“It’s late. You all should rest,” said Audrey.Most of them were used to being night owls and were not tired yet. However, since Audrey said so, those staying in Queen Manor retired to their rooms for the day. Those who were not staying there went back to their hotels.Zachary stayed at Fortress Hotel. As soon as he sat on the sofa after returning to his room, his phone rang.He had a hunch it was Serenity who called. Sure enough, when he looked at his phone, it was a video call invite from her.The tension in Zachary’s face bled out right away. He accepted the call. Once it connected, the first thing he saw was Sonny’s face.“Uncle Zak.”Sonny was delighted to see Zachary. He greeted him with a smile and turned to say, “It’s Uncle Zak, Aunt Ser.”Serenity bent over and approached the camera so that Zachary could see her. She asked, “Are you back at the hotel?”Zachary replied, “I just returned from a meeting, and you called. Why haven’t you gone to bed yet, Sonny?”Sonn
Sonny liked having younger playmates around. They were tiny and adorable, just like the little boy at Grandaunt Audrey’s place.Whenever he went to Grandaunt Audrey’s house, he had the urge to tell Aunt Ser to carry the baby boy back to their house. He could take care of the baby and had many toys for the baby boy to play with. Zachary smiled. “That’s not true. I love you the most. I’m asking after your little cousin in your aunt’s belly because I’m concerned about her. I’m worried she might be tired or uncomfortable. Don’t you care about your Aunt Ser, Sonny?”Sonny nodded and replied, “I do care about her. I love Aunt Ser the most.”“See? Since you love her, you don’t want her to suffer, right?”“Yes.”“I’m just like you. I asked after your aunt because I care about her. It has nothing to do with favoritism. Do you understand, Sonny?”Sonny blinked and looked toward Serenity. After thinking, he nodded and said, “I understand, Uncle Zak.”Zachary praised him. “You’re so cleve
Sonny replied without hesitation, “Of course. I like Dunc. Having one more dad is pretty good. Other people have one dad, while I have two. Isn’t that great?”When Duncan first asked Sonny if he wanted a new father, Sonny answered that he already had one and was content with that.Now that Sonny had grown up and developed a relationship with Duncan, he could accept having another dad.Since he was more attached to Duncan, who was about to become his stepfather, he had grown distant from Hank. It was primarily because the Browns liked to stir up trouble, which diminished Sonny’s feelings toward that family. Sonny was still very young. As long as the Browns spent quality time with him and were sincere with him instead of trying to use him to obtain benefits, they could still develop a wholesome relationship with him. It would only get more challenging when Sonny grew up. Once he had thoughts of his own, he would no longer be easy to trick. Well, the Brown family was shortsight
“Your mom has been working tirelessly all day and can only rest late at night these days. We should consider giving her a well-deserved break.”Sonny thought about it and said hesitantly, “Okay. I’ll go to sleep and call Mom tomorrow morning. Please wake me up earlier tomorrow, Aunt Ser.”“Sure. I’ll wake you up at half past seven. Your mom usually has breakfast at that hour.”Sonny finally waved at Zachary and said good night to him. After that, he left Serenity’s room and returned to his shared room with Laurence. Laurence was taking notes from a book. He was copying the benefits and side effects of each drug compound. When he saw Sonny return, he raised his head and asked, “Did you manage to call your mom, Sonny?”Sonny walked over and saw what Laurence was writing. He did not recognize most of the words. “My mom is still busy and can’t have a video call with me. Aunt Ser told me to come back and rest. I’ll video call my mom when she’s having breakfast tomorrow morning.“
Serenity could only whisper sweet nothings with her husband after Sonny left. “Serenity, you should relax and have fun at FC Manor with Sonny. Don’t think about anything. I’ll come and get you two after I finish my work here.”Serenity retorted, “You’re the one who needs more rest than I do. I can feel your exhaustion just by looking at your face. Delegate some of your work if you can. Don’t insist on doing everything yourself.“That’ll be tiring. You shouldn’t pull all-nighters just because you think you’re young. You might face health issues if you do it often. You might even die a sudden death.“Remember, Zachary. You aren’t single anymore. You have a wife and a baby on the way. The baby and I will be waiting for your return.”Zachary smiled warmly. “I know, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll always think before doing anything. I can protect myself as well. I’ll consider you and our baby in whatever I do. Just take it easy and wait for me to pick you and Sonny up.”After staring at him
However, since no one ever expressed such thoughts openly, Serenity acted clueless.The happier she was, the more jealous other people would get. “It’s late, honey. Go to bed. Even if you aren't sleepy, our baby needs to rest.”Zachary, who felt a little guilty, quickly changed the topic and coaxed his wife to sleep. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to end the video call himself. Ultimately, it was Serenity who hung up. She put her phone down and caressed her bump. She mumbled to the baby in her womb, “Lil’ Bun, your dad is still keeping secrets from me. Even if it’s a white lie, he’s still lying.”After a short silence, she added, “We can’t blame him, Lil’ Bun. He’s doing it for our sake. I can’t risk going over because of you. Those who love you aren’t willing to let me go over because it’s too dangerous.“Do you think your dad and the rest can return safely?”The baby in her womb moved slightly under her touch as if answering her.Upon feeling a kick from the baby, Seren
Doc could assign some homework to Laurence, but it should not be too heavy or affect Laurence’s sleep schedule and playtime. Since it was the holidays, the children could have fun. Their worry-free moments would only decrease as they grew older. Academics would start taking priority, and the kids would have less time to play. Laurence asked, worried, “Will Doc listen to you, Mom? My teacher isn’t around now. He’ll listen to her.”Jane replied gently, “He’ll listen. After all, you’re my son. No matter how strict he is, he should listen to a parent’s opinion. Go to sleep and remember to train tomorrow morning. You can continue doing your homework for an hour after breakfast tomorrow.“You’re only allowed to play with Sonny after completing your morning tasks. You can use all the remaining time to play after taking two hours to copy the book in the evening and night. We shall allocate three hours a day to complete your homework instead of only playing during the day and rushing yo
“Zachary has been reading parenting books whenever he has free time. He’s well on his way to being a stay-at-home dad.”Jane smiled. “That was what Ben did too.”It was no wonder that the two CEOs trusted each other despite their minimal interactions. Their companies had also been collaborating more.It turned out that they were similar people. The two ladies smiled at each other. Their happiness was evident. Whether it was Zachary or Ben, they were outstanding men and the heads of their respective families. Although busy, they had never neglected their family, wife, or children. They had fulfilled their responsibilities as a father and husband to the fullest. As their wives, Jane’s and Serenity’s joy was overflowing. It was not surprising that many women wanted the two men. “Go get some rest. Good night.”“Good night.”Jane and Serenity returned to their rooms. Another person who had yet to sleep despite the late hour was Caroline. She turned off the ceiling lig
“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