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
“It’s almost Christmas, and our parents keep calling us to come home and celebrate with them, so we came back,” Ruth replied. Then she remarked on Isabella, “You just got back from a business trip and you’re heading back to work right away? O'Connor, you’re working too hard. You have several younger sisters who can help out now. You should delegate instead of taking everything on yourself. Don’t tire yourself out like this.”Ruth genuinely ached for her friend. Although they were close friends, ever since Isabella took over the family business, they rarely met up because Isabella was so busy. Most of the time, they stayed in touch via their phones and maintained their friendship that way. Fortunately, they had been classmates since elementary school, and their strong bond from years of friendship kept them connected despite Isabella’s heavy workload.The O'Connors, the Fullers, and Ruth's in-laws all had business dealings together. Isabella was the head of the O'Connor family, and bo
Even now, in terms of status and wealth, Caleb was still quite out of Isabella’s league. Isabella tried to recall who Caleb was for a moment before she asked, “What does he look like? I don’t have any impression of him.”When they were in school, many boys would surround her, but she never felt anything for them. She often wore a stern expression that was as cold as ice, earning her the reputation of being an icy beauty, which discouraged them from making any advances. As there were so many boys who liked her, she really could not remember their faces, but also because she simply knew they were not the kind of men she wanted. That was why she paid no attention to them. So how could she remember what Caleb looked like?Ruth was speechless for a moment. Then, she replied, “He was the most handsome boy in our class! You really don’t remember him at all? You were in the same class for two years!”“He wasn’t the only one who was my classmate for the two years. How could I possibly reme
“Bring your husband along. Don’t let him misunderstand and think you’re coming to my house for an affair.”“Fine… I’ll bring him. I just want to see if a man with such a nice voice is also good-looking,” Ruth reluctantly replied.After a moment of silence, Isabella said wryly, “Maybe you shouldn’t come after all. I’m worried you might regret getting married once you see him, since you can’t pursue handsome men anymore.”“Wow, he must be a hottie then! Now I definitely want to go see him. If you’re saying that about him, it must mean he’s exceptionally good-looking. O'Connor, remember to let me know if you get tired of him. I’d love to scoop up a handsome chef for myself. J just looking at him would be a delight, and I wouldn’t even feel hungry!”Isabella could not help but laugh. “As of now, I’m still enjoying the food he makes, so I’m not tired of him yet. He’s a natural at cooking—he must have been a royal chef in his past life. He’s young, but very skilled.“I’ve tried his dish
After finishing her call with her friend, Isabella entered the dining room. The two little ones and her mother were already seated at the table, each with a bowl of soup and savoring it. A bowl of soup was also waiting for Isabella at her usual spot, served by Austin.After calling out to her, Austin returned to the kitchen to finish preparing two more dishes before they could eat. After Isabella had lunch and a short rest, she would need to head back to the office. Austin felt a bit tired too, but he wanted to take care of Isabella first. Only after she left for work could he finally have a good rest. If she did not come back for dinner that evening, he could either work or continue resting as the O'Connors had other chefs.His primary responsibility was to Isabella and he was allowed to refuse cooking for the rest of the family if he did not feel like it. They would not say anything if he chose not to. However, Austin regarded the O'Connor family as his future in-laws, so he was ha
Phillip felt aggrieved after being kicked by Louis but remained silent. It was not that he wanted to study, but Isabella was just that much stricter than their teachers, so much so the elders in the family did not dare to protest, much less them.Louis, feeling frustrated, channeled his emotions into his appetite, eating an unusually large lunch. It was a good thing that Isabella stopped him from overeating as she worried he would get indigestion. Otherwise, he really might have eaten in excess. If he had indigestion, he could avoid doing his homework.After lunch, Isabella said, “Austin, after your afternoon break, could you make some snacks for Louis and the others? Leave some for Tati, she loves your snacks. I won’t be home for dinner tonight, so you can manage your time freely. By the way, about Christmas—do you mind working during the holidays? I can offer you five times your usual salary, plus a Christmas gift and bonus.”Considering that her few days off during Christmas time
“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
Moreover, Patrick was still alive, and he had been Tiara’s assistant. Plus, the crime of Belinda killing her sisters to rise to power had been exposed to the world and no matter how one thought about it, it was impossible for Belinda's children to take over the position.“Dad, I just can’t accept it! I just don’t agree! Even if I can’t get the position of the head of the family, Liberty can forget about taking away our positions in Fisher Enterprise!“And if Caroline doesn’t divide the huge fortune left by Mom with us, she can forget about taking it all. If worse comes to worst, I’ll go down with her. If I die, my children can inherit Mom’s fortune, but Caroline’s unmarried and childless! She stands to lose the most if she dies.”Adrian stood up and turned to leave once he finished speaking. It was clear he did not want to continue the conversation with his father and did not want to listen to his advice.Justin and Jason looked at each other, then at their father, who was tremblin
The older generation of the Fisher family had indeed accepted the gifts sent by the Clark brothers. They felt that they had been mistreated by Belinda, so they viewed the benefits given by Belinda’s sons as compensation from her. However, they had not agreed to do what the Clark brothers wanted—to solicit their support. Without concrete evidence, what could the Clark brothers do to them? Besides, it was quite normal for juniors to give their elders gifts during the holiday season, was it not?Hunter could not help but slap his son’s arm. He scolded, “How many times have I told you, and you still won’t listen? My words just go in one ear and out the other.“Though you lot and Caroline are siblings, you’re still Clarks, not Fishers. The Fisher family’s rules have been in place for over a hundred years and won’t change just because of you. If they could change, it would have happened long ago. Do you really think it would have taken this long?“Those old fogies are from the Fisher fa
At the sound of a car, Hunter, who was sitting in the yard basking in the sun, instructed the helper who was taking care of him, “Go outside and see if the young master is back.”The helper went out. Soon, Hunter saw his three sons walking toward him one after another.Seeing this, Hunter could not help but furrowed his brow, feeling a headache coming on as he pinched the space between his brows. He suddenly understood why his late wife would become so impatient and frustrated with their sons—they were really troublesome.He had tried to reason with them, advising them to preserve their strength, to stop hoping to stay on at Fisher Enterprise, and to return here where they could still live well, but they simply refused to listen.When they accompanied him back to Ashford during Christmas, he thought they had come to their senses, but when the new year started and Fisher Enterprise resumed operations, they eagerly hurried back.It made Hunter so angry that he scolded them at home f
“I’ll still try my best to convince them to leave. One of these days, I’ll go meet my father and my two sisters-in-law, and get them to try to persuade my brothers. If they still refuse to listen, then there’s nothing else I can do.”“You should do whatever you think is right. I’ll leave them alone as long as they don’t appear before me.”It was not that Caroline did not care about her brothers; it was them who did not value the relationship. What else could she do? Liberty said, “I’m not the kind of person who would harm the innocent. As long as they stay honest and don’t get involved in any schemes or underhanded tactics, and leave Jensburg for the Clark hometown, I’ll only take half of what they currently have.” She would leave half of the assets for Adrian and the others. They would not starve, and this way, she was still showing Caroline some respect.“They won’t give up easily. They’ll still try to make trouble. You taking only half of their assets is already showing mer
Duncan had been so insistent on marrying no one but Liberty that his current temporary cripple was the result of his conflict with his parents. He had sacrificed his legs in exchange for their consent, but who knew whether his parents truly accepted Liberty or were just pretending to?“They’re very good to me, and they’ve accepted Sonny. It’s not that they don’t want to take care of him—, it’s Sonny who wants to stay with Seren.” Liberty explained, "My in-laws tried to persuade Sonny to stay with them for several days, but they didn’t manage to.“Ever since Sonny was born, it’s mostly been Seren looking after him. During the most difficult times, Seren helped me a lot too, so when I’m not home, Sonny prefers to be with her. No matter how good others are to him, he still chooses to stay with her.”Duncan loved Sonny like his own child, but if Liberty was not in Wiltspoon, Sonny would not want to stay with Duncan. He preferred to stay with his aunt.“That’s good, then.”As long as
Then there was her mother, who had committed countless evil deeds. It was likely that Liberty and the others would not pay respects to Belinda, as she was an enemy of Liberty’s branch of the family. No matter how magnanimous Liberty was, she would not go as far as to visit the grave of her enemy. Therefore, Caroline needed to come back herself to pay respects to her mother, to ensure that her mother’s grave would not be neglected. This was her duty as a daughter. Her mother had committed many sins, but she was still her mother.“Anyway, I’ll also be back to attend your wedding to Mr. Lewis. Technically, I’m still your elder.”Caroline smiled as she extended her belated blessings. “Liberty, I wish you and Mr. Lewis a lifetime of happiness. Mr. Lewis loves you dearly. You two will definitely be very happy together.”Duncan was such an outstanding person in his own right but was willing to marry into the Fisher family for Liberty. This truly broke the previous streak of the matri