serenity doesn’t need our support.”They thought time had dissipated Serenity’s anger since their last conflict was long ago. They wanted to mend their relationship with the sisters through the wedding. By doing so, they would be able to gain some benefits just by being related to the Yorks. The Hunts wanted to restore their family to its former glory. Everyone looked toward Old Mr. Hunt, awaiting his decision. If not for Serenity and Liberty having some respect left for him, they would have gone to the wedding without his approval. Word of Zachary and Serenity’s wedding had been made known to everyone in Wiltspoon through the entertainment news. It was definitely going to be the wedding of the century. The Hunts wished to witness such a grand event. Serenity’s aunts and uncles wanted to attend the wedding for the delicacies. They even thought of packing up the leftovers to bring home. Since Serenity and Liberty could not care less about them, they
Who knew how their children would treat them when they could no longer care for themselves?Old Mr. Hunt was cautious whether to attend Serenity’s wedding or not. Since she did not invite them, they should not attend and should refrain from causing any trouble on someone else’s big day. “We won’t do anything there, Granddad. Can’t we just show up and have a few drinks? It can mislead others into thinking that our relationship with Serenity has eased. You must be aware of how difficult our situation is now,” Mike asked unhappily. He and his family wanted to attend the wedding. “I believe though it may be difficult, it’s still manageable. Mr. York may have initially targeted you, but he has stopped, right? I see that you guys have been doing well lately. You don’t even give me any living expenses when you're faring well. When things aren’t going smoothly, you’d ask me how much pension I have left to spare for you.”After glaring at Mike, Old Mr. Hunt added, “Anyway, your grandm
“They’re also trying to get our remaining pension. The house we’re living in now belonged to Scott and his wife. We were only able to secure this place to stay because we’re Scott’s parents.“Although our children have been providing us with some living expenses every month, that’s actually the rent that Serenity requested them to pay. Without Serenity’s enforcement, they wouldn’t even give us a single penny. Ultimately, we’re just relying on Serenity and Liberty.“We’re old. We have to accept our fate and be realistic. Let’s stop making pointless struggles.”Old Mrs. Hunt wanted to refute him, yet she could not find any words. What Old Mr. Hunt said was true.“Don’t blame Liberty and Serenity for being cruel. What we did to them ten years ago was worse. Why were we so ruthless back then? They’re our granddaughters after all. Scott and Lisa passed away, leaving their daughters behind. How did we bring ourselves to chase them out and seize their inheritance?”As Old Mr. Hunt spoke,
Did her uncles ever think about the blood relation they had with her before hurting her?Serenity always had a clear line drawn between acts of kindness and cruelty she received. There was no way she would repay evil deeds with gratitude. She was not a saint who could smile and say everything was fine after being bullied. Back in the villa, Serenity sat before the dressing table and allowed Ms. Gardner to put makeup on her. She was sleepy. “Aunt Ser.”Sonny had been watching Ms. Gardner apply makeup on Serenity. He called Serenity loudly when he saw her dozing off. Liberty had told him to keep an eye on his aunt. Serenity opened her eyes. Sonny said, “Uncle Zak is on his way here, Aunt Ser. You can’t fall asleep.”Ms. Gardner said, “I’ve done makeup for many brides, but you’re the first bride who dozed off.”Serenity said embarrassedly, “I get sleepy easily. Sorry, Ms. Gardner.”“I understand. You didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Mr. York probably didn’t sleep well eit
Sonny said smugly, “I knew chili was useful. You’re not dozing off anymore.”Serenity patted Sonny’s head and told him, “You can go out to play and check if Zachary is here.”“Okay,” Sonny agreed happily before exiting the room and going downstairs. Everyone on the floor below was busy. Duncan was the only one sitting because he could not be of help. He would have joined Zachary’s groomsmen entourage to fetch Serenity from the villa if he were mobile. Although he could not yet walk, he wished to help Liberty, and so he came to Liberty’s villa and would follow the rest to Wildridge Manor after Zachary arrived. When Duncan saw Sonny running down, he suddenly thought of something he could do. He called Sonny and the little guy hopped to Duncan and greeted sweetly, “Dunc.”“Why did you come down? Didn’t your mom tell you to accompany Serenity upstairs?”“Aunt Ser told me to come out and play. I also have to check if Uncle Zak’s here.”Duncan looked at the time and said, “He
Duncan’s warm voice rang. Sonny turned his head. When he saw Duncan, he asked concernedly, “Why did you come out alone, Dunc? I’ll look for someone to push your wheelchair.”Duncan had a personal bodyguard, but he had assigned the bodyguard to help with the preparations as things were hectic in the house. He did not need to be looked after anyway.Although he could not walk normally, he could manage to stand and walk several steps. “You don’t have to do that. I can take care of myself.”Sonny immediately said, “I’ll take care of you then. Mom told me to watch Aunt Ser and stop her from sleeping. I saw Aunt Ser dozing off and took some chili flakes out. Aunt Ser did not dare to fall asleep again after that.”He looked like he was asking for a compliment because he had accomplished the task assigned by his mother. Duncan pulled Sonny over and lifted him. He praised, “Smart boy. Where did you get the chili flakes? How did you know it could wake someone up?”“I saw it in the kit
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
Although Callum had started viewing Dalton as a brother after Dalton got married, he still kept his guard up around Dalton. He only let his guard down a little after Melissa got pregnant.It was also because Dalton treated his wife with utmost sincerity and love. Dalton had nothing to worry about and could focus on his life after knowing Camryn was doing well and had the York family supporting her. Not only that, her husband and in-laws adored her. Camryn would come over to handle more important company matters, while Dalton could deal with smaller ones. He rarely attended business engagements at night and chose to accompany his pregnant wife most of the time. Melissa was kinder to Camryn as well. Although they were not sisters-in-law, they shared a close relationship. “Melissa’s baby probably has a sweet tooth. Tell her to be careful and not eat too many sweet things at once.”Camryn wanted to say that Melissa was probably pregnant with a girl. However, she did not say it ou
After her call with Leah ended, Camryn put down her phone and leaned against her office chair. She rotated her chair back and forth. She was at Newman Enterprise.At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Dalton entered soon after.“Dal.”Camryn stood up when she saw him. “Are you daydreaming?”Dalton asked softly, “Are you tired? Go and rest if you are. You should return to Wiltspoon soon. I can handle things here.”“Melissa is pregnant. You should spend more time with her.“I’m not really tired. I was on the phone with an employee of my flower shop earlier and thought of some things that made me feel unhappy.”Dalton and Camryn sat on the sofa in the guest lounge. “Why are you upset? Is the flower shop not doing well?”Camryn had put in a lot of effort in Spring Blossoms. It had accompanied her through her tough times. No matter how her identity had changed, it would always have an important place in her heart.Despite becoming rich, she still kept the store up and
To Louise and Leah, Mrs. Longbottom looked too young.Carrie caressed her stomach. She sighed and said, “I was pregnant before, but it was a high-risk pregnancy and ended up in a miscarriage.“My husband told me to recuperate first before we try for another baby a few years later. We’re still young anyway,” Louise consoled Carrie. She picked two jade plants and two money trees for her. After paying, Carrie got her two bodyguards to carry the plants. Before leaving, she handed Louise and Leah her calling card and said, “Please call me if your boss or Mrs. York comes over. I want to make an appointment with them, but it’s too difficult to do so.”Leah accepted the card. After taking a look at it, one of them replied, “Mrs. York is heavily pregnant, so she rarely drops by. She’s usually resting at home. I can inform you if our boss comes.“You should probably have Ms. Camryn’s number if you wish to make an appointment with her. You can try calling her.”Carrie replied, “I’m not
Since Carrie was approaching Spring Blossoms, she decided to drop by. It was a pity she could not wreck the store as she was heading there as Mrs. Longbottom.When she arrived, Camryn was not in the store. Only Louise and Leah were there. Carrie asked casually, “Where did your boss go?”“Our boss is very busy. Usually, we’re the ones looking after the store. She only comes by when she’s free. Are you looking for her, Mrs. Longbottom?”Louise and Leah recognized Mrs. Longbottom. “No. Your boss is always around whenever I’m here to buy flowers, so I’m just curious since she isn’t here today. Get me two jade plants. The ones I have aren’t growing well. I want to change them,” said Carrie. She really had jade plants at her villa and she was the one who bought them. In fact, they were growing well. It symbolized her having great luck with wealth.Indeed, she was doing well financially. Mr. Longbottom had never mistreated her in terms of living standards.Carrie wanted to get
Tati kept trying to match her with Austin.As soon as Austin left, Tati came in. Isabella could tell, just by the timing, that it had to be related to Austin.If she had not known how loyal Austin was to her, Isabella might have suspected her cousin was being bribed by him.Tati smiled. “I happened to see Austin leaving when I came in. He was very polite to me and his smile was gentle, and the way he looked at me was respectful. But it’s completely different from how he looks at you, Isa.“I noticed it long ago. When he looks at you, there’s light in his eyes, there’s affection, and tenderness. He’s utterly devoted to you, or rather, he dotes on you.”Isabella was quiet.“Isa, the first time I saw Austin, I knew he was no ordinary person, and I thought you two made a great match. You know me, I don’t joke around about these things, but when I saw him, I just couldn’t help it.“I really think you two are perfect for each other. Before, we didn’t know his real identity, so you mig
Tati hummed in agreement.After her cousin reviewed the documents, Tati said, “Isa, why don’t you try dating? Neither of us has a boyfriend, so outsiders are always thinking they can take control of us through marriage alliances.“You could just date. There’s no need to get married. Or you could even just pretend to date. Make them give up.”Isabella looked up at her cousin, amused. “What? That’s a crazy idea.“I haven’t been in a relationship until now because they all know I’m hard to deal with. They think I don’t even have feelings. If I start dating, they’ll realize I’m just like any other girl who dates and wants to get married. Then, they’ll get even more ideas.”Unless her boyfriend was someone so powerful that no one would dare to touch him. He would have to come from a family strong enough to protect the O'Connor family, and he would need to love only her and not be after her family’s money.Power, status, wealth, and good character were all essential.There were men