“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
Belinda quickly understood her daughter’s worry, as Caroline expected.Celine’s only asset right now was her beauty.All three of Belinda’s sons had mistresses. Most likely not just one each, and not their first time cheating either; it was just that her daughters-in-law had not known about it at the time.The brothers had inherited their lustful hearts from Hunter.If Celine decided to intentionally seduce Adrian and the rest, there was a real possibility of success.The Clark brothers had always doted on her and felt nothing for their biological sister Caroline.It was inevitable for Celine to get some benefits through them.At the thought of this, Belinda’s face twisted into an ugly expression.If Celine managed to seduce Adrian, both father and son would have fallen at her hands.Hunter could still say he had been schemed against, but Adrian would have taken the bait willingly.“I’ll handle this, Caroline. You don’t have to do a thing. I’ll get someone to keep an eye on C
“Since she’s competing with us for business, she’s our opponent.“There’s no need for mercy when it comes to dealing with enemies. We need to strike while the iron is hot, when her company has only just been established and is in a vulnerable stage, and strangle her in the cradle.”Caroline was silent for a moment before she said, “Mom, Liberty’s contracts are mostly with Queen Enterprise. Some of them are with big companies that have ties to the Yorks, the Lewises, and the Stones. They won’t give a shit about us.”“Figure something out. I don’t want to see Liberty establishing herself in Jensburg.”Belinda knew Caroline did not want to be enemies with Liberty.If it were not for the fact that Liberty was Tiara’s scion and had come to Jensburg specifically to target them, Belinda would not want to be enemies with Liberty either.Behind her stood three powerful families. They might be far off in Wiltspoon, but they could not be underestimated.If the three families joined hands t
If that was true, there was no need for Liberty to fight for Fisher Enterprise. Caroline would return it to Tiara’s scion of her own volition and restore the family to its rightful path.She could still run her business and live a good life away from the Fishers.Belinda looked at her daughter.She could hear the dismissiveness in her daughter’s tone and she glared at Caroline.Caroline faced her mother’s glare candidly.After a long moment, Belinda sighed and patted her daughter’s face once more as she said softly, “You have your own opinions and we have only been mother and daughter for around three years. I can’t do anything about it if you won’t listen to me.“Did Mr. Fletcher drop you off earlier?”“Mmhm.”“You guys are both young and spend a lot of time with each other every day. Do you have any thoughts about him?”Caroline looked at Belinda with wide eyes. “Mom, what sort of thoughts am I supposed to have about him? Didn’t you say he’s my all-around assistant who’ll be
Meanwhile, Belinda’s assistant was respectful and loyal but he did not love her.Similarly, she did not like him romantically, so their relationship remained that of a lady and her servant.If she had fallen for her assistant back then, perhaps the children she bore would have been even better and her daughter would not have been switched at birth with another baby.Caroline laughed. “Mom, I don’t want to think about love right now, and I don’t have the time to date either. I told you that if I needed an heir, I would have a daughter, but I only want her. I won’t keep her father around.“I don’t want to end up like you, who got betrayed by my dad.”Belinda had nothing to say to that, but she still wanted Caroline and Darren to get together.Darren was an orphan and did not have a family to drag him down. Regardless of whether he married into the Fisher family or not, he would always be loyal to Caroline.Though Caroline wanted to only have a daughter and not a man, she was Belin
“Who’s your old friend?” Caroline asked curiously.Belinda did not tell her. All she said was, “My old friend is an old friend. You don’t need to ask so many questions. When I’m not around, make sure to handle the company and family matters well. If anyone refuses to listen, just make a mental note and I’ll deal with them when I get back.“Of course, it would be even better if you could deal with it yourself. After all, I’m getting old and I have to slowly let go for you to take over. You can’t rely on me your whole life.”Caroline replied, “I know, Mom. Don’t worry. It’s not your first time going on a trip anyway. The last time you went to Wiltspoon for around three weeks, I handled everything just fine.”In fact, she felt more at ease when her mother was not home because those people could not use her mother to suppress her. She could do whatever she wanted.“I believe in you. It’s late now. You should head up to sleep. I’ll watch a little longer before I go back to bed.”Carol