“Take care and goodbye.”Clive and Liberty spoke almost simultaneously. Belinda, who had reached the door, stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at Liberty. She sneered, “Remember that this is Jensburg. The Fisher family is still stronger than you here.”Liberty smiled and admitted. “I didn’t say that the Fisher family is weaker than me. That would hurt your pride too much.“I’ve only been in Jensburg for a few months. If you’re worse than I am, then you probably have to bang your head on the wall. If you’re going to do it, don’t do it in my company and dirty my place.”Belinda had the urge to kill them both right away. However, she held herself back. She was already seventy years old and had enough self-restraint.Belinda opened the office door with her head held high, looking like a rooster that had won a fight. In reality, however, she was a defeated rooster who was simply pretending that everything was fine. “Madam Fisher.”Her bodyguards quickly followed after he
Liberty agreed. “I believe things will only get better for Seren and I.”Herself aside, Serenity had been living a happy life since she got married to Zachary. Serenity treated Liberty well too. “You must be tired after rushing over last night, Clive. Go to the hotel and rest. I don’t think Madam Fisher will do anything to us for now.”Liberty told Clive to head to the hotel for a rest. “Although Madam Fisher wants to kill me, there are still consequences she has to consider. More importantly, she’s probably more ambitious and wants to eliminate all of us at the same time.”Liberty had grasped Belinda’s thoughts well. Clive indeed felt the fatigue from traveling. He said, “Okay. I’ll take a short break at the hotel. Call me if anything happens.”“I will.”Not long after Clive left, Hayden arrived. Liberty’s secretary informed her of Hayden’s arrival. She was about to receive Hayden when a dashing figure was already standing before the office door when she opened it.“
Darren said with a serious face, “Ms. Caroline is your daughter.”Belinda ordered coldly, “Let go, Darren. Don’t forget that I’m still the matriarch. You have to listen to me.”“My only mission has been to protect Ms. Caroline from the moment I was assigned to her. I’ll be loyal to her and follow her instructions for the rest of my life. This is our responsibility as assistants.“We only have one master.“My master is Ms. Caroline, not you. My task is to protect her, and not allow anyone to hurt her, including you.”Belinda was enraged. Indeed, Darren only needed to be loyal to and serve Caroline since he was assigned to her. Even she, the reigning matriarch, was not his master. She had no right to order him to do anything. Of course, he would stop her from hurting Caroline. Caroline told Darren softly, “Let go of my mom, Darren. It’s fine if she wants to vent her anger on me. I’m her daughter.”She was the one who told Darren to share information with Liberty and messed
“I’ve gone through many obstacles throughout my life. My principles and personality are already not going anywhere. I can’t change myself to suit your criteria.”Belinda said icily, “Are you trying to guilt trip me?”Caroline laughed. “I wouldn’t dare. Besides, will you feel guilty even if that was my intention? Do you still have a heart?”After she spoke, Belinda slapped her other cheek. Both sides of Caroline’s face were swollen. More blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.“Ms. Caroline!” Darren exclaimed. He could not hold himself back anymore. If Belinda hit Caroline again, he would probably throw her out of the room. Caroline was the person he had to protect this lifetime. How could he let Belinda hurt her over and over again?Belinda glanced at Darren. “Get out, Darren. This is between Caroline and I. It has nothing to do with you.”She was worried that Darren would chase her out. Darren stayed still. Caroline tried to sit up. Darren quickly helped her u
Caroline knew Darren was worried about her. She told him to go out and even reassured him, “Don’t worry. My mom won’t take my life. She gave birth to me. I ought to be slapped for doing something that ruined her plans.”Caroline felt Belinda did not kill her because they were tied by blood. Darren glanced at Belinda before looking at Caroline’s swollen face. He walked out in silence. He asked a nurse for some ice and told Caroline to apply it on her face. She accepted the ice pack and said, “I’ll use it. You can leave us now.”Darren went out unwillingly. Only Belinda and Caroline were in the room. Caroline put the ice pack on her face and said, “You must be tired from standing. You can grab a chair and sit down.”Belinda glared at her before pulling a chair over. “Can you not slap my face the next time you want to hit me? I’m not pretty to begin with. Now that my face is swollen, I look worse. I don’t even have a boyfriend yet. If I can’t get married and have a daught
Belinda said sternly, “Even if I didn’t obtain my position through legitimate ways, you becoming the next matriarch is justified.“If that position returns to Tiara’s descendants, won’t my efforts for the past decades become a joke? I’ll lose so much.”Belinda touched her daughter’s swollen face and sighed. “Carol, everything I do is for your sake. I want you to inherit everything the family owns.”Caroline stared at Belinda. She believed that her mother wanted to leave everything to her.However, the family did not belong to her mother alone. Belinda wanted to own everything that belonged to the family. She had been trying to remove some of the family rules and her action had garnered dissatisfaction from several family members. Caroline had noticed this since her return.Belinda’s ultimate goal was to take everything the Fishers had for her core family and deny it to the rest of the family. How could the others support her when their rights were being violated?Belinda
If the young ones refused to work, then they deserved to go hungry. It would be better to cancel their living allowance. Only by losing the source of money they were so dependent on would they start looking for jobs and become self-reliant. By doing so, more capable youths would emerge as well. On the other hand, the benefits given to the elderly could stay. “Many useless people in the family rely on us to earn money and provide for them. I want to change this. I want to make this family business belong to us only, but I need your cooperation.“Carol, I’ve sacrificed a lot to become the matriarch and have dedicated decades of effort. Although my abilities are limited, and I couldn’t lead the family back to its prime, I want to centralize our power and benefits so the elders can’t overstep the matriarch’s authority.“We’ll also silence those who dare to oppose us. I’ve done so many evil deeds to achieve what I have today. I’d rather die than hand everything over to Tiara’s descend
She poked Caroline’s forehead with her finger and scolded, “What’s in your head? Why are you so stubborn and uncompromising?“Why do you care about the past? I, your mom, am the one managing the Fisher family now. It’s not your Aunt Tiara who died decades ago. The generations have changed.“Even in the past, there would be a bloodbath whenever a new king ascended the throne.Caroline remained silent.No matter what her mother said, she would never find her mother’s actions acceptable.More importantly, she wanted to withdraw from the battle for the position of matriarch. With her abilities, she felt she could build her own empire.It would also be legitimate; no one could criticize her behind her back. Belinda knew she had been wasting her breath since Caroline was quiet. Her daughter’s principles were set and her mind unchangeable.After taking a few deep breaths, Belinda gave up on persuading Caroline.“If you aren’t willing to do anything, then I’ll do it. If I die one d
Liberty liked people who got things done. As for the senior executives present, it was unclear what they were thinking, but those who liked to bootlick and had no real skills were certainly nervous inside.When a new official took office, they often would make changes. Liberty, as the new head, would certainly make her own impact that definitely entailed even more than just a few changes, possibly a dozen.After all, Fisher Enterprise was the property of the Fisher family. It was not publicly listed, and 100% of the shares belonged to the family, with the head of the family controlling everything. Thus, the matriarch held absolute authority in the company. In the past, the elders of the family could still intervene in the company affairs, but after Belinda took over, she gradually sidelined the elders. Those who were capable of opposing her were secretly harmed and even killed, while the remaining elders lacked the courage and ability to challenge her.Hence, now, the CEO held ab
They were well aware of how strong Darren was. He could fend all three of them off one-handed.Darren was also fiercely loyal to Caroline. If they dared to lay a finger on Caroline, even if they ran away to the ends of the earth, Darren had the ability to track them down and avenge her.He was unwaveringly loyal just like Mr. Gordon, who had been devoted to Belinda his whole life. When she passed away, Mr. Gordon followed soon after. Truly, not even death could part them.Jason was dragged away by Adrian, still muttering curses under his breath. After the Clark brothers left, the meeting room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Caroline looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone else have anything to say?”Everyone glanced around at each other. One of the executives of the company took the lead and said, “We’re merely employees of Fisher Enterprise, not members of the Fisher family. Family affairs are beyond our scope.”The elders of the family, recognizing th
What Belinda actually cared about the most was the Fisher family. She did not want her family to disappear from the circle of aristocratic and wealthy families in Jensburg, so even though Celine was not all that capable, Belinda still devoted herself to nurturing her. It was not until she found out that Celine was not her biological daughter and the two swapped children returned to their rightful places that she gradually recognized Caroline's abilities. Only then did she understand why the family rules had been set up that way—Caroline really was far more capable than Celine.The only regret she had was that Caroline did not grow up by her side, so their values and opinions were different. Before her death, Belinda already knew that Caroline did not want to take over the Fisher family, but had no choice but to do so. When the truth came to light, Caroline was the one who felt the most relieved because it meant she no longer had to take over the family business and could return ev
“That’s right. We don’t think there’s an issue with Liberty taking over.”Other elders were of the same opinion. Adrian, Justin, and Josh were exasperated. Their hope of having the elders on their side seemed to have vanished.“Let’s pause the meeting and talk outside, Caroline.”Adrian was out of options.Caroline said coldly, “You three are able to attend this meeting not because you’re Mom’s sons, but because you’re senior managers of Fisher Enterprise.“You have no right to interfere with the Fisher family’s internal affairs.“There’s nothing else to talk about. We had many conversations last year, and I’ve stated my stance in each of them. I won’t take anything that doesn’t belong to me. If Mom had succeeded Aunt Tiara or inherited the position from our grandmother, I wouldn't be handing the position of matriarch to someone else today.“However, that wasn’t the case. You all know the entire process of how Mom became the matriarch. She had committed grave sins. We should
Justin seconded his brother’s statement.Liberty looked toward the Clark brothers. They were the ones who were most unsatisfied with Caroline’s decision. Liberty said, “I’ve already changed my surname. Since my mom is a Fisher, I’m one too.”She had become Liberty Fisher. Liberty had taken on her mother’s surname and became the successor of the Fisher family.Serenity was still a Hunt. There was no need for her to change her surname.“The position of matriarch should’ve gone to my aunt or mom. However, your mother killed my grandmother, Tiara, and caused Aunt Audrey and my mom to be unable to return home. They lost their parents and had their families destroyed. Meanwhile, your mother took everything as her own.“Belinda had paid for the sins she had committed against my grandmother. Everything shall return to normal. Naturally, Tiara’s descendants should be the ones to take over the Fisher family and become the matriarch.”Liberty retorted Adrian’s statement, “Do you have an
Meanwhile, in Jensburg, the conference room located on the top floor of Fisher Enterprise was filled with the senior managers of the company.Over ten elders of the Fisher family were also present.They were of the same generation as Audrey and were much older than Liberty.Caroline and Liberty were seated at the head of the table. Darren was beside them. The three Clark brothers were present as well.If a gaze could kill, they would have killed Caroline and Liberty many times over.Their hatred toward Caroline ran deep.They had begged and persuaded her, but she refused to listen to them. She insisted on handing the company and everything that belonged to the Fisher family to Liberty.She said the Fisher family members had already lost confidence in them.So what?When their mother was the matriarch, she had already gathered eighty percent of the shares through her continuous effort.It allowed the matriarch to have the final say no matter what.The older generation in the
Callum and Kevin would be spending at least two to three months focusing on their weddings and honeymoons. Therefore, the responsibility of managing the company would naturally fall on Zachary’s shoulders again. Meanwhile, Dylan, Peter, and Austin were still busy pursuing their future wives.River was still inexperienced, while Alex had not truly debuted in the business world. Grandma May had told Zachary to bring Alex along to a large-scale corporate event that would be happening soon. Alex’s identity would be revealed so people could get to know him. After that, Alex would have to take on multiple roles in the company. Every York brother had to experience the job scope of multiple roles within the company to gain experience. They would also start with small investments before their debut.Zachary did not agree to Grandma May’s arrangement. He told her to take Alex to the event herself because he hated attending such things. It would be better if Serenity could accompany him,
“She even said she miscarried once.”Serenity told Zachary, “Camryn mentioned that Carrie had asked Trenton for money to conduct a surgery before. Trenton wanted to come back to look after her, but she didn’t let him. Carrie probably had an abortion at that time.“When she stared at me earlier, she probably recalled how we became enemies and displayed her hatred. She still doesn’t think she’s in the wrong and that I’m the one entirely at fault.”Carrie was a hopeless case.Although Carrie’s hatred for Serenity was overwhelming, Serenity was not scared of her. Upon knowing Carrie’s true intentions, Serenity never trusted “Mrs. Longbottom” and did not allow her to join her group of friends. If Carrie could not complete her mission, her financial backer would eventually lose patience and deal with her. Serenity would not have to lift a finger.Camryn did not want Serenity to teach Carrie a lesson either. It was not because she still viewed Carrie as a sister, but because she wanted
Carrie had gathered some news about Mr. Longbottom through her two bodyguards. He had a new target and was busy pleasing her. That old man was already tired of her. It had not been long since he had her, but he was already flirting with a new woman. Fortunately, Carrie was still useful. Otherwise, Mr. Longbottom would have abandoned her and not even given her any allowance. Upon realizing she would be abandoned sooner or later, Carrie started spending less to save money. Once the task Mr. Longbottom assigned her was completed, she would leave Wiltspoon with the money she had saved and go somewhere nobody knew her to start anew.When that time came, she would buy a house and a car with the money. She would also open two stores to earn some living allowance. Then, she would look for a handsome man to get married to and have children with. Carrie believed that she could lead a comfortable life. Oh, she would also return to fight for the Newmans’ family assets in the future. E