Everyone held their breath upon seeing Hunter’s state. Belinda sat on the sofa with a cigarette in hand. She did not even spare Hunter a glance despite his sobs. The room stood in silence. Even Celine, who was Belinda’s favorite, did not say a word. Adrian crept to his wife’s side and asked softly, “What happened to Dad? Who beat him up?”Emma replied, “Mom did.”After a pause, she turned to look at Adrian. There was a hint of glee in her whisper. “Dad cheated on Mom and got caught red-handed. The woman was beaten up too.”Adrian’s expression changed upon hearing those words. He was reminded of his own affair. Although his parents had known about it and chose to turn a blind eye, Hunter’s affair was a grave issue. It would affect him and his brothers, who had committed the same mistake. Adrian kept quiet as he stood beside Emma. “Mom.”Caroline broke the silence. She glanced at Hunter whose handsome face was unrecognizable before setting her eyes on the frowning Belin
Caroline looked toward Hunter in disbelief. Hunter felt ashamed. Most parents would conceal their mistakes and keep their children in the dark. They did not want their children’s impression of them to be ruined. However, Belinda had made his children and daughters-in-law witness his shame. His wrongdoings were exposed, and he could never raise his head proudly around them again. Luckily, his grandchildren were not around. Otherwise, he could never face them too. “Mom.”Caroline quickly sat beside Belinda and consoled her. “Mom, Dad may not have been thinking clearly at that time. He loves you so much. He might’ve fallen into a trap or was set up by that woman.”Hunter went along with Caroline’s assumption and pushed all the blame to that woman. Belinda was about to light up another cigarette but was stopped by Caroline. “Smoking isn’t good for your health, Mom.“I know you’re angry and sad, but you can’t punish your own body over Dad’s betrayal. You should stop smoki
The Clark brothers dared not breathe heavily. Belinda had been nice to them all along. Although neither of them was an heir to the Fisher family and they took on their father’s surname instead, they were still young masters of the Fishers. Most people regarded them with respect as well. They also held important positions in Fisher Enterprise, which had provided them with money. While Caroline also held a high position in the company, she had to bear Belinda’s wrath every day. On the other hand, Belinda had never scolded the brothers unless they brought it upon themselves or committed a grave mistake. Nevertheless, they desperately wished to turn invisible when dragged into their father’s mess. They did not want to face their mother’s anger. The brothers knew how possessive she was of Hunter. Hunter was the poorest person in the family; even a maid had more money on their hands than him. “Which of you gave Hunter money? You better come clean with the exact amount you gav
When the Fisher siblings were young, the three brothers often got into trouble and therefore scolded or punished. On the other hand, Celine always got away unscathed. Belinda glared at Celine coldly. A wave of fear swept through her. She had no choice but to go to her brothers’ side and kneel unwillingly. She scolded Hunter mentally for dragging her into the mess. Never had she thought he would ask for money to hook up with other women. She had given him the money to relax while Mom was not around at the thought of how he had been restrained by Mom all these years.However…She felt wronged. “Slap yourselves,” Belinda ordered. Hunter was bitter. “Honey, my face is all swollen from the beating you gave me just now.”“Are you going to do it yourself? Or should I do the honors?”“I’ll do it myself. You don’t have to move, Honey. I’ll feel bad if you get tired or feel pain from hitting me.”Hunter quickly slapped himself. However, the hatred in his heart for the woman gr
“Yes, Mom.”Emma finally had a chance to get revenge on her fake sister-in-law. Ava and Ellie said, “Mom, we want to help Cece too.”Celine glared at her sisters-in-law. Did they think that Mom would back them up?She was her mom’s daughter, while they were just daughters-in-law. In most cases, daughters would be favored over daughters-in-law.Belinda glanced at them and said, “Emma is enough. You two can watch.”They replied, “Okay.”Emma walked up to Celine. Celine raised her head and said, “Please be gentle, Emma. I’m scared of the pain.”“If you don’t want Emma helping you, you should put in more strength yourself.”Celine was speechless. Emma would surely make her face swell.“I’ll do it myself, Mom. I don’t want to trouble Emma,” said Celine hastily. Belinda did not say a word. Celine thought it would be worse for Emma to hit her than exert force herself, so she no longer pretended and slapped herself hard as her brothers did. Slap!It hurt. Slap.Celin
“Once you’re outside, your survival will depend on you alone. Don’t think I’ll go soft on you just because you’re my children. Those who betray me never end up well.”“We’re sorry, Mom. We’ll never give Dad any money again.”Adrian quickly repented and made a promise. The rest followed his lead. As Belinda mentioned, she had provided everything they owned. If they were to lose their identity as a young master of the Fishers and be expelled from the family and company, they would be nothing. No matter how deep their relationship with Hunter was, they would still choose money and status over family. Their father was a disappointment. He had the audacity to take their money to flirt with other women. Did he not know how fierce their mom was?“Break off all the love affairs you have. I’ll kick anyone who has lovers or mistresses out of the family.”When Belinda knew her sons were cheating on their wives, she did not say much or punish them. At most, she would give Caroline acce
Caroline stuffed the ice pack she brought into Hunter’s hands for him to place on his face back in his room. He took it and hurried upstairs. Belinda and Caroline were the only ones left in the living room. Caroline sat beside her mother and comforted her. “Dad knows he’s wrong, Mom. He’ll never do it again. Don’t be sad.”Belinda sighed. She said, “Your dad must have a lot to say about me, but he doesn’t dare to resist me out of fear of my power. While we may look like a loving couple to the public, I know better.”“Since you’re aware of it, why did you choose to continue the marriage?”After a moment of silence, Belinda said, “Your dad is easy to control. He has no future, and his family relies on the Fishers to survive. He has to think for their future.“I also have to take you and your siblings into consideration. As long as Hunter doesn’t make any major mistakes, I won’t divorce him.“I thought he wouldn’t be able to do anything so long I didn’t give him money, but I ov
“When I was beating them up back then, it should have been captured on surveillance.”Caroline said, “Mom, asking Kevin to delete the footage wouldn’t work anymore. There were so many witnesses at the hotel. Besides, Kevin might not be willing to delete it; he has never shown respect to our family.”Belinda was taken aback.True, what was the point of asking Kevin to delete the footage?With so many onlookers, the incident must have been recorded by someone. By then, the internet would most probably be full of videos of her catching her husband in the act.Her daughter's words rang true too. Even if others had not recorded it, Kevin was unlikely to delete the surveillance footage. He truly never showed respect to the Fisher family.Serenity was Tiara’s granddaughter and carried the Fisher family's blood. There was a deep-seated grudge between them.Her cousin, Audrey, had been doing well in Wiltspoon; she was the wife of Darrell Stone. Although she had retired, she still had inf
“I packed and checked everything, Dad. Nothing is missing,” said Sonny. He did not know that Hank was stalling. Hank did not want to take Sonny downstairs that quickly. “It’s okay even if I leave something behind. I’ll still come over to visit in the future, Dad. Didn’t you say this will always be my home?”Sonny thought he could simply take anything he left behind the next time he came. There was no need to ensure everything was packed.Wherever his mom and dad were would always be his home. Hank replied softly, “Yes. This is always your home. The doors will be open for you for as long as I’m here.“Go watch the TV with your grandparents first, Sonny. I’ll finish packing up soon. Your grandparents bought snacks for you. Remember to bring them with you.”Sonny did not lack anything when he lived with Duncan and Liberty. However, the things his grandparents bought for him held their sincerity. Hank hoped his son could get along with his parents and forget the fact that the
Dylan took a flight back to Wiltspoon on that day. It was the day when Liberty and Duncan went to pick Sonny up from the Brown family’s place. Sonny was only visiting for two days, yet Duncan had mentioned him almost every moment. He even had to be on a video call with Sonny every few hours. For the video calls to happen, Duncan even became shameless and connected with Hank on social media. It was so that he could call Sonny conveniently. Not only that, he even uploaded many lovey-dovey pictures of him and Liberty to make Hank see them and get jealous. Meanwhile, in the Brown family’s house, Hank was packing Sonny’s clothes. He slowly folded his son's clothes to stall for time. Duncan could wait downstairs, who had insisted on coming along with Liberty to pick Sonny up but did not want to head upstairs. Therefore, he had been waiting downstairs. Liberty did not want to enter the Browns’ house either. She waited downstairs and chatted with her old neighbors. Through them
After a moment of silence, Imogen said, “I didn’t know either. If Dylan didn’t mention anything, I wouldn’t have known about this.“I met and talked to Old Mrs. York when I visited the Yorks with my teacher. She’s a nice old lady. It was a pleasure talking to her and not stressful at all. I wouldn’t have guessed that she was that formidable just by looking at her.“As expected of someone whom the Buchams respect. Even my teacher was humble before her and dared not be arrogant. He said Old Mrs. York used to be a badass when she was young. She has contributed greatly to the York family’s achievements.“Her capability is also evident through the eight grandsons she had raised with her deceased husband.”Leticia said, “Doesn’t the York family have nine young masters?”“Rowan York is the youngest. He was mainly educated by his parents as well as his elder brothers and cousins. Although Old Mrs. York did give him some guidance, we can’t say that he was raised by Old Mr. and Mrs. York.”
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k
Dylan said, “Go ahead.”He was a bit hungry too and wanted to eat.Imogen called for Wendy and instructed her to make a fresh pot of tea and serve some of the snacks she usually ate.Once Wendy finished preparing the tea, Imogen poured a cup for Dylan and said, “You can start your story now.”“Ms. Doyle, I’m not making up a story, I’m—Ms. Doyle, you are Fox, aren’t you?” Dylan asked again.“Mr. York, I’ve told you, I don’t know who Fox is. I only know a fox is an animal, like in the zoo. If you ask me again if I’m Fox, I’ll think you’re calling me a vixen.”“‘Fox’ is just a nickname, meaning she’s very cunning and deceptive. I call her Chameleon Fox for her ability to shape-shift into many different identities. She changes so much that people mistake her for many different people, but in reality, she’s only one person.”Imogen looked quite interested and said, “Oh, so you think I’m Chameleon Fox, who likes to deceive people? Do you have any evidence for this?”“No, I don’t.”“
Couples always talked about eternal love, but how many could truly last forever?Dylan stammered, unable to say anything. Could he say that he suspected she was Fox? It was just a guess, with no evidence.Under Imogen’s gaze, Dylan steeled himself and spoke honestly, “I came to apologize to you.”Imogen raised an eyebrow. “Apologize? You already apologized to me the last time we spoke. There’s no need to apologize again. I’m not angry at you. When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s all about reciprocation. You can’t force it.“Feelings can’t be pressured into existence, so I won’t pressure you to accept me.“Plus, it’s been so long, and I have no feelings for you anymore. For that, I should thank you for clearing things up for me early on. At that time, I had just started to like you and could give up so quickly because of that.”Dylan, embarrassed, said, “Ms. Doyle, it’s not about that. Recently, I… secretly followed you.”“You followed me? Why?” Imogen pretended to be clue
“Drink it while it’s hot. Only when it’s steaming will it have the best effect to ward off the cold.”Dylan nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. He threw the tissue into the trash bin, but when he saw that the bin was full of tissues, he felt even more embarrassed.He picked the steaming hot soup up carefully and took a big sip.It was so spicy!The spice almost made him spit it out. Remembering that Imogen was right next to him, he forced himself to swallow it. After just one sip, Dylan put the bowl down.“Ms. Doyle, the soup is too hot. I’ll drink it later,” he said.It was too spicy. He did not want to take a second sip.“I’ll take the medicine first,” he added.Compared to drinking the soup, Dylan would rather take the medicine. The medicine might be bitter, but he could handle it.Imogen immediately called him out. “You’re afraid of the spice and you don’t want to drink the soup, do you?”Dylan sneezed again and then poured himself some water to take the medicine.Hav