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
Jane was worried that Serenity might not be accustomed to things here, so she hurried out when she saw Serenity walking in the yard, leaving behind her still-asleep husband and son. When the father and son woke up and could not see her, Connor would end up crying and waking up the whole family. There was no need for an alarm clock. Connor’s crying was enough to pull everyone out of their dreams every morning.During the day, it was mainly the nanny and Old Mrs. Johnson who took care of the children. Jane and her husband were busy with company matters and could only spend time with the children in the mornings and evenings. However, every day when Connor woke up and did not see his mother, he would cry for a long time before calming down.Ben often complained that his son was too clingy to Jane as if he was competing with him for her attention, which amused Jane. She never complained about how he treated their daughter like a precious gem. If that was the case, then their daughter was
“I’m scared. I’m scared they might get hurt or something bad might happen. I hate that I can’t help right now. All I can do is take good care of Sonny so that my sister doesn’t have any worries.”She and Duncan felt the same way. They were worried but were unable to help. Duncan was even too afraid to casually call Liberty, fearing that he might disturb her.Jane reached out and held Serenity’s hand to comfort her. “It’ll be fine. No matter how big the pit, we’ll cross over it and see the rainbow on the other side.”Serenity pressed her lips together, nodding vigorously, and clasped Jane’s hand in return. Right then, a familiar sound of crying reached their ears, along with Ben’s voice soothing his son.“Please stop crying, we’re looking for Mommy right now. You just cry and cry every time you open your eyes and don’t see Mommy. A real man doesn’t cry. Look at your sister—she doesn’t cry like you when she wakes up.”Ben’s tone was full of disdain at his son’s crying, just as Dr. C
“I can’t feed him. Even if I prepare the formula, he only takes it if you hold him. If I feed him, it’s like I’ve added poison to the milk. He just won’t eat.” Ben complained about his son’s favoritism. Even though he prepared the milk formula, Connor would only eat if Jane was the one feeding him. If Jane was not home, it was easier because as long as he was hungry, he would eat no matter who fed him. The little guy might cry a lot, but he was also quite clever.“I’ll feed him later. You take Chloe back and let her sleep. It’s a bit chilly outside.”Connor was already dressed in a warm outfit, and Jane checked his clothing to make sure he would not be cold. Ben walked away, holding their sleeping daughter and occasionally bending down to kiss her little face.Serenity watched him leave with Chloe and said to Jane with a chuckle, “It’s really Ben who shows favoritism. He’s so impatient with Connor but dotes on Chloe.”“He’s been doting on and pampering her so much.”Jane managed
Serenity laughed and said, “That’s how children are. At this age, they’re curious about everything. If you change into a brighter outfit, their eyes will be fixed on you. Taking care of kids can be quite tiring, but when they cling to you and sweetly call you ‘Mommy,’ you’ll be over the moon.”Jane held her son close to her as he was trying to climb the table again. “That’s true. After a long day, coming home and holding the two little ones melts my heart. It makes all the exhaustion seem worth it.”She bent down to kiss her son’s little face. Connor smiled at her, then turned around to hug her neck, and even rubbed his face against hers. Seeing the mother-son’s interaction, Serenity felt quite envious.“Seren, you don’t need to envy me. In a few months, when your baby is born, you’ll be just as happy.”“My only concern is that it’ll be a little troublemaker.”Jane laughed. “There aren’t many kids who aren’t mischievous these days. Zachary’s mature and calm, so I’d guess his kid w
Sonny called out to Serenity. Laurence also greeted Serenity before he and Sonny sat around Jane, watching Connor drink his milk. Sonny played with his little feet, and when Connor kicked, Sonny giggled. Connor did not have much strength, so being kicked did not hurt.After feeding the two little ones, Jane handed them to the nanny. The nanny placed the twins in their stroller and pushed them out for a walk, so they would not cry when Ben and Jane left the house later.Jane and Serenity planned to take the boys to the children’s park without the twins. The twins were too young, and with so many people at the park, they were worried they would not be able to take care of the twins properly.It was lively at FC Manor, while Wildridge Manor was still quiet. The Yorks did not have any young children yet. The youngest was Rowan, who had not officially started his winter vacation. He would only get a break closer to Christmas to prepare for his college entrance exams, which made him quite
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