They were simply amazing!“Callum.” Camryn walked over, took her husband’s hand, and said gently, “She’s just a mad dog who likes to bite people indiscriminately. Don’t pay her any mind and don’t let her anger you. It’s not worth it. I’ve long since grown numb to her insults.”“She has a mouth and can say whatever she likes. I just don’t like it so I got them to give her a couple of slaps,” said Callum as his cold expression immediately softened into one of tenderness. Even the fake Carrie could not help but feel a pang of jealousy at the change in his expression. He was so cold to her and seemed to want to tear her apart, but with Camryn, he was practically dripping with gentleness. Sure enough, the men of the York family truly doted on their wives.“I just can’t stand anyone insulting you like that. You might be magnanimous to hold it against her, but I’m very petty. It’s whatever if I hadn’t heard it, but since I did hear it, I had to teach her a lesson.”He lightly tapped h
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving right now.” Carrie, no longer insolent, quickly headed toward her car. At Callum’s command to leave, she turned and fled back to her vehicle, flung open the door, and got in. Soon, she drove away from Spring Blossoms. Despite the pretty name of Camryn’s flower shop, the place was anything but enjoyable. If she stayed any longer, she might end up losing her teeth.After Carrie left, Mrs. Longbottom did not stay long either. She said to Camryn, “Mrs. York, I’m leaving now. I’ll come by tomorrow to pick up the bouquet I ordered.”“Alright,” Camryn responded.Mrs. Longbottom stole a few glances at Callum before she left with her two bodyguards in tow. Camryn walked out of the shop to watch Mrs. Longbottom’s car leave. Once it was out of sight, she turned and went back inside.“What brings you here today?” Camryn asked her husband gently, heading to pour him a glass of water. “You should be very busy, with Zachary going on a trip.”Zachary was making a trip to
When Carrie had just gotten out of prison, her hands were indeed rougher, and her skin tanner. However, after some time of taking care of herself, she regained her previous smooth and fair complexion. After all, Carrie was only twenty. At this age, girls were like flowers, their skin full and bouncy with collagen.After Carrie was released, she refused to look for work. She lived off the money she had taken with her, and when that ran out, she would ask her brother for more. Her life was actually quite carefree. As someone who had never worked, her hands were naturally delicate and soft.On the other hand, the hands of the imposter were not as clean or as delicate as the real one. She had calluses on her palms, and short nails without manicure. Carrie liked to paint her nails and kept them long. She had always enjoyed having long nails since she was young. Later, when Paige forced her to learn the piano, she had to trim her nails frequently, which made her particularly resistant to p
Callum said, “You know your sister best. Even her parents couldn’t whip her into shape, yet that person had managed to turn her into an acceptable elite lady. Although she’s still lacking in some aspects, it’s close enough.“I’ll inform Zachary about this later.”Camryn said, “I think she’s targeting Serenity, but I have no idea why.”Callum reassured her, “Don’t overthink. We’ll find out soon enough. We can go have lunch when your employee returns.”“Are we eating at the manor or the hotel?”“The hotel. The manor is too far.”Although the old-timers were still at Wildridge Manor, they were leaving soon. Therefore, Callum and the others resumed their work or studies.Since winter vacation had started, most students did not have to go to school. However, Rowan, who was in his final year of high school, had extra classes, so his vacation would be shorter than the other students. “I didn’t want to return to the manor tonight, but now that I think about it, we should go back. Sere
Carrie said coquettishly. Mr. Longbottom laughed. “I can hear that you’re in a pleasant mood now. It seems like your idea is working well.”“Yes. It’s super effective. That blind girl will believe that Mrs. Longbottom and Carrie are two different people now. Of course, you’re also amazing for being able to find an imposter who looks so much like me.“I thought that stand-in was my twin. Her figure, face, and voice are so similar to mine.”Carrie finally believed that some people could look almost the same despite not being blood-related. She and “Carrie” were a perfect example. She had never met the stand-in before. Both of them were startled when they first saw each other. They thought either of their parents had cheated on their partners. Since then, Carrie feared Mr. Longbottom more. He was too powerful. Not only did he find a stand-in within days, but he also made her learn Carrie’s habits and speaking style.Carrie had always been arrogant and stubborn. Becom
However, time was not on their side. Mr. Longbottom knew things could not be rushed. Serenity and Camryn were always on their guard. Although Carrie had tried meeting them “coincidentally” and getting to know them, Serenity had always been cautious of her. Therefore, there had yet to be any progress. Mr. Longbottom had thought of venting his anger at Carrie, thinking she was useless. However, after he thought about it, it was not entirely her fault. She was incompetent from the start.Her parents had spoiled her rotten. Carrie had gotten into trouble and dragged her parents down due to her arrogance. It had caused the Newman family to fall into Camryn’s hands. Carrie also had to serve jail time and was targeted by Mr. Longbottom after she got out.She had become slightly smarter after he had gotten someone to educate her. Mr. Longbottom considered it a big achievement. “I will. I’ll succeed this time. I heard the York family is hosting a few important guests, but I
“Carrie” arrived first. However, she had to wait at the gates as she did not have the key. She drove her car inside after Carrie went in. A few minutes later, the two women sat in the luxurious living area and stared at each other. “Do I look terrible now? I think my cheeks are like buns now.” The imposter touched her face. Her cheeks hurt and were swollen. The York bodyguards did not hold back their strength. Carrie could not resist laughing. “Yes. You do look bad. You look like a red apple now.”The imposter glared at her.“Why are you laughing? I took the hit for you. Bring me some ice now. My face hurts so much.”“Are you asking me to bring you ice?” Carrie’s eyes widened. “I’m the superior one here. You should be aware of this.”“I’m acting this way because I learned it from you. Do you think I’ve mastered your attitude after only a few days? I need to practice your manners so I don’t expose any flaws.”The imposter sounded confident. She simply could not resist h
The fake Carrie was filled with anticipation. She asked, “How many of the York men are unmarried?”Carrie knew what she was thinking. She said sarcastically, “Are you fantasizing about marrying into the York family?“Not anyone can join the York family. Look at me. I’m a Newman young lady. Before my parents went to jail, we had over a billion dollars worth of assets. Even then, we weren’t even comparable with the Yorks. During banquets, my mom would greet the York madams. However, they only nodded back and smiled.“We couldn’t even have a casual chat with them. It was impossible.“They rarely attended banquets. They would only be present if they were invited by people with important statuses in Wiltspoon.“Despite their low profile, these York madams are backed by wealthy families. None of the women in the York family is poor.”After a short pause, Carrie said with jealousy, “However, there’s one now—Serenity. She and Zachary’s love story is widely known in Wiltspoon. While she
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