“I know who set me and Dad up, Mom. It was my sisters-in-law. The wine Adrian gave Dad came from his room, but he wouldn’t do that to us. It must’ve been Emma.“Mom.”Belinda got into her car.Celine flung herself toward the car but failed to even touch it.However, Belinda lowered the window before the driver started driving. She gestured at the bodyguards to release Celine and let her come close.Celine was delighted. She shrugged the bodyguards off and went forward.“Do you believe me now, Mom? My words are true. You haven’t had time to investigate because you’ve been taking care of Dad at the hospital all this while. If you did some investigation, you’ll definitely find out the truth.”Belinda looked toward her and said coldly, “I know you and Hunter were tricked.”Celine was ecstatic.She knew that her adoptive mother was wise. Belinda definitely knew the truth.“So what? We can’t pretend like nothing happened between you and Hunter.”Celine’s hopes dimmed in an instant
Celine stopped crying after a while. She stood up and counted the money. It was precisely two thousand dollars.In the past, she would have scoffed at that amount of money.Fast forward to the present, two thousand dollars had become her accommodation and meal allowance for the month.Celine was in an even worse state than Carrie, who was in Wiltspoon.Even if Carrie did not have Mr. Longbottom’s aid, she still had a brother giving her some living expenses monthly. She would never go hungry.On the other hand, Celine had no one to rely on.However, she refused to leave Jensburg just like that.She wanted revenge against her sisters-in-law.The three Fisher brothers had taken after Hunter’s flirtatiousness and took a fancy to have affairs.Celine knew their preferences and personalities well. More importantly, they still loved her. They would definitely grovel at her feet once she tried seducing them.She would make them enamored with her to make their wives angry.She was no
Caroline suddenly turned to look at Darren. She whispered to him, “Do you have someone you like, Mr. Fletcher?”Belinda had assigned Darren to be with Caroline earlier than scheduled and told her she could trust Darren forever and that he would never betray her.Even if she were to fail to become the next matriarch, Darren’s allegiance would never change.After testing him several times, Caroline finally chose to trust Darren.Darren was an all-rounder, as expected of an assistant trained to serve the matriarch or heir of the Fishers.He was competent.Caroline thought, ‘Although the Fisher family has been getting weaker, the training base that their predecessors built is remarkable. I wonder how the person in charge of the base manages to find so many talented children to train them into capable assistants.’The assistants even had beauty, brains, and brawn.Although Darren could not compare to the young men of York, he was relatively handsome.Caroline had been back with the
Caroline was clueless about Darren’s feelings for her. There was no need for her to know unless she revealed that she had fallen in love with him first. Only then would he expose a trickle of his love to show her that he felt the same. The education Darren had received since he was young had made him unable to express his feelings. Therefore, he simply cared for Caroline secretly. If she were to marry another man, he would sincerely wish for her happiness and remain by her side as a competent and trustworthy assistant. When Caroline bore a child, he could even help take care of the child. In this life, Darren belonged to Caroline; never leaving her until his time in the world was up. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”Caroline guessed it would be Adrian. She did not open the door for him but let him enter the ward himself. Indeed, it was Adrian. He had a bouquet and fruit basket in his hands. When he spotted Caroline and Darren in the guest area
Hunter looked toward Caroline and said, “Since Adrian is here, you can go home, Carol. Your mom hasn’t been in a good mood lately. She isn’t going to the office or managing family matters. You must be tired. Go get some rest.”Adrian added, “That’s right, Carol. I’ll stay here with Dad. You can go home.”Caroline did not want to linger there any longer either. She was not close to Hunter in the first place.She would not even spare him a glance if they were not true father and daughter.“I’ll head back then. Call me if you need any help, Adrian.”“Okay. Drive carefully,” said Adrian.He saw Caroline and Darren out.After they left, Adrian returned and told Hunter, “Caroline and Mr. Fletcher have left, Dad.”Hunter replied, “Take a look outside again two minutes later. We’ll talk again after confirming that they’ve left.”Adrian knew that Hunter wanted to ask about Celine. He agreed.A few minutes later, Adrian took a stroll outside the ward. He only returned to the ward aft
Liberty and Hayden did not go upstairs, but Kevin did. He would surely tell them about everything that happened upstairs.Hunter said, “Liberty is a descendant of your eldest aunt. She came here for the position of matriarch. She’ll definitely expose the incident to embarrass us. That’ll eliminate one of her competitors as well.“Cece may not be my biological daughter, but she grew up in our family. We didn’t even know she wasn’t our daughter until two years ago. With over twenty years of love bond, your mom might still let her inherit the position.”“But… I think Cece doesn’t stand a chance now.”Adrian added, “Do you think my brothers and I have a chance, Dad? Ever since our affairs were exposed, Mom has been prioritizing Caroline. With Mr. Fletcher’s help, Caroline’s position is now stable. On the contrary, we’re gradually becoming insignificant to the company.“Caroline isn’t close to us. She has never treated me as her brother. I admit that I’ve never accepted her as my siste
“Dad, what if Cece refuses to leave?”Adrian knew very well what Celine was like, having been siblings for close to thirty years now.He did not think she would leave. She still hoped that Belinda would forgive her.Besides, now that she had no source of income, how would she survive if they made her leave Jensburg?Yes, Celine could get a job of her own to support herself, but she was used to being pampered and had developed an arrogant personality. It was very hard for her to humble herself to work for someone else.Hunter was silent for a moment before he said, “Do your best to persuade her to leave and not to stay in Jensburg.” “Alright. I’ll have someone look for her. Once she’s found, I’ll discreetly pass her some money, and get her to leave.“Dad, you should get some sleep. I’m feeling sleepy too, so I’ll take a nap here,” Adrian said.“Alright. You can nap on the sofa outside.”Hunter felt sorry for his son. When he heard his son was sleepy and saw that he indeed look
Carrie smiled and nodded. “Yes, we’re quite close and my in-laws are busy with work, and so is my husband. I’m the only one who has free time on my hands, so naturally, the responsibility for her care has fallen to me. She’s really clingy and is closer to me than to my mother-in-law.”“That’s why I have to drop her off and pick her up every day. She refuses to let the driver or the nanny do it.”Carrie realized she was getting better at making things up.Besides, all she needed to do was turn up here and occasionally bump into Serenity. It was not like she needed to actually pick up a kid and leave with one.Serenity said, “Kids are like that. She’ll feel closer to whoever’s there for her all the time. My nephew’s really close to me too. He doesn’t even make a fuss crying for his mother whenever she goes on business trips.”“Right? My sister-in-law’s the same.”Carrie very patiently discussed the difficulties of raising a kid with Serenity. Serenity had been helping Liberty to
“I just need your confirmation, Nana. Just one word. Is Imogen the Chameleon Fox?”“You should ask her. I’m not Imogen.”“Nana.”Dylan almost kneeled. “I regret my decision, Nana, okay? Can you tell me?”Grandma May poked his forehead. She said, “There’s nothing you can do to reverse time.“I might’ve been too bossy, Dylan. I chose you and your brothers’ wives without getting permission and forced you all to pursue them. I was in the wrong, not you.”Although she did it for the sake of her grandsons, it was considered overstepping. “Don’t say that, Nana. My brothers and I are willing to accept the choices you made for us. We’re blessed to have you to choose our future partners. Our parents are delighted as well.”His parents and uncles were glad and relaxed that they did not have to worry about the boys’ marriages. Grandma May had a good eye for people. The girls she chose were definitely outstanding. “Since you’re willing to accept my choice, why didn’t you do as I said
“I wasn’t this old when I chose Callum’s and Kevin’s wives. I still had energy, so I spent lots of time investigating the girls’ backgrounds. When it came to you, Peter, and Austin, I didn’t spend as much effort on background checks because I didn’t have the energy.“If Imogen is Silver’s student, it’ll only be more difficult to investigate her. It’s ‘the’ Silver we’re talking about. He’s in charge of the intelligence in the Imperial Force. He has the largest information network. Investigating his student is basically having a death wish.“Although he has retired, he has many successors. All of them have even surpassed him.“I’m bold, but I’m not gutsy enough to offend just anyone. How could I possibly offend the Imperial Force when I know just how formidable they are?“Now, we’re on good terms with the Imperial Force thanks to Zachary and Serenity’s close relationship with the Johnsons. Mr. Patrick is also the assistant of Serenity’s maternal grandmother. Those two connections gra
Dylan supported Grandma May as they walked back. He consoled her, “You have to look at it from another perspective, Nana. It’s only one day in the entire year that you’re unhappy, while you’re generally happy in the rest. Although you don’t have daughters or granddaughters, your sons and grandsons have married other families’ lovely daughters. “Don’t you feel great that other families’ daughters are accompanying you and treating you well?”Grandma May burst out laughing. “Now that you mention it, I do feel great. Your maternal grandmother must be the one who’s upset.”“Of course. Many people are envious of you, Nana.“For having such filial grandsons. The nine of us have never embarrassed you.”Grandma May smiled and said, “I feel like your lips are coated with honey, Dylan. Look at those sweet words coming out of them.”“I’m usually like this.”“Your words aren’t this sweet usually. Come. What do you want to tell me?”Grandma May knew everything, yet she pretended to be cluel
Since Serenity was also an owner of the villa, she assigned rooms to Hayden and Camryn before returning to the master bedroom. She kept feeling that something was missing as Zachary was not around.Carrying the baby bump around was tiring.Although Serenity was used to having Zachary by her side, she fell asleep quickly as she was exhausted. The night passed peacefully. New Year’s Eve had arrived. It was a busy day. After a family dinner in the evening, people who were close acquaintances of the Yorks went to Wildridge Manor to watch the fireworks. The atmosphere was lively. However, fun times would always go by quickly. Soon, it was the second day of the new year. It was the day when the York family’s daughters-in-law would visit their families. The fact that their families resided in Wiltspoon made the trip convenient. Zachary, Serenity, Liberty, and Duncan went to the Stones’ residence. Since Audrey was Serenity and Liberty’s aunt, they would visit the Stone
While Grandma May and her granddaughters-in-law had settled down, Zachary and his two brothers were still waiting for their wives. As the sky was getting darker, Zachary could not help but give Serenity a call. “Why are you and Nana not back yet, Seren?”“We won’t be going back tonight, babe. Nana said we’ll return after breakfast tomorrow. We’re staying in your villa in the high-end neighborhood now.”Zachary replied, “I already had a bad feeling when Nana brought you guys out.”As expected, Nana had “kidnapped” their wives.Serenity laughed. “Go to bed early. We’re singing now. Hayden is a pretty good singer.”“You should rest earlier. Don’t stay up too late. You’re still pregnant.”Zachary reminded her.“Mm. I will. I’ll hang up now. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”“Okay. Sonny came over this evening and asked where you were. I said you went shopping, and he said why you didn’t wait till he came and if you didn’t miss him.”Serenity smiled. “He called me afterward and told
Grandma May brought her daughters-in-law to Zachary's villa. The butler did not go home to celebrate the new year. Instead, he had brought his family over upon obtaining Zachary’s permission. Sam was a disciplined person. Although he had brought his family over, he would still watch over the house properly and not let his family enter the main house.He was Zachary’s butler and had his own quarters. He did not live in the main house. Sam was surprised to see Grandma May and her granddaughters-in-law coming over late at night.“Have you all come by yourself, missus?”Sam opened the gates for them and asked Serenity, who had lowered her window. He was worried that Mr. York might have made Mrs. York angry and that she had come over to escape him. It would be New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Logically speaking, Serenity should have been at Wildridge Manor. However, upon seeing Grandma May, Camryn, and the rest, Sam finally figured it out. Grandma May must have been feeling mischievo
“Dylan didn’t really disobey you, Nana. It’s simply because his partner is Imogen.“If it weren’t for Zachary telling me, I wouldn’t have thought Imogen would have that many identities. She hid all of them well. Dylan couldn’t find a thing even after investigating it for a long time.”Serenity smiled and added, “As expected of Silver’s best student. She’s definitely different.”Grandma May was being extremely nice to Dylan.She had chosen Silver’s student for him. The legendary masters and their students were the true big bosses. Any one of them could rival Julian. “Dylan was trapped by his dream. He couldn’t escape it.”Grandma May sighed. “I don’t know what happened. He never met Sugar before. I can’t believe he dreamt of her before I gave him a picture of her. He even had the same dream several times.“Maybe they were just fated to be together.”Camryn smiled. “It must be fate. Maybe they were husband and wife in their past lives.”“You’re amazing, Nana. How did you know
Once Dylan arrived home, he went looking for his nana first. Grandma May was not in the manor. She was in one of the houses at the foot of the hill. Dylan did not search the houses one by one. He simply gave her a call. Grandma May picked up the call after some time. “You’re back, Dylan? I thought you weren’t planning to come back.”She chuckled. “How are things going? Have you found your little fox? Your elder brothers have already succeeded in getting their women. The three of you are the only ones left.“Peter is quicker than you. He said he could bring his fiancée back in a few months. Austin is probably doing better than you too. They aren’t you.”“When are you coming back, Nana? I have something to tell you.”Dylan requested Grandma May politely as he did not want other people to be present.Grandma May could roughly guess what Dylan wanted to do. She said, “I’m not in the manor. I’m out shopping with Serenity and won’t be back so soon. If you have something to say,
“The wind is strong, Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Please return home. We’ll be heading back as well.”After Liberty took everything her ex-in-laws had prepared for Sonny, she said goodbye to them, and under their gazes, she walked toward Duncan and Sonny, who were waiting for her.Sonny had already gotten off Duncan’s shoulders.Duncan had also returned to his wheelchair and held Sonny in his arms. They waited for Liberty to return. When Duncan saw the bags in Liberty’s hand, he told Sonny, “Help Mom hold some of the stuff, Sonny.”“Okay.”Sonny slid down and went to grab his luggage. He could pull the luggage along since it had wheels.Liberty let him.On the other hand, Duncan took some bags from Liberty’s hands and placed them on his thighs. He said, “Why are there so many things? I remember there wasn’t this much when we sent Sonny over.”“Dad bought me new clothes and toys. I really can’t take all the toys, so some of them were left in Dad’s house. I can play with them the next t