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
Duncan said, “For you, I’ll keep going. I’m only handling important business now.“My brothers help me too. They won’t let me get exhausted.”Duncan added, “If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve given up on myself and on recovering. I wouldn’t have been able to stand up for the rest of my life.”“Silly.”“I’m not silly. I just love you and Sonny a lot. Many people keep asking how I got attracted to you when you were a divorced woman who didn’t even look that pretty back then.”Duncan smiled. “Honestly, I don’t know either. I just fell in love with you. I don’t need to find out why.“Maybe your striving to be a better self and transformation brought me to you.“I like Sonny too. I didn’t really like kids because they’re noisy, but I adored Sonny since the first time I saw him.”Liberty grinned. “I know I got lucky because of my son.”Duncan cared about Liberty more because she was Sonny’s mom, and he liked Sonny. They gradually developed feelings for each other after int
“I’ll just buy one toy, Mom. Deal?”Sonny was trying to negotiate. “No. It’ll just add to the pile at home. You don’t even clean up after playing sometimes. I’m the one who has to put everything back.”Sonny quickly said, “I’ll clean up, Mom. I promise I’ll do it from now onward.”He did pack his toys most of the time. There were only a few times when he did not. “Didn’t you bring some toys with you?”Liberty would not agree to Sonny buying toys that easily. More importantly, he already had too many toys. Sonny pouted and said, “I want new ones. I can bring them back and give them to my little brother, Mom.”“Your little brother can’t play with those toys yet.”“Can I get alphabet tracing books, then?”Sonny settled for less. The toy store sold a large variety of books and stationery. Sonny had looked around the store before running back to his mother. Jim said he would buy anything Sonny liked. However, Sonny did not dare to accept Jim’s offer. He needed to ge
Liberty flicked Sonny’s forehead. “What are you talking about?”Sonny rubbed the spot she flicked and told Duncan, “It hurts, Dunc. Can you blow on it for me?”Duncan immediately blew the spot and soothed it with his hand. He said, “You shouldn’t flick Sonny’s forehead so often, Liberty. His intelligence might be affected.”“How can he possibly become stupid from a flick? If he does, maybe it’s because he isn’t a bright kid from the start.”“I’m smart. I’m not stupid.”Sonny made a face at his mother and quickly hid himself in Duncan’s embrace. Dunc would protect him. In the end, Duncan brought Sonny into the toy store. After entering the store, Sonny did not need Duncan to hold him anymore. He took a few books and returned to Liberty. He raised his head and asked, “I already chose my books, Mom. Can I buy toys now?”Despite Duncan saying he would buy the toys for him, Sonny still asked for Liberty’s permission. He would give up if she insisted on not letting him buy an
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc
“I’m not obliged to provide for you, Mr. Clark.”Darren would not give Hunter money. He also felt Hunter was trying to obtain some information through the call, not money. Hunter said furiously, “Aren’t you going to marry Caroline? You’ll be my son-in-law in the future. It’s like being half a son to me. Since you’re my son, you should look after your father. Quick. Give me the money.“Otherwise, I won’t let you marry my daughter.”Darren said without hesitation, “Ms. Caroline will decide for her marriage.“If we do get married, she’ll be the one in charge of the finances. I don’t have money.”“Fletcher! Are you a man? Can’t you revitalize the spirit of the Fisher family’s sons-in-law? You saw how I ended up like this. I didn’t have access to the finances and didn’t have money. I’ve been under strict control ever since I married into the family.“That was how I ended up in this miserable state. I’m telling you, the Fisher women are evil. It’s best if you don’t marry Caroline.
“Why would a husband have an affair if his wife could do well?”Ellie was exasperated. She ended the call without hesitation. “Old bastard. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. All your sons cheated on their wives because they have a perverted father like you.“I would’ve divorced Jason if it weren’t for my children being too young. Look at Emma now. She even received half of Adrian’s assets and doesn’t have to look after her children herself. How relaxed her life must be.”The wealth Belinda had left behind was sufficient to afford the children’s education. Ellie still had feelings for Jason. Otherwise, she would have gotten a divorce upon knowing he cheated on her. She would not have reconciled with him with just a little coaxing and advice from her family. Since Jason did not return home the entire night, Hunter guessed his sons’ plan had failed. As he had expected, Caroline was not an easy target. After all, she was Belinda’s biological daughter. Belind
Since the call ended abruptly, Adrian’s girlfriend, Irene, muttered, “Is Mr. Clark unsatisfied with me?”She was almost twenty years younger than Adrian. If he had not been rich and willing to spend his money on her, she would not have wanted to be his lover. Adrian promised to marry her after he was done fighting a legal battle against his sister and claiming his inheritance. He would make her the missus of the Clark family. As for the three children he had with his ex-wife, he had told Irene not to worry about them.Since his mother had left some money behind for her grandchildren, he did not have to pay child support. Irene knew Adrian used to be a young master of the Fishers and that Madam Fisher was extremely wealthy. She did not expect Belinda to be helping her son take care of his children even after her death. Considering Adrian would be able to receive a huge portion of inheritance in the future, Irene decided to be with him. If she did get married to him, and gave