Jane filled her car with things to bring to her adoptive parents and grandparents. In return, her adoptive parents would load her car with fresh produce from their farm. Of course, Jane and her in-laws would never refuse their kindness. Whenever she returned from visiting her parents, the Johnson family members would surround her and split the fresh produce she brought back among themselves. Jane knew her in-laws were only excited about the fresh produce because they adored her. She felt lucky to have married into the Johnson family. “That’s your parents’ way of showing their love for you,” Serenity said enviously.Her parents were no longer around. She would never be able to experience a love like that. Serenity did not have a family to return to. Although the house was still standing, her parents had passed away. Going back would only make her sad. Although Serenity’s relationship with her grandparents had improved a little, it could not compare to the closeness Jane s
Jane smiled. “Aren’t you going to tell Dad about this?”“No. He won’t stop me from going anywhere. He’ll probably drive up on his own later.”“Okay. Let’s go.”Jane lifted Chloe and held Laurence’s hand while Antonia followed her with Connor in her arms. Serenity pulled Sonny along.“Where are Cheryl’s children?” Jane asked as she thought of her nephews.“They’re asleep. Their nanny brought them back. We shouldn’t bring them along. They’re too naughty and probably can’t sit still at your mom’s house. Besides, their parents aren’t coming along. It’ll be troublesome if they get hurt.”Antonia would be more than happy to take care of the boys at FC Manor. The house was lively with more children around. However, she and Jane would only bring them out if either Ethan or Cheryl were tagging along.Taking care of someone else’s child was a huge responsibility. It would be fine if nothing happened but, if an accident occurred and the child was hurt, it would be difficult to expl
“Is he eating?”Caroline asked softly. “Yes, but not much. He just stares into space most of the time. He also speaks to himself sometimes, but I can’t catch what he says.”The caretaker responded politely and left the ward. Only Hunter and Caroline remained. Caroline pulled a chair and sat by the bedside. After staring at Hunter for a moment, she said, “Mom is gone, Dad. The dead can’t be revived. We have to accept reality.“Mom made too many mistakes…”Caroline stopped right there. Frankly speaking, death was a light punishment for her mom. Many people died because of her. Hunter turned his head, with some life returning to his eyes. He looked at Caroline for a while before saying, “I thought I’d be happy with your mom gone, Carol. I didn’t expect my heart to feel so empty.“I loved your mom. I wouldn’t have married into the Fisher family if I didn’t.“Yes, I did it for the money at first because the Clark family was going downhill back then. But, I had feelings f
Hunter let out a self-deprecating laugh before Caroline could answer. “Belinda never loved me. It was simply because not many people were willing to be a live-in son-in-law, except me. She only put up with me because she couldn’t get Mr. Foster’s love yet had to give birth to a successor.”Caroline remained silent. She did not know whether Hunter ever had a place in Belinda’s heart. The answer could go both ways, but was there any meaning in pursuing it? Belinda was already dead. “I couldn’t move her heart even after decades of trying. I’m a failure of a man, Carol.“If she loved me even slightly, I wouldn’t have sought out excitement or cheated on her.“Most of the things I did was to get revenge on her.”Caroline pressed her lips together. “I think Mom did care about you. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have had four children with you or got angry when you had an affair.”Hunter saw a glimmer of hope at Caroline’s words. He asked, “Is it true? Did your mom love me?”He ch
‘Did it even matter whether Mom and Aunt Tiara were close?’ Caroline thought to herself.It did not soften her mom’s cruel heart. Aunt Tiara still died from her mom’s schemes. There was also Aunt Alivia. What did she do wrong? She lost her life right after losing her eldest sister.Aunt Alivia probably did not even know she had died at Belinda’s hands. Those who could guess the culprit or had cooperated with Belinda back then were also killed. Entire families were wiped out. Many innocent people were affected after the incident. Belinda deserved to die, but even death was not enough to pay for her sins. Of course, Caroline could not make such a comment because Belinda was her mom. “Your mom valued her daughters more than her sons. When she didn’t know you and Cece had been changed, Cece was her favorite. Sometimes, I even had to get Cece to help me ask for forgiveness from your mom when I made her angry.”Caroline remained silent. She had witnessed how much her fam
If Liberty was still unfamiliar with her responsibilities and required some assistance, Caroline was willing to help until Liberty found her footing. Then, she would leave Jensburg.Anyway, she would not take a single thing from the Fisher family. It was not as if she could not survive without the Fisher family. She still had her career. Hunter panicked. He said, “How can you simply give away everything your mom worked so hard to obtain, Caroline? Her death will be in vain.“What happened between the previous generation remains between them. Since Belinda is dead, it’s over.“However, she was the matriarch before she died. As her daughter, you’re her legitimate successor. You should take over her position. Don’t be a fool and give it back to the other side.”Caroline was unwavering. “It isn’t mine, Dad. I won’t take it. We’ve wronged Mrs. Stone and the rest all along.”Hunter tried to persuade her, “Listen to me, Carol. Don’t give them everything that belongs to the Fisher fam
Hunter was present when Belinda made her will. He dared not voice out any opinions back then. He simply knew the will stated that if Belinda passed away before him, half of her assets would go to Caroline because she was her biological daughter and the one to inherit the family business. The rest would be divided equally among Adrian, Justin, and Jason. Celine was not allocated much. It was only mentioned that she could keep anything she had received before her identity was discovered.In the end, as Belinda’s husband, Hunter was not given anything. However, the will did make it clear that his sons would have to provide for him when he was old. They could decide the amount of allowance they would give him. Belinda had no control over it. After a short pause, Hunter said, “Even if we do it according to Belinda’s will, you’re still my child. Shouldn’t you take care of me as well?”“I never said I wouldn’t. If my brothers can’t afford to provide for you, I’ll give you a mont
“Belinda worked tirelessly day and night for Fisher Enterprise all these years. Even if she had snatched her position as the matriarch, her contributions to Fisher Enterprise cannot be ignored. She should be given credit and had rightfully gained the assets under her name.“Don’t think you can do whatever you want after Belinda’s death. While I can’t sue you if you dare give your mom’s assets to Audrey and the rest, your brothers can.”Caroline found that she was not angry at Hunter’s threat.“If nothing else happens, Adrian, Justin, Jason, and I will divide Mom’s assets according to the will she made,” she said indifferently. Hunter had a bad feeling again.He asked cautiously, “What do you mean?“Did Belinda give everything to you?“Did she change her will?”Caroline did not answer his questions. Belinda had been insistent on sending Caroline away. She even called Darren over and entrusted Caroline to him. She was going to let Caroline take her entire wealth and escape
Fortunately, Quinn herself was strong, and her family was not pushovers either. She turned to look at Julian.Without asking, Julian knew exactly what she was thinking, and he quickly reassured her, “Quinn, you don’t have to worry. That kind of thing won’t happen to us. I’m your rock. As long as I’m around, no one can bully you. In my family, apart from my parents, everyone else has to accede to me, and you know how my parents feel about you. They’re so grateful to you that they practically worship you like a goddess.“You’re familiar with the York family now and have seen the way they operate, right? Well, my family and the Yorks are old family friends. Birds of a feather flock together. The reason our two families are so close is we have similar family values.“Setting aside the fact that your family is powerful enough and supportive of you—even if you were like Serenity in the beginning, my family would never look down on you or mistreat you. They would only love and cherish you.
Stacy was actually hoping that Julian and Quinn could get their marriage license today and hold the wedding right away. However, the date they had picked was after Christmas and they still had to wait over a month for the actual wedding. At least once they signed the papers, there was no need to worry about Quinn changing her mind. Stacy was afraid that Quinn and her family might have second thoughts, especially since her son was afflicted with a disorder.“Hey, sweetie.”When Stacy addressed Quinn, her tone was very gentle. Quinn thought that her future mother-in-law was even kinder and more considerate than her own mother. Her father had looked into the Buchams' character and knew that Stacy was actually quite formidable. To Quinn though, Stacy appeared so gentle and kind that she did not seem like the kind of person who would be overly strict or tough. Of course, anyone who could hold fast the position of the Buchams’ head missus and secure her husband’s love for decades as if
Quinn could not stop laughing when she saw him.Julian blushed a little in response. He asked, “What are you laughing at? Is my outfit ugly? Does it not look good?”He was used to wearing black clothes all the time. Although he had a white suit, he rarely wore it. Today, for the special occasion of legally getting married to Quinn, he had specifically chosen to wear white, a color symbolizing purity, to proclaim how his feelings were as pure as snow.“It’s not ugly, it looks great! You look even more handsome than usual. I’m just not used to seeing you in a white suit. Now, you look like a prince from a fairy tale—my prince.”Julian smiled indulgently. “That’s right. I’m your prince charming and yours alone. You look great in white, too, my dear wife.”It was Quinn’s turn to blush slightly. She was not used to being called his wife, especially since they had not even registered yet. Since they were about to go get their marriage license though, she might as well start getting used
Serenity laughed and said, “I hope I’ll be toasting at your wedding soon.”Peter replied, “I think I'll get married before Dylan does.”Dylan’s romantic path had been much more complicated because he had not wanted to follow the smooth, well-paved road that Grandma May had arranged for him.“We have lots of happy occasions lined up after Christmas, then,” Camryn remarked.“Yes, lots,” Serenity agreed.The courtyard was lively, with the elders occasionally joining in on the fun. Meanwhile, inside the house, Dylan was thinking about what Serenity had told him. She had repeatedly said that the person Grandma May picked for him would definitely be the right one, someone who would suit him well.She also suggested that he look into Imogen and that there might be a pleasant surprise in store for him, but that he was not to let Imogen know. The implication in Serenity’s words was that Imogen might be Fox and that Fox’s real identity was Imogen Doyle herself.After understanding Serenit
Dylan frowned as he pondered deeply.“The scent from outside is wafting in. I think the food’s ready. I’m going out to have a couple of skewers to satisfy my cravings. You can stay here and think things through.”Seeing that Dylan had finally grasped the main point, Serenity stopped the conversation and went out to have some barbecue. It had been a long time since she had eaten barbecue.After getting pregnant, although she was not as strictly monitored as Jasmine was, she still paid close attention to her diet and would do her best to avoid things she could not eat or had to limit. Liberty called her every few days to remind her to be careful.When Zachary saw Serenity come out of the house, he immediately picked up a plate of freshly grilled skewers to his beloved wife, saying, “I deliberately used less seasoning on these for you, so you can eat them with peace of mind. Sonny’s asleep now, right?” “He fell asleep long ago, after playing so hard today,” Serenity replied, then gr
In that case, Grandma May would not even need to step in to teach him a lesson. His older brothers would beat him up multiple times for tarnishing the York family’s reputation and dragging their names in the mud with his own.“Dylan, I told you that if you didn’t trust Nana, you’d face the consequences. Look, you’re starting to suffer now, aren’t you?” Serenity said. Who was Grandma May? She was a kind-hearted but cunning old fox who could sell someone out and still make them feel grateful for it as they counted the money she made for her. How could she pick a bad match for her grandsons? There was no way they would be unsuitable. “Serenity, it’s not that I don’t trust Nana, it’s just that I really couldn’t fall in love with Imogen. I feel like if I couldn’t fall for her in almost three months then I just won’t. And I always thought about Fox when I was with Imogen. I’m not some naïve kid who doesn’t understand what that means.” Dylan smiled bitterly. His family always compla
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.