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
Corey and Derek Lewis were now quite open-minded about the matter. Their youngest son was deeply in love with Liberty, and as long as the couple was happy, they were fine with him marrying into the Fisher family because he would still be their son no matter what.Audrey continued, “Your mother and I only have three daughters between the two of us, and Seren is already excluded. She’s the eldest daughter-in-law of the York family, Zachary’s the head of the York family, and Seren will be the missus of the house. She cannot take over the Fisher family.“Remy’s parents are also very open-minded. They’ve stated that if Remy needs to marry out of the family, they won’t oppose it. Elisa and Seren might be able to manage a small business, but managing a large family like the Fisher family is another matter. Elisa lacks the patience to do both at the same time too. Her temperament isn’t suitable for it. She’s very proud and often makes light of others, which can lead to conflicts.“You’ve ex
When they heard the voices of Lilian and Suzy talking from a distance, Audrey and Liberty turned around and spotted them, who had Hayden with them. Hayden was flanked by the two beautiful women, looking like an enigmatic man with his admirers.Liberty watched the three of them approach as she said to her aunt, "Even though I’ve known for a long time that Hayden is a woman, I still think she looks more like a man every time I see her."The only thing missing was an Adam’s apple."She’s been dressing as a man since she was young," Audrey replied, pressing her lips together. "She’s head and shoulders above most women, and her cold demeanor often makes people mistake her for a man. She also doesn’t like wearing women’s clothes, so every time she goes out with Kevin, they probably attract a lot of odd stares."Others might think they were in a same-sex relationship. As Kevin once said, people not only misunderstood them to be a same-sex couple but also thought Kevin was the bottom.Hay
Sonny missed his mother so much but still did not want to stay with her during his winter break and went to FC Manor with his aunt instead. It was because Jensburg was too cold for him. He was fine with visiting for a few days, seeing the snow, and building a snowman, but living there long-term was simply something he could not get used to. Once he had seen the snow and had his fill, that was it."I’ve had my mint candy, so now I can enjoy the view here at Queen Manor. Let’s make a lap before heading back inside. The men are all huddled together endlessly discussing business."They were all big shots in their respective fields, with plenty of common topics. It was rare for them to meet, so even though they were gathered to deal with Belinda, they cherished this brief time together. Thus, what was initially a two-person stroll turned into a five-member walk. Still, they chatted happily.Belinda, on the other hand, was not having such a leisurely time. After returning from the Fisher
On the way back to the company, Belinda called her daughter.When Caroline answered the phone, Belinda asked, “Where are you now, Caroline?”“At home, resting,” Caroline answered. “Thanks to you, I was hospitalized for a few days and was only just discharged. You told me to stay home and continue resting, so I’m taking it easy.”Belinda choked and asked, “Have you done something behind my back again?”“What are you referring to, in particular?” Belinda almost spat out a mouthful of blood in anger. What was she referring to, in particular? That meant Caroline had done a lot of things to undermine her. This was her amazing biological daughter! Audrey said this was karma. Belinda did not believe it, but it was true that nothing was going well for her. On the surface, everything seemed splendid, but in reality, she was the only one holding it together. Her husband and sons were dependent on her for everything and could not help her in any way. Her daughter had the capability to hel
“If Mom said she would create an opportunity for you to get with the king, would you really believe her? It’s just talk—nothing actually happened.” Trenton could not resist poking Carrie’s forehead a few times. “Carrie, can you please come back to earth? In your current state, forget about finding a great guy like Callum—even a regular, decent guy would be turned off by you.”Carrie swatted away her brother’s fingers, irritated and embarrassed. “Am I really that bad? I’m young, beautiful, have a great figure, and a dignified heiress. If the monarchy still existed, I could marry the king and be his queen without a problem.”“Carrie, you have sky-high ambitions, but be careful, don’t fly too close to the sun and end up like Icarus.”As soon as he said that, Trenton was met with a smack from his sister.“Is there a brother who curses his own sister like that? What do you mean by that? I’m destined to have the princess life. I’ll be fine.”However, deep down, she was still worried bec
Camryn was right—he was just too soft-hearted. If he were as ruthless as her, Carrie would have found a job long ago after running out of money.To encourage Carrie to become independent, Trenton decided that after Christmas, he would stop giving her living expenses. He would also tell their parents during his visit to prison that Carrie was truly hopeless.“Trenton, you keep siding with her, and one day you'll regret it. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has deceived who knows how many people. Do you really think she cares about you? She just wants to win your complete trust to take everything that belongs to you for herself. By driving us out of our home, she’s not only seeking revenge on Mom and Dad but also on us—especially you. She’s just pretending to be nice to you to sow discord between us siblings.”“Carrie!” Trenton said seriously, “Don’t talk about Camryn like that. She’s not that kind of person. I believe in her, one hundred percent.”Carrie was so furious she wanted
“Alright, alright, I can't win with the two of you against one,” Carrie sulked. “Give me money to spend. I'm out of money.”She reached out her hand toward Camryn, wanting her to give her money. Camryn slapped her hand away. “Even Trenton knows to take advantage of the winter break to find a part-time job and earn some pocket money. You’re perfectly capable, yet you don’t look for a job.“To put it bluntly, if you’ve gone to sweep the streets, you'd still have a source of income. I have money, but I won’t give it to you. Don’t think that just because we’re sisters—estranged, too, at that—I have an obligation to support my adult sister. I’ve said it before: if you want money to spend, earn it yourself.” With that, Camryn walked away to tend to her plants.As Christmas approached, the flower market was bustling. Every day, many people came to buy flowers, and all her employees were out delivering flowers to clients. Sometimes, when it got too busy, she even had to ask her two bodyguar
Trenton was relieved that Dalton was indebted to Camryn. That was why Dalton had been loyal to Newman Enterprise.If Newman Enterprise did not fall into Camryn’s hands, there was no doubt that Dalton would leave the company. If that happened, the company was doomed.When his parents went to prison, he was merely 18, and Carrie only knew how to spend money. Not only that, their relatives were hungry to get a share of the Newman family’s assets. He and Carrie could not have protected their family’s wealth alone.After Camryn regained her sight, she still could not strain her eyes for long hours. Therefore, Dalton remained in charge of the company.Luckily, they had Callum as well. Even if anything were to happen, Callum would not leave Newman Enterprise to fall because many of the Newman family’s assets belonged to Camryn.He would not let Camryn lose anything.“You’ve been brainwashed by Dalton after working with him. Our dad treated him well and trusted him, yet Dalton betrayed
Camryn said, “She’s just using her lack of money as an excuse to start a fight with me.“Do you really think she has no money?”Carrie had somehow become Mrs. Longbottom yet she was still hiding her identity. Camryn had not understood the entire situation yet.Nevertheless, she was certain that Carrie did not need money.After she spoke, a familiar car arrived.It was the car Carrie had always used in the past.When she returned to the Newman family’s villa after getting out of prison, she only drove that car. She could not take other cars. The cars were still parked in the garage. “Come out, Camryn.”Carrie had gotten out of the car and started shouting for Camryn.When the York family’s bodyguards saw her, they simply glanced at her and did not stop her from entering the store. They knew Camryn had always been lenient with her younger sister.Since Camryn did not give any orders to stop Carrie from entering, the bodyguards simply kept an eye on Carrie to ensure that sh
“I want to go to Spring Blossoms as Carrie,” she told the bodyguard who was driving. “Your sister’s people are keeping an eye on your apartment. She’ll get suspicious again if you head over in your outfit. Everything Mr. Longbottom arranged will go to waste,” the bodyguard reminded her.Carrie thought it over. “Okay. Let’s head home first. I’ll change my clothes and remove my makeup before heading over.”She would also check if her stand-in had damaged any of her stuff.If she did, Carrie would tell the stand-in to compensate her.The bodyguard remained silent.Once they arrived at Longbottom Villa, Carrie took off her hyper-realistic mask and removed her makeup. After changing her clothes, she returned to being Carrie and went out with her bag.Her two bodyguards did not stop her from leaving.She could do anything as long as it would not rouse Camryn and other people’s suspicions.Besides, Carrie had just gotten scolded by their boss on the phone. Although Mr. Longbottom
Mr. Longbottom thought he was not so inferior to men younger than him.More accurately, he was far superior. He had status, money, and power.Which of the younger men could be on par with him unless they came from a wealthy family?Many sons of wealthy families could not compete with him.“I can’t go over because I’m busy these days. But I do miss you too.“It’s more difficult because of the festive season. There are many events, and I have to accompany my family. My wife doesn't care about me, but her request is that I be with her during the holidays because we have to meet our friends and families. Do you understand?”Mr. Longbottom had a wife and children. Carrie knew about it. He had never hid that fact.Carrie did not know if he was close to his wife. Although he said they no longer had feelings for each other, Carrie dared not believe him because he had never let other women take his wife’s place.He also never allowed other women to become pregnant with his children.Mr
Carrie thought she had matured since she could figure out that much. In the past, she would not have understood a thing. Love was about accepting everything about someone. Most people could tolerate their partner’s shortcomings when they were deeply in love. However, without love, even a person’s strength would seem like a fault. Carrie smiled. “Mr. York is a workaholic. Serenity must’ve gotten the habit from him and turned into one herself. I can’t believe she’s working so hard even though she’s pregnant.”“She’s still in the early stages of pregnancy. Going to work is fine.”“Do you need anything else, Mrs. Longbottom?” Jasmine asked.“No. I shall take my leave now, Mrs. Bucham.”Jasmine was on guard and unwilling to reveal much about Serenity. Therefore, it would be better for Carrie to leave. She was not close to Serenity and her friends yet. “Bye, Mrs. Longbottom.”Jasmine saw Carrie out and watched as she got into her car.Once Carrie got far enough from the booksto
Mr. Longbottom had been surprised by her question. He told her coldly that she should refrain from asking unnecessary questions.One who knew too much would not live long. Carrie got intimidated and dared not ask another question. Although she got more curious, she did not try to gather more information for fear Mr. Longbottom would choke her again if he found out. “Nothing. I just asked because I haven’t seen her in a while.”Of course, Carrie could not reveal that she was looking for Serenity. Jasmine would get suspicious if she did. No one around Serenity was a fool. “Seren is busy with work. I rarely see her these days,” Jasmine said.Carrie knew it was a lie. She was aware that Serenity's closest friends did not trust her yet. It made her feel defeated. It had been months since Mr. Longbottom found her and asked her to approach Serenity. Despite her efforts, she still had not obtained Serenity’s trust, let alone become her friend.However, Jasmine and Serenity go