Hayden tugged on Kevin’s sleeve. He followed her and said, “I wonder when Madam Fisher is returning. I can’t wait to watch the Fisher family’s drama unfold.”Hayden glanced at him. “Even if Madam Fisher discovered her husband’s affair, she wouldn’t create a public commotion. She’ll probably take him back and fight behind closed doors. You won’t have a chance to witness the drama.”“There’s Caroline still. She has already revealed the Fisher family’s hidden chaos. Can her father’s scandal be kept under wraps? I highly doubt so.”After some thinking, Kevin added, “Caroline isn’t simple either. If she stirs a mess in the family, she can eliminate her brothers from Fisher Enterprise. Without those people, her position in the company will be more secure.“As expected of Madam Fisher’s biological daughter. She’s cruel to her family.”Hayden went silent for a moment. Then, she defended Caroline, “She has the brutality of a woman of the Fisher family, but it’s different from Madam Fishe
Not many people knew the woman was the mistress of a tycoon. Hunter was unaware as well. Otherwise, he would not have dared to approach someone else’s mistress. After looking through the media, Caroline replied to Darren: [Keep the evidence. I’ll delete them on my end because I can’t keep them. If my mom suspects me, she’ll check my phone.]Darren replied: [I saved everything. Have you eaten, Ms. Caroline?][I’m eating now. I got delivery.]Darren frowned. [You shouldn’t order food so often, Ms. Caroline. Isn’t there a cafeteria in the company? You could have your meals there. If you’re busy, I can get you food every day.”Caroline’s heart warmed when she saw his message. She had been fighting alone ever since returning to the Fisher family. No one was on her side, not even her mother. Belinda was not her mother alone as she was also mother to her brothers and Celine. While Celine could act like a spoiled child naturally, Caroline found it challenging to do so. Luckily, D
No wonder Celine always gritted her teeth at the mention of Kevin. She would curse at Kevin for being shameless and snatching Hayden away. “You can make Mr. Kevin the one who exposes the scandal. He’s already targeting the Fisher family.”Kevin was an enemy to them. As he recalled the Fishers and Audrey’s relationship, Darren sighed. He knew that Caroline would not stand against those in Wiltspoon. She even wanted to investigate the previous matriarch, Tiara’s death. Darren dared say that if there was evidence pointing out that Madam Fisher was responsible for Tiara’s death, Caroline would refuse to succeed the Fisher family and go as far as to leave the family to wherever she yearned to be. Caroline was not as weak as she seemed. In fact, before returning to the Fisher family, she was already a successful young entrepreneur. She only hid that fact because her adoptive parents constantly wanted to take advantage of her. Therefore, she allowed others to misunderstand that she
Hunter was dressed up youthfully and appeared dashing. Looking at the hot young woman in his arms, Caroline muttered, “He must’ve been a heartthrob when he was young. Despite his age, he still looked handsome after dressing up.”No wonder Belinda was strict with Hunter. Caroline wondered how her mom would feel about Hunter hooking up with other women with the money his children gave him. Meanwhile, in Wiltspoon, Serenity immediately went to sleep once she arrived at Wildridge Manor after coming back from Wiltspoon Hotel.Her fatigue still lingered.Zachary had accompanied her back to the room. When he saw her eagerly climbing onto the bed, he sat on the bedside and said, “You could’ve slept in the car and I could’ve carried you up.”“I stayed awake anyway. I’ll take a short nap, honey. Do you want to take a nap? Otherwise, you can read some books in the study.”With a gentle gaze, Zachary said, “Go ahead. I’m not tired yet.”She fell asleep instantly. Looking at her sleeping
“Are you free to talk now, Zachary?” Kevin returned to his office to make the call after seeing Hayden off. Zachary said, “Get to the point or hang up if you have nothing to say.”Kevin smiled and said, “The pictures and video I sent you are evidence of Madam Fisher’s husband’s affair.”Zachary waited for him to continue. “Madam Fisher’s husband is Hunter Clark. He was a handsome man in his youth but not very capable. That was why he became her husband. Although he’s addressed as Mr. Clark in the Fisher family, he never earned full respect and has to be at his wife’s beck and call.“Madam Fisher is strict with him. She doesn’t provide him with living expenses, and the allowance she gives him daily never exceeds five hundred dollars. She taught him a lesson when he intended to cheat on her before. Since then, Hunter dared not attempt any affair.“This time, Madam Fisher attended your wedding and remained in Wiltspoon for half a month. Hunter grabbed this opportunity to cheat on
Zachary said, “Since every matriarch has a loyal assistant, they must know a lot. If he’s still alive, we’ll be able to get him to testify against Madam Fisher. If he had passed away, it’d be nearly impossible to verify the truth after four to five decades.”It was even challenging for the Bucham family to gather relevant evidence. “I’ll call Julian later to get his help on the identity of the previous matriarch’s assistant and where he is if he’s alive.”Kevin said, “I can ask around too. It’ll be faster to ask Donald about this.” The assistant might be alive, but searching for him would alert Belinda. “Okay. Let me know if there’s new information.”“Sure. I’m envious that Callum and Camryn have gotten their marriage license. We received the picture from Nana together, but I’m still wooing my wife while he’s married.”After they were done talking about serious matters, Kevin started chatting with Zachary. Both of them had time anyway. “Who told you to stay idle for half a
Zachary burst out laughing. “I’ve never thought of you as a down-to-earth person.”“I’m not unapproachable either.”Zachary chuckled. “You may not be unapproachable, but even I must use my connections to meet you. If Josh and I weren’t friends, I probably wouldn’t be able to see you regardless of how much money I offered.”Julian said, “I’m busy. You’re the head of your family too. You should know how busy people in our positions are.”“The matter I want to discuss can’t be described briefly. You can head to Summervale and meet Ms. Crawford. I’ll talk to Josh.”Julian said, “Look for Josh as much as possible. It’s easier for you two to communicate anyway. Don’t disturb me unless the situation is dire.”He could think of nothing else but his first love at the moment. Besides, his parents had been urging him to go to Summervale before someone else snatched Quinn away. Quinn was Julian’s fated partner. He had to rely on her to be an ordinary healthy man as well. His parents were
Quinn replied with alacrity, “Alright, I’ll let my mom know and ask her to prepare more food tonight. She’ll be really happy to know that you love her cooking so much.”Julian smiled. “Mrs. Crawford’s cooking is truly delicious.”“Make sure to eat plenty tonight, Mr. Bucham. I’ll go for my training now and I’ll fetch you from the airport later. See you tonight.”“Sure, I’ll switch my phone to airplane mode now. See you.”While Julian exchanged goodbyes, he was reluctant to hang up first. After he noticed that Quinn had ended the call, he moved the phone away from his ear.His phone’s screen displayed a photo of Quinn. When Quinn attended Zachary and Serenity’s wedding, Julian had taken several portraits of her and sent them to her. He also kept those photos on his phone and set one of them as his wallpaper.He could see Quinn every time he unlocked his phone.Quinn looked both stunning and full of youthful energy with a brilliant smile. Julian found himself increasingly drawn to
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
Austin quickly left the CEO’s office. Just as he stepped out, he ran into Tati, who was looking for Isabella.“Ms. Tati,” Austin greeted politely.Tati nodded and waited for Austin to leave before she knocked on the office door and entered.“Austin came early today to cook for you,” Tati said, holding a folder in her hand and opening it as she walked toward Isabelle.She sat down at the desk, handed over the folder, and said, “Isa, this is urgent. Please take a look.”Isabella took the document, glancing through it as she replied, “He comes around this time every day, neither early nor late.”“That Longbottom fellow came by again?” Tati asked.It was only after Mr. Longbottom had directly asked to see Isabella that Tati found out the old lecher had come again.“Yes, but I didn’t meet him. He brought some gifts, claiming they were holiday presents for us. I had them sent back. He’s too ambitious, and he has bad intentions. We’re absolutely on guard against him. Why would we give
Isabella turned her head to look at Austin.Austin stopped the massage and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you feeling any discomfort? I can work on it. I don't give people massages often, so I don’t have much experience. I'll keep giving you more massages as practice so I'll be able to serve you better.”“It's not that,” Isabella smiled. “It's actually very comfortable. It’s just that I really want to meet your grandmother every time you mention her.”In Isabella's mind, Austin's grandmother had already become something of a legendary figure.Austin thought to himself, ‘Nana’s already met you. You probably met her before, you just didn't know it was her.’His nana had surely spent a lot of time observing Isabella, getting to know her, and confirming that her character and abilities were suitable for him before choosing Isabella for him.“When you’re less busy, if you’re willing, you can come visit us in Wiltspoon. Lots of flowers bloom in spring, and there’s beautiful scenery ever
When Isabella first took over the family business, many of her grandparents' and parents' friends and relatives openly tried to sabotage her. They played dirty tricks, schemed, and tried various ways to undermine her.They wanted to take advantage of her, and they also did not want her to take control of the family’s legacy. They tried to prevent her from establishing herself in the company, even going as far as to collaborate with outsiders to trap her.She had suffered countless setbacks, faced numerous conspiracies, and even experienced several so-called accidents, nearly losing her life. It was only after all this that she truly understood the treachery of human nature. From that point on, she learned to arm herself with cold indifference.Though she was taking over her own family’s business, it felt like she had to fight through a bloody battle to secure her place, as if she were a king striving to ascend the throne. It was exhausting and disheartening.However, she endured an
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge