Delphine smiled. She said, “You didn’t gain weight. You just look more filled out and not as skinny as before. It’s a good thing.”Isabella replied, “I didn’t eat a lot. I was busy and even worked out every day. How did that happen?”“It means that you’re satisfied with Austin’s cooking. Your complexion will improve if you eat your meals timely and get sufficient nutrients.”Delphine was most satisfied with Austin among all the private chefs Isabella had hired. Not only could he cook delicious food, but he was also handsome and had good manners. In fact, he did not look like a chef at all. He gave off the feeling of an elite or a young master of a wealthy family. Austin was gentle and polite whenever he spoke as well. If he changed out of his chef’s outfit into a suit, then he would look like a fine gentleman. “Yes. I’m pretty satisfied with him for now. Is Tati still at the office, Mom?”Delphine replied, “Tati has to run the company and attend meetings since you were on a b
“I’ll take a nap after lunch and head to the office before three o’clock. I’ll then have a meeting at half past three so Tati can be home early. Aunt Margaret won’t have any more complaints.”Delphine pouted and said, “Margaret complains too much. Does she think I have a lot of free time? I have more responsibilities as her sister-in-law. I don’t see you often either, despite us living in the same house. Does she see me complaining?”When she woke up, her daughter would already be at the office. When Isabella got home, she was usually fast asleep. Therefore, Isabella and Delphine could hardly meet each other. Who could she complain about it to?After marrying into the family, she and Margaret had no choice but to tolerate such occurrences. It was because they had incompetent husbands but capable daughters. “By the way, the Longbottom family from Havenmill has sent us invitations several times to their banquet that’ll be held a few days later.“Mr. Longbottom came to visit a
Delphine had heard rumors about the Longbottoms. She said, “There are too many conflicts within wealthy families. The family members end up turning against each other.”“Most of the wealthy families experience internal power struggles. Even the closest of families can become enemies for power.”Isabella said, “When I was on my business trip, I heard things have been turbulent for the Fisher family in Jensburg lately. The previous matriarch’s descendants and the current matriarch are fighting for the position of matriarch. There were even rumors that the previous matriarch was killed by the current one.“No one knows the truth, but the situation has escalated. I heard many things about it.”“Regardless of what’s happening to other families, we should remain a peaceful and harmonious family instead of breaking apart like the others.“We must try to be light-hearted and not be too calculative, Isa. The more calculative you are, the easier conflicts will arise. We’re family. Won’t it
There were a few candidates, but Isabella was not interested in any of them. She had high standards too. “Let’s not talk about this, Mom. I’m hungry. I’m going to get some snacks.”Isabella got up. She did not want to discuss that topic with her mother any longer.Delphine said, “The snacks we have now were prepared by the pastry chef because Austin was away with you. You usually dislike his snacks because they’re too sweet.”However, the rest of the O’Connors liked the baked goods made by the pastry chef.Isabella was the only outlier because she was picky.She could eat some of the desserts Austin made. However, he said he was not that good at baking. Delphine had tasted the desserts Austin made. They were not as sweet as those made by the pastry chef and had better texture. Maybe that was why Isabella could stomach Austin’s desserts. Isabella went to the kitchen. Austin glanced at her when she entered but quickly refocused on his work. He said with a smile, “You mus
Isabella said nothing. She exited the kitchen and sat on the sofa. Delphine still brought her some snacks and said, “Have some if you’re hungry, Isa. These aren’t too sweet. The pastry chef modified the receipt and reduced sugar because he knows you don’t like it too sweet.”Isabella did not take it. She said, “The pastry chef must’ve made it according to your tastes since I wasn’t home. I can’t eat it.“Even if it isn’t too sweet, I still don’t like it.”It was not just because of the sweetness. With the pastry chef’s skills, he could not make anything that suited Isabella’s tastes. “What about chips?”Delphine brought some chips over because she did not want Isabella to starve.“You can have some fruits too. We have fruits you can eat all the time. They’re definitely fresh.”“It’s okay, Mom. Just sit. You don’t have to keep bringing me food. Austin said the soup will be ready in half an hour. I can wait.”Isabella did not like eating fruits on an empty stomach. “Austin
Louis smiled. “Okay. I’ll buy new clothes for you.”He had plenty of money. The family’s elders would give him lots of allowance. His mother managed part of his money, while he could keep a portion and buy anything he wanted. Louis could even make an account of what he used his money on. Isabella bent over and pinched her little brother’s face. She grinned. “I’m happy enough if you study well and be a good boy. I was teasing you. You don’t have to buy clothes for me. I have more than enough.”Many of the clothes in her walk-in closet had not even been worn before. On usual days, Isabella wore formal attire. She would only wear casual outfits when she was at home on weekends. Her mother and aunts would also order a few sets of clothing for her whenever they were having clothes tailored for themselves. She could not wear that many clothes, but they still loved getting her clothes. They said she had to dress up pretty. That applied to jewelry too. She never wore accessories
At his words, Isabella chuckled and said, “Since you both are so enthusiastically generous, I’ll call the others to go shopping together and give emptying your bank accounts a good go. “You haven’t gone shopping in a long while, so have a good time buying everything you like.” Both the boys nodded and Louis continued, “You’re always so busy. It’s about time you let loose.”Isabella was the busiest and most hardworking of all the O’Connors. Ever since Louis could remember, he had never seen his sister go shopping or traveling. Every day was filled with work, networking, and business trips. She could not relax even on the weekends because sometimes, she had to schmooze with clients by golfing, swimming, or fishing with them. It had to be said though, the clients who could make her personally make the trip were utterly important clients who could bring profits to their company in the billions.Isabella would not entertain regular clients. In fact, they would not even get to meet her.
Isabella wanted to discuss Louis's education with her parents. She took his education seriously and always made it a point to check on his studies, no matter how busy she was. If he got into trouble, the elders tended to spoil him and were reluctant to scold or punish him. Once Isabella found out, she did not care whether he cried or acted cute, she would discipline him by correcting his mistakes and then making him write a self-reflection. If their parents or relatives protected him, they would be made to write one too. She wanted to see who would still dare to cover for those two troublemakers in the future.Of course, she would not interfere with harmless mischief. It was normal for boys to be a little naughty, as long as they understood what was acceptable behavior and what was not. Instilling the right values from a young age meant that even if they grew bold, they would not commit outrageous or illegal acts when they got older.“Isa, Austin said the soup’s ready. He made you
“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