“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
Elisa captured the arrival of a hundred cars with her phone. The other bridesmaids drew close to the window to take videos too. After Elisa took a video, she walked back to the bed and showed it to Serenity. Serenity said with a smile, “Send me a copy of the video. I want to save it and watch it later.” Serenity would cherish the sweet memories of this day every time she was to think back to it.Zachary was true to his word. He was giving her the wedding of the century and she became the envy of every woman in the city. In fact, all women wanted to be her ever since Serenity married Zachary. Serenity felt blessed to have Zachary and his love. Zachary said that he would promise her a lifetime of love and happiness. Those were the most romantic words she had ever heard. It was the sweetest promise he could ever give her. Elisa sent a copy of the video to Serenity and said, “The photographer has been taking pictures too. You can go over them later.” Serenity replie
Knock, knock.Knocks were heard and the people inside the house commented, “That was quick.” Somebody hurried to look out the window. Zachary's bridal convoy had pulled up at the driveway, but Liberty’s driveway was too narrow to accommodate the long line of cars, especially with so many guests already parked there.Hence, half of the fleet had to park outside the estate. From above, the driveway and entrance looked like a car show, packed with fancy cars.Zachary’s usual Rolls-Royce was the wedding car. It was beautifully decorated with a large banner that read “Just Married” in bold letters.Dressed in a black suit, Zachary looked tall and handsome. He was usually solemn and unapproachable with his bodyguards surrounding him. Today, he was beaming at everybody. No wonder Elisa said Zachary would be on his best, most tolerant behavior today. The bridesmaids were free to do whatever they wanted to him. Of course, Elisa was not going to take the lead. She did not want Zachar
Since Sonny was in the room with the bridesmaids, Elisa decided to put Sonny as the first line of defense. She told Sonny, “Zachary will be up soon. Sit outside the door and stop Zachary from coming in, okay?” Sonny did not get it. He lifted his face and asked, “Uncle Zak is here to pick Aunt Ser up. Why can’t he take Aunt Ser to the ceremony? I want to see Aunt Ser walk down the aisle.” He could not be the page boy and ring bearer if Zachary did not take Serenity to the wedding ceremony. Elisa explained, “Zachary can take Serenity to the wedding, but we can’t make it easy for him. We should let him go through some hoops to get to Serenity to make sure he will cherish and be nice to her.” “But Uncle Zak is good to Aunt Ser. Why must we make things difficult for Uncle Zak?” Elisa was speechless. She slapped her hand to her forehead and said to Serenity, “Why don’t you talk to Sonny, Seren? He doesn’t need to do anything. He can just sit outside the door and stop Zachary fr
All he could do was hold it in. However, he soon sneezed again.Imogen commented, “My dad told you to stand in the cold without your coat, and you really did it, like an idiot. It’s not like you feel anything for me or you’re trying to win my affection, so there’s really no need for you to listen to my dad.”Luckily, she came out quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have turned into an icicle.“It was my fault before. I hurt you, so it's only natural that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are angry with me. They didn’t hit me or scold me, and they just made me stand out in the cold for a while; they’re already being very lenient,” said Dylan, sneezing again.He was usually in good health, but this time, he was afraid he might really catch a cold.Imogen glanced at him without saying anything. She led Dylan into the house and asked their housekeeper if the soup was ready.Wendy replied, “Almost.”Imogen nodded and asked Dylan to sit down. Then, she poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Have you ea
Dylan finally put his coat on after Imogen said that. He had only been standing there for half an hour but even in that short time, he had become so cold.Once he put his jacket on, Imogen turned around and began walking inside. “Come with me.”“Okay,” Dylan quickly bent down to grab the gifts before quickening his steps to catch up with Imogen. “Thank you, Ms. Doyle.”Imogen glanced at him for a moment before turning away. “I was just afraid you might freeze to death at my doorstep, and then your family would come after mine. Plus, since your sisters-in-law are my good friends, I couldn't just let you die at my gate.”After leaving Wiltspoon, Imogen had not gone back there under her real name, but she had stayed in touch with Serenity and the others and was still on very good terms with them.Dylan smiled and said, “Serenity will give birth in a few months, and Josh’s wife is also pregnant, but she's a month ahead of Serenity. Liberty and Duncan have already registered their marr
Her daughter’s excellence was all thanks to Silver’s influence.“What I wanted to tell you was that Dylan is standing at our doorstep. He said he wanted to see you. Your dad and I refused and told him to leave, but he’s not budging.”Imogen was not surprised by this, but she still pretended to be surprised, so as not to raise her mother’s suspicion.“Why’s he here?” Imogen asked, feigning ignorance.“Who knows? He didn’t say. He only said he wanted to see you. The way he treated you, playing with your feelings—your dad and I have been holding in a lot of anger for a long time. “But you didn’t want us to confront him, so we couldn’t vent it. Now he’s come knocking, wanting to see you? It won’t be that easy.”Imogen was not planning to meet Dylan either.“Your dad told him to stand outside for two hours with his coat off and that if he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll let him see you.”Imogen was speechless for a moment. “Mom, it’s freezing outside. Even wearing a thick coat, it’s
“Still not up yet?” Leticia smiled and said as she entered her daughter’s room after the door opened. Imogen’s room was decorated in a warm style, but the furniture was minimal. Aside from the bed, a computer desk, and a set of sofas, she preferred things to be simple. Her room was also the smallest. She said that if the room was too big, it felt empty and she could not sleep well. Leticia thought it was because when her daughter learned self-defense from her master, she lived in a small room with her fellow disciples, so she had gotten used to smaller spaces.Compared to the average person, Imogen's room was actually quite large, but against the rooms of the other family members, hers looked smaller.Leticia sat down on the sofa.“Mom, let me change first.” With her mother here, Imogen could no longer lie in bed. She went to change and wash up, then came out of the bathroom. She poured her mother a cup of water and placed it in front of her before sitting next to her. “Mom, a
Dylan was speechless.Leaving the warm indoors, he felt Huntington's winter was really cold. It was below freezing, and the temperature was as low as 14°F to 32°F. He had never experienced such low temperatures in Wiltspoon.In Wiltspoon, the moment the temperature dropped to 50°F, everyone would start saying it was freezing.Winston and Leticia headed back. Leticia whispered to her husband, “What if he really stands there for two hours without his coat and freezes to death?”They wanted to stand up for their daughter, but they did not want to kill Dylan. That would make them enemies of the Yorks. Even if they could not become in-laws, they definitely did not want to become enemies.Winston replied, “If he really does it, in half an hour, I’ll let Jen come out and call him inside. If he doesn't follow my request, he won’t freeze to death.”At most, he would just catch a cold. If he did not do it, nothing would happen.“I don’t think he’s here for love this time either. I’m not s
Leticia harrumphed as well. “Mr. York, why are you here?” Leticia asked coldly. “We don't welcome you here. Go back to wherever you came from.”Dylan smiled awkwardly, “Mrs. Doyle, I just want to see Ms. Imogen.”“Imogen doesn't want to see you. Hurry up and leave, or we'll let the guard dogs out.” Leticia rejected him outright. “And you’d better stay as far away as possible. Do you think our Imogen is someone you can just toy and flirt with just because you want to, then say you haven't fallen for her and play with her feelings?“What's the matter? Has the Mr. York, whose heart belongs to someone else, still not managed to win his lady love over?” Leticia mocked, though she was actually probing into the reason for Dylan's visit.Dylan just took the insults without getting angry. He knew he had hurt Imogen. Even though she was someone who could take things in stride, the fact remained he had flirted with her and turned to claim he did not like her, which had hurt her feelings.
Otherwise, the Old Mrs. York would not have taken a liking to her in the first place.“I'll go out and have a look.” Leticia could not sit still and stood up to leave. She wanted to mock that York boy. Winston replied, “I'll go with you.”He was worried that his wife might soften her heart because she was quite pleased with Dylan at first. Well, to be honest, he was too.It was mainly because everyone in Huntington knew of the Wiltspoon Yorks’ reputation. The men of the York family were devoted and loyal to their marriages, and once they married, it was for life.For women, the York family was an excellent family for marriage. Who would not want to marry into it? Families with daughters also hoped their daughters would marry York men, or those who were as devoted as them. Leticia hummed in assent and the couple hurried out.Dylan's car was parked in front of the Doyles’ residence. He had switched to a different car, afraid the security guards might recognize his vehicle, eve
“Goodnight, Mom,” Imogen said.As Leticia turned the doorknob to enter her room, Imogen suddenly asked, “Mom, if Dylan comes looking for me again, would you let him in?”“I'd set the guard dog on him.”Imogen chuckled softly, “Mom, you’re all talk. If he really does, you might just smile from ear to ear and think he’s realized he actually loves me.”Leticia was silent for a moment before she said, “Regardless, I have to make him sweat a little.” After saying that, Leticia quickly closed the door, feeling too embarrassed to face her daughter. She internally sighed. Dylan was the son-in-law she had hoped for. If Dylan really did realize that he actually loved Jen and came back for her, Leticia wondered if she should forgive him for the things he had done months ago. Dylan had hurt her daughter, but… never mind. It was between the two young ones. She should let them handle it themselves. There was no way Dylan would come back anyway.Leticia did not expect her daughter’s hypothet
Leticia then heard faint footsteps. When she went out to check, she saw it was her daughter. That was why she asked.“My friend invited me out for a late-night snack.” Imogen lied, not telling her mother that she had gone to meet that thief. She knew that Dylan wanted to break in by climbing the wall, but she kept to herself because she did not want her mother to have a bad impression of him.Leticia had met Dylan back when he was deliberately approaching her and knowing he was one of the Wiltspoon Yorks, she was very pleased with him. Since Leticia thought so highly of Dylan and said a lot of good things about the York family before her, Imogen took this into consideration and saw him as a potential partner. However, when she started to have feelings for him, he told her that after trying for two or three months, he still could not fall for her.“I thought you didn’t like eating late-night snacks? Anyway, you should just eat what you want at home. Why go out? It’s so cold,” Let