“That’s the suspicious part.”Jim added, “They were probably targeting you.”“I’m wondering if it was Madam Fisher’s or her sons’ doing.”Liberty analyzed the situation. “I don’t think Madam Fisher would make such an amateur mistake. If she had arranged it, the drivers would’ve increased their speed only when they were nearer to me. It would be harder for me to dodge them.“It can’t be Caroline. I’m on good terms with her.”Liberty and Caroline were business rivals, always trying to snatch each others’ clients. Business aside though, they got along well. They would have become good friends if Caroline were not the Fisher family’s heir. Liberty admired Caroline’s character. “The Clark brothers probably want me dead, especially Adrian. I’ve sent his wife a picture of his affair with Celine. He must’ve guessed it was me.“Now that Celine is dead, maybe he wants to avenge her.“Madam Fisher has gone on a trip too. She doesn’t want me alive, but she has far better methods.”Ji
“Are you free to speak now, Caroline?” Liberty asked. “I’m always free if you need my help.”“Let’s meet up somewhere then. You can choose the location.”Caroline agreed. She asked, “What happened?”“I just came out of Fortress Hotel and almost got hit by two cars at the entrance. They said they accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the brake because they got nervous seeing a crowd. There was a flaw though. I doubt it was simply an accident.”Caroline understood immediately. She said, “Are you suspecting that my mother was behind this?“I don’t think so because she isn’t around.”Although Caroline knew Belinda was not a good person, she still hoped her mother would not do such a thing. Liberty replied, “I don’t think it’s your mom either. She’s cunning, yes, but even if she wants me dead, she won’t use such a poorly planned and obvious scheme.”Liberty, Kevin, and Hayden had previously attended a banquet at Fisher Manor and they were involved in an accident on their way
Hunter and his sons truly adored Celine. They refused to accept the return of Caroline, their biological daughter and sister. They always thought she was an intruder who stole everything that belonged to Celine. They felt nothing for her but resentment. However, Caroline had grown up in a harsh environment with minimal family love. She did not expect her biological family to treat her well, or have any affection for them. The bonds between a parent and child, as well as siblings, had to be nurtured. Since Caroline had not been with her family when she grew up, her relationship with them was nonexistent. Although it had been two years since she returned to the family, how could that compare to Celine's time with them?Now that Celine was gone, Hunter and his sons were pretending to be nice to Caroline. In truth, they probably despised her and thought her appearance caused Celine’s downfall. However, Caroline had a good relationship with her sisters-in-law. Emma insisted
Caroline met Adrian just as he was exiting the elevator. They stopped in their tracks. Adrian walked out of the elevator first. Caroline was in no rush to enter either. “Are you heading out, Caroline?”Adrian had a file in his hand. Maybe he had a document that required her signature.Since his mother was not around, the most crucial stamp of approval was Caroline’s. Many important documents would only be valid with her signature and stamp. Adrian usually assigned the task of obtaining signatures to his secretary, having rarely done it himself. Caroline replied, “Yes, I have some things to attend to. What’s the matter?”She glanced at the file in his hand. Adrian did not pass it to her. He said, “I have a document that needs your approval.“Can you leave a little later? What do you have to do? Is it urgent?” Adrian asked gently with a hint of probing. Unless Caroline was going to meet a business client, her whereabouts were mostly unknown to him. It was difficult to
While Adrian had no more feelings for Emma, they used to have a good relationship. They had kids, and he was nice to their children. He doted on his daughter the most.When he discovered that Celine was not his biological sister and Caroline looked weak, he was overjoyed. He had hoped Belinda would make his daughter the next matriarch. Although his daughter did not seem capable, she was still young. She would do well if Belinda were willing to train her as the successor. Therefore, Adrian showered a lot of love on his daughter. When he heard Caroline’s question, he tried defending himself. However, he could not find any words and remained silent.Meanwhile, Caroline had finished reading the document and found no issues. She called Belinda to inform her about the contents of the documents. She would only sign after getting the green light from her mother to avoid falling into her brothers’ traps and getting scolded by Belinda afterward. “Adrian is here, Mom. He asked me when y
“Mom.”Adrian laughed sheepishly. “Dad will do no such thing. Although he made a mistake, he still has you in his heart.“Dad’s living at my place, and he’s been talking about you every day. He wonders who will be there to take a walk with you when you’re in a bad mood. He even reads romance novels on his phone to learn how the male lead pursues the female lead. He wants to beg for your forgiveness.”Hunter was already castrated. No matter how pretty and young the other women were, he could not have them. Belinda had utterly cut him off from indulging in his desires. Nevertheless, Hunter disagreed to a divorce. Although he despised his wife, he was unwilling to get a divorce because he knew he would barely get any assets and leave with nothing. He could never win against Belinda in Jensburg unless he lived longer than she did. That way, he could utilize his authority as an elder of the Fisher family after she died. However, that could only be achieved if the new matriarch
Belinda could not be bothered to talk to Adrian any longer. After scolding him, she said, “I’ll hang up if you have nothing else.”“I’ll help Carol out, Mom. I don’t have anything else to say. You get busy then.”Belinda ended the call.Adrian breathed a sigh of relief.He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat that beaded his forehead when he hastily accused his mother earlier.Adrian must have been terrified for him to sweat on a cold day.Caroline passed him a piece of tissue.Adrian put the phone down and accepted the tissue. He wiped his sweat and said, “I was scared shitless just now. I don’t even know what came over me.”“You must’ve eaten a bowl of courage to say that.”Adrian glared at her. He complained, “It’s your fault. Why did you pass the phone to me when you and Mom were speaking? I fear her so much now. I feel like a mouse that has spotted a cat whenever I see her.”“Weren’t you the one who asked when she’ll be back? I didn’t know the answer and since I was
Caroline said, “My eldest niece is ten years younger than me. She’s not suitable to be my daughter. If I must adopt, then my youngest niece who’s a few years old will do.”That would be Jason’s youngest daughter, who was only six years old.Of course, those were empty words. She would not adopt her niece as her daughter. Caroline wanted a child of her own. If she could not wed a husband, then she would ask Darren as the sperm donor and try conceiving via IVF.Darren was clever and capable. She believed that their daughter would not be inferior in any way. Caroline’s nieces were mediocre at best. It would be difficult to train them to become future matriarchs. Otherwise, Belinda would have chosen one of her granddaughters instead of helping Caroline rise to the ranks.Darren was loyal to Caroline. He would be more dedicated to protecting her and their daughter if they shared a daughter. It would be a win-win situation. Although Caroline did not want to admit it, among all
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa