It was morning when Serenity finally woke up. She thought the sun had not set before looking at the time only to realize that she slept through the night when she saw her phone screen.On the other hand, Zachary was already awake. She knew he was preparing breakfast for her downstairs. Serenity was hungry after having slept for so long but feeling recharged from the sufficient rest she had. When she was about to get up, she noticed someone lying at the end of the bed. It was Sonny. Serenity was dumbfounded. Why was the little guy in her room?He had changed out of his suit and was sleeping without a blanket on. She guessed he might have entered after Zachary woke up earlier and probably fell asleep while waiting for her.Serenity went to the edge of the bed to shift Sonny into a more comfortable sleeping position. However, he opened his eyes the moment she lifted her. When he saw Serenity, he said softly, “Aunt Ser.”Then, he hugged her with both hands. “Do you want t
Sonny immediately shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go back with you tomorrow. Mom will send me to school.”Serenity was speechless. She reminded Sonny, “It’s Saturday tomorrow. You don’t have to go to school even if you go home. How much do you dread going to preschool, Sonny?“You were so happy when you first started. Do you dislike it after just a month?”Sonny pouted and whispered, “I don’t hate it. I just think it’s much more fun staying at home.”“You’ll get scolded if your mom hears that. You should work hard and play hard.”Sonny lowered his head and replied, “I know, Aunt Ser. Mom said the same thing. I’ll be hardworking in school and be better than Laurence. I’ll also play hard when it’s time to have fun.“Will you take me to Laurence when the next holiday comes, Aunt Ser?”Sonny missed his playmate. “The next break will be in winter. You have to study hard. When winter break comes, I'll take you to FC Manor if I don’t become too bulky by then. Laurence will be
Serenity was already entrusting their children’s education to Zachary before the baby was born.She would rather take care of her children’s daily lives than be in charge of their schoolwork while he could put on a stern face and teach their children well. Zachary smiled. “Okay. I’ll be a full-time dad.”He had already bought many parenting books to prepare himself to be a stay-at-home dad. “Are you hungry? I made breakfast.”“I’m famished. You came in when I was about to take Sonny downstairs.”Zachary lifted Sonny with one arm and held Serenity’s hand with the other. “Let’s go and have breakfast.”Serenity noticed the house was still silent once they left the room. Everyone was still asleep. She asked Zachary softly, “What time did you return last night? Did everyone party until late at night?”“I came back as soon as night fell. This morning, the butler told me that many guests were wasted last night. The alcohol was good and strong, so it was easy to get drunk with it.”
“Go on, Nana. I’ll have a stroll outside later too.” The good thing about marriage leave was it granted Serenity and Zachary from waking up early to work or bother with work. All they needed to do was rest and eat well. Grandma May said with a smile, “We can enjoy a nice walk together after my breakfast.” Serenity happily agreed and Grandma May went out. By the time Zachary and Serenity had their fill, Grandma May returned from outside. As Serenity waited for Grandma May to have her breakfast, Sonny fell asleep in her arms. “The boy just woke up, and now he’s asleep again.” Serenity caressed Sonny’s face lovingly and said, “The last two days must have been tiring on him.” “Since he’s asleep, I’ll carry him upstairs to rest. You can go for a walk with Nana. I’m not going. I’m going to enjoy my time in bed with Sonny,” Zachary said.He went to bed early last night but was too excited to fall asleep. It took a while before the sandman took him away, and he woke up early t
“Let’s go out for a walk. It’s not sunny today, but it’s a little windy. We can walk around the yard and enjoy the breeze and the scenery. That’s the life.” “Nana, you just had your breakfast.” Grandma May said, “We can take it easy. It won’t be around the estate. We’ll just take a short walk nearby.” Since Grandma May insisted, Serenity accompanied her for a stroll. “Did you have morning sickness today?” Grandma May asked with concern. Serenity was about to give her usual answer when she realized she had not thrown up this morning. She exclaimed in surprise, “Nana, I don’t think so. I didn’t feel nauseous when I woke up this morning.” She changed her clothes, washed up, then left the bathroom, and took Sonny downstairs for breakfast. She was so busy with the routine that she did not realize she had not puked. Did this mean that her nausea days were over? Grandma May said with a smile, “It’ll get better. It seems you won’t have morning sickness until your due date like Al
Serenity said, “Nana, I’m not giving myself pressure. I’m just keeping an open mind.” Grandma replied, “Yeah, just stay open-minded. It’s a blessing to have a child, regardless of gender.” “You have nine grandsons, Nana. You will have nine granddaughters-in-law. I’m sure one of us will give you a great-granddaughter.” Serenity comforted Grandma May. Grandma May said with a smile, “I might not live long enough to see them get married and start a family.” Rowan was still a student. It would be another decade before he would marry. Grandma May was not sure whether she would be around ten years or so later. She believed she had another eight to ten years before she was reunited with her husband. Her sons and grandsons had their destinies. She could only do so much for them. It was their path to walk now. “Nana.” “Alright. I won’t talk about that.” Grandma May said dotingly, “Let’s walk to the foot of the hill.” “Will you be tired?” “No. You’ll be tired sooner than I
In fact, Duncan could have returned to his place. He owned a property at The Oasis. He was simply worried about Liberty. He did not want Liberty to be alone, so he stayed the night at her residence. Liberty did not kick him out, and this made Duncan happy. Although Liberty had not taken their relationship further, she had gradually gotten used to him being around as time went by. He did not talk about love, and neither did she. However, anybody could feel the chemistry between them when they were together. “I’m used to getting up early. I went to bed early last night anyway. I woke up the moment the sun was up. I can’t even sleep in even if I try.” Duncan smiled at Liberty. She seemed to be in a better mood today. He was relieved that her eyes were not as swollen as yesterday.Liberty had been carrying a heavy burden for a long time. Now that it was finally gone, she felt like she could collapse all at once. Liberty cried, letting out all the pain and sadness that she had
“Don’t rush yourself. Just take it easy. You have made great progress. Many people like you find it hard to stand up on their own. You’re amazing that you can take a couple of steps. Don’t push yourself too hard. Take care of yourself. Nothing is more important than your health.” Liberty wheeled him to the lawn and added, “You can try to walk on the grass. Even if you fall, it won’t hurt as much.” Back at the Lewises’ residence, Duncan usually practiced walking on grass too. Duncan lifted his head and looked at her before uttering, “I will fall, and I won’t look good falling. Don’t laugh at me, Liberty. Don’t feel sorry for me either. It’s the pain I have to go through to get better.” Liberty knew he had a strong pride, so she nodded and replied, “I won’t laugh at you. If you feel my presence here is giving you a lot of pressure, I can leave.” “It’s okay. It gives me pressure and motivation when you are here. I will hang in there for you.” If it was not for Liberty and to
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