“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
“I wouldn’t dare go home without her asking. It would only make her even angrier. Call Caroline and ask her to go home and check on her.”Evan said helplessly, “Alright, I’ll call Ms. Caroline now and ask her to check on the madam, then.”Since Celine was dead, Caroline was the only daughter left so there was no need to consider seniority.After they hung up, Hunter wondered why Belinda was in such a bad and anxious mood. What was it that even Gordon could not do anything about? Could she really have found the man she truly loved?It seemed Belinda was not the one who found him first, but the other party. Belinda’s two nieces were both staying in Wiltspoon and although her younger niece Lisa had been dead for over a decade now, she had left behind two children; one of whom was Liberty, who had come to Jensburg.Meanwhile, her older niece Audrey was the madam of the Wiltspoon Stones, who was also a legend in the Wiltspoon business world in her own right. The Fisher bloodline ran tr
Unfortunately it did not seem like it would work again this time.“What is it, Elaine?” Caroline asked coldly.Hayden brought a hot cup of coffee and placed it before her. She nodded at Hayden in thanks. Hayden then sat down opposite her and started doing her work, not paying attention to Caroline taking her call. It had to be said that Hayden was unflappable, which was expected of the president of Queen Enterprise.“Ms. Caroline, please hurry back. The madam has refused to eat even a single bite since last night and has been in a foul mood.”Caroline was silent for a moment before she said, “My mother isn’t eating because she just isn’t hungry yet. It’ll be fine, just don’t disturb her. I have an appointment with a client and if I flake on them, I’ll end up pushing them Ms. Hunt’s way.”“Ms. Hunt” referred to Liberty. Elaine knew this too. Caroline was not lying either, she was treating Hayden to a meal later.“It’s not because she’s not hungry; it’s because she’s in a bad moo
“That’s true, but you don’t look like one at all. There are lots of girls who still like you. Their hearts broke when they learned you were a woman but they still can’t get over you.”Hayden was silent for a moment before she responded, “I never gave them a chance and never led them on. There’s nothing I can do about that.”She had always been famous throughout Jensburg for being cold and indifferent to women. In the past, people speculated it was because she was gay or unable to get it up. Now, everybody knew she was a woman. Of course, she did not like women and was indifferent to womanly charms—she liked men.“That’s true, it has nothing to do with you. It’s us who can’t control our hearts, which keep falling for you. To tell you the truth, even I was particularly interested when I first met you. If you were a man, you would have been the first man I was interested in.”Hayden smiled slightly. “I’m lucky I’m not a man, then. Mr. Fletcher would hate me otherwise.”Caroline gave
Hayden smiled. “There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the coming days.” After a pause, she continued, “It would be better if you weren’t the heir to the Fisher family.” The title of the Fisher family heir was an extremely heavy burden for Caroline to bear. It was suffocating. Caroline smiled too but did not reply. Instead, she accepted her mother’s call.“Caroline, come home. I need to talk to you about something.”“Alright.” After Caroline agreed, Belinda hung up.Shoving her phone back into her pants pocket, Caroline finished the rest of her coffee and stood up. Apologetically, she said to Hayden, “I’ll treat you to a meal some other day.”Hayden got up to walk her out, all the way to the first floor. After watching Caroline get into her car, Hayden walked toward her own car. Her parents were waiting for her to have dinner at home together.Kevin had gone over earlier to do the cooking himself. Every time he went to her home, he would take her private chef’s job, but the chef
“You might not have had much to drink, but you still had some, and it was hard liquor. It would already be considered driving under the influence. For your safety, I think you’d better get someone to drive you home. If you don’t want me to do it, it’s fine. This is your family’s hotel. You could just get anyone to drive you home.”Most of the hotel employees knew how to drive.After a moment of thought, Hugh agreed. “Alright, I’ll get someone to drive me home. I won’t drive. You haven’t eaten much and probably haven’t had your fill yet. You should go back.”Selena smiled. “I don’t have much of an appetite and I’m pretty full. It doesn’t matter if I eat or not, I just like spending time with my friends. Are you only taking today off?”Hugh nodded. “My sister just got back, so I can have a short break. After this, it’ll be back to the grind again.”Before Hayden and Kevin started dating, Hugh lived a very relaxed life. After all, his sister bore the heavy burden. Now that Kevin had
Hugh did not think he was treating Selena any differently. He knew Selena had not eaten much because she had been sitting right opposite him and he could see every single thing she did.Likewise, Selena had been able to see every move he made too, so it was normal that she was concerned about him. After all, they had been friends for many years now. He had even watched Selena go through three boyfriends during their friendship. Every time they broke up, it seemed to have been triggered by minor issues that blew up into major fights.Whenever Selena got into a relationship, he would stop inviting her to meet up, so that her boyfriend would not misunderstand. He had been very sensible about it, but whenever her ex-boyfriends bumped into him, their expressions would grow dark and they would refuse to acknowledge him, as if he was the cause of the break-ups.“You’re not that young anymore. You should settle down if you’ve met a good girl. Don’t always be so cynical and make Mr. Queen wo
In Fisher Manor, Belinda sat down on the sofa, tired from pacing. The ashtray before her was already filled with cigarette butts.“Madam.” Elaine entered the room and greeted Belinda respectfully after walking up to her.“What is it?” Belinda asked coldly.“Mr. Hunter is back. Should I let him in?”Belinda’s expression darkened. “I didn’t call him back. Who told him to come here?”Elaine said carefully, “Mr. Hunter might be able to take your mind off whatever’s causing your bad mood. He had always in the past kept you company whenever you were in a bad mood. Madam, regardless of what Mr. Hunter did wrong, he is your husband, after all. You’ve been married for decades and have children and grandchildren together. What can’t you forgive?”Belinda turned to glare at Elaine, who hung her head, not daring to meet her eyes.“How much has he paid you to speak in his favor like this? He did the one thing I can’t forgive. He is where he is today because of his own choices. He chose not t
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