John even picked up the scattered basket and fruits that were tossed out by Elisa. A fruit basket cost a couple of hundred bucks. The Hunts would rather eat the fruits than give them to Serenity. As if Serenity cared. It was not like she never ate fruits before. John took a ride in Mike’s car to get to Serenity’s shop. He got into the car and called his boss, Mr. Ziegel, right away. John wanted to explain to Mr. Ziegel about the earlier incident.Unfortunately, Mr. Ziegel had already received notice from the headquarters. Before John could finish talking, Mr. Ziegel expressed his regret. “John, the dispute between you and your cousins is simple and easily resolvable. You could’ve apologized with earnestness and issued a public apology online. Not only will your cousins forgive you, but the online community will also let the thing go since you’re willing to admit fault and change for the better. “But what did you do? You’ve been on suspension for a while, but you couldn’t eve
John was without a word. As mentioned by Serenity, the Hunts would never have yielded unless the matter was so bad that it hurt their financial interest. They had not given in completely either. The Hunt often got on Serenity’s nerves every time they went to her shop. It was like Mr. Ziegel said; they complicated a simple thing and were nowhere near resolving the issue. “How did Serenity come to know Ms. Stone? What love guru was she talking about?” John pursed his lips and replied, “Ms. Stone is crazy for Mr. York. I guess Serenity is teaching her how to woo Mr. York. Serenity will get it once Mr. York finds out she had been giving ideas to Ms. Stone.” “I mean how did they know each other? By right, Serenity wouldn’t cross paths with an heiress like Ms. Stone.” Mike was envious that Serenity rubbed shoulders with Ms. Stone and got Ms. Stone to have her back. Elisa might not be working at Stone Group, but she was still the heiress of the Stones. This title carried weight.
“Ms. Stone, Serenity, carry on with your talk. I’m taking Sonny to the supermarket to get some vegetables.” There was still a lot of seafood given by Elisa in the fridge. They could enjoy a seafood menu today, but some greens were needed to complement the seafood galore. Jasmine carried Sonny and took off. While being carried away, Sonny would turn back and stare back at Elisa. Elisa remarked with a smile, “Serenity, you have an adorable nephew.” “He’s a cheeky monkey.” “Kids nowadays can be rascals. I’m getting your nephew a toy when I drop by next time.” “It’s fine, Ms. Stone. Sonny has a lot of toys. My husband bought loads for him.” Elisa said, “You get yours, and I’ll get mine. I adore the little man. I want to buy him lots and lots of toys. If he was my nephew, I would buy him the moon assuming that I can.” Serenity could testify that Elisa would spoil a child rotten. With Jasmine and Sonny away, Serenity went into the kitchen to prepare the seafood. She asked
“I’ll leave you to your work then.” Grandma May did not take up too much of her grandson’s time.After the phone call, Zachary put his phone on the desk and leaned back against his black swivel chair while resting his right elbow against the arm of the chair for his hand to brush his chin. His chin felt prickly. It was time to shave. Elisa and his wife were getting on well. Should he figure out a way to wreck their relationship? The girls would become best friends at this rate. Elisa was bound to find out that Serenity was her love rival when Zachary spilled the beans to Serenity about his identity. Rage would drive Elisa to take it out on Serenity since the former would not be able to let it go. With Zachary around, he would not allow Elisa to harm Serenity. Zachary contemplated for a while before giving up on that thought. He was not someone who could not protect his wife. Why should he be scared of Elisa? The girls should bond as they liked. It would only do Serenit
“Your husband's going to reject you for being fat and ugly. You’ll have something to cry about when he finds a young and beautiful woman.” The words hit Liberty hard. She was in a hurry to find a job because her husband had found her repulsive and cheated on her. That was why Liberty lowered her standards and applied for a clerical position, so she would have the chance to win custody of her son. It never occurred to Liberty that she would face rejection and humiliation here. “Call me a fat cow one more time!” The interviewer walked around the table, shoved Liberty and chanted, “Fat cow! Fat cow! I won't stop. So get out, fat cow!” For once, Liberty’s larger frame was to her advantage. She planted her feet on the ground. The interviewer had a hard time pushing her out of the door. “Apologize! I’m not leaving until you apologize.” Livid, the interviewer turned back to her desk and picked up her phone and called security. Two guards soon arrived. Men naturally had more st
“This is your company?” Liberty had no doubts that this was Duncan’s company after pulling herself out of the shock. The company’s name was Lewis & Co. after all. Zachary mentioned that Mr. Lewis was an important client of his company. It never crossed Liberty’s mind that Duncan was the CEO of Lewis & Co. Liberty was still in the working scene when Lewis & Co. was on the rise, so she knew what the company was made of. However, she had never connected the dots between Duncan and the CEO of Lewis & Co. “Mr. Lewis, I don’t want to make a scene. I came for the interview, but your interviewer said the way I carry myself doesn’t befit the company’s image. I asked for the reason, and she told me I'm overweight and proceeded to shame me. I was furious and put her down for that. She then called me a fat cow and told me to get lost. “Lewis & Co. is one of the biggest companies here in Wiltspoon. I always thought the employees of your company would have class. I’m surprised to find othe
Duncan’s words drained the color off Ms. Chaplin’s face.Without the guts to defend herself, Ms. Chaplin responded, “I’m sorry, sir. I won’t do it again.” She then approached Liberty and said apologetically, “Ms. Hunt, I’m sorry for judging you by your appearance and insulting you. Please forgive me.” Now that Liberty had cooled down, she replied embarrassedly, “I was at fault too, Ms. Chaplin. I should’ve watched my tone. Please forgive me for making you mad.” After the pair exchanged apologies, Ms. Chaplin asked when Liberty could start work. With a job secured, Liberty was overjoyed. She was grinning from ear to ear when she said, “I can start work anytime.” “Come tomorrow then.” “Alright. Thank you, Ms. Chaplin. Thank you, Mr. Lewis.” Liberty expressed her gratitude and happily walked out with her resume. “Liberty,” Duncan called out to her. Liberty stopped and turned around to face him with a smile. “Do you need anything, Mr. Lewis?” “You start tomorrow, right
Once Duncan and Liberty were gone, everybody around started to speculate how their CEO might have met Liberty. It appeared their CEO was watching out for Liberty. “Could she be the CEO’s relative?” “No, I don’t think so. Didn’t you hear the woman addressing the CEO as Mr. Lewis? They must've met before, but I guess they’re not very close.” “Do you think our CEO has a crush on her? He’s thirty-five this year, but he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”Duncan was a young and promising CEO, but the scar on his face together with his towering and muscular build and penetrating eyes gave the impression that he was with the mafia. That was the reason he did not have a girlfriend despite being in his mid-thirties. Everybody turned their attention to the person who pointed that out. Ms. Chaplin smacked the back of the person’s head and replied, “What’s in that head of yours? I can’t believe you’d think that. As a woman, I’m disgusted by her looks. I’m sure you men feel the same.“All Mr.
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing