Carrie was a bit angry, but she still held it in and said, “I’ve already gotten much better. At least I dared to call out to him. The last time I saw him, I trembled and did not even dare to look at him, let alone talk to him.”This time, she even spoke to Zachary. Although she was not a hundred percent calm, she was calm enough. Was that not an improvement? Was it not enough that she improved so much in just a little over a month? She used to tremble even at the mention of his name, she would have them know.That bodyguard stayed silent.“Stop demanding so much of me. I need time to learn and your boss even said I’m supposed to be resting for these two weeks. I just aborted a baby for him, you know,” Carrie said sullenly. This was her first pregnancy and she had aborted the baby right after she realized she was pregnant, so she had not felt much for the baby, but it was a fact that her body had been badly affected. The pain of the abortion was the worst she had ever felt in her l
After eating a simple meal, Serenity left for her office. Once she got there, she saw a huge pile of gifts.Helen said, “Mr. Dylan said they’re all apology gifts for Ms. Doyle and asked for your help to pass them on to her.”Helen had not heard the gossip about Dylan and was very curious, but if her boss did not talk about it, she would not ask.“Why isn’t he doing it himself?” Serenity looked at the pile of gifts and saw most were WIltspoon’s local specialties. They were exactly what she intended to get for Imogen, so Dylan had saved her some time and effort.“He didn’t say.”“Alright. You can go back to work now.” Serenity walked toward her desk and dug her phone out from her bag to call Dylan.He quickly picked up and began to beg her for help. He truly had decided to give up on Imogen and would not marry her, but would also not be friends with her, lest his future wife get jealous.However, it was a fact that he had led Imogen on and was removing himself from the situation a
“You didn’t tell me you were going back early. If I hadn’t come over, I wouldn’t have known you left,” Serenity grumbled lightly.Imogen laughed. “It’s my bad. I know you're busy and it’s raining, making it colder today. I didn’t want to put you out.”She glanced at Serenity’s stomach. Serenity was wearing a thick coat, making it hard to tell her baby bump was showing.“Plus, you’re pregnant.”“I’ll visit you in Huntington once I’ve given birth.”“Sure! I’ll treat you to all of our local specialties then. They’re on par with Wiltspoon’s.”Serenity laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Are you in a hurry? I’ve brought some things for you. Strictly speaking, they’re not from me. Dylan asked me to send them over. He bought a lot of our local specialties as an apology.”Imogen was silent for a moment before she asked, “Are there a lot?”“Quite a lot. I don’t think you’ll be able to carry them alone. If you’re willing to accept them, I’ll ship them over to you. Just give me an address.”
Sure enough, talent and passion were very important. Austin’s business was sure to do well since he ventured into the food and beverage industry. Fortunately, his business was thousands of miles away in Wiltspoon and could not affect the O'Connors's business. Otherwise, the food and beverage businesses they operated would suffer a complete defeat at the hands of such a formidable competitor.“It’s harder to lose weight than it is to gain it, you know.” Isabella glanced at the time and seeing that it was lunchtime, she turned off her computer. “You’re becoming more of a foodie now,” she remarked.“So what if I can eat the best food in the world every day? Everyone has to eat. Is there anyone who doesn’t like eating? Only a person who doesn’t eat and drink is weird,” Tati retorted before glancing at the time too. “Dominic and Austin must be arriving soon.”Isabella never went home for lunch as it was too much of a rush. Sometimes, she would have lunch at a five-star hotel they owned
Seeing Isabella’s smile, Tati knew her cousin misunderstood her again. She could not be bothered to explain. Her feelings for Austin were pure admiration. His cooking and desserts were truly to her liking. She was not the only one who enjoyed them, and that included Isabella.Isabella had not criticized Austin’s cooking since he started working two days ago. “Austin’s cooking style never changes, but the taste of his food is flawless. He’s my age, yet he has such mastery in cooking. I have to admit that he’s talented. Not only that, he’s still refining his recipes.”That was a rare compliment from Isabella, which was a sign of recognition for his cooking skills. “Dominic said that Austin’s luggage only had a few sets of clothes. The rest were cookbooks of various cuisines.”The flavors created by different cooks would vary even if the recipes were the same. Some dishes had great visuals and taste while some only looked great with flavors lacking.“Austin said he loved c
“Ms. Tati.”Austin and Dominic stood outside the office. They greeted Tati respectfully when the door opened. It was lunchtime in the company. The secretary was also heading downstairs to have lunch. Austin had used the kitchen in the cafeteria to prepare Isabella’s lunch. He had timed it perfectly so the food was delivered to the office a few minutes before lunchtime. That way, he could avoid the employees. He could also avoid disturbing Isabella from work. He and Dominic did require a few minutes to walk from the cafeteria and take the elevator to the top floor. “Hello, Dominic, Austin.”Tati moved aside and allowed them to enter. “We just finished working.”Dominic and Austin walked into the office. “Ms. Isabella.”They greeted Isabella before putting the thermal boxes down in the sofa area. They opened the boxes and placed the food on the table. Isabella walked over. “Please enjoy your meals, Ms. Isabella, Ms. Tati. Dominic and I will take our leave if you
“You don’t even have to exercise to maintain your figure, but that’s because you aren’t eating well.”Isabella would rather go hungry than eat something she did not like. How could she gain weight when she was stressed from work and not eating properly?“Isn’t Austin being attentive by letting you eat comfortably? The desserts he prepared for you aren’t your favorites, but that’s because you don’t have a preference. Nevertheless, he still made something that you’re willing to eat.“I compared the two boxes. Mine looks like it’s simply put together. Of course, the desserts made are intricate and delicious. However, it’s obvious which one was prepared with extra care.“We’ve been having extra time to rest during lunch these days. You aren’t even drinking that much coffee in the evenings anymore.”Isabella said, “Austin must’ve bribed you to put in a good word for him. What is he scheming?”“Of course not. How could he have bribed me when he just started working days ago? Call it
Austin mentioned that he owned a business and a few companies. Besides, his mien and looks made it evident that he was not an ordinary person. It was natural that Mr. and Mrs. O’Connor had ideas. They did not want Isabella to move to another country for marriage. She did not like it either. However, her parents would consider getting Austin to marry into their family out of desperation. “No. There’s no way Uncle Hadrian and Aunt Delphine would’ve asked me to say these words. Austin is newly employed. Everyone doesn’t know him well enough yet.”Tati smiled. “My imagination has been running wild from reading novels when I can’t sleep at night. I can’t help immersing myself into the storylines.”Isabella said, “If you still have difficulty falling asleep, it means that you aren’t busy enough. You shall be in charge of the project with Empire Group.”Tati replied, “I don’t want to take over that project, Isa. Miles Thornton is the project leader from Empire Group. We’ve been enemies
Callum was silent for a moment before he said, “I wanted you to get familiar with the route to my office, which is why I asked you to deliver the flowers yourself.”“Did you ever think about how difficult it was for me as a blind person? It was so hard for me to walk all the way to deliver those flowers,” Camryn retorted.Callum pulled her into an embrace and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Camryn. It was my fault for not thinking it through, which put you through a lot.”Camryn pushed him away, “We have customers constantly coming in. Don’t just hug me out of nowhere. You’re as thick-skinned as a rhinoceros, but I’m not. At that time, I was angry and silently cursed you a hundred thousand times, but your insistence actually did help me learn the way to your office and now, I can find my way there even with my eyes closed.”At that moment, Trenton returned. After Carrie left, he felt a bit down and stayed outside for a while to compose himself before coming back in. He did not wan
Just then, a customer came in wanting to buy a bouquet. Camryn first brought over some sample pictures for the customer to choose from. “No need to choose, just help me arrange a bouquet of roses. I’m going to confess my feelings,” said the young boy, a hint of shyness on his face as he spoke.Camryn smiled gently. “Alright, please wait a moment while I prepare it for you.”Callum assisted by inviting the young boy to sit down and poured him a glass of water.The boy glanced between Camryn and Callum and quietly asked, “Are you and the boss married or dating?”“We’re married. She’s my wife.”The boy expressed his envy. “You both seem very happy.”“Yeah, we are very happy. I love my wife very much, and she loves me too.”Thinking about the girl he was pursuing, the boy’s face lit up with anticipation. “I also have someone I like, and I’m going to confess to her, though I just don’t know if she feels the same. I’m a bit nervous.”Callum, drawing from his own experience, advised
“She hasn’t paid. Stop her.” Camryn was not going to let her get away with it. With a command, her two bodyguards stopped Carrie.Carrie said furiously, “Camryn, I only took a few flowers from you! You have so many flowers here. What's the big deal if I take a few? You still want me to pay? I’m your sister! Don’t you know that blood is thicker than water?!”“Blood might be thicker than water, but business is business. Anyone who buys flowers from me has to pay, including you. Besides, you’ve never treated me like an older sister. You always bring up how we’re sisters when you want to take advantage of me, but that won’t work here. My roses are freshly transported, and since you’re my sister, I’ll let you have them for twenty bucks each. You took about five stems, so just give me a hundred. I won’t rip you off.”Carrie’s expression changed in an instant. “Camryn, why don’t you just rob a bank? You’re charging twenty bucks each? You’re just a thief! Here! I don’t want them! I’d rather
“If Mom said she would create an opportunity for you to get with the king, would you really believe her? It’s just talk—nothing actually happened.” Trenton could not resist poking Carrie’s forehead a few times. “Carrie, can you please come back to earth? In your current state, forget about finding a great guy like Callum—even a regular, decent guy would be turned off by you.”Carrie swatted away her brother’s fingers, irritated and embarrassed. “Am I really that bad? I’m young, beautiful, have a great figure, and a dignified heiress. If the monarchy still existed, I could marry the king and be his queen without a problem.”“Carrie, you have sky-high ambitions, but be careful, don’t fly too close to the sun and end up like Icarus.”As soon as he said that, Trenton was met with a smack from his sister.“Is there a brother who curses his own sister like that? What do you mean by that? I’m destined to have the princess life. I’ll be fine.”However, deep down, she was still worried bec
Camryn was right—he was just too soft-hearted. If he were as ruthless as her, Carrie would have found a job long ago after running out of money.To encourage Carrie to become independent, Trenton decided that after Christmas, he would stop giving her living expenses. He would also tell their parents during his visit to prison that Carrie was truly hopeless.“Trenton, you keep siding with her, and one day you'll regret it. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has deceived who knows how many people. Do you really think she cares about you? She just wants to win your complete trust to take everything that belongs to you for herself. By driving us out of our home, she’s not only seeking revenge on Mom and Dad but also on us—especially you. She’s just pretending to be nice to you to sow discord between us siblings.”“Carrie!” Trenton said seriously, “Don’t talk about Camryn like that. She’s not that kind of person. I believe in her, one hundred percent.”Carrie was so furious she wanted
“Alright, alright, I can't win with the two of you against one,” Carrie sulked. “Give me money to spend. I'm out of money.”She reached out her hand toward Camryn, wanting her to give her money. Camryn slapped her hand away. “Even Trenton knows to take advantage of the winter break to find a part-time job and earn some pocket money. You’re perfectly capable, yet you don’t look for a job.“To put it bluntly, if you’ve gone to sweep the streets, you'd still have a source of income. I have money, but I won’t give it to you. Don’t think that just because we’re sisters—estranged, too, at that—I have an obligation to support my adult sister. I’ve said it before: if you want money to spend, earn it yourself.” With that, Camryn walked away to tend to her plants.As Christmas approached, the flower market was bustling. Every day, many people came to buy flowers, and all her employees were out delivering flowers to clients. Sometimes, when it got too busy, she even had to ask her two bodyguar
Trenton was relieved that Dalton was indebted to Camryn. That was why Dalton had been loyal to Newman Enterprise.If Newman Enterprise did not fall into Camryn’s hands, there was no doubt that Dalton would leave the company. If that happened, the company was doomed.When his parents went to prison, he was merely 18, and Carrie only knew how to spend money. Not only that, their relatives were hungry to get a share of the Newman family’s assets. He and Carrie could not have protected their family’s wealth alone.After Camryn regained her sight, she still could not strain her eyes for long hours. Therefore, Dalton remained in charge of the company.Luckily, they had Callum as well. Even if anything were to happen, Callum would not leave Newman Enterprise to fall because many of the Newman family’s assets belonged to Camryn.He would not let Camryn lose anything.“You’ve been brainwashed by Dalton after working with him. Our dad treated him well and trusted him, yet Dalton betrayed
Camryn said, “She’s just using her lack of money as an excuse to start a fight with me.“Do you really think she has no money?”Carrie had somehow become Mrs. Longbottom yet she was still hiding her identity. Camryn had not understood the entire situation yet.Nevertheless, she was certain that Carrie did not need money.After she spoke, a familiar car arrived.It was the car Carrie had always used in the past.When she returned to the Newman family’s villa after getting out of prison, she only drove that car. She could not take other cars. The cars were still parked in the garage. “Come out, Camryn.”Carrie had gotten out of the car and started shouting for Camryn.When the York family’s bodyguards saw her, they simply glanced at her and did not stop her from entering the store. They knew Camryn had always been lenient with her younger sister.Since Camryn did not give any orders to stop Carrie from entering, the bodyguards simply kept an eye on Carrie to ensure that sh
“I want to go to Spring Blossoms as Carrie,” she told the bodyguard who was driving. “Your sister’s people are keeping an eye on your apartment. She’ll get suspicious again if you head over in your outfit. Everything Mr. Longbottom arranged will go to waste,” the bodyguard reminded her.Carrie thought it over. “Okay. Let’s head home first. I’ll change my clothes and remove my makeup before heading over.”She would also check if her stand-in had damaged any of her stuff.If she did, Carrie would tell the stand-in to compensate her.The bodyguard remained silent.Once they arrived at Longbottom Villa, Carrie took off her hyper-realistic mask and removed her makeup. After changing her clothes, she returned to being Carrie and went out with her bag.Her two bodyguards did not stop her from leaving.She could do anything as long as it would not rouse Camryn and other people’s suspicions.Besides, Carrie had just gotten scolded by their boss on the phone. Although Mr. Longbottom