“Don’t think too much about it either. You two just have to go through more than others, but you’ll definitely see the rainbow after the storm. You know Liberty’s really busy right now and under a lot of pressure.“Although she was performing well at her job before she got married, she became a housewife afterward and dissociated from society for a few years. After her divorce, she set up her own business but did not do it for long before she was expected to start her own company just to go up against Fisher Enterprise.“She doesn’t have enough experience and is under a lot of pressure. The Fisher heir isn’t a pushover either. Liberty isn’t in a rush to get married probably because she doesn’t want to be distracted from the fight at hand.”Duncan replied, “That’s true. Liberty is under a lot of pressure now and is very busy too. I shouldn’t overthink it and should focus on supporting her. I’ll rush to her side right away when she needs me.“But when she doesn’t, I should silently s
Rhea naturally took Owen’s place, pushing Duncan into his office.Their secretaries silently followed after them.“Mrs. Torres, I can do it myself. You don’t have to push me.” Duncan did not want Rhea pushing him along. He already said that the current wheelchair was electric and he could easily move it forward by himself.Rhea smiled. “I’m not using much strength either. It’s mostly you moving yourself.”She was wearing regular clothes instead of a suit today. The bun she usually donned was let loose for once. Ever since her husband passed, she put away her flashy accessories too, but today, she had taken them out and put them on. With her delicate makeup, she looked like a young woman in her early twenties.It was hard to tell she was a mother in her thirties to a nine-year-old son.When she left this morning, her son complimented her on how beautiful she looked today.When her in-laws saw how she was dressed, they wanted to say something but stopped themselves.Rhea knew wha
When Victor was alive, she drank coffee for enjoyment.Now, she drank it to keep her awake for work. It was no longer a pleasure for her.Duncan got Owen to make some coffee for Rhea as he said, “I don’t want any. Just get me some water. I had coffee at Zachary’s.”He usually only took coffee in the mornings and very rarely would have some in the afternoon, afraid that he would be unable to sleep at night.“You were at York Corporation earlier?” Rhea asked with a faint smile, which made her look less stern and more gentle.“Yeah, I had something urgent to talk to Zachary about.” Duncan did not seem like he was going to elaborate, and wisely, Rhea did not ask further.Duncan, Josh, and Zachary were brothers-in-arms. All of Wiltspoon’s upper class knew this.Their families had excellent relationships with one another too. Duncan only gradually fell for Liberty after Zachary married Serenity and their chances of meeting increased.Duncan and Zachary’s friendship only grew strong
Duncan only fell for Liberty after spending lots of time with her and his affection for her grew.He was not the type to fall in love at first sight and his kind of love took time.As long as Rhea was given a chance, she felt Duncan would realize that she was better than Liberty and he would choose her instead.By the time they were done discussing business, it was time for a meal.Rhea invited Duncan to eat together.He politely declined. “It’s not convenient for me to move around at the moment. I eat all my meals at the company cafeteria unless I’m meeting my friends.”“Alright, then. When you’ve recovered, I’ll treat you to a meal.” Rhea did not press further, afraid that she would seem too deliberate and put him off, but also afraid that Duncan would pick up on her intent and immediately draw the line with her, which might cost her the business deal too.Duncan rarely came into contact with young, unmarried women.Even if there were ladies among the upper ranks of the other
Owen hummed in acknowledgment. “I’m only talking about this to you. When someone who normally wears suits suddenly turns up in a beautiful dress, they’re definitely trying to attract someone’s attention, or they’ve started dating. Women care about appearances, after all.”Duncan turned to give Owen a look, smiling as he said, “You understand women pretty well, don’t you?”“Mr. Lewis, I have a wife and two children. Of course, I understand women. If you want to win Ms. Hunt’s favor, feel free to take lessons from me.”“I didn’t think about that. If I’d thought of it earlier, I’d be married by now,” Duncan joked. “I don’t really understand what makes women happy, but I know I have to accept everything about someone if I love her.“If I’m sincere and true, she’ll feel it. Compared to giving her all sorts of expensive gifts, I think helping her as soon as she needs it and rushing to her side right away when she runs into trouble—companionship—will move her more than gifts will.”Liber
Of course, if anyone stepped on Duncan’s tail, he would bite.They were not that stupid.When they saw Duncan arrive, they greeted him.The cafeteria crew had Duncan’s lunch prepared and set it aside on one of the tables.Duncan ate with a few executives from the upper management. He chatted with them as they ate, without putting on the airs of a boss. It was lunchtime and none of them wanted to talk about work. Duncan said they had to relax when it was not work hours so they would not be overstressed.While Duncan was eating with his employees, Zachary was having lunch with his beloved wife at Wiltspoon Hotel.After lunch, they would nap in the presidential suite before heading back to work at their own offices.Serenity had just arrived at her company when the security guard on duty, Wilbur, walked up to her car and said, “Ms. Hunt, a certain Ms. Doyle is here to see you. Ms. Stone has already invited her in to wait for you.”Ms. Doyle?Once the car came to a stop, Serenit
“I know. Wilbur told me as soon as I got here.”Helen continued in a whisper, “That Ms. Doyle doesn’t look simple. We don’t know which company she works at. When Ms. Stone asked her, she didn’t answer. She kept mum when asked where she was from either. Ms. Stone thinks she might be your love rival. You have to be mentally prepared, Ms. Hunt.”Serenity could not help but laugh. “Don’t assume every young lady who comes looking for me is my love rival. If she was, why would Elisa let her in?”Helen replied, “That’s because she doesn’t know for sure, we just suspect so. Either way, be careful, Ms. Hunt.”Mr. Zachary was such an outstanding man that he could attract admirers at any moment. Ms. Hunt might have love rivals popping up from time to time.In Ms. Hunt’s own words, a love rival might pop up even in her old age.“Alright, I’ll be careful, though it doesn’t matter how careful I am if they really want to take Zachary from me. They’ll come looking for me even if I lock Zachary u
Elisa lingered and later excused herself to her office.She was not worried about Serenity getting bullied anyway. Even in the past, Serenity was not one to take things lying down, much less now, and she could defend herself on top of that.When Helen was done serving them each a cup of tea, Serenity dismissed her with a wave.Once Helen left, Serenity looked at Imogen and smiled. “You can tell me why you’re here now.”Imogen pursed her lips before saying, “I just want to meet and get to know you, Ms. Hunt.”Serenity raised an eyebrow. Meet her and get to know her? She was not a celebrity, and neither did she have fans.Imogen blushed a little and Serenity suddenly understood.Tentatively, she asked Imogen, “Are you here for one of the York brothers? Which one? Dylan, Peter, or Austin?”She only listed the eligible ones. Callum was already married and Kevin was on holiday with Hayden at the moment. They were both taken. As for the rest, she had no clue who their other halves
“Okay.”Kade said gently, “I’ll hang up and send you my location. We can talk when we meet.”Soon, Kade ended the call and sent Imogen his location. It took Imogen and Dylan about ten minutes to find him. “Kade.”Imogen was happy when she saw him. She ran toward him elatedly.Dylan saw a man about his age or a few years older than him. The man looked handsome and gentlemanly. He wore a gray suit without a tie, which made him look like a successful person. From Imogen, Dylan knew his love rival was a senior executive of a multinational company. He was competent since he was assigned to return and handle the business in the country. Kade’s mother and Leticia were best friends. Kade was also Leticia’s godson. Imogen had known him since he was young, and the parents of the two families intended to bring their kids together. Upon seeing Kade in the flesh, Dylan felt threatened. If he wanted to win, he had to put effort into pursuing Imogen. If Imogen loved him and was will
“You can decide what we have for dinner, Mom. I don’t have any opinions.”Some of the Doyles were busy during the weekends, while others would take a rest. Either way, they still had time to have dinner together. After ending the call with her mother, Imogen told Dylan, “When we meet Kade at the airport, we can have lunch there first. We’ll only eat with my family during dinner.”Dylan had heard Leticia’s words through the phone. He said, “Will Mr. Butcher be staying with your family?”Dylan found it normal for them to have dinner together. After all, that Kade guy was his future mother-in-law’s godson. Since he was finally back in the country, it was customary for Leticia to invite him over for a meal. However, Dylan could not help but feel jealous about Kade staying at the Doyles’ mansion. When he could not even enter their mansion most of the time, Kade could immediately move in. If Kade got closer to the Doyles, he would be a more significant threat to Dylan. Imogen
“We can head there in my car.”Dylan was delighted that Imogen allowed him to go to the airport with her. “Any car is fine.”Imogen led him out of the house. Dylan quickly followed after her and opened the car door for her. He even hovered his hand above her head to prevent her from hitting the roof of the car.“You’re so attentive.”Imogen complimented him as she fastened her seatbelt in the car. “I’ll only be gentlemanly to you aside from my family members.”Imogen glanced at him but did not say a word. A few minutes later, Dylan drove out of the Doyle residence with Imogen in his car.Not long after they left, Leticia went downstairs.She noticed the gifts on the table but did not see Imogen anywhere. Thinking he had kidnapped her daughter, she quickly called Wendy over and asked, “Did Jen head out?”“Yes. Ms. Imogen had gone out with Mr. Dylan. She said they were heading to the airport to receive someone.”Wendy had overheard Imogen and Dylan’s conversation, so she
She did not expect him to be discharged that soon.“Let him in.”Mr. and Mrs. Doyle were not awake yet. They would not stop Dylan from entering. With Imogen’s orders, Wendy quickly called the security booth and told the security to let Dylan in. Imogen stood at her door a few minutes later and watched his car stop before her. “Why are you discharged?” Imogen asked as soon as Dylan got out of the car. He was still coughing.Imogen frowned. His body belonged to himself. Who would love him if he did not know how to care for himself?“I feel much better after spending two days in the hospital on IV drips. The doctor said I could be discharged and gave me three days’ supply of medication. If I’m not fully recovered after finishing the medicines, I can return to get more.“The doctor said I should be fine after this round of medication. He also said I’m generally healthy and that my condition only got that severe because I ate a lot of chili peppers in one sitting.“I have to e
Imogen smiled. “Stop teasing him, Layla. He doesn’t eat spicy food at all. Eating that much chili peppers can be deadly for him.“I’ll be heading back to work today. I can’t take care of him at the hospital every day. I don’t want to let him think that I’ve accepted him just because he ate chili peppers once.”Layla said, “That’s right. You can’t be tricked by his pity play.”“Dylan didn’t torture himself to gain my pity, Layla. He was hospitalized because he ate the chili peppers. His fever, cough, and sore throat are all real. His voice is still hoarse when he speaks.”Imogen could not help but defend Dylan.Layla replied, “Look at you. I only criticize him a little, yet you’re already defending him.“Jen, the person who falls first will always be at a disadvantage.“Listen to me. Don’t dedicate anything to this relationship before Dylan falls in love with you as who you are. Don’t be manipulated by him.“You’re usually sharp and capable, yet you seem to lose all rationality
“Why do you want to see me? Didn’t you see enough of me yesterday? Besides, I’m not your beloved Miss Fox. You said it yourself—no matter how you tried and put in the effort, you couldn’t love me.“I’m just a good friend to your sisters-in-law, and Grandma May specifically called me to ask me to look after you for a day. That’s the only reason I did it.“Dylan, I’m not going back to you.”It was he who said that he did not love her. She had fallen for him, but when he said he did not love her, she hid her feelings.Now, he had realized that she was Chameleon Fox and the person he truly loved had always been her. Imogen had been more or less jealous of her own self all this time.If he had not fallen for Imogen but proceeded to get together with her, then it would feel like he was treating her as a substitute. Fox was Imogen, and Imogen was Fox—but she had still stubbornly distinguished the two.“I know, Imogen,” Dylan said softly.He did not assume he had won her over just bec
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,