“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
The Johnsons would not make things difficult for them. They were effortless to work for."Good morning, Nigel. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, so I thought I'd take a walk. I'm not really hungry yet, so I'll have breakfast with Jane when she gets up."Still smiling politely, Nigel said, “Mrs. York, you should wear an extra layer. It’s quite chilly in the morning.”Serenity responded, “I’ve already put on an extra coat.”“Be careful while walking, Mrs. York. Come back once it gets light. Madam Jane usually sleeps until dawn breaks.”Jane's biological clock was utterly punctual.Serenity smiled and replied, “Okay.”Nigel escorted Serenity to the door and watched her go down the steps before turning and heading back. It was still very quiet on the manor grounds, though the lamps were lit. When the sun rose, the lamps would automatically turn off.FC Manor was enormous, about the same size as Wildridge Manor. Serenity had been here several times and was relatively familiar
However, it usually did not take long before the toys would be snatched from each other, and the twins would start fighting. Connor always lost to Chloe and would end up crying loudly. In the end, this would attract the attention of the adults.Occasionally, when Connor could not win against his sister, he would tackle her. The siblings could sit up now, but the moment they got even a bit unruly, they would topple over. Connor’s tactic of tackling always succeeded in knocking his sister down.Then, he would bite his sister. The two little ones, who had yet to grow teeth, would bite each other. Whether it hurt or not was something only they knew, but no matter if it was knocking his sister down or biting each other, it would always end with Connor crying loudly.When Chloe woke up and saw her mother still beside her, she would insist on staying with her mother. The little girl was quite clever. Although she was not particularly prone to crying, it did not mean she would not cry. When
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