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
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