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
The convoy of bridal cars that Zachary sent to Serenity was approaching. A hundred-car bridal convoy set out from Wildridge Manor to The Oasis. The grand fleet of cars attracted a lot of attention, and many people took pictures.Zachary, who was not usually keen to be in the media, graciously invited the press to take pictures of the journey and satisfy everyone's curiosity.He wanted to give Serenity the wedding of the century. Zachary was determined to have a bigger and better wedding than Josh and Jasmine’s. Duncan saw the bridal convoy and let go of Sonny. He told Sonny, “Sonny, tell your mom that the bridal cars have arrived.” Sonny turned his head to look in the direction Duncan was staring. He saw the long line of cars approaching. “Dunc, are those the cars sent by Uncle Zak to pick Aunt Ser up?” It was too far away to tell what kind of cars they were. Sonny could only make out a multitude of cars.“Those are bridal cars, alright. Zachary owns plenty of cars, so t
“I just need your confirmation, Nana. Just one word. Is Imogen the Chameleon Fox?”“You should ask her. I’m not Imogen.”“Nana.”Dylan almost kneeled. “I regret my decision, Nana, okay? Can you tell me?”Grandma May poked his forehead. She said, “There’s nothing you can do to reverse time.“I might’ve been too bossy, Dylan. I chose you and your brothers’ wives without getting permission and forced you all to pursue them. I was in the wrong, not you.”Although she did it for the sake of her grandsons, it was considered overstepping. “Don’t say that, Nana. My brothers and I are willing to accept the choices you made for us. We’re blessed to have you to choose our future partners. Our parents are delighted as well.”His parents and uncles were glad and relaxed that they did not have to worry about the boys’ marriages. Grandma May had a good eye for people. The girls she chose were definitely outstanding. “Since you’re willing to accept my choice, why didn’t you do as I said
“I wasn’t this old when I chose Callum’s and Kevin’s wives. I still had energy, so I spent lots of time investigating the girls’ backgrounds. When it came to you, Peter, and Austin, I didn’t spend as much effort on background checks because I didn’t have the energy.“If Imogen is Silver’s student, it’ll only be more difficult to investigate her. It’s ‘the’ Silver we’re talking about. He’s in charge of the intelligence in the Imperial Force. He has the largest information network. Investigating his student is basically having a death wish.“Although he has retired, he has many successors. All of them have even surpassed him.“I’m bold, but I’m not gutsy enough to offend just anyone. How could I possibly offend the Imperial Force when I know just how formidable they are?“Now, we’re on good terms with the Imperial Force thanks to Zachary and Serenity’s close relationship with the Johnsons. Mr. Patrick is also the assistant of Serenity’s maternal grandmother. Those two connections gra
Dylan supported Grandma May as they walked back. He consoled her, “You have to look at it from another perspective, Nana. It’s only one day in the entire year that you’re unhappy, while you’re generally happy in the rest. Although you don’t have daughters or granddaughters, your sons and grandsons have married other families’ lovely daughters. “Don’t you feel great that other families’ daughters are accompanying you and treating you well?”Grandma May burst out laughing. “Now that you mention it, I do feel great. Your maternal grandmother must be the one who’s upset.”“Of course. Many people are envious of you, Nana.“For having such filial grandsons. The nine of us have never embarrassed you.”Grandma May smiled and said, “I feel like your lips are coated with honey, Dylan. Look at those sweet words coming out of them.”“I’m usually like this.”“Your words aren’t this sweet usually. Come. What do you want to tell me?”Grandma May knew everything, yet she pretended to be cluel
Since Serenity was also an owner of the villa, she assigned rooms to Hayden and Camryn before returning to the master bedroom. She kept feeling that something was missing as Zachary was not around.Carrying the baby bump around was tiring.Although Serenity was used to having Zachary by her side, she fell asleep quickly as she was exhausted. The night passed peacefully. New Year’s Eve had arrived. It was a busy day. After a family dinner in the evening, people who were close acquaintances of the Yorks went to Wildridge Manor to watch the fireworks. The atmosphere was lively. However, fun times would always go by quickly. Soon, it was the second day of the new year. It was the day when the York family’s daughters-in-law would visit their families. The fact that their families resided in Wiltspoon made the trip convenient. Zachary, Serenity, Liberty, and Duncan went to the Stones’ residence. Since Audrey was Serenity and Liberty’s aunt, they would visit the Stone
While Grandma May and her granddaughters-in-law had settled down, Zachary and his two brothers were still waiting for their wives. As the sky was getting darker, Zachary could not help but give Serenity a call. “Why are you and Nana not back yet, Seren?”“We won’t be going back tonight, babe. Nana said we’ll return after breakfast tomorrow. We’re staying in your villa in the high-end neighborhood now.”Zachary replied, “I already had a bad feeling when Nana brought you guys out.”As expected, Nana had “kidnapped” their wives.Serenity laughed. “Go to bed early. We’re singing now. Hayden is a pretty good singer.”“You should rest earlier. Don’t stay up too late. You’re still pregnant.”Zachary reminded her.“Mm. I will. I’ll hang up now. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”“Okay. Sonny came over this evening and asked where you were. I said you went shopping, and he said why you didn’t wait till he came and if you didn’t miss him.”Serenity smiled. “He called me afterward and told
Grandma May brought her daughters-in-law to Zachary's villa. The butler did not go home to celebrate the new year. Instead, he had brought his family over upon obtaining Zachary’s permission. Sam was a disciplined person. Although he had brought his family over, he would still watch over the house properly and not let his family enter the main house.He was Zachary’s butler and had his own quarters. He did not live in the main house. Sam was surprised to see Grandma May and her granddaughters-in-law coming over late at night.“Have you all come by yourself, missus?”Sam opened the gates for them and asked Serenity, who had lowered her window. He was worried that Mr. York might have made Mrs. York angry and that she had come over to escape him. It would be New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Logically speaking, Serenity should have been at Wildridge Manor. However, upon seeing Grandma May, Camryn, and the rest, Sam finally figured it out. Grandma May must have been feeling mischievo
“Dylan didn’t really disobey you, Nana. It’s simply because his partner is Imogen.“If it weren’t for Zachary telling me, I wouldn’t have thought Imogen would have that many identities. She hid all of them well. Dylan couldn’t find a thing even after investigating it for a long time.”Serenity smiled and added, “As expected of Silver’s best student. She’s definitely different.”Grandma May was being extremely nice to Dylan.She had chosen Silver’s student for him. The legendary masters and their students were the true big bosses. Any one of them could rival Julian. “Dylan was trapped by his dream. He couldn’t escape it.”Grandma May sighed. “I don’t know what happened. He never met Sugar before. I can’t believe he dreamt of her before I gave him a picture of her. He even had the same dream several times.“Maybe they were just fated to be together.”Camryn smiled. “It must be fate. Maybe they were husband and wife in their past lives.”“You’re amazing, Nana. How did you know
Once Dylan arrived home, he went looking for his nana first. Grandma May was not in the manor. She was in one of the houses at the foot of the hill. Dylan did not search the houses one by one. He simply gave her a call. Grandma May picked up the call after some time. “You’re back, Dylan? I thought you weren’t planning to come back.”She chuckled. “How are things going? Have you found your little fox? Your elder brothers have already succeeded in getting their women. The three of you are the only ones left.“Peter is quicker than you. He said he could bring his fiancée back in a few months. Austin is probably doing better than you too. They aren’t you.”“When are you coming back, Nana? I have something to tell you.”Dylan requested Grandma May politely as he did not want other people to be present.Grandma May could roughly guess what Dylan wanted to do. She said, “I’m not in the manor. I’m out shopping with Serenity and won’t be back so soon. If you have something to say,
“The wind is strong, Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Please return home. We’ll be heading back as well.”After Liberty took everything her ex-in-laws had prepared for Sonny, she said goodbye to them, and under their gazes, she walked toward Duncan and Sonny, who were waiting for her.Sonny had already gotten off Duncan’s shoulders.Duncan had also returned to his wheelchair and held Sonny in his arms. They waited for Liberty to return. When Duncan saw the bags in Liberty’s hand, he told Sonny, “Help Mom hold some of the stuff, Sonny.”“Okay.”Sonny slid down and went to grab his luggage. He could pull the luggage along since it had wheels.Liberty let him.On the other hand, Duncan took some bags from Liberty’s hands and placed them on his thighs. He said, “Why are there so many things? I remember there wasn’t this much when we sent Sonny over.”“Dad bought me new clothes and toys. I really can’t take all the toys, so some of them were left in Dad’s house. I can play with them the next t