Hayden was silent for a moment before she said, “They grew up together and shared a kinship. It’s impossible for them to cut their ties in one go.”“I know.”In the eyes of the three Fisher brothers, their biological sister Caroline was the interloper who had ruined the relationship between the siblings.Her appearance had caused Celine’s status to fall greatly.At first, it was still alright. Belinda was biased toward Celine.Everyone thought that it was unlikely that Caroline would be able to manage all of the family businesses and was all kinds of disdainful toward Caroline.However, two years later, when the Fishers ran into trouble, the one who stepped up to take charge and clean up the company’s messes was the real Fisher daughter, Caroline.Meanwhile, Celine, the fake daughter who had been spoiled by the Fishers all this while had her reputation ruined, was kicked out of the Fisher family, and became penniless.Just like Carrie, Celine was too used to a comfortable life
Hayden had also given Liberty a considerable amount of help both overtly and covertly.The people of Jensburg could clearly see that this Ms. Hunt from Wiltspoon was the offspring of the Fishers’ previous matriarch and that she had returned to compete against the Fishers on their turf.Liberty was setting up her business in the same industry as the Fishers’ most important business, and was obviously trying to steal their share of the pie.Some Fisher family members had secretly begun to defect to Liberty’s side.Caroline smiled and picked up her teacup once more. Gracefully, she savored the fragrant tea.Ring, ring, ring!Caroline’s phone began to ring.She put down her cup and picked up her phone to look at the caller ID before saying to Hayden, “It’s my mother. Maybe she doesn’t want to continue taking care of my father in the hospital anymore.”Belinda had forced her father to be hospitalized.The old couple seemed fine on the surface, but behind closed doors, they were no
“Alright. I’ll head to the hospital in a bit. You should head home and rest.”Caroline did not refuse and instead agreed to go to the hospital to take care of her father.Belinda was silent for a moment before she said, “You can head back after spending just an hour or so with him. There’s no need for you to take care of him personally. He’s not fond of you even though you’re his biological daughter.”At first, she had not felt anything for Caroline either, but Caroline was, after all, the baby she had borne herself. Blood was thicker than water and feelings could quickly be nurtured.However, it was not the same for Hunter.To him, as long as he had not raised her and doted on her, he did not feel any closeness or fondness for her.All because she was not a Clark.Their three sons had taken after his surname. Therefore, they were considered grandchildren of the Clark family.That was why Hunter was unable to truly accept Caroline as his daughter after her return.Belinda knew
“My mother’s tired and wants to rest at home, and my father suggested that I go to the hospital to accompany him and take care of him.”Caroline did not hide anything from Hayden.If she was not the heiress of the Fisher family, she very much wanted to be best friends with Hayden.The two got along very well.Hayden huffed a sarcastic laugh but did not say anything further.Caroline sat for a little while longer and finished her tea before she got up and excused herself.Hayden walked her to the elevator and they bumped into Hugh who happened to come upstairs right then. After exchanging greetings, the siblings stood in the elevator lobby and watched Caroline enter the elevator and its doors close.Once Caroline had left, Hugh asked as they walked back, “What was Caroline here to see you for again this time?”Hayden glanced at her brother and said calmly, “She’s doing her best to fight for Fisher Enterprise. She has to put on enough of a show to prevent people from saying she i
Hayden picked up the brocade box and opened it to take a look before closing it once more and asking Hugh, “You bought this to coax one of your girlfriends with, didn’t you? It’s not my style.”She tossed the box back to him.“I have no shortage of things like these. Kevin has been buying jewelry, women’s clothing, high-heels, and stuff like that for me like mad for the past few days.”She had a lot of things.She had more than enough money of her own. If she liked something, she could afford it even if it was expensive.Her future mother-in-law had also given her a lot of precious jewelry.It was just that she was not used to wearing them.Even Grandma May had given her a few expensive pieces of jewelry as a gift upon their first meeting.Grandma May was born before World War II. Her family was rich but later went through a period of decline before they eventually got back up on their feet.Some of the jewelry in Grandma May’s collection were valuable antiques.She had quite
Hugh knew that Caroline had her own business.It was no wonder that Hayden had such an appreciation for Caroline. She might not have had a good childhood in her adoptive parents’ home, but she grew tenaciously like a blade of grass. At a young age, she had made a place for herself in the business world with just her brain and guts.She was an impressive businesswoman.He could not blame Hayden for constantly trying to set them up.Even now, he suspected that she had not given up on the idea yet.Because of Liberty’s appearance, it was now hard to predict who would succeed the matriarchy.If Caroline withdrew from the race, she could marry freely without having to look for someone willing to marry into her family.This was exactly what Hayden had thought of. Thus, the idea she had originally given up on sprang back to life and she started creating opportunities for Hugh and Caroline to meet.“Got it. And sis, you know Caroline has someone by her side, right?” Hugh said meaningfu
Twenty minutes later, Darren’s and Caroline’s cars were parked at the hospital’s parking lot. Darren got out of his car first and went to Caroline’s. After she was out of her car, he helped her with her stuff. Caroline had bought a fruit basket and multivitamins. “Give me the fruits. They’re quite heavy.”Even if Caroline was stronger than the average woman, Darren did not want her holding the fruits. He trained in martial arts since he was young. Obviously, he had greater strength, and carrying a fruit basket was effortless. Without hesitation, Caroline accepted his offer. She handed the fruit basket to him while she took the box of multivitamins. They walked toward the inpatient department. On their way, Caroline spotted Celine hiding in a corner, probably waiting for Belinda. Celine did not see Caroline. Darren glanced at Caroline and asked, “Should we chase her away, Ms. Caroline? I’m pretty sure Madam Fisher doesn’t want to see her.”Caroline answered calmly, “Le
Hunter would not have the guts to do so either. Belinda could even chase her children out of the family, so why would she care for a husband who married into her family?She turned and left. Caroline saw her out. She also asked about Hunter’s condition. “Just keep him company and talk to him. Adrian will be here in an hour. He’s the eldest son. He should take most responsibility in taking care of Hunter.”Caroline gave no comments. The mother and daughter exchanged a few more words before stopping at the elevator. Caroline watched her mom leave with bodyguards flanking her before returning to the ward. Darren had poured Hunter a cup of tea. Hunter was being polite to Darren as well. No one dared to underestimate the matriarch’s or the heir’s assistants cum right-hand men. Even Belinda treated Darren politely. “Carol.”Seeing that Caroline was back, Hunter immediately smiled as she walked over. “How are you feeling, Dad? Are you better?” Caroline asked, sitting
Austin replied, “Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. It’s really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.”Sometimes, he himself felt like staying in bed a little longer, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his blankets.Even after the New Year, Satbury remained quite cold. In contrast, over in Wiltspoon, the temperatures had begun to reach a high of over seventy degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, with nighttime lows around fifty degrees.The two provinces and cities were simply incomparable. The temperatures in Wiltspoon were just so very comfortable for Satbury locals.Isabella smiled and said, “Phillip is just afraid he’ll get here too late and that you’ll assume he’s not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.”The house was never short of snacks for the little ones. In fact, any goodies were always reserved for them first.Yet,
Even when she attended banquets, she would show up in formal clothing. Isabella did not remember the last time she wore a dress. Perhaps it was when she was in third grade. In fact, she liked wearing pretty princessy dresses when she was young. Her mother had told her that.As Isabella was the first child and extremely adorable, Delphine had dolled her up like a princess. Her pretty dresses filled the closet. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and relatives would always gift her many beautiful dresses. As she grew up, perhaps when she was in fourth grade, she stopped wearing dresses. Regardless of who gave her new pieces, she would refuse to wear them and give them to her cousins instead. After everyone realized she disliked dresses, they gradually stopped giving her them. Delphine had asked Isabella why she disliked wearing dresses. Isabella reasoned that she could not walk quickly enough while wearing one. She valued speed and efficiency. Delphine said she had alway
While the private chefs Ms. Isabella had hired in the past were respectful, they were leaning toward flattery instead of sincere dedication, like how Austin was toward Ms. Isabella.Dominic was experienced. He could sense that Ms. Isabella treated Austin differently. She was also a special existence to Austin. It was normal for young people to be attracted to each other. Initially, Dominic wanted to advise Austin not to even think about dating Ms. Isabella. However, upon discovering that Austin was a young master of a wealthy family, he decided not to interfere. Dominic was glad that he did nothing.Austin returned to the house. Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, he went upstairs. He stopped outside of Isabella’s room and knocked on the door lightly. No response came from within the room. Perhaps Austin was too soft when he knocked. He knocked on the door again with more force and asked, “Are you up yet, Ms. Isabella? It’s time to have breakfast.”Isabella w
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabella’s private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austin’s cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austin’s perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancées. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancée. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us