After two years, Liberty had become a better version of herself. Her style was also more similar to Aunt Audrey’s.Jane did not know what to say. Serenity turned to look at Lilian. She asked, “When are you going to Wiltspoon, Lilian? Is it tonight or tomorrow?”Lilian replied openly, “Tonight. Mr. Patrick is eager to return to Jensburg. He’s been waiting for this day for decades. It has been the sole motivation that’s been keeping him going.”After speaking, she smiled. “How did you know I’d be going over?”“Doc is back, and he can’t possibly leave so soon. Mr. Patrick is old and is plagued by many ailments. He needs a doctor at all times. If your teacher won’t be with him, then it must be you. It’s easy to guess.“The masters will most likely leave tomorrow. Going home was an excuse. They are simply taking a detour to go to Jensburg.”No one had revealed anything to Serenity. She had guessed and analyzed everything herself. Lilian praised, “You’re clever, Serenity. You also
“Children don’t have to be worried about gaining weight. They’re physically active, which burns a lot of calories.”Jane added, “There was a period when Laurence gained weight but lost it soon after.“Since Sonny is also practicing martial arts, he won’t gain too much weight if he doesn’t overeat.“Lilian’s also right, Serenity. My brother and sister-in-law are nosy people. Even if I don’t tell them, they’ll go over themselves. You don’t have to feel like you owe me a favor.”Jane reassured Serenity and told her not to be too worried about the situation in Jensburg. She also convinced Serenity that getting her brother and sister-in-law to go to Jensburg was no big deal. It would be nothing but entertainment to them. “I’m not worried. I’ll wait for my sister to return and celebrate Christmas.”Serenity nodded gratefully. Zachary bringing her over and linking her up with Jane and Lilian back then had been really helpful. Jane and Lilian had powerful families backing them.
“Spot on. He learned the tricks from his friends.”“Aunt Ser.”“Mommy Jane.”The two boys came running over. “Where did your pinwheels come from, Laurence?” Jane asked despite knowing the answer. “This is one of Sonny’s presents for me. Don’t you think this pinwheel is pretty, Mommy Jane? It’s fun. The wind is strong today. It’s a perfect day to play with pinwheels. It’ll be better if we have kites.”Laurence was happy that he had received gifts from his friend. He told Jane eagerly, “Sonny gave me many presents, Mommy Jane. There are toys, snacks, and even books.”Jane patted his head and asked, “Have you said your thanks? Did you get something for Sonny too?”“I thanked him and gave him presents. He liked them a lot.”Sonny chimed in, “I love the present Laurence gave me, Aunt Jane.”The items Laurence had given him were something Aunt Ser could not buy. Laurence said his teacher’s teacher made them. The carved animal figurines looked like they could come alive any seco
The day passed by quickly and evening came around.After a short rest in the afternoon, Serenity was glued to Lilian the entire evening. She got nervous as she watched Lilian stuff many bottles of medicine into her luggage. “These are the medicines I usually bring around with me. Don’t overthink.”Lilian had no choice but to tell Serenity. “There’s also the medication Mr. Patrick has to take daily. I’m bringing it over because his supply is running low.”Serenity kept quiet. Lilian stood and patted her shoulder, saying, “You can follow me to Jensburg if you’re really worried.”“Lilian,” said Jane. Although Serenity was physically there with them, her heart was in Jensburg. How could Lilian even mention bringing Serenity along?It would only distract Zachary and the rest. The situation would get messier too. “I’m not worried. I don’t have to follow you to Jensburg either.”Serenity denied and said, “I’m watching you pack because I’m bored. Oh, by the way, please rela
No matter how close Serenity was with Camryn, it could never surpass her friendship with Jasmine. She knew everything about Jasmine.After all, they had been best friends for over a decade. They were two peas in a pod.“I know. My teacher had examined Camryn as well. I don’t know if he gave her any other medications. I didn’t ask him about it.“It’s okay. I’ll just bring some medicine over for her based on my last prescription.”Camryn’s eyes had almost fully recovered. However, it would take some time for her body to be completely cleared of toxins. Lilian would pity Camryn whenever she prepared her medicine.Paige Newman was utterly cruel. Even if she did not love her ex-husband, Camryn was her biological daughter. Lilian heard that Camryn and Paige looked alike. Even Carrie resembled little of Paige.Nevertheless, Paige disliked and even resented Camryn. She wanted to kill her to ensure her ex-husband, Abel, did not have any offspring. Abel was not to be blamed for
“Do you need me to take anything to Wiltspoon?” Lilian asked Serenity. Serenity shook her head. “I just came today. I don’t have anything that needs to be taken to Wiltspoon yet.”She would buy souvenirs for her in-laws only after Zachary came to fetch her and Sonny from Annenburg.Lilian smiled. “Oh, right. You just came today. Anyway, I’m done packing. Let’s go down to eat. I’ll be leaving after that.”Jane told Serenity, “Let’s head downstairs. Tim cooked. It’s our chance to mooch off Lilian today.”The Johnsons were a close-knit family, often gathered to have meals together. The young ones would never have to worry about going hungry no matter which of the Johnsons’ houses they visited. The York family had a similar atmosphere. Lilian said, “Tim isn’t a professional chef. Even if he cooks, it’ll always be the same few dishes. There isn’t much variety.”“Of course, there isn’t a variety because he only cooks your favorites. You should be worried about whether he’s cheat
Tim felt he was often alone at home, waiting for his wife to return, with Oliver. He had no idea when she would be returning from Jensburg. He knew that her main task was to be Mr. Patrick’s doctor and protect his life. Since the masters would be traveling with her, Tim could not say much. “I’ll come back after Mr. Patrick returns to the Stone family’s manor.”Lilian linked her arm to his. “You should spend more time with Oliver when I’m not around. I feel sorry for not being around him often despite being his mother. Although he was born into a wealthy family, he only has his nanny taking care of him all the time.“You’re also busy and can only spend time with him at night.”Tim replied, “How is he pitiful? He’s fortunate enough to have a better starting point than many others when he was born.“Oliver doesn’t even recognize me when your teacher is with him. He doesn’t need his dad to be with him.“Doc will sleep with him.”Tim had been relaxed ever since Doc returned.
At Jensburg, Caroline had just finished her meal in the hospital and was just about to head outside for a walk. However, she met Hunter and her brothers at the ward’s door. They were just about to enter. Adrian had a few boxes of food, while Justin and Jason carried a huge fruit basket. Hunter was holding a bouquet. When they saw Caroline, they simply stared at her as if they were at a loss. “Why are you guys here again, Dad?”Caroline spoke first. She turned her body sideways to allow them to enter the ward. Darren was washing the lunch boxes in the bathroom. He had been preparing Caroline’s meals every day.She refused to eat anything but food prepared by Darren. Caroline dared not even eat takeouts, fearing her mother might have drugged it. After being hospitalized for several days, the doctors were not able to identify the drug she had been given. However, she suspected the doctors might have been bribed and were ordered not to tell the truth. With the advan
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge
Tony Longbottom was the only person who would put on such a parade. The big shots in Satbury usually had entourages of their own, but none would put on a spectacle as big as Tony would.As they departed in their car, Tony’s gracious demeanor utterly shattered.His face twisted into an ugly, cruel expression as he said, “I’ve never been treated like this before, even when the legitimate branch of the family still lived, and those two ignorant little girls actually refused to see me multiple times.”Manny was very angry too and he said, “Pops, since they refuse to go about this the easy way, we’ll have to show them the hard way. We can approach it from other angles, and once they’re completely out of business and they have nowhere else to turn to, they’ll be at our mercy.“Won’t they have to do as we please then? I want to marry them, they’ll have to marry me, and if I don’t, I’ll just make them my mistresses. Don’t the O’Connors have plenty of daughters? I’ll fuck every one of them
“Isabella O’Connor is so outstanding, so why are you asking me to go for Tati O’Connor instead?” Manny said under his breath in puzzlement.He had seen photos of the two ladies and Isabella’s appearance was more striking. She had a cold and aloof aura that easily triggered his desire to conquer her, and after just a few glances, he was captivated.If it were up to him, Manny would choose Isabella.Tony looked at his son, smiled, and said, “You can’t control her. Of course, if you manage to make her fall for you, we can talk about switching. But for now, focus on Tati O’Connor.”Tati was also beautiful. However, she did not have Isabella’s cold demeanor. She seemed much gentler, like she smiled often.“Marrying Tati O’Connor would be a big advantage for both you and our family.”Manny thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “Got it, Dad.”Manny’s good looks, wealth, honeyed tongue, and generosity toward girls made him good at winning them over. Pursuing a rich youn
After testing the O’Connor sisters and realizing they were not like other women, Mr. Longbottom thought of having his son marry Tati.He knew that his son would not be able to handle or control Isabella, so he set his sights on Tati. Tati probably did not realize she was considered an easy target. Most people underestimated her because she had always kept a low profile.At that moment, a young man got out from the other side of the Rolls-Royce. He resembled Mr. Longbottom. Indeed, he was Mr. Longbotton’s eldest son, Manny.“Dad.”Manny went to his father’s side and glanced at the building before him. He asked, “Aren’t we driving inside?”In Havenmill, Manny could do whatever he wished because his father was the interim head of the Longbottom family. While he had no respect for ordinary people at all, he was clever enough not to offend people he should not.He never parked his car outside the places he wanted to go and simply drove his car through the gates. However, Manny
Meanwhile in Satbury, a few luxury cars stopped at the entrance of Costa Corporation. The door of the first car, a Rolls-Royce, opened. A bodyguard came out of the car.He waited for his boss, who was sitting in the backseat to exit.Mr. Longbottom got out of the car. Although he was over fifty years old, he looked like he was in his forties as he maintained his appearance well.He wore a white tailored suit with a tie, which made him look more youthful.The bodyguards in the other cars alighted as well.They quickly stood behind Mr. Longbottom to protect him. It was also his display of power.A few bodyguards grabbed many gift boxes from the trunks. Mr. Longbottom stood in front of the company and raised his head to look at the sixty-eight-storey office building. It was a symbol of the O’Connor family’s abilities.Costa Corporation was not the family’s only business. They were involved in many industries and were successful in all of them.The O’Connors were wealthy and powe
Jasmine added, “In some cases, the divorced women can get married to a better man, while the divorced men can’t even find a new wife. There are many single men now.“Isn’t there a saying nowadays that men who have wives are extremely lucky?”When Jasmine was at the bookstore, she would also visit the neighboring stores to listen to juicy gossip. Many of the store owners were not locals and they had many stories to tell. Someone said there was an evil mother-in-law in a rural area who looked down on her daughter-in-law. She would egg her son on to abuse his wife and get a divorce. She would also tell her son that she could find a better and younger wife for him. However, once the divorce went through, news of the mother-in-law’s evil deeds and the son’s domestic abuse spread far and wide. Who would dare marry off their daughters to a man like that?Besides, holding another wedding would require a lot of money. The cost of a wedding had increased a lot compared to the past.Whe
“Sonny’s fine. He has recovered. You want to get Sonny from school?”After thinking about it, Serenity agreed and said, “Okay. I’ll message Sonny’s teacher later to tell her you’ll be taking him.”“Okay, Serenity. Thank you.”Hank was thankful that Serenity did not make things difficult for him. Serenity and Liberty had great character. Liberty had a new relationship and already let go of her resentment for Hank. She could coexist with him peacefully. On the other hand, Serenity still held grudges against Hank. However, since he and Liberty had divorced, he could no longer hurt her. He was also Sonny’s father. Serenity was willing to tolerate him for Sonny’s sake. Therefore, she always said yes whenever Hank requested to meet his son. “You’ll be taking Sonny out to eat after picking him up, right? Remember not to let him eat too much fried food, especially fried chicken and fries. He’ll get a sore throat.“He got a fever that day due to a throat inflammation.”“Got it. I’ll