Several decades had passed, and perhaps the law could no longer sentence her mother to death but at least, Caroline could return the position of the matriarch to the descendants of her aunt.She could also leave the Fisher Manor and go back to manage her own company.She preferred living her own life, far away from controversies, grievances, and enmities.Listening to Belinda bring up the past, Caroline believed that her mother did truly heinous deeds back then. It was not just about coveting the power of the head of the family; it might also be because of hatred born from love. Belinda, now seventy years old, had been married to Hunter for decades and they had four children together. However, deep in her heart, there was always that extraordinary man—Tiara’s assistant.“No matter how much is said, I will prove with actions that my mother and I are not the same kind of people.”Liberty looked at her for a long time, smiled, and said, “You look very upright and cool, very beautifu
Liberty remained silent for a moment before saying, “Between spouses, if one cheats, there’ll be a crack. Even if they don’t divorce, they lead a life of semblance without essence. It’s better to separate.“My husband cheated and was abusive. Now, he’s my ex-husband.“Don’t expect them to change. What happened once could happen again. It’s better to part ways. Separation doesn’t mean the end.”Caroline said, “My dad won’t leave, absolutely not. He knows well that divorce means he gets nothing. His relatives won’t benefit from us anymore. Perhaps, whatever they had gained before, might be demanded back.”With Belinda’s cruelty, she could actually do it.“Anyhow, our Fisher family shouldn’t expect tranquility. I always feel there will be big issues.”Liberty did not respond further.Her aunt sent her quickly to Jensburg for development. She knew the recent chaos in the Fisher family, and Belinda did not have much time to focus on her, allowing her the chance to develop and learn m
“She just wore a mask and sunglasses, and changed her hairstyle.”After Caroline finished speaking, Darren said, “Let them quietly follow Liberty, not to monitor, but to familiarize themselves with Liberty’s figure. So even if Liberty dresses up in the future, they can quickly identify her in her disguise.”“Every time I ask her out to chat, I must be responsible for her safety. If anything happens to her on the way to meet me, Serenity and the others will kill me.“Also, when Liberty needs help here in Jensburg, you help her secretly. Just don’t be noticed by my mother and the old man by her side. “The old man was Belinda’s assistant, not Hunter. Darren responded respectfully, “I will. It’s getting late, let’s go back.”Caroline sighed, “I really don’t want to go back. That house doesn’t have the warmth of a home. There are only intrigues, conspiracies, and no good people.”Darren did not know how to answer.What happened to the Fishers’ house was not something a small assist
“Don’t mention it anymore, I truly have never disliked you. Just like when I was as fat as a pig, you never disliked me for that. “Duncan hurriedly said, “You are not ugly, not ugly at all. You weren’t ugly, you looked very cute back then.”“I was ugly, I hated my chubby self when I looked in the mirror.”It was forgivable to be foolish once, but she would not be foolish for the second time. She had to take good care of herself in the future, and never eat recklessly again.Before she lost weight, not only did she have fatty liver, but she also had high uric acid.After losing weight, the uric acid was normal, and the fatty liver was also reversed.“Liberty, you bought some toys for Sonny and new clothes for yourself, but you did not buy me anything,” Duncan changed the topic and became jealous of Sonny.“You have everything you need. Sonny is a child, he grows up fast, and he has to buy new clothes almost every year. Your height is set, and last year’s clothes can still be wor
Duncan listened to his mother.“I will, I will continue to do rehabilitation, and when you come back, I may be able to walk two or three yards away. By the way, how long will you be there?”After being silent for a moment, Liberty said, “I might have to stay until New Year’s, and I will go back for the festive season.”“That's quite long, what if Sonny misses you?”“He’s in Serenity’s hands, I’m not that worried when he’s with her. If he really misses me, I will go back to accompany him when I am free on the weekends. If I don't have time, I can only let Zachary send him over to reunite with me for two days."She was only going to get busier.In this short period of time, there would be very little time to spend with her son.“Since Sonny was born, Serenity helped take care of him. He can adapt to this, and New Year’s around the corner so it will be over in a blink of an eye.”“Actually, I miss you!”Duncan happened to just blurt it out.Sonny was just a decoy. The truth was,
The night went by. It was Sunday. Sonny, who did not have to go to preschool, woke up early. He knocked on Serenity’s door and Zachary opened the door for him. “Is Aunt Ser awake, Uncle Zak? I want to play with her.”Zachary took a few deep breaths. He told himself not to get angry at a child. He said gently, “It’s still early, Sonny. Why don’t you sleep a little longer? You usually insist on sleeping in even though you need to go to school, yet you’re up early on days you don’t have to.”Sonny pouted. “I couldn’t fall back asleep after waking up, Uncle Zak. There’s no one I can play with, so I came to look for Aunt Ser.”He was living in Zachary’s private villa in the city, not Wildridge Manor where he could have fun with other children without disturbing Serenity. Zachary lifted Sonny and said, “Serenity’s still asleep. I’ll play with you. What do you want to do?”“I want to play outside.”“Isn’t it better to play with toys indoors?”Sonny shook his head. “Playing w
“That’s great. I’m outside your house now. I see your butler coming to open the gate. Let’s talk when we meet.”After speaking, Ben hung up. Zachary was puzzled. He lowered his head to look at Sonny, who was looking at him too. “What’s wrong, Uncle Zak? Did something happen?” Sonny asked. Zachary patted his head and said, “Someone woke up early like you and came to visit.”He did not know what was going on either. Had something gone wrong with Remy and Elisa’s relationship? Did Ben come over to get him to persuade the couple?He could not do that. Serenity was more suited for the job. Soon, Ben drove Remy’s car into the villa and stopped at the courtyard. Before Ben got out of the car, the backseat door opened first. A flash of a small figure darting out of the car toward Zachary. “Sonny, Sonny. I’m here.”The small figure was none other than Laurence. “Laurence!”When Sonny registered it, he immediately flung Zachary’s hand away and jogged toward Laurence. The
Zachary found it hilarious. “No wonder they’re best friends. I was forced to take Sonny out because he knocked on my door.“Ben, why don’t you join us?”Zachary invited Ben and Laurence to go for a walk with them. Ben smiled. “Okay. I probably can’t fall back asleep anyway.”He told Laurence, “You can take Sonny to play ahead of us, but don’t go too far.”“It should be Sonny bringing Laurence around. You two are our guests. We should be proper hosts.”The children had already run off hand in hand. Ben said, “Laurence has a good memory. He memorized the route here after only one visit and could even remember the plants along the roads. He recognizes more plant species than me now.”Zachary said, “Look at who his mentor is. Dr. Carden is an expert in both medicines and poisons. Although Lilian did not spend much time teaching Laurence one-on-one, he had the miracle healer. He learned about many herbs during the time he spent with the miracle healer. They knew Laurence had a
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