Serenity doused their enthusiasm. She said, “Zachary told me Kevin and Hayden are going on a trip. They’ll only be back half a month later.“You can still go to Jensburg for fun. However, it might not be appropriate to discuss Kevin and Hayden’s marriage without them around.”Grandma May and the others were speechless. “I guess we’ll go over after they return then. When that time comes, we can also get to know Mr. and Mrs. Queen better.”Serenity smiled. “Aren’t you close enough to them, Nana?”“We’ve talked often over the phone, but rarely in person.”Serenity understood. The two families’ elders did keep in contact through phone calls and only met each other a few times. The main reason was the distance between their cities. “Food is ready.”Zachary came out of the kitchen and called everyone. When Grandma May was home, the guys would cook, whereas the ladies would sit and chat while waiting for the food. Grandma May, who never had a daughter of her own, treated her
“It’s so cold here, Aunt Ser. The wind is strong too. I almost got blown away when I got out of the airplane.”Sonny spoke with an exaggerated tone. “You should put on more clothes. Don’t get blown away by the wind. I don’t know where to find you if you do.”Sonny giggled. “I lied, Aunt Ser. The wind is strong, but it can’t blow me away. I’m all grown up.“But it’s really cold. Mom said it’ll snow, but it hasn’t yet.”Jensburg was indeed much colder than Wiltspoon. Serenity was relieved that she had stuffed a few more thicker clothes into Sonny’s luggage. “Dunc and I are in Mom’s new car. The heater is on, so it doesn’t feel as cold now. It even feels warm because Dunc is hugging me.”“Mm. Remember to wear another jacket when you leave the car. I put some thick clothes into your luggage.“Tell your mom to drive slowly because the weather is cold.”“Mom isn’t driving. Jim is.” Sonny was close to Jim, who had been assigned to follow Liberty to Jensburg. When Sonny saw him,
Meanwhile at the Longbottom Villa, which was named as such since Carrie had been staying there under the guise of Mrs. Longbottom. Carrie wandered around and only returned when night fell. When the car entered the property, she saw the villa’s lights were turned on. Carrie knew Mr. Longbottom had come. She was a little nervous and scared. She no longer harbored any expectations for him. At first, she wanted to replace the real Mrs. Longbottom and make Mr. Longbottom obedient to her. However, ever since he almost strangled her to death and looked at her with that hostile gaze, she was scared out of her wits. Carrie knew that if she did not complete the task Mr. Longbottom had assigned her, he would really kill her. If she offended him or thought of betraying him, she would not gain any benefits either. Mr. Longbottom was extremely generous. He would give her nice clothes and countless pieces of jewelry. Even the money he gave her was always more than what they had ag
Mr. Longbottom was sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of alcohol. He looked relaxed, sipping his drink from time to time. He did not look toward Carrie when he heard the sound of footsteps. She walked over and put down her bag. Then, she went to his side and said sweetly, “Mr. Longbottom.”When he finally spared her a glance, it was so hostile that Carrie was startled. Did she do something wrong?“Have you eaten, Mr. Longbottom?”She dared not talk in a cute voice. Instead, she looked at him cautiously. Mr. Longbottom returned a faint hum. He leaned back and said, “You’ll need the invitation on the table for the banquet you’re attending tomorrow.“I bought you a few evening gowns and sets of jewelry. They’re all there. You can wear whichever you prefer.”Mr. Longbottom looked toward a single-seated sofa. Following his gaze, Carrie noticed a few intricate bags and velvet boxes placed on that sofa. She took the invitation card and opened it. Then, she moved over to
After thinking about it, Carrie said, “You’re right. Camryn already heard my voice. I’ll definitely meet her again. She’ll find me suspicious if she notices a change in my voice.“She’s suspecting me now, right? But how did Serenity notice?“I only met her a few times.”Mr. Longbottom glanced at her and said, “She has a good memory.”Carrie went silent. Camryn had a good memory too. That was what she had relied on to survive ten years of blindness. “Your blind sister…”“She’s not blind anymore, Mr. Longbottom. She already regained her sight. Callum hired some legendary doctor’s student to heal her.”She added angrily, “Why is she so lucky?”When Callum started getting closer to Camryn, she was still blind. Yet, he never thought of giving up because of that. Amy and Brenda even went to Wildridge Manor to meet Rosella. They said Camryn was not good enough for Callum because she was blind. Rosella returned an aggressive remark. She said a missus of the Yorks did not have
Mr. Longbottom would not be able to inherit the Longbottom family’s wealth either. He could only be the acting head and manage the family, even if he was competent. When Laurence became an adult and returned with the family head’s seal and totem, Mr. Longbottom would be forced to hand over his position to Laurence. The Longbottom’s forces and connection would only be loyal to Laurence as well. Therefore, Mr. Longbottom had to get the seal and totem and kill Laurence before he turned older. That way, he could become the head of the family and command everyone. However, his trail of intel went cold just as he suspected Laurence was Jane’s adopted son. He could not obtain any information on Laurence anymore. It was as if FC Manor was a fortress. While Mr. Longbottom could penetrate their defenses, he did not want to offend the Johnsons and a powerful international secret organization backing them, the Imperial Force. Longbottoms were strong, but Mr. Longbottom was not its
“I’ll take note of everything you mentioned, Mr. Longbottom.”Carrie knew that Camryn would be wary ever since she saw her. Even if Serenity could not find any clues, Camryn would. They were biological sisters, after all. Camryn knew Carrie well, but the opposite was not true. That was why Camryn was able to trample over Carrie. Carrie feared that Trenton would not help her. She did not know what her younger brother was thinking. Trenton would not take her side. Meanwhile, Amy and Brenda had left Wiltspoon with her cousins. She was clueless as to where they went. Carrie had no one to rely on. That was also why Mr. Longbottom chose her to become his pawn. She even became his mistress. Mr. Longbottom took two pieces of paper from a drawer and handed them to Carrie. He said, “Read these and memorize everything on them. That way, nothing will go wrong during the banquet tomorrow night. You won’t make anyone suspect you.”Carrie accepted the papers. There were unfamiliar n
Having tasted poverty, Carrie had learned to always have a backup plan.She started saving the money Mr. Longbottom gave her.Even if they were to go separate ways in the future, she would have some savings instead of relying on Trenton to give her a few thousand dollars as allowance every month.“Mr. Longbottom, does the host of the banquet know who I am?”“They don’t know your true identity. I’ve arranged for a wife from a wealthy family in Wiltspoon to take you there. Remember, you’re Mrs. Longbottom, not Ms. Carrie Newman. Your husband’s family keeps a low profile, and you don’t know any of them.“If you meet someone you know, you must pretend to be a stranger.”Carrie nodded.Mr. Longbottom released her chin.“Follow me upstairs.”Carrie was momentarily stunned.She knew what he wanted to do, yet she had no way of resisting it or daring to do so. Therefore, she had no choice but to follow him upstairs.…Meanwhile, at Fortress Hotel in Jensburg, Liberty pushed Duncan o
Imogen did not know that Dylan had woken up. She was still on the phone with Maria outside.Maria felt reassured when Imogen mentioned that the person she liked was a member of the richest family in Wiltspoon. All was good as long as he was not a social climber. Imogen asked, “Maria, when are you coming back? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Kade will be back soon. Are you really not coming back?“Maria, Kade and I are like siblings. Please don’t misunderstand or overthink it. Actually, you should know this—the person Kade likes is you. You two are the real childhood sweethearts, you grew up together.”Imogen and her mother’s godchildren had known each other since they were young, but the three of them had not actually spent much time together as she had always stayed with her master while she learned the trade, only returning home during the summer and winter holidays.Once the holidays ended, she would leave again. Even her formal education was completed in th
There were so many other possible choices. Why were they so fixated on him?Leticia sighed. “Alright, just pretend I never said that. You youngsters will decide for yourselves anyway, we don’t have a say in it. Remember to fetch Kade from the airport on Saturday.“I’ve already told him and he knows you’re supposed to be picking him up. And remember to get some flowers too. You two haven’t met in ages and you should give flowers at a reunion.” She reminded Imogen.“Mom, I can pick him up, fine, but I’m not giving him flowers. Who said you’re supposed to give flowers at a reunion?” Imogen refused to give Kade flowers when fetching him from the airport. “Oh, Mom, I gotta go. Bye!”Imogen quickly hung up, not allowing her mother the chance to speak further. Then, after a moment of thought, she texted Kade to ask when he was expected to arrive at Huntington Airport.It took a while before Kade replied that he would arrive around eleven in the morning on Saturday.Imogen replied wi
“I know you only view Kade as a brother, but who knows, if you nurture the relationship, those feelings might turn romantic? Jen, before you agree to be with Dylan, give yourself another option.“Make Dylan nervous. He’ll get jealous. He was jealous when he overheard our conversation that day.“You need to make him realize that even without him, you can still marry well. The Butchers like you a lot, and our families have a close relationship. You and Kade have known each other since you were young, so you guys could be considered childhood sweethearts.”Imogen said weakly, “Mom, I’m worried that if I get too close to Kade, not only will Dylan misunderstand, but even Maria might misunderstand. Kade and she are a thing, after all.“I really don’t understand what’s going on with Kade. He and Maria clearly have feelings for each other, they just haven’t made it official yet. Don’t their families see this?”She did not have any romantic feelings for Kade, but both families were trying
Although Leticia was angry over how Dylan had treated her daughter previously, at least he was not two-timing. He made things clear to Imogen right after realizing his feelings and stopped her from loving him. He still had a decent character.Besides, Imogen had also kept secrets from Dylan and she tricked him. Dylan still did not have sufficient evidence to prove that Imogen was the Chameleon Fox he loved. Dylan would start pursuing Imogen again after some time. Leticia heard that it was Serenity who had given Dylan a hint that Sugar was Fox. After that, Dylan sought confirmation from Old Mrs. York but only received a vague answer. However, he decided to continue pursuing Imogen because he believed his nana would not bring him harm.After going in circles, Dylan still ended up returning to Imogen.Actually, Leticia already viewed him as her son-in-law.Since Imogen’s happiness was on the line, she was concerned about her future son-in-law’s condition.“Dylan’s hospitalized.”
“Please look after Dylan, Imogen. Message me when he gets better. I just need to know that he’s alive.”Grandma May knew Dylan would be okay with Imogen by his side.Imogen quickly said, “Don’t hang up yet, Grandma May. Where are you now? Wiltspoon?“If it’s convenient, please get his parents to come and take care of Dylan. I’m busy with work. I can’t stay in the hospital to look after him.”Grandma May replied, “His dad is home, but he doesn’t know how to take care of others. I think Dylan will meet his death quicker under his dad’s care.“My daughters-in-law and I are at the Johnson family’s place in Annenburg. We won’t be back that soon because we just came not long ago. We’ll head back closer to Seren’s due date. That’s why we don’t have time to look after Dylan.“If you’re busy, you can return to work once Dylan’s fever breaks, Imogen. You don’t have to care about him. He can take care of himself. It’s just like a bad cold. He’ll be fine once his fever subsides.”Grandma Ma
Imogen should have gone to stop Dylan earlier than she had. Since Layla was helping Imogen to get revenge, Imogen thought she would let Dylan put on a show to display his sincerity. She could only stop Dylan once Layla was satisfied.After handling the hospitalization procedures, Dylan lay on the bed and received an IV drip. Meanwhile, Imogen brought him water and told him to take his medicine.“Take this medicine for your fever. Your face is red from the heat.”Dylan’s temperature was close to 103 degrees Fahrenheit when they measured it at the hospital. He would cough constantly, and his face was flushed red from the fever. He looked tired and weak as well. Dylan sat up and accepted the glass of water. Imogen handed him the right dosage of medicine according to the doctor’s prescription.“Make sure you’re hydrated.”Imogen refilled his glass and told him to drink more water.“I don’t want to drink water.”Dylan lay back down.Perhaps because he was on an IV drip, his
Dalton said, “Callum spoils you a lot too. Many people are envious of you two.”Camryn smiled. “You’re right. Our lives are objects of envy to other people.“You can head back to work, Dalton.”“Okay.”Camryn saw Dalton out. She sat for a few minutes before returning to her desk to continue working.Meanwhile, in Huntington, Dylan was coughing badly. He quickly grabbed the glass of water Imogen had just offered him and took a few sips. After moistening his throat, he stopped coughing. However, he started coughing again after a few minutes. Imogen said, “Why is your cough getting worse after seeing the doctor and taking medicine?”“Ah…”Dylan pointed at his throat. He could not speak. His throat was badly inflamed from eating excessive chili peppers. His voice was so hoarse that he could not talk, and he was hacking non-stop. Imogen had already brought him to a doctor, who had prescribed some medication for him. However, his condition was so bad that the medication was no
“Did you think of your mother again?”Dalton said gently, “It wasn’t your fault, Camryn. You don’t have to overthink it or care about how she treated you. You have loving in-laws now. You’re like a daughter to them.“Your husband dotes on you a lot too. I believe there’ll be better days ahead of you. As for your mother… Let her regret what she did.”He had never seen a mother like Mrs. Newman. There were many biased mothers, but not many of them were as evil as Mrs. Newman.“She does feel regret. However, it isn’t because she had hurt me, but because she gave birth to me. She regretted not getting an abortion or strangling me to death after giving birth to me.“She said I was the bane of her existence. She had gone to a psychic when she was pregnant with me. The psychic said I was an unlucky child who would bring bad luck to my parents and that if she didn’t kill me after I was born, I would become her downfall.“My mom was just finding excuses for herself. How would I be her d
“It’s getting better. Don’t worry, Dal. Dr. Carden will be here to check on me after some time and adjust my prescription. She said I’d be able to get pregnant after two years.“Dr. Carden is the legendary doctor’s best student. I trust her skills. She was the one who helped me to regain my sight.”Camryn reassured Dalton. “You just have to take good care of Melissa and tell her not to worry about me. I believe the heavens won’t take away my right to be a mother.”If Dr. Carden said she was infertile, then it would be impossible to get pregnant. However, Dr. Carden had guaranteed that Camryn could give birth after two years of recuperation. Therefore, Camryn was at ease.“Even if I can’t get pregnant, Callum won’t divorce me. He said we could adopt if it didn’t work out.“He and his family didn’t give up on me when I was blind. I believe my in-laws won’t abandon me just because I can’t get pregnant, Dalton. Besides, I’m not actually infertile.”Camryn knew Dalton and Melissa we