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
“I was playing games. I haven’t done that in a long time.”Hayden frowned. Hugh quickly said, “Hay, I haven’t played games in forever. I’ve been so busy with work these days. Since I knocked off early today, I thought I could get a few rounds in. If not, I would be out drinking with my friends until I got wasted, and then you’ll beat me up again.”In the past, he was afraid of his twin “brother” the most. His “brother” had been stricter than their parents and controlled him a lot. Even after knowing Hayden was actually his sister, he was still scared of her. Switching from having a brother to a sister was not a big deal because Hayden’s personality never changed. Hugh had this thought, ‘Why is Hayden much more capable than I am when we were born only ten minutes apart?’Although they were raised and educated together, Hayden had always been the more excellent child. “I stopped beating you ever since you became an adult. Stop describing me as violent.”Hayden scolded Hugh,
Meanwhile, at Fortress Hotel, Liberty started a video call with Serenity as soon as she exited the bathroom. Serenity picked up her call quickly. Once the call connected, the first thing Liberty saw was Sonny’s face. “Mom.”Serenity’s phone rang just as Sonny was about to return to his room to sleep. She said it was his mother calling. Sonny knew his mother would only be free late at night. He missed her and decided to stay with Aunt Ser. He would only sleep after the video call. “It’s late, Sonny. Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Liberty asked softly with a gentle smile on her face. Excluding the one time Duncan brought Sonny over, she had only been able to see her son through video calls ever since she came to Jensburg. “I was waiting until you were free to have a video call with me. Have you finished working, Mom? Is it snowing there? Is it cold? You must wear more clothes. Don’t fall sick.”Only words of concern came out of the boy’s sweet mouth. Liberty’s heart warmed u
Serenity pinched Sonny’s face. “You were the one who wanted to come over to play, yet you’re blaming your uncle for it now?”Sonny laughed. Serenity entered the screen frame. She asked Liberty, “Is everything going well?”Of course, her words had a hidden meaning to it.“Mhmm, everything is still under control. There isn’t much going on. You don’t have to worry and enjoy the vacation with Sonny. He likes going to the zoo and theme parks. You can bring him to those places.”Serenity replied, “The zoo here is almost the same as the one in Wiltspoon. Sonny can’t go on many rides in the theme park either. He isn’t old or tall enough for them. Even if he went, he could only watch others play.“Jane and I are planning to bring the boys to a children’s park tomorrow. She said there are many facilities suitable for Sonny and Laurence to play there.”“Okay. You go ahead. Remember to be careful yourself when you’re outside. Don’t let the kids bump into you.”“I know. I’m not a child. I
Serenity followed the boys and watched on as they returned to their room and climbed into their beds. She tucked them in and left a dim light on. After turning off the main lights, she said, “Sleep tight. You’re not allowed to wake up to play or talk for the entire night, okay?“If I hear you two talking, tomorrow’s plan to the children’s park will be canceled.”Although Laurence and Sonny were young, they could talk all day every time they met, just like adults. Serenity was curious how many people would be deceived by their eloquent speeches once they were all grown up. Sonny and Laurence exchanged glances. They said together, “We’ll sleep now. We won’t talk anymore.”Although they loved chatting, playing outdoors sounded better.Serenity kissed the kids goodnight and said gently, “Good night. Have a sweet dream.”She caressed Sonny’s head. After doing so, she did not leave immediately but sat outside the room. She only walked away once she confirmed the boys were asleep
After a moment, Serenity exited the bathroom and sat back down on the bed. Unable to sleep, she recalled the dream she had about her parents. Had her parents reunited with her grandparents in the afterlife? Were they happy there? Were they watching over them and did they know of the situation with Liberty, Zachary, and the rest over in Jensburg?Serenity suddenly smiled bitterly. When a person died, it was like a light snuffed out—they could no longer sense anything. Even if her parents and grandparents were watching over them and knew Liberty and the rest might be in danger, they would not be able to help them at all. She dreamed of them perhaps because the situation in Jensburg and her grandparents’ tragic end was on her mind that day, as well as her parents perishing in a car accident. The more she thought about it during the day, the more she dreamed of it at night.Since Serenity could not sleep, she decided to change her clothes and wash up before heading for the kids’ room f
When Jane found him, he had not learned to speak. He probably had been taken care of by his nanny most of the time and likely held much of an impression of his biological parents. After having been under Jane’s care for about three years now, he had even forgotten the nanny he was closest to. Now, he was closest to the Johnsons. Children, in their infancy, were usually the tightest to their primary caregivers.“Aunt Seren, will Sonny really be fine?” Laurence turned to look at his friend who was snoozing soundly by his side, even reaching out to touch his forehead. Then, he touched his own forehead and realized they both had the same body temperature.“He’ll be fine. Sonny’s very healthy.”After a moment of thought, Laurence said, “If Sonny catches a cold, I’ll give him a check-up and prescribe him some medicine.”Serenity was speechless for a moment. “Have you already learned how to do that?”“No, but I’ve seen my teacher and Doc do it, and when I first stayed with him I caught a
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
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc