Caroline was unmoved by Belinda’s jab and replied, “You’re my mother, so of course, I’m concerned about you. No matter how you treat me, I’ll be concerned about you.”“How have I treated you? Do I treat you badly? If you weren’t my biological daughter, even being a cat and having nine lives would not have been enough to save you for what you’ve done.”“Sure, sure, I must thank you for your mercy.”Belinda could not resist smacking Caroline’s arm.“Ow.” Caroline deliberately yelped in pain before crouching down, clutching the place her mother smacked. This gave Belinda a shock.Belinda glared at her. “I only gave you a little smack. There’s no way I broke it or anything like that. Why did you cry out so loudly as if I slaughtered a pig?”“It hurts—it hurts so much.” Caroline did not reply, merely continuing to clutch at the smacked area and moaning in pain.After a moment of silence, Belinda still crouched down to check, though she grumbled, “I was only a little bit more forceful
Their mother Belinda was simply biased. She favored girls over boys. What could they do? This was their lot, being born into the Fisher family. Even their daughters did not have much standing with their mother. Only the daughter Caroline would eventually have was Belinda’s much-anticipated successor.If he had not been born into the Fisher family and did not have to rely on Fisher Enterprise for a living, Adrian would have wished for the Fishers to fall into chaos and for their hateful family rules to be changed. All the other families were led by patriarchs, but it was the opposite for the Fishers.“Dad, why do you think Mom and Caroline are awake this early? It’s too early for just a walk. It’s so cold outside too. Are they not scared of the cold?”There was heating indoors and though it was not snowing, the temperature was still very low. The Wiltspoonians who had come over to Jensburg rarely went out unless it was for business precisely because they were scared of the cold.Hun
“Why, Dad?” Adrian voiced the confusion he and his brothers shared.Hunter lowered his voice and said, “Your mom is inviting the Wiltspoonians over for a meal. You think that’s a good thing? Even if your mom thinks it’s a good idea, those people won’t be willing. They’re all intent on avenging the previous matriarch.”Justin said, “They can only suspect that Mom was behind the previous head’s death—they have no proof. They’re people of status and position, and without evidence, are they really willing to act carelessly? Aren’t they afraid of ending up in prison? It’ll be their loss.”Jason nodded in agreement.However, Adrian said thoughtfully, “I heard that the previous matriarch’s assistant has appeared. That old man is a resilient one. He’s nearly a hundred years old, still alive, and has even come back to Jensburg. He knows what happened back then.“Things probably aren’t as simple as they seem. Plus, someone’s reported Mr. Gordon for illegal possession of firearms. There’s no
Even if there were dangers hidden in the banquet tonight, he had to walk with her into it.“But tonight's dinner is definitely fraught with peril. You guys need to stick close to Caroline. I can promise you that it will keep you alive,” Hunter said. “Your mom won’t let her only daughter come to harm, so she’ll make sure everything is well arranged to protect Caroline. If you follow her, you’ll be safe.”Adrian frowned. “Dad, that’s just your guess. We’re her sons. If there is danger, why would she call us back? Dad, don’t overthink it.” Hunter glared at his eldest son. “You never listen to me. If you had listened and all returned to the Clark family home, I wouldn’t be so anxious tonight. And now, you’re still ignoring what I say.“Your mom has hated me to the bone for a long time. She usually doesn’t even want to see me, so do you really think she suddenly asked me to move back just for the sake of having a family reunion this Christmas? Why hasn’t she called all your children ba
The mother and daughter pair who had not slept all night were taking a walk in the courtyard. Despite the cold outside, they seemed unaffected by it. They did not talk about grievances or grudges and instead chatted about everyday matters. At that moment, they were just an ordinary mother and daughter.After walking for some time, Belinda said, “Caroline, let’s sit for a bit. I’m getting old and I can’t walk much longer.”With that, she took the lead and sat on a long stone bench. Caroline followed suit.“It’s almost dawn.” Belinda looked up at the sky. “In winter, the nights are long and the days short. If it were summer, it would already be bright by now.”She adjusted her coat and asked her daughter, “Are you cold?”Caroline replied, “Yes, it’s quite chilly outside.”Belinda reached out to fix her daughter’s collar and said, “You’re dressed too lightly. You should wear a thicker coat. You’re usually in heated places, so you don’t feel the cold, but once away from the warmth, i
All three of Hunter’s sons had children, and their wives had taken the kids back to Hunter’s hometown to celebrate Christmas, acquiescing to his arrangements. Hunter prioritized the Clarks’ offspring, while Belinda prioritized protecting her daughter, a Fisher. However, those were still her grandchildren, so she did not ask her daughters-in-law to bring the kids back. It was better for them to stay far from the conflict.Hunter had managed that part well. He understood her ruthlessness and that if the grandchildren had not left, they would not survive. His sons, however, refused to heed his advice and were unwilling to leave. Belinda pressed her lips together. Tonight, it was up to fate. If their lives were not meant to end, then they might just be saved; if they could not escape and were consumed by the flames, at least she, as their mother, would accompany them and bring many influential people along for the ride, making their deaths worth it.As dawn broke, a new day began. Caroli
Caroline glanced at the few bodyguards lying on the ground and said, “Just keep an eye on them. Don’t harm them.”“I’ve instructed them accordingly,” Darren replied respectfully.Caroline hummed in acknowledgment and quickly walked over to get into Darren’s car. Soon, he drove her away from the scene.On the way back to Jensburg, Darren informed her, “Madam Fisher has been planning this for a long time. She got Mr. Gordon to prepare a substitute for you in advance, who is currently taking your place at Fisher Manor.”Caroline rubbed her neck as she said, “I suspected she would do that.” That was why she had also made preparations in advance. When Belinda suggested going for a walk, she dropped her guard and waited for Belinda to act, leading her to think her plan had succeeded. This way, Caroline could work discreetly once she returned to Jensburg. “My mom might be old, but she still has considerable strength. My neck is still aching.”Darren continued to drive as he explained
As long as Darren was by her side, Caroline felt that she did not have to worry about anything, even if the sky were to fall. Liberty often said that Darren loved her deeply and that Caroline felt differently for him as well. She was advised not to miss her chance with Darren and to avoid saying she only wanted a sperm donor, to prevent hurting his feelings. Regardless of how things turned out between her and Liberty, the advice was always for her benefit. Caroline recognized her own feelings too and knew she had indeed fallen for Darren. It was easy to love such an excellent man. Noticing that Caroline had fallen asleep, Darren pulled over to the side of the road, took off his coat, and gently draped it over her. Even with the heater running, she could easily catch a cold because it was so cold out. He watched her quietly for a moment, then leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before straightening himself to continue driving her back to his little home.Meanwhile, Lib
“Besides, he caught a cold just from standing outside for half an hour without his jacket last time. He was only fine because he drank some spicy soup and took some medicine. Also, he has a strong body, because if it were other people, they would’ve fallen sick.“I just wanted to torture him a little. I don’t want him to die. I still need him so I can marry into the York family.”Layla smiled. “The York family has many young masters. It doesn’t have to be him. His cousins are of similar age as you, right?”“Peter is close to my age, but he already has a fiancée. Austin already has an arranged partner too. River and the rest are too young. Even if they were offered to me, I wouldn’t want them. I don’t like being the older one in a relationship.”Rowan was not even a legal adult yet.Layla said, “Okay. Old Mrs. York is a weird lady, but I can’t deny that she has a good eye for people.“I think Dylan isn’t even good enough for you. He can’t win against you in a fight, and his IQ and
If Imogen hated the noise and excitement in the air, she would not have snooped around as Chameleon Fox. That identity allowed her to explore and have fun. Sometimes, she would step up to help someone or be a troublemaker and offend someone.Layla walked over and sat down. She watched Imogen’s charming face and smiled. “That York guy is here again. He’s waiting at the company’s entrance. He has a bouquet in his hands, and his new car is parked behind him.“It looks like he wants to invite you to have a dinner date with him.”Layla asked, “What is he trying to do? Are you still planning to accept him?”Dylan had been living in a hotel since his arrival in Huntington. He was already looking at houses but had not found one he liked yet.Grandma May suggested he learn from Remy and buy a house right beside the Doyle family's. It would make it more convenient for him to pursue Imogen.However, none of the Doyles’ neighbors intended to sell their houses. Those people did not lack money
Imogen did not give Dylan a reply. She was still in the office.She did not even have time to look at his messages. She just wanted to finish her work as soon as possible so she could leave and eat.Did Dylan not need to work?He also had a company under his name. Even if he was not involved in managing York Corporation, he still had to manage his own company, right?Imogen was extremely busy.She had been overwhelmed with work since she resumed working yesterday. She would be at a meeting, on her way to see a client, handling documents, or solving issues at a branch company.Imogen barely had time to take a sip of water, let alone reply to Dylan’s messages.Seeing Dylan being so relaxed while she was working so hard put her in a bad mood. Her urge to ignore him gradually increased.As her parents had mentioned, she had other men to choose from. Dylan was not her only option.She could fall in love with someone else.Even if Imogen were to choose Dylan in the end, she would m
However, they had heard that this man had previously pursued Imogen, and those who had a good memory and had seen Dylan before, had already recognized him.When Imogen seemed a bit interested, this man then said he did not love her and went to pursue someone else. After failing to win over that person, he backtracked to pursue their vice president once more. This behavior left many people with a bad impression of Dylan.What did he take their vice president for?It was worth noting that Imogen was the chairman’s niece and the president’s sister. The chairman treated his own daughter and niece the same, and in the Doyle family, she was very much favored by her elders. The Doyles were one of the top families in Huntington, and as part of it, Imogen did not have to worry about finding a husband.Dylan ignored the looks people gave him. His gaze fixed on the cars coming out of the Davidson Group building, afraid that if he blinked, Imogen would pass him by.He watched the employees le
Duncan called Serenity to inform her that he was taking Sonny to the Lewises’ for dinner and would send him back later. Naturally, Serenity had no objections. With her nephew being well taken care of by Duncan, Serenity had time to go shopping with Jasmine. Jasmine was buying baby supplies as she was eight months pregnant and it was high time to prepare for the baby’s arrival. Watching Jasmine pick up items for her baby made Serenity feel the itch, and she ended up buying a ton of stuff for both her baby and Sonny.In the evening, Zachary and Josh came to pick up their wives.They both managed to cancel their appointments, leaving the task of handling work engagements to Callum and other senior executives. The two men who were once the busiest had now become the ones who most enjoyed slacking off.“Why did you buy so much? Where’s Sonny?” Zachary asked as he walked toward Serenity when he got out of the car. He saw his wife and her bodyguards carrying a bunch of shopping bags. T
Olivia cursed Duncan one last time. “You won’t have a good ending bullying the weak!” she spat before she was pulled away by her husband.Duncan watched them leave, his expression cold. “Dunc, don't be angry. My grandmom is always like that. When Lucas wanted my toys before, I cried and refused to let him take them. My mom wouldn’t let him either, but she always scolded my mom. I still remember that.”Sonny could vaguely remember some things from when he was two years old. It had only been a little over two years since then, after all.As he comforted Duncan, he gently touched Duncan's face, speaking softly, “Aunt Ser says we shouldn’t get too angry. If we get too angry, we’ll grow old faster. I don’t want you to get old, Dunc. I want you to stay just like this forever.“Dunc, please don’t be mad anymore. I won’t eat the fried chicken my grandmom buys for me anymore.”Duncan could not help but feel both amused and heartbroken for both Sonny and Liberty, who had been mistreated b
“I don’t want to. I want to be with Dunc.”Sonny did not want his grandmother to carry him. He turned to Olivia and said, “Aunt Lili treated me when I was sick and she said my throat got infected because I ate fried chicken, and that’s why I had a fever. She told me not to eat fried chicken anymore.“Aunt Ser also said that when I feel better, she’ll fry it for me herself. It’s safer than the fried chicken bought from outside, but I still can only eat a little bit, not too much.“Grandmom, I don’t want to eat fast food bought from outside anymore. You guys shouldn’t blame Dunc. He’s really good to me and if you scold him, I won’t like you anymore.”Sonny did not really have any affection for his grandparents. They had always taken his cousin Lucas’s side. Whatever toys he had or food he liked, Olivia would take them away to give to Lucas. He did not like Lucas, and he did not like Grandmom either. Even though his grandparents were nicer to him now, Sonny still spent very little t
Olivia immediately retracted her hand when she saw Duncan’s cold glance. Not daring to forcefully take Sonny from him, she awkwardly smiled and said to Duncan, “Mr. Lewis, can we have a word with Sonny?”“You can ask Sonny. If he’s happy to, that’s fine,” Duncan said coldly, giving Luke’s bag a glance before addressing both of them. “Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Sonny had a fever yesterday, which the doctor said was due to a throat infection. You two took him to eat a lot of fried chicken and fries that day, which caused the infection.“Today, you brought him more fast food. If Sonny eats that, he might have a fever again. Please try to avoid giving him such heavy foods in the future.”Olivia immediately became anxious, reaching out to touch Sonny’s forehead. “Has Sonny recovered from the fever? Are you still feeling unwell? Why didn’t you take a day off from preschool?“It’s fine to do that, you know. There’s no need to rush back to school. Plus, Sonny doesn’t eat much. We did take him to
“I don’t understand what Liberty is thinking, leaving Sonny in Wiltspoon. When she got Sonny’s custody, she should have taken him with her,” Olivia muttered.She really wanted her son to file another lawsuit and regain custody of Sonny, but out of consideration for Sonny’s future, she could not do that. Plus, her son would not listen to her anyway.“Liberty went to Jensburg. She’s probably still dealing with a lot of trouble over there and we don’t understand the situation. If she could, she would have taken Sonny with her. She values Sonny’s education a lot, and Sonny has been well-educated under her care,” Luke spoke more objectively.Although he did not like Duncan, he could see that Duncan really cared for Sonny. Sonny was very attached to Serenity because she had raised him. That was natural, and it probably had nothing to do with whether Duncan was a good stepfather or not. Luke did not say this out loud to avoid being scolded by his wife for siding with Duncan.“Here comes