After a moment of silence, Mr. Longbottom said, “That’s a good idea. I’ll get someone to look for a woman with a figure and voice like yours. I’ll also make a few more hyper-realistic masks modeled after your features. The woman can pretend to be ‘Carrie’ and show up when you do.”“We just have to clear Serenity and Camryn’s suspicions of me,” said Carrie. She did not want the fake Carrie to appear before herself frequently. It would feel as if she was being used. “Don’t worry. I’ll arrange everything.”Mr. Longbottom knew what Carrie was thinking. “I’ve got nothing else. Go back and have a good rest. Your body belongs to you. You should take care of yourself.”Mr. Longbottom still needed Carrie as a pawn for a long time. He did not want her to be weakened from the abortion and become utterly useless to him. “If a pawn loses its purpose, it’ll probably meet its end soon.”Mr. Longbottom added in a gentle tone. Despite his soft voice, Carrie felt chills down her spine
Carrie was traumatized by the dogs chasing after and biting her last time. She dared not even drive closer to the house once she spotted them. She parked her car far away and could not get out. Carrie took her phone and called Trenton. He did not answer right away but called her back several minutes later. “Where the hell were you, Trenton? Didn’t you bring your phone? You didn’t answer my call just now. Am I not your sister anymore?“You must’ve been busy pleasing that blind sister of yours. I guess you’re living a comfortable life from sucking up to her since she’s so successful now.”Carrie started scolding Trenton before he could say a word. “I’m working. I couldn’t answer the phone. I only called you back after hiding in the bathroom,” explained Trenton. The siblings would always fight regardless of whether they were on a call or meeting each other in person. Carrie scolded him every time. “Work? Where are you working? I told you that Camryn would seize all Mom and
Despite being close to home, Carrie dared not step inside. Her resentment toward Camryn deepened again. She also thought of her parents, who had transferred their assets to Trenton. Since he was still studying, he had left Camryn in charge of the family’s businesses. Therefore, Carrie resented her parents as well.“I’ll make you all kneel before me and lick my shoes one day.”Although her words were vicious, she still dared not drive closer to the villa. In the end, she turned around and left. She drove to Spring Blossoms, but Camryn was not there either. The two employees of the store refused to tell her where Camryn was. Carrie had the urge to smash the store yet had no guts to do so. Camryn would not let her off the hook. “If she isn’t here, I shall create a scene at Wildridge Manor.”Carrie exited the flower store and drove to Wildridge Manor. She knew the York family would not change their opinion of Camryn because of the ruckus she made. However, if she did n
Carrie’s expression immediately changed. She cursed Camryn countless times mentally. She absolutely despised Camryn’s dogs. “Are your gates wide open because important guests are around today?”Carrie changed the topic and asked what was going on in the manor. The guard said, “Please leave, Ms. Carrie.”He did not answer Carrie’s question. She guessed that there must have been important guests around. Otherwise, the gates would not have been wide open. She looked around but did not see any unfamiliar faces. Ultimately, she had no choice but to drive away after the guards urged her to leave. Carrie dared not throw a tantrum like she did last time. If she dared embarrass the York family while they were hosting guests by creating a scene at the gates, Zachary would probably murder her. Killing her was as easy as squishing an ant to the Yorks. When Carrie first became Mr. Longbottom’s mistress, she thought she had finally found a strong backer and could disregard the
Mr. Longbottom laughed and said, “I know you hate your sister and Serenity, but I must admit they’re smarter and more valuable than you are.”Carrie was speechless. He could have looked for them if they were better than her. Why did he choose her then?She did not even want to be his mistress anymore. He had ruined her future, yet he still blamed her for being useless and not as good as Camryn.Carrie utterly regretted not killing that blind bitch in the past. “If you can’t get in, just leave. Don’t get spotted.”Mr. Longbottom hung up after speaking. Carrie spewed a string of curses the moment he ended the call. Who would pay attention to her if she appeared as “Carrie”?On the other hand, Camryn soon found out about Carrie’s brief visit. After hearing that Carrie had come and left, Camryn called her people and told them to wait for Carrie by the road leading to the manor. They were instructed to stay hidden and follow her to see who she had been colluding with.Camr
“If Carrie has been wearing a hyper-realistic mask, does it mean she has an extremely powerful person backing her?”Sugar took the plate of snacks and asked the rest, “Do you guys want some? I think those little snacks are delicious. I like them.”Serenity smiled. “You can have more, but not too much because we’ll be having our meal soon.”Serenity and Audrey had rushed back to Wildridge Manor after meeting Corey.“By the way, Aunt Audrey and I met Mrs. Longbottom when we were leaving the cafe, and Carrie appeared as soon as we returned to the manor. How can there be such a coincidence?”Elisa asked, “Why do I feel like Mrs. Longbottom is targeting you? She keeps bumping into you.”The women exchanged glances. Serenity told Elisa, “Could it be Madam Fisher’s doing? She might be controlling everything behind the scenes.”Elisa dismissed that idea. “If she was that capable, the Fisher family wouldn’t be in this messy state now.”The Fisher family had lost its influence in Jensbur
Serenity smiled. “That’s great. Since you think of us as old friends, you won’t refuse our request, right?”“I… I’ll ask my senior to investigate this for you,” Sugar agreed resignedly. Nothing to blame but her big mouth.Serenity did not feel bad at all. She took her plate of snacks and passed it to Sugar, saying, “You can have one more piece. You’ll still fit lunch in later.”Sugar chose a small piece and said while eating, “Your snacks come with too big of a price.”“It’s not expensive. Help yourself. It’s free.”Serenity smiled. “Tell your senior that I’ll pay whatever amount he wants. He won’t be working for free.”Sugar quickly said, “You don’t have to pay us. I was just joking. I’ll definitely help you, but I need my senior because I’m not capable enough. It shouldn’t be too difficult of a task for him.“If he finds it tough, then it must be really challenging.”Sugar’s senior had an intelligence network that spanned the globe. It was he who discovered Laurence’s true
“I don’t want to eat. I have no appetite. You don’t have to serve me. Don’t enter if I don’t call for you all. I’m irritated now,” said Belinda coldly. She paced around the living room and kept smoking. Elaine persuaded her softly, “You haven’t eaten anything since you came back. You can’t skip this lunch too.”“I said I’m not hungry. I’ll eat without you all nagging me if I want to. Get out. You don’t have to be on standby here.”Elaine had no choice but to leave, still having no clue of the problem Madam Fisher had encountered that put her in such a bad mood. Although Madam Fisher had times when she was upset in the past, Mr. Hunter was always there by her side to cheer her up. She would also vent her anger at Mr. Hunter and feel better afterward. Now that Mr. Hunter was no longer there to stabilize Madam Fisher’s emotions, the employees on duty felt tense and did everything cautiously whenever she was in a bad mood.Putting aside Mr. Hunter’s mistakes, he and Madam Fisher h
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
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