“Why don’t we keep the baby, Mr. Longbottom? I’m still scared. I searched online just now, and it mentioned some people will have excessive bleeding or even die during abortion.”Carrie’s face turned pale. “I’m still young. I’m scared of death. I don’t want to die.”Mr. Longbottom flicked her forehead lightly and laughed. “Silly girl. The doctor’s still downstairs. She’s very skilled. She even saved a patient from amniotic fluid embolism during child delivery.“Nothing will happen to you with her around.“Everything has its risks, but only a very small probability of it. There’s no need to be scared. As I said, I won’t let you die because you’re still valuable to me.“Besides, you’re young and beautiful. I can’t bear seeing you die.”Mr. Longbottom pinched Carrie’s cheek. “You’ve taken contraceptives. It has side effects and will affect the baby. We can’t keep the baby. What if it is deformed or has brain damage? You’d be making the baby suffer its entire lifetime.“Let’s sa
The secretary did not say anything and left. As long as Mr. Fletcher was around, Caroline would not need her. He alone was equivalent to ten of her. Darren took off his jacket and was about to place it on Caroline’s shoulders. However, she stopped him and said, “I’m not cold.“Wear it yourself. It’s freezing at this hour. I’m not a child. I know I have to wear more clothes when it’s cold.“It wasn’t cold inside. It’s cold out here, and you aren’t wearing much.”Darren insisted on putting the jacket on Caroline, but she stopped him again. “There’s really no need, Mr. Fletcher. Wear it. Don’t catch a cold yourself.”Seeing that she refused his jacket, he had no choice but to wear it himself. Then, he escorted her back to his car. Suddenly, Caroline said, “Can you go on a walk with me, Mr. Fletcher? My head feels a little fuzzy now. I want to sober up by walking in the cold air.”Darren stopped. He looked toward her and said, “You’re too tired. You’ve been working from mo
Darren said gently, “I can go shopping with you tomorrow evening.”Caroline smiled. “You’ve been extremely busy lately, and you have more things to handle than I do. Since I rarely get a day off, you should rest too.“Just as you said, even the healthiest person won’t be able to handle working at such high intensity every day.”Darren was busier than Caroline. He had to know a lot of things. Whenever she asked him something, he needed to provide an answer and help her. As for some minor issues, he would also handle them by himself without needing her approval. That was why he was way busier than she was. “I’m fine. I’m used to it. The training I went through was harder than this, yet I’ve overcome it.”Since Caroline wanted to walk, Darren walked beside her along the path outside the hotel.He was focused on her all along. If she were to shiver, he would immediately take off his jacket and put it on her. However, Caroline did not feel cold at all. She worked indoors
That was because Hayden had been pretending to be a man for over two decades. Her personality was different from that of usual girls. Darren smiled with understanding. “I shall accompany you shopping then. I can even do the heavy lifting for free. You won’t get tired.”Caroline turned to him and smiled. “That sounds great, but I want to invite Liberty out tomorrow.“Her son is here. He’s pretty cute. I like him.“Since Liberty’s mom and I are cousins, and I’m Liberty’s aunt, her son is supposed to call me grandaunt. I can’t believe I’ve become a grandaunt before getting married myself.”Liberty was even older than her by a few years. Darren said, “Madam Fisher and Ms. Liberty’s grandmother are sisters, yet they have a huge age gap. That’s why you and Ms. Liberty also have an age gap.”Tiara had raised Belinda like a mother raising her daughter. “Since it’s a rare visit by Sonny, I should get him a present. What should I get him, Darren?”As they walked, Darren replied, “Kid
Darren said, “I’m afraid it might sully your ears, Ms. Caroline.”“Hearing anything she did would have the same effect. I guess I can build up some immunity by listening to more things related to her. I’ve even heard about her worst scandal anyway.”“It seems like she’s planning to seduce your three brothers.”Caroline said, “Is she trying to get revenge on my sisters-in-law?”Darren replied carefully, “I don’t know what she’s planning. She can’t possibly start a business in her state. Madam Fisher won’t allow it. She’ll never get a job. Madam Fisher probably won’t let her get a decent job either.“Celine won’t be satisfied leaving Jensburg this way. She holds too much hatred for you all. Therefore, she has no choice but to choose that path.”The corners of Caroline’s mouth twitched. She said, “If I were her, I would’ve left the Fisher family and Jensburg after discovering that I wasn’t Madam Fisher’s true daughter and that my dad had switched us at birth.“If she had chosen to
“Okay.”Caroline felt safe with Darren by her side. She fell asleep in no time. When Darren noticed her asleep, he carefully parked the car by the roadside. Then, he took off his jacket and covered her with it. Caroline was in a deep sleep due to exhaustion and was not aware that Darren had put his jacket over her. It was already two in the morning when they arrived at Fisher Manor.Darren stopped outside the entrance. Since he did not have the keys, he had to wake Caroline up. Caroline was still in a daze when she woke up. When she saw Darren, she asked, “Why are you in a dream, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren could not help but laugh. “I’m not in your dream, Ms. Caroline. You’re awake. I woke you up.”However, it seems like Caroline was not fully awake yet. Caroline blinked and sat straight. She instinctively grabbed the jacket on her that was slipping down. “No wonder I felt hot during my sleep. You didn’t have to cover me with a jacket. The heater is turned on.”Caroline w
Caroline poured herself a drink and sat on the sofa. She leaned back and savored her drink. The peace at that moment allowed her a brief moment of relaxation. However, she got all tense again the moment she heard the sound of footsteps upstairs. She remained in her seat and did not even look up. It was definitely her mother. Belinda came downstairs. She sat beside Caroline and asked, “Why are you back so late?”Looking at the exhaustion on Caroline’s face, she touched her daughter’s face and sighed. “I don’t know if this is a blessing or a mistake.”“I’m fine, Mom.”Caroline understood what Belinda meant. Belinda was doubting whether returning the girls to their respective families was good or bad for Caroline. Sometimes, Caroline thought of it as well. If she had not returned to the Fisher family, she would have had her own career and sufficient ability to free herself from her adoptive family’s abuse. She would have been living a carefree life instead of workin
Belinda did not reply to the question immediately. She said, “Adrian hasn’t come home for two days. Emma suspects that he’s having an affair again.”She paused and sighed. “It must be genetics. I may have good genes, but your dad’s genes overpowered mine. All your brothers have inherited his penchant for cheating.“Do you think I’ve made a mistake, Carol?”“I can’t accept betrayal. If my husband doesn’t love me anymore, he can ask for a divorce. However, he can’t cheat on me while we’re still married.”Caroline’s answer made Belinda smile. Her gaze was gentle. “So that’s why people say the Fisher family’s good genes are only passed down to daughters. I didn’t believe it before, but after having found you, I’m starting to be a believer. Your personality and style are very similar to mine.”Belinda used to think Celine’s personality and style were totally different from hers. After that, she discovered that the daughter she had placed high hopes on was actually the previous butler
The night passed peacefully.The next morning, Dylan woke up. He had been woken by the heat.The room was heated, and he had bundled himself up tightly before going to sleep. By midnight, he had started sweating, but he continued to sleep, so by morning, he was feeling too hot and woke up.“Imogen…” He instinctively called out her name.His voice was still hoarse, but it was much better than yesterday. When he received no answer, he remembered that Imogen had gone home last night. He was alone in the hospital.Late last night, his mother had called him, but only to laugh at him.Now, all alone, in a strange place, and sick, Dylan felt just a tiny bit homesick. It was much more comfortable at Wildridge Manor, after all. When all the York boys were home, it was lively and warm. There was his nana to fuss over him, and even though his parents liked to make jabs at him, they still cared deeply for him.It felt boring at home, but once he left, he realized how warm home really was.
Sasha chimed in, “Exactly. It’s fine to laugh in front of us, but you laughed so loudly on the call too. Dylan is hurt both physically and emotionally, and no one is comforting him.”Rosella responded, “But Imogen is there to take care of him. She’ll comfort him.”Sasha sighed. “It’s so late now. Imogen needs to go back and rest, doesn’t she? Dylan hasn’t even won her over yet, so how could Imogen stay the entire night in the hospital with him?”Grandma May laughed, “You ladies know it’s late too, so why aren’t you three going back to your rooms to rest? Fortunately, the rooms are big enough that we can all chat here without disturbing anyone.“Remember, we’re guests. We mustn’t disturb the rest of the Johnsons just because we’ve come.”The three sisters-in-law glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight.As the eldest sister-in-law, Tania led the way. She stood up and said to Grandma May, “Mom, we’ll head back to rest now. Tomorrow, let’s go out and walk around.”The scenery a
“Mom, I’m your real son!”“If you weren’t, I wouldn’t even bother with you and don’t even want to make this call.”Rosella added, “Alright, now that I know you’re fine, I can relax. Be good to Imogen, she’s a really good girl. I like her a lot. I hope you can get together this year.“Once you’re finally not single anymore, it should be about time for your younger brother to start dating too. Once all three of you are out of the bachelor’s club, all I have to do is wait for my first grandchild to be born.“I’ve saved up a lot of money for both your weddings, though honestly, I don’t think you’ll need it. You all are capable enough to make your own money to get married, so the money I saved for you can go toward my granddaughter instead.“I don’t even know if I’ll be fortunate enough to have a granddaughter.” Rosella sighed. “After seeing little Clo-clo, I finally understand why your nana is so fixated on her and wants to kidnap her. “That kid is so cute. She’s pretty, adorable,
Imogen had been really worried that Dylan’s reaction to the chili peppers would leave him suffering for several days.“Okay,” Dylan hoarsely replied.Imogen let him eat the porridge by himself. There was nothing else to go with it, but the porridge had a little bit of salt sprinkled in, giving it some flavor.Dylan was hungry, so he quickly finished the bowl of oatmeal porridge. “Do you want more? There’s another bowl’s worth in the thermos.”Dylan shook his head. It was late, and he did not want to eat too much, afraid of gaining weight and ruining his good physique. He still had not won over his future wife, so he had to take care of his figure and maintain his handsome and charming look.Once Dylan finished the IV fluids and took his medicine, Imogen finally left the hospital around ten o’clock. Having slept twice in the day, Dylan was not able to fall asleep again, and Imogen did not let him accompany her downstairs, so he stood by the window and watched her walk out of th
A few minutes later, Imogen took the thermometer from under Dylan’s arm and looked at it. She said to him, “It’s 100.4. Your fever hasn’t completely gone down yet, but compared to when you were admitted at 103.64, it’s come down quite a bit.“What time did you take your medicine? It should be time for your next dose.”Dylan shook his head, indicating that he did not remember when he had taken the medicine.Imogen thought for a moment and said, “I think it’s about time. Take your medicine first, then sleep for a while. I’ll have dinner brought over for you. In your condition, you can only have something light, maybe some oatmeal porridge.”Considering Dylan’s sore throat, Imogen knew he would not be able to eat much, so she called home and asked the housekeeper to bring over dinner, specifically requesting a bowl of oatmeal porridge for Dylan.Dylan could only nod in response.After giving instructions to her housekeeper, Imogen looked at Dylan, who could only nod, and said, “The
Kade had once been so gentle and kind. Was he really that kind of person?Imogen did not believe so.It was possible that the Butcher elders were simply being too pragmatic. Seeing that Maria’s family was on the verge of decline, they thought that Maria was not worthy of Kade and tried to stop them from being together.But wait—Maria said that Kade had never told her he loved her or anything of the sort. Maria had basically been secretly in love with Kade, waiting for him to confess, but she had waited in vain all this time.Imogen internally sighed. What a mess. She could not understand what was the problem between them. She would just have to wait until Kade came back, and then she would find a chance to get some answers from him. “Imogen…” A hoarse voice called out from within the room. It was not very loud; he could not speak loudly. Though it was better than this morning when all he could get out were moans.He had received several bags of IV fluids, which had had some eff
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