After a moment of silence, Mr. Gordon reminded Belinda, “If Ms. Caroline isn’t willing to be the matriarch, your sacrifice will be in vain.“Even if your plan was a success, the position of matriarch will still go to other people if you don’t have someone to inherit it.”Belinda said without hesitation, “If it comes to that, Caroline will take over. She may have made up her mind, but she won’t abandon everything.“Besides, not everyone from Wiltspoon will be here. Serenity won’t be here. Elisa might not come either. Our enemy is set on training Liberty to be the matriarch.”She and Tiara had descendants. It would be a competition between whose descendant could become the matriarch. Belinda was confident that Caroline would win. Caroline had been managing Fisher Enterprise and the family matters with her for two years. She was far more experienced than Serenity and Elisa. Besides, Belinda heard Elisa had no thoughts of being the matriarch. Elisa’s personality was not suited
“My mom gave you this? Was this the drug she spiked my drink with the last time?”Darren looked toward Caroline and answered, “That was what she said. I don’t know if it’s the same drug. The hospital didn’t give us an answer. I suspect Madam Fisher might’ve used her connections to stop the doctors from divulging the true results.“I won’t drug you. I’ll send it to other hospitals to investigate the drug’s properties.”Caroline proceeded to open the packet of powder. She lowered her head to smell it and said, “This does smell like the drink I had last time.”Darren reminded her, “Don’t get too close. You’ll be asleep for a few days again if you accidentally inhale it.”Caroline folded the packet carefully and returned it to Darren. She said, “You should take it to a hospital outside Jensburg. My mom has been building her influence for decades. She definitely has connections. If she finds out, we won’t be able to get our answers again.”Darren put the packet back into his pocket.
Darren stared at her silently. “What? Is it something you can’t tell me?”Darren suddenly blushed.Caroline was fascinated. She laughed. “I can’t believe you can blush. I thought you had skin thicker than the walls.“What did my mom say to make you blush this hard? Did she promise a beautiful lady to serve you forever if you drugged me?”“Madam Fisher did say something like that. However, she wouldn’t arrange but entrust someone to me.”Caroline met his gaze. Her smile faded a little. She asked, “Did my mom really say that?”If they were talking about entrusting, it would mean that her mother had entrusted her to Darren.Darren fixed his gaze on her and said, “Madam Fisher said since we’re of similar age and I belong to you forever, she’ll allow us to be together if you have feelings for me.“She told me to leave this place with you if you’re unable to be the matriarch. She also set aside money for you to go somewhere no one recognizes us.“We can choose to hide our identiti
“It’s normal not to know Mr. Foster’s full name.”The only person who would remember it was probably her mother. Caroline would not give in to her curiosity and ask Belinda about Mr. Foster’s full name.Hunter had said that Belinda loved someone else.That person was Mr. Foster.Mr. Foster was probably about a century old, over twenty years older than her mother. Despite him being a middle-aged man while Belinda had just become an adult, she still fell in love with him. It meant that Mr. Foster had been a handsome man when he was young. Another possible explanation was that Belinda was unable to experience fatherly love since her parents had passed away when she was very young. Therefore, she craved fatherly love and preferred older men.“Is Mr. Foster going to come over when he’s already that old?”After speaking, Caroline felt like she had uttered nonsense. How could he not return to Jensburg after finally finding Audrey and the rest?He also had the evidence of Belinda’
It was supposed to be the Fishers’ internal strife, yet a few of the wealthy families from Wiltspoon had gotten involved. That was the power of marriage. “Everything Madam Fisher plans will be arranged by Mr. Gordon. Does the person keeping an eye on him have any information?”Liberty looked toward Zachary. She added, “However, Mr. Gordon is sly. It’s difficult to tail him.”Zachary replied with a serious expression. “You’re right. He’s cunning and has even managed to slip away from Jim and the rest. He removes all traces of his movements too. If it had not been for Julian and Silver sending their people over, we might not have been able to track him.“We now know that he has bought a lot of gasoline through various channels. I’m guessing Madam Fisher is planning to burn us to death in one go.“Let’s not stick together whenever we head out. We must take different routes and not even sit in the same car.“We’ve also verified through various parties that Mr. Gordon might’ve bought
Zachary said, “I’ll arrange everything, but I’ll still inform you all about it.”After all, it was related to the Fisher family.Liberty would probably change her last name to Fisher. It meant that the matter was related to his beloved wife, Serenity. Liberty thought Zachary would overthink. She quickly explained, “I didn’t mean anything by that, Zachary. I simply feel you and Clive are the calmest. I won’t have any comments on what you two have decided on.”Even if she had been a capable white-collar back then, she was still an amateur compared to the seasoned CEOs.She could not even compare to Hayden. Although Hayden was younger, she had already taken over her family business and made it successful. “I won’t overthink, Liberty. We’re all working toward the same goal.”Zachary did not find anything worrying.He knew everything there was to know about Liberty’s character. “You should visit Ms. Caroline at the hospital again, Liberty. Although she’s hospitalized, she’s
Kevin thought before, ‘The Queens’ bodyguards haven’t seen Zachary going crazy for love. Even I take my hats off to his devotion to Serenity.’He also thought that he was not as thick-skinned as Zachary either.Whether in business or personal life, Zachary had always been a role model to the other York lads.“Your company will be closed for the holidays soon, right? Do you want to come over to my house for Christmas?” Kevin asked his beloved softly.“I probably won’t go to your place on Christmas Day. My family and I can visit your family a few days later though. Before that, we’ll be visiting my mom’s family.”The Yorks and the Queens were already acting like in-laws.Kevin smiled. “Okay. We can get our marriage license once City Hall reopens after the holidays. Two months should be sufficient to prepare for our wedding, and we’ll hold it in March when the weather is fine.”“I’ll leave the planning to you.”The two families had decided on a wedding date.Callum and Camryn wou
Kevin sealed her lips with his. Hayden was stunned and did not respond at first.She started reciprocating the kiss when he kept trying to get her into the mood. Once she did, he instantly turned ravenous and kissed her intensely. Hayden could only imagine how hungry he would be for their wedding night. He would definitely take everything she had to give. When the makeout ended, Kevin restrained his overflowing emotions and released her. Hayden opened her eyes and saw the emotions reflected in his eyes. She caressed his face gently and said, “Go back and sleep. Sweet dreams.”“You too. I’ll come over to have breakfast with you tomorrow morning.”Kevin pecked her cheek lightly. “Okay.”After pulling her in for a tight hug, Kevin stood up. Hayden wanted to see him out but was stopped. “Just stay put. You don’t have to see me out. If you do, I might not be able to leave you, and end up staying here till late.”Hayden chuckled. She remained seated as she watched him le
Liberty’s old neighbors even told her how terrible life had been for the Brown family for the past two years. A lady who used to be close to Liberty and Serenity pulled Liberty’s hand. She said, “The Brown family is unfortunate. Your living a better life than them is the best revenge.”Liberty smiled. “I don’t want to get revenge. I just want to live my own life. Whether they’re doing well or not doesn’t concern me.”“Of course. You’re kind and generous. There’s no need to stoop down to their level.”The lady caressed Sonny’s face. “Sonny has grown so much. He’s in preschool now, right? Getting more handsome as he grows. He looks just like you, Liberty.”“Hello,” Sonny greeted the lady. She smiled. “What a good boy.”Sonny had always been an obedient child as she recalled. The residents loved to tease the boy whenever Liberty or Serenity brought him out to play. What was the Brown family thinking? How could they not love such an adorable kid?Mr. and Mrs. Brown would rather
Sonny nodded. “I know, Mom. I’ll tell Dad to hide the box so Aunt Chel can’t find it. Why does Aunt Chel like taking stuff from Dad’s house?“Lucas used to take my toys too. I even cried. Grandmom said Lucas would return my toy after some time, but he never did.”Although Sonny was only two years old two years ago, he still remembered how his grandmom sided with Lucas. “About Chelsea… That’s something for the adults to think about. You’re still young. Don’t pay any mind to it.”Chelsea’s parents were to blame for her selfish behavior and habit of leeching off her family. Hank also played a part by allowing his parents to spoil his sister. Even he helped her out a lot in the past. Whenever Chelsea visited, he would get Liberty to prepare whatever dishes Chelsea wanted to eat, no matter how expensive they were. He also specifically asked for large portions to be made so that Chelsea could have her fill. Chelsea loved seafood. Her favorites were pricey ones like lobsters and crab
“Dunc picked me up. He’ll take me to Dad’s place afterward.“Are you feeling unwell, Mom?”Sonny got up and touched Liberty’s forehead, then his own. He even stuck their foreheads together. His mother and Aunt Ser always did the same thing whenever he felt sick. He simply copied what they did.“I’m fine.”Liberty could not tell Sonny that her waist and legs were sore. Instead, she glared at Duncan, who was sitting at the bedside. It was all his fault. He was insatiable. Duncan smiled apologetically. He could not help but indulge himself once he got a taste of pleasure after being single for so long. Liberty was the victim of his hunger. “Then why did you wake up this late? It’s already eleven. I wanted to wake you up, but Dunc didn’t let me. He said you were tired and that I should let you rest,” said Sonny.Liberty lied. “I was on an extended business trip and worked night and day. The things I had to do were endless. I’m too tired. Now that I’m finally on vacatio
Liberty smiled. “Not yet. Maybe you can continue sleeping in the car until the sun rises.“We’re home. Let’s get out of the car. Even if you’re sleepy, you should still take a bath first. The year is ending in a few days. The weather isn’t that cold now. I checked the weather forecast. It says it’ll rain a little on New Year’s Day, so the temperature might drop slightly.”Duncan sat up and touched his forehead. Indeed, there was some sweat. “It really isn’t cold. I’m even sweating.”Liberty did not turn on the car’s air conditioning. In that weather, it would be cold if the air conditioning was turned on and hot if it was turned off. Thanks to the wind, it was still cooling when the car was moving. However, once the car stopped, it became stuffy inside. Liberty got out of the car and went to the passenger seat to help Duncan. Duncan declined her help and insisted on doing it himself. Then, he held her hand and walked into the house slowly. After heading upstairs, he belatedl
Liberty did have a fatty liver back then. However, that was resolved after she lost weight. Indeed, having an unhealthy weight could bring about health issues. Purchasing plus-sized clothes was also a problem. Once she started maintaining a healthy weight, she looked fantastic in whatever she wore and often received compliments for having a great figure when shopping for clothes. Most people marveled at her healthy and youthful complexion. She did not look like she was already in her thirties with a four-year-old son. “Do you want to take a nap? There’s heavy traffic ahead.”Liberty saw a stretch of road highlighted in red on the navigation app, signaling slow traffic. “Aren’t most people on holiday and traveling? Why is the traffic still congested?”Duncan muttered, “Maybe there was a car accident.“I don’t need a nap. I’m energetic now. I won’t be able to fall asleep.”He was extremely excited. “If you think I’m too talkative, you can play some music. We can liste
Since Audrey would take care of Sonny, Liberty and Duncan were in a good mood as they exited the Stones’ residence. Duncan’s bodyguards were to return home instead of following him around. He had Liberty anyway. Besides, it was his and Liberty’s wedding night. They even left Sonny with the Stones, so there was no way he would be letting his bodyguards follow him home. Liberty was the one who drove as Duncan’s legs were still recovering. She would glance at him from time to time. She said, “You’ve been staring at me the entire night. Haven’t you seen enough?“It’s not our first time meeting each other. What’s there to look at?”“You’re beautiful. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”Duncan was particularly generous with sweet words that night. To him, his wife was the most beautiful woman in the world. “I can’t get enough of watching you. I controlled myself in Aunt Audrey’s house because I didn’t want her to laugh at me. Now that there’s only the two of us,
Sonny asked Liberty, “Mom, is it okay? I want to stay at Grandaunt’s house for one night. Tomorrow, you can come pick me up and take me to Dad’s house.”After receiving a call from her former mother-in-law, Liberty had already asked Sonny after he woke up that morning if he wanted to stay with the Brown family for a couple of days, to spend time with his grandparents. Tomorrow, she would take him to the Browns.Liberty smiled, “You can stay the night if you want. Tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up and take you to your dad’s house for lunch.”She planned to call Hank soon and let him know that she was not taking Sonny there early in the morning, so the Browns would not have to get up early to wait.Sonny jumped up happily and said to Audrey, “Grandaunt Audrey, my mom agreed! I’m going to stay here tonight and play with Elias."With that, he rushed upstairs. Elias was getting cuter. When he talked to him, the baby would respond with cooing sounds, which was really fun.“Aunt Audrey, I
After a long while, Jessica finally asked, “You have swollen eyes because Liberty is getting remarried? You’ve lost your chance to remarry her.”“Jessica, I’ve never thought about remarrying Liberty. That’s impossible. I’ll wait for you to be released. No matter how many years it takes, I will wait for you,” Hank quickly explained. “It’s true that I’m upset that Liberty is remarried, but it’s mainly because of my son.“In the future, Sonny will call someone else ‘Dad’, and I’m not around him often. I’m afraid that one day, he’ll only end up closer to his other dad and not me, his biological father.”Jessica quietly looked at him for a moment before coldly replied, “If you have time, you should spend more time with Sonny. Even a biological father and son need to nurture their relationship.”“Who did Liberty marry?” Jessica asked. “Is it Duncan Lewis?”“Who else could it be? It’s Duncan. He kept Liberty close, never letting anyone else near her. Whenever any other man got close to L
Why was he crying? He knew the reason deep down but could not bring himself to say it out loud. Instead, he simply slumped over the steering wheel and cried his heart out. After he was done crying, he finally started the car and left the city hall, heading to the prison to visit Jessica.When Jessica saw him, she noticed his eyes were red and swollen. Thinking something bad had happened in his family, she immediately grabbed the phone and asked, “Hank, why are you crying? Your eyes are all swollen. Did something happen to your parents?”She still harbored hatred toward Olivia and Chelsea, hoping something would happen to that mother-daughter pair. Ideally, she wanted the old woman to face judgment in hell.Back when she stabbed Hank and Chelsea came to the rescue, Jessica felt she should have made sure to stab Chelsea to death. It was because of Chelsea’s incitement that she and Hank ended up like this. The two women had torn apart Hank and Liberty’s marriage, and now that Liberty’s