Sasha laughed heartily. She was cheery and less rigid as compared to Tania with no hard and fast rule of appearing overly dignified all the time; that was the luxury of not being the head missus of the Yorks.Tania had to be mature and composed. Though in private settings, Tania was just like Sasha. Most importantly, both of them and Rosella got along well because their personalities were similar.“Were you satisfied with Callum when you first saw him, Camryn?”Camryn blushed. She smiled and said, “I touched his face countless times when I was blind and imagined what he would look like, but I was still surprised when I saw him. He looks different from what I envisioned by touch.“So, of course I’m satisfied. Aunt Evelyn kept telling me to treat Callum well. She said he must’ve been a blessing from my dad in heaven. “Nowadays Callum gets treated better than me by her when I used to be her favorite.”Despite complaining about Aunt Evelyn’s preferential treatment, Camryn was smilin
Callum helped himself and served everyone refreshments. He studied the chessboard and said, “I think this was a deliberate move by Aunt Sasha. With your current skills, you won’t figure out where to place that chess piece even after another day.”Simon was terrible at chess. His face fell. He glared at Callum. No matter how much he sucked at chess, it was no fun to be teased by his nephew as he had some dignity to preserve.Callum chuckled. He looked toward Sasha for help to escape Simon’s deadly stares. He was merely stating facts. Upon receiving Callum’s S.O.S., Sasha told her husband, “Keep it away. We can wrap this game up another day.”“I’d rather not play against you. Callum can do it in your stead. And Callum, stay at the manor this weekend and don’t make other plans. Let’s play a few games together. Otherwise, I’ll nag you to kingdom come.”Callum quickly begged, “Sorry, Uncle Simon. I was wrong. You’re exceptionally good at chess. You’re a chess maestro, the best
“I can’t believe Milky is letting you hold it. It’s an arrogant cat. It doesn’t like me holding it and will even scratch me,” Callum said in surprise when he saw Camryn holding the cat. Sasha said, “You kicked Milky before, so for sure it would hold a grudge against you. But it’s indeed a picky cat. It prefers people who are gentle.”“Am I fierce?”Callum did not find himself so. “Which one of you brothers is gentle? Milky is clever. It can sense if someone is pretending to be nice.”Callum was speechless. “Is the cat called Milky, Aunt Sasha? That’s adorable.”“I named it Milky because it has white fur. Cats are cute. You can ask Callum to get a cat if you like them. They’re very clingy. They’ll either sleep beside you or jump into your arms.”Camryn said happily, “Never mind. I don’t have the time to care for them now.“Zachary once gave Serenity a dog and two cats, but she didn’t have time to take care of them and handed them over to Mrs. Lane. So, they aren’t close to S
Camryn was not afraid of Carrie but the person hiding behind her. They still could not identify the person with the last name Gordon. “Let me know if you need any help.”“There’s no need to trouble all of you to deal with Carrie. I can handle this myself. I just can’t find out the identity of the person she contacted right after coming out of prison.“Callum said he’d ask Zachary to request Mr. Julian’s assistance to investigate that person. We’re just worried about being blindsided if they launch an ambush because we don’t know who they are.”Serenity said, “I’ll let Jasmine know, and she’ll relay the message to Josh. You don’t have to worry about this.”“Thank you.”“Small matter. I hope we all can live in peace.”Camryn smiled. She said, “No one’s life can always be smooth sailing. There are always bound to be challenges.”“You’re right.”Serenity stared at the sky and said softly, “I feel like a change is beckoning.”“Well, it’s late fall now. The seasons are changing.
“Let’s stop talking about her. We should go on with our lives.”“That’s right. The law has already punished them for what they did. By the way, since Carrie is out, she’ll probably look for Trenton. You should call him to inform him of this.”After a short silence, Camryn said, “She and Trenton are siblings by blood. Of course she’ll look for him. Trenton can make his own decisions now that he has come of age. I’ve always told him that I’ll respect all his choices.”Serenity said, “We’ll just let them be then.”Not all siblings had a close relationship like the York brothers or the Hunt sisters. Although Carrie and Camryn had different fathers, they shared the same mother. Moreover, their fathers were brothers. Despite the same Newman blood flowing in them, Carrie and Camryn were like enemies. Grandma May and Lilian returned to Wildridge Manor before the sky turned dark. Remy brought Elisa over too. The York brothers who were in Wiltspoon, save for Rowan still in school, came
At that time, Belinda had no idea that Celine was not her biological child. She simply felt that Celine was still not up to her expectations despite years of nurturing, so there was no hurry to arrange an assistant for Celine.Fortunately, she waited it out.Otherwise, new personnel selection and training would be required for Caroline’s assistant, which could take a long time to train such a specialized assistant.Once a successor was confirmed in the Fisher family, the process of grooming a special assistant for them began. It often took ten to twenty years for the successor to take over. Additionally, it was also challenging to find suitable assistant candidates. To meet the criteria, they had to be exceptionally talented and loyal.“I understand.”Mr. Gordon promptly left the room.He did not stay long and was meeting a man; one would assume he was just going to meet a friend.He did not draw any attention to himself.Once Mr. Gordon had left Wiltspoon Hotel, Belinda’s bod
Belinda furrowed her brows and finally answered Celine’s call.“Mom…”As soon as the call connected, Celine cried out.“What happened, Cece? Who’s bothering you? Tell Mom, and when I get back, I’ll take care of it for you.”Despite her frown, Belinda’s words were filled with affection, as if nothing in the world could harm her adopted daughter with her protection.“Mom, when are you coming back? While you’ve been away, I’ve been tormented by Caroline. She bullies me and constantly infuriates me. She’s wicked. Every time she harms me, she puts on an innocent act.“Not to mention me, even Dad can’t eat or sleep well because of her. He’s lost weight because of her. I feel so sorry for him.“She’s also sowing discord between my brothers and their wives. She made them argue every day to the point where Emma asked Adrian for a divorce.”Belinda sighed. “Does Caroline have that much influence? She’s just a klutz. If she had that kind of ability to drive all of you crazy, I wouldn’t ha
After listening to Celine’s complaints, Belinda responded, “Cece, did you intentionally crash into Caroline’s car? Her car is new, and it’s a luxury car. I specially bought her that luxury car to appease her. You damaged it and refused to pay for the repairs. She froze your bank account, and that’s entirely warranted.“You always make mistakes and don’t reflect on your own errors. You constantly think that you’re right and everyone else is wrong.“Imagine if you were Caroline—your new car was damaged and the other party refused to pay for the repairs. Wouldn’t you be angry? Knowing your personality, if someone crashed into your car and refused to compensate, you might even feel like tearing down their house.”Belinda silently scolded Celine for not knowing her place. Caroline was her biological daughter and the heir to the Fisher family. She had the authority to freeze anyone’s bank account in the family and even reduce their allowance.Of course, as Belinda was still the head of t
“Zachary!”“Your Uncle Dylan is so noisy. I really want to grab a pair of scissors and cut off his tongue. He's been so loud that it's interrupted our father-and-son conversation.”Serenity lightly patted her husband's hand and said, “Stop teasing Dylan. I can see that he’s so anxious he’s about to jump up. He’s already been here for two days, and he still can’t get Nana to tell him the truth.”Dylan nodded repeatedly. “Exactly, Zachary, stop teasing me. I'm dying of anxiety. This is a very important matter—it concerns my happiness!”“What did Nana say?” Zachary asked.“Nana told me to pursue Imogen again.”“Then listen to Nana. Why are you still asking? Do you think Nana would do anything to harm you? I’ve told you before, she might joke around with us, but when it comes to our marriages, she’s more serious than anyone else. She won’t fool around.”Dylan finally got the answer he wanted. Zachary had not explicitly said that Imogen was Fox, but he had mentioned that listening to
“I am helping you. Didn't I already tell you? Let Sam prepare some gifts for the Doyles and you can bring them when you visit the family in Huntington. It’s the year-end holidays. No matter what, they won't give you the cold shoulder. It's the perfect time for you to go.”“Alright, I'll do as you say.” Dylan agreed to go with his nana’s arrangements. He immediately dug out his phone and booked a ticket to fly out in a couple of days.“Why not book a ticket for tomorrow?” Grandma May asked him.“I want to spend one more day with you, Nana.”Grandma May laughed. “I don't need you to stay. As long as you and your brothers are no longer single, and you all have someone by your side, that will make me happy.”Dylan was speechless.He had chosen to go to the Doyles on the day he arrived in Huntington. One reason was to spend more time with his family, and the other reason was to wait for his brothers to return tomorrow evening. He planned to ask for their opinions and get them to ana
“Dylan, I hope you know it’s all your fault I have so much white hair.”Dylan smiled as he wrapped an arm around his nana’s shoulders,“Yes, yes, it’s our fault for making you worry so much. Nana, I promise we’ll be doubly filial to you from now on.”Grandma May said dismissively, “I’m so old, who knows how long I'll live? Every day is a blessing. Don’t make promises about the future. I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep them and will end up embarrassing yourselves. If you really want to be filial to me, you should pursue Imogen again. I really like her and I simply must have her as my granddaughter-in-law.”“Nana, if you tell me that Imogen is Fox, I promise I’ll move to Huntington in a few days to start a new business there and chase her again. I can’t just do nothing else but tail her every day, now can I?”When the York brothers were pursuing their other halves, none of them did solely that. They all balanced their pursuits with their careers.“Even if I said that Imogen is C
“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