No—there would be no battle. Liberty and the rest did not have guns unless the police were involved. Could their plan have been leaked and Liberty and the rest had called the police?Belinda called Mr. Gordon again, who took a while to answer the phone.“Has something happened, Gordon?” Belinda asked in a low voice.“No,” Mr. Gordon replied.“If not, why didn’t you answer when I called earlier? Why didn’t you proceed with our plan?” Belinda questioned with some distrust.Mr. Gordon explained, “I was too busy evacuating everyone earlier and couldn’t answer the phone. They seem to have caught on to our plan and responded with their arrangements. If we take any sort of action, we’ll not only fail, but we’ll even end up getting caught, which will be very disadvantageous for us.”“You mean they have men waiting around the cemetery, just waiting for us to act so they can catch us red-handed?”“Yes.” Putting it like that really did make it sound like they were doing something wrong tho
Mr. Gordon replied respectfully, “As you wish, Madam Fisher. I’ll do as you say. I won’t act on my own.”If Belinda chose mutual destruction, he would accompany her and the others to the netherworld. As an assistant, he was always meant to live for the matriarch assigned to him and die with her. Patrick was an exception in that he had not followed Tiara into death back then, most likely to avenge her. Belinda still trusted Mr. Gordon very much. As she told Caroline, everyone else might betray her, but Mr. Gordon would not. She hung up.Meanwhile, Audrey and the rest went down the hill and left the Fishers’ cemetery. They went to the neighboring cemetery to place some flowers on the graves of Audrey’s father and grandparents before returning to the taxi. The taxi driver had been getting a bit anxious mainly because they were taking so long. If he had not seen them go over to the cemetery next to this, he might have suspected they were ghosts.Once they got into the car, the taxi dr
“I was wondering why she didn’t arrange for Elisa to marry one of your brothers.” Kevin looked at Zachary.Seeing his calm demeanor, Kevin brazenly replied, “Elisa used to like Zachary, but he was completely indifferent to her, and her feelings for him were well-known throughout Wiltspoon. After he married Serenity, Elisa gave up on her feelings for him, but Nana knew about her past affection for Zachary, and if she had tried to matchmake Elisa with any of us, it would have been awkward for everyone. She was also afraid that Elisa might unconsciously compare us to Zachary, which would have soured whatever relationship there was. We do consider ourselves quite exceptional, but compared to Zachary, we’re all still a bit lacking.”Silver laughed and said, “I see. Elisa’s fiancé’s also a great match, though. Old Pat can rest easier since she's marrying into the Johnson family.”The Johnson men were quite outstanding. Lilian’s partner, for instance, was great—he was tolerant of her and
Silver examined Kevin and said with a smile, “Indeed, Mr. York is decent and worthy of your Hayden.”Donald responded, “The York boys are all fine men. I’ve heard that you have many excellent female apprentices. Perhaps there are suitable matches among them for the York boys?”Zachary and Kevin were speechless.Dan took over. “His female apprentices do whatever he says, except when it comes to marriage. Whenever he urges them to marry, they retort by saying he’s not married and still lives well without worries, so why should they listen to him?“They even said they’re now taking in young apprentices and treating them like their own children. When their apprentices grow up and can stand on their own, they’ll be able to support them, so marriage and children aren’t necessary.”Silver gave him a stern look and said, “Your precious apprentice got married, so you can finally relax and feel accomplished. But when Suzy was still single, weren’t you just as worried about her happily ever
The underground passage had three entry points; one inside the mansion, one in the front courtyard, and one in the back courtyard. This greatly increased the chances of escape. Even if there was no underground passage, they had also secretly mobilized a lot of manpower. When Belinda was about to truly try to perish with them, their men would take control of Mr. Gordon and his team and prevent them from pouring gasoline and setting a fire.No matter how skilled Mr. Gordon was, he was no match for the five elders who dominated the underworld decades ago. Although they were retired now, their disciples were big shots in various fields, who had networks spanning all major cities. Belinda was merely allowed to enjoy a moment of hope that her scheme might succeed.“Not only was she waiting there, but also wouldn’t let us pay our respects to my mother. The audacity she has to disturb my mother’s peace! If my mother knew she was so cold-blooded and heartless, she’d rather have raised a dog t
“Aunt Audrey, what did Dr. Carden do to intimidate even you?”Liberty only knew that Lilian’s medical skills were impressive and was unaware of the doctor’s offensive abilities. She imagined that Lilian’s skills might be as extraordinary as the heroines in superhero movies and that she might be capable of leaping across rooftops, grabbing objects from a distance, and harming people with leaves.Audrey said, “I didn’t see what she did clearly—all I saw was Belinda and her bodyguards falling to the ground. Dr. Carden had to tell us what she did and said she used poisoned needles, but I don’t even know how and when she threw them.”She really could not catch it.Liberty was struck speechless for a moment. “Poisoned needles?”That did sound a bit like something out of a superhero movie.“Uncle True said that not only is Dr. Carden skilled in medicine, but she’s also adept at using poison—concocting poisons is actually what she likes to do most. Fortunately, she doesn’t use poison to
“She’s already been discharged from the hospital but hasn’t returned to work yet. Belinda wants her to rest at home, which is just a way to keep her away from the company. She’s afraid Caroline might find out about the plan and warn me. Belinda even gave Mr. Fletcher something to drug Caroline with to make her fall into a deep sleep and told him to take her away from Jensburg.“Belinda already arranged an escape route for Caroline, but Caroline refused it. Mr. Fletcher would never betray Caroline, so he handed the drug over to her. After Caroline was discharged, she personally handed the medicine to me, and I had it tested.”After a pause, Liberty continued, “Caroline's still a decent person. She didn’t grow up under Belinda’s influence and has a fairly upright moral compass. If possible, I don’t want her to die.”Audrey remained silent for a long time before replying, “Whether now or in the future, as long as Caroline doesn’t actively become our enemy, we won’t harm her. Her values
Audrey hummed in affirmation. “You’ve made all the arrangements in advance, so I’m relieved. I just hope that each of us can return home safely. Serenity said she wants Zachary to fetch her and Sonny from FC Manor. Duncan also told me that he wants you to return to Wiltspoon safely. He’s waiting for you at home and ready to register your marriage just in time to celebrate Christmas together.”Audrey took her niece’s hand and, at the mention of Liberty and Duncan’s union, she could not help but smile. “I’m so happy to see you and Duncan getting married, to see your wedding, and to see Serenity having a baby. I feel happy for your mother too.”Liberty blushed slightly. “Don’t you think it might be a bit rushed to register our marriage before Christmas?”“Registering your marriage isn’t the same as holding a wedding. It’s not rushed. Zachary and Serenity did it that way—they got the marriage license first and then chose a later date to slowly prepare for the wedding. Duncan said he’d g
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
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