Chelsea had her parents’ help to look after the children and do the school run while Liberty had to become a full-time housewife without any help. Liberty’s dependency on Hank’s income gave the Browns an excuse to put the screws on her. Mrs. Brown and Chelsea waited for a while before Liberty returned with Sonny. Serenity emerged behind the mother and son. Serenity was carrying a bag of seafood bought from the market. Mrs. Brown and Chelsea wanted to have a go at Liberty when she arrived, but the sight of Serenity at the back made them hold their tongues. After the domestic violence incident, Mrs. Brown and Chelsea went to look for Serenity but had to flee from Serenity’s harsh tirade. Since then, they were haunted by Serenity’s presence. “Sonny.” Mrs. Brown quickly put on a smiling face as she went forth to pick Sonny up from his stroller. “Oh, Sonny. I miss you so much.” Holding her grandson up, Mrs. Brown planted kisses on both sides of his cheeks. “Gwanma.” Sonn
Chelsea was about to give Liberty a good dressing-down when her mother secretly tugged the hem of her blouse. Chelsea had to get to grips with her rage. Serenity helped her sister to push the stroller into the house. Having overheard Chelsea’s remark that her sister should fork out three hundred bucks out of her pocket for seafood, Serenity could lose it. These people were unbelievable. “Mom.” Chelsea waited until Serenity and Liberty were inside the house before whispering to her mother, “Why didn’t you let me give her a piece of my mind? She eats, sleeps, and spends at my brother’s expense! We came here for dinner, and she wants to count with Hank to the last dime.”“Your brother’s going halves with Liberty now. We’re Hank’s family. Since we’re here for dinner, Liberty’s only following the system. Do you think she’ll do the school runs and cook for your children if you make her mad?” Chelsea got over her anger now that she remembered the main reason she was here today.
Sonny did not stop with just one box. Soon, his toys were scattered all over the living room floor. Not too pleased with the mess, Chelsea shouted, “Liberty, come out and tidy up the living room. Sonny threw his toys everywhere.” Liberty walked to the kitchen door and checked out the situation in the living room before replying, “Sonny can play for a while more. I’ll clean up later.” She then went back to work in the kitchen. Sonny was at a hyperactive age, going from one thing to the next every few minutes. He turned the living room upside down. Furrowing her brows, Chelsea walked to the kitchen door and leaned against the door frame. She asked, “Liberty, what did you give your sister to take away? It’s a big bag. I hope you’re not giving her the things Hank bought. “Hank works hard for the family, and it’s tiring. Your sister’s married. She has her own family. Get that in your head and don’t just leave all the good stuff to your sister.” Liberty turned back to glare a
Hank gave Liberty the stank eye and questioned, “Didn’t I wire you five hundred bucks?” Chelsea immediately got up and took quick paces over to get a word in after her brother. “Liberty, did you take Hank’s money? You told me that Hank only gave you three hundred bucks, so you can’t afford the bigger shrimps and crabs.” Without lifting her chin, Liberty carried on feeding her son while reminding Hank in a flat tone, “I told you that you should be paying for the groceries and cooking for your mother and sister. You’d have to pay me two hundred bucks for the labor cost if you want me to do it.“I don’t owe you anything. Yet, I have to cook for you and receive nothing but criticisms and lectures in return.” Liberty had to endure the thankless tasks in the past. Hank was speechless. By the looks of Hank, Chelsea knew that Liberty was telling the truth. She shamefully returned to her seat on the sofa. Still, she could not bite her tongue and reproached Liberty, “You and Hank ar
Serenity was a fast eater. She would finish her meal quickly and take over Liberty’s tasks so Liberty could eat. As for the in-laws, they were only concerned about filling their own bellies. They did not care about Liberty. It was as though Liberty would not feel hungry. “Mom, have some shrimp.” Hank helped his mom to a few shrimps before saying to his sister, “Have some more, Chelsea. They’re all your favorites.” Feasting on the crab, Chelsea uttered, “We didn’t get the Alaskan King Crabs this time. These crabs are tiny. They don’t have much meat. I don’t get much taste out of them.” The disdain in her voice was apparent. Hank fell silent for a while before responding, “I’ll take you out to a fancy hotel next time.” “Hotel food is expensive. Your money doesn’t grow on trees. Just wire me the cash next time. I’ll buy the food for Liberty to cook.” Chelsea made it out as if she was doing her brother a favor. “Sounds good.” Since Hank only had to give a bit of money
The vegetables were leftovers from yesterday. Liberty kept them in the fridge, but the vegetables were only enough for one person. Since Liberty bought the vegetables with her money, she was not going to share them with the Browns. Chelsea was stunned. Liberty carried the food out and sat down at the dinner table. She leisurely enjoyed her dinner. Worried that her sister might be picked on, Serenity found the time out of her busy schedule to call Liberty. “Did they gang up on you, Liberty?” “I have a history of chasing Hank down five blocks with a kitchen knife. The worst they can do is get into a tiff with me. When a woman stops caring for her husband, she won't tolerate unreasonable behavior from him or his family.” Serenity was relieved to hear that. “Have you eaten, Liberty?” “I’m having dinner now. How about you?” “I’ll eat after I’m done with work. I should get back to it, Liberty.”“Alright.” Liberty knew that this was one of her sister’s busiest hours. Afte
Although Chelsea had a clear idea of what was going on, she did not do right by Liberty. No matter how highly educated a woman was, she would be bound by marriage and a relationship once she walked down the aisle and had children. Anyone would hate to be in the woman’s shoes. “I have talked to Liberty about it, Chelsea. She refuses to help.” It was not something Hank could promise to make happen. Since the case of domestic violence, the husband and wife had not kissed and made up. Since Hank had Jessica, the only thing on his mind was to keep his lover happy while the hag at home was not worth his time. Liberty seemed to have grown a spine too. She used to back down but refused to do that now. The couple’s marriage came to a standstill. They lived together but slept in separate rooms. They went on with their own lives. The couple did not talk to each other unless it was about the child. “Why can’t she help out on this tiny matter? I’m not asking her to do it for free.
Chelsea lowered her voice even further. “Spend some money to buy a small gift for her. Everything will be solved if you coax her.“In any case, she’s still Sonny’s mother. For Sonny’s sake, and since your niece and nephew need someone to take care of them, bow your head and coax her. You’re a man, so you should be flexible.”Olivia leaned in and picked up where Chelsea left off, whispering to her son, “Hank, for Sonny’s sake, you two still have to continue being together. Listen to your sister and buy some gifts for Liberty to coax her.“Think about how well she took care of you before, and look at how you are now. It’s not like you’ll suffer if you bow your head a little.”When Olivia came over this time and saw that her son could not afford to put on airs as the head of the family to oppress her daughter-in-law, she felt very distressed on behalf of her son.However, this was a result of the instigation by her daughter and her.If they had not instigated her son to split househ
Zachary said those words, but in his heart, he was thinking that he had to keep an eye on the younger generations of the major families in Wiltspoon, particularly those who stood out. He would make note of any promising boys, so that when he had a daughter, he could arrange for that boy to grow up alongside her. If they became childhood sweethearts, she would not have to marry far away. Of course, once he had a daughter, he would not want her to get married too early. He would still be fine even if she was unmarried at thirty.Zachary drove his beloved wife to the Stone residence. Audrey was walking in the yard with Patrick. The weather was nice today, and the temperature had risen a few degrees. Patrick had been ordered by Audrey to stay inside and avoid the cold wind, but he was now finally able to get out and walk around.Elisa had gone to Annenburg with Remy to celebrate Christmas. Anthony, afraid of his parents’ constant nagging to settle down, had bought a plane ticket abroad
“Duncan is a good man. Being with him, you will definitely be happy, Liberty. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, growing old together, and may you have children soon.” After a pause, Hank added, “Or maybe don't have children, I'm afraid that if you have your own kids, you might not love Sonny as much.”He was still quite selfish. He hoped that Sonny would be Liberty’s only child. As long as Liberty and Duncan did not have children, the fortune and empire Duncan built would eventually become his son's legacy. Then again, thinking about Liberty’s current status, Hank sighed quietly, knowing that his selfish prayer would never come true. Liberty would definitely have another child. She would need a daughter to take her place and eventually take over the Fisher matriarchy in Jensburg.What if Duncan had a biological child? Would he still treat Sonny well?Hank was actually quite worried that if Duncan had his own child, he might not treat Sonny well. That was why, when he last s
“Go cook some food. It's rare for Hank to be resting at home, so don't say those unpleasant things in front of him. Honestly, if he hadn’t gone after Jessica, she wouldn't have ended up like this. As a married man, Hank shouldn't have pursued a young, innocent girl in the first place. Everything that happened to him is his own fault—it’s all self-inflicted.”Ever since Hank divorced Liberty, and after seeing how Liberty had turned her life around and was living a better life, Luke had changed a lot because of regret. It made him realize many things and change a lot.Olivia opened her mouth as if to say something, but said nothing in the end. After a heavy sigh, she stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare food for her husband and son.In the past, when Liberty was still part of the Brown family, every time Olivia came to her son’s house, she never had to cook. She only had to mention what she wanted to eat, and Liberty would prepare it for her. All she had to do was eat and still
“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