“I feel at ease now too, Mom. Quinn hasn’t said yes to Julian, right? Even I feel like saying yes on her behalf. The Buchams are right for Quinn. They’re all very easygoing and Quinn is the straightforward type and honestly just as easygoing. They’re like peas in a pod.”Zoey glared at Mark. “This is your sister’s happily ever after we’re talking about. Once we’ve helped her evaluate the situation, we should leave the rest to her to decide for herself.“She’ll be the one marrying and spending the rest of her life with Julian, so she has to like him. And now that your sister’s marriage is settled, it’s yours and Will’s turn to start thinking about yours.”“I’m going to start preparing the mashed potatoes, Mom.”Mark turned and walked away.His mother took every opportunity she could to urge him to get married.Zoey called him a few names.-Snow covered every inch of Summervale, but in Wiltspoon at noon, it was at its hottest. You could see people in short-sleeved clothing in th
“I don’t have any letter tracing workbooks for preschoolers here. You can look for it at other bookstores.”Serenity’s bookstore was located in front of a middle school. Her primary customers were middle schoolers, so she had no preschool materials. “You don’t have it? I’ll go to other bookstores to get it then.”After the lady paid for her books, she took them and thanked Serenity before leaving. Serenity found the silhouette of the lady familiar. Maybe she had seen her before when she accompanied Zachary to business engagements. She probably could not remember her because they did not interact much. She would ask Zachary about it later. Which family had three children with their eldest son married, their second son in seventh grade, along with their daughter in preschool? The lady appeared to be in her early twenties, so her husband was likely of similar age. Serenity would often attend gatherings of the higher society before she was pregnant. However, she had never hea
“Mr. Longbottom wants you to study more and focus on self-improvement. You have to change your temper as well. You should be gentle and generous like a noblewoman instead of your past arrogant self. You can’t be like that anymore. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for you to mingle with the elite ladies of Wiltspoon.”Carrie pouted. She said, “Do you think those ladies aren’t arrogant? Just because you haven’t met one doesn’t mean they don’t exist.“The Newman family is wealthy. I used to be young and aggressive, but I wasn’t uneducated. I’m refined too. My social circle comprised elite ladies and daughters of wealthy families.”Her mother was unwelcome in high society. Everyone disliked her because she had married her brother-in-law after her husband's death. However, that did not affect Carrie’s status in Wiltspoon’s high society. Although she could not compare to Elisa, she was still better off than many other elite daughters. She was confident and never doubted her elegance an
Carrie suddenly slouched on her seat. That way, she would not be spotted from the outside.At that moment, Zachary’s convoy passed by. Truth be told, he would not have been able to see her. Carrie was guilty and worried about Zachary spotting her and discovering her plans. Serenity was able to send Carrie to prison because she had underestimated Serenity. She did not know Serenity was trained in martial arts. More importantly, Serenity had Zachary’s backing. Even if Carrie had gotten her own backer, she instinctively felt fear and wanted to hide when she spotted Zachary’s car. When his car passed by hers, the bodyguard on the passenger seat turned and saw Carrie curled up in her seat out of fear. No one could have known there was someone in the backseat. “What are you doing, Ms. Newman?” the bodyguard asked, displeased. Carrie raised her head and took a peek outside. She only sat straight when she saw Zachary’s car was gone and adjusted her clothing. Her shirt had gotten
Mr. Longbottom had promised Carrie. She had to kidnap Mrs. Young-Johnson’s adopted son once they verified his identity. If she could accomplish that, he would give her all of the Newman family assets and let her do whatever she wanted to Serenity. Mr. Longbottom never told her that his promises were worthless. There was no knowing if Carrie would still be alive after the deed was done. He would never make an enemy out of the Yorks and Buchams for her sake.The bodyguards were aware of that. However, they were assigned to watch Carrie and assist her. It was not their place to reveal anything else. He would just let Carrie dream on. Otherwise, how would she be motivated to help Mr. Longbottom?After pursing her lips, Carrie said, “I understand. Why are you guys so cold to me? You still have to address me respectfully before others.”While the bodyguards treated her with respect in front of others, they were like her managers in private and kept controlling her. They were hig
Trenton would surely come to regret it. ‘I’m the sister who shares the same parents as him,’ Carrie thought.He chose to instead trust Camryn, who was born to a different father. Meanwhile, Serenity could never guess that the young wife who bought books from her store earlier was Carrie in a hyper-realistic mask. She did not know Carrie well. Even after looking at Carrie with that mask on, she simply found her figure familiar and could not identify her exactly. After all, Carrie had never been a friend of hers. At that moment, Serenity heard familiar footsteps. She walked out of the bookstore. “Zachary.”She went to her husband with a smile. Zachary’s gaze was gentle. He walked up to Serenity in large strides and hugged her before saying, “I missed you, honey.”Then, he kissed her forehead and let her go. Serenity whispered, “Everyone’s watching. Why do you miss me when we meet every day?”One of Zachary’s bodyguards had two bags in his hand. The bags contained two se
Zachary placed his hand on Serenity’s. “We’ll just show our faces and leave after half an hour. “Don’t drink any alcohol and stay away from the women. It’ll be better if you don’t leave my side at all.”“Half an hour sounds good. We don’t have to stick to each other. Everyone distances themselves from me when they see you.”They knew she was Zachary’s sweetheart. Getting pregnant had been difficult for the couple, so the baby in Serenity’s womb was extra precious. No one dared to get too close to her. They did not want to take the blame if she tripped and fell by accident. Serenity felt helpless. While she clearly would not do such a thing, other people did not think so. Wiltspoon’s elites kept a safe distance from her. They said they would only approach her again after the baby was born. “It seems like they know their places. It’s best if they stay away from you. Most of them like to smoke, and breathing in secondhand smoke is bad for your health.”Zachary stopped bringin
Zachary asked softly, “Do you need me to come along?”“No. I’ll go myself. Your work is important.”Serenity rejected his offer. Zachary did not insist. He was not as worried about her going to the Stones’ house. When they got out of the car at the hotel, Serenity spotted Carrie again. Carrie had intended to return to the villa to eat before changing out of her clothes and hyper-realistic mask before going back to her rented house. Then, she would resume her identity as Carrie Newman. However, she changed her mind on the way back and asked the bodyguards to take her to Wiltspoon Hotel for a meal. Zachary and Serenity often showed up there. Carrie wanted to train her nerves. It would be a successful training if she did not fear or go into hiding when she saw the loving couple. The Longbottom bodyguards did not object to Carrie’s decision. That was how Serenity and Zachary met the masked Carrie when they arrived at Wiltspoon Hotel. “Babe, that’s the lady who came to