The caregiver felt quite aggrieved. It was just a small matter, yet the old man was so furious it seemed like he almost wanted to dig up her ancestors to curse them too.“It’s fine. You can go out now. We’ll talk to my dad. He’s getting old, and since Mom just passed, he’s in a bad mood and is prone to anger. Please bear with it,” Adrian said, pulling out his wallet. He took a small stack of money of around a thousand bucks or so and handed it to the caregiver. “You take care of my dad every day, and with his bad temper, it must be tough on you. This is a little bonus for you.”Since he said it was a bonus, the caregiver accepted the money, thanking Adrian before leaving. Although she felt wronged by the scolding, she would not hold it against Hunter, especially since Adrian had given her some extra money.After Hunter was caught having an affair, he acted like a sycophant in front of Belinda but became unpredictable and moody with the domestic employees. Sometimes, he would yell at
“You were born, raised, and have lived there for decades. You can’t be more familiar with the manor. It’s not that difficult for you guys.“If you manage to sneak in, don’t go for the big or heavy items. Just go for your mom’s jewelry storage and take her accessories.“Grab her luxury bags too. Take all of them if you can. Reselling any one of the bags can bring us lots of money.”The Clark brothers nodded their heads at everything Hunter said. Adrian said, “Caroline, that bitch, told us to sell our properties and leave Jensburg or at least out of the city center with our families. She said that was the only way to have a peaceful life and keep everything we have now.“Should we listen to her, Dad?”After thinking, Hunter replied, “Based on the current situation, what she had suggested was the key to your survival.“While the people from Wiltspoon won’t do anything to you guys openly, they’ve been in the industry for some time. You can’t possibly believe that they’re kind peopl
Emma happily agreed to Adrian’s requests since he said yes to getting a divorce.Belinda had passed away while Hunter was hospitalized. Emma did not feel as resentful as before with the Fisher family going through so much. She had calmed down and was satisfied as long as she could get a divorce and free herself.Emma was already middle-aged. Since she and Adrian would have joint custody of the children, she would not feel as stressed and could finally enjoy her life to the fullest.She did not know if she would remarry. She would let nature take its course. She would consider remarrying if she could meet someone great who did not care that she had been married before.However, Emma thought she would have more freedom if she stayed single. She had plenty of money anyway and could live comfortably. Her mood improved just by thinking of the future. After the call ended, Hunter asked Adrian, “Was that Emma?”“Yeah. She asked when I could complete the divorce procedures.”Hu
Costa Corporation was one of the O’Connor family’s businesses in Satbury. It had many subsidiaries spanning across various industries under it. Isabella and Tati jointly managed Costa Corporation. The O’Connors had been around in Satbury for decades, which allowed them to accumulate that much wealth. Of course, they had gone through many hardships, one of which was when Isabella first took over the businesses. Many people anticipated all of the O’Connor family’s companies to get into trouble and go bankrupt. Some even hoped they would be in debt. Most of them were doubtful of Isabella and Tati. However, the companies managed to overcome the crisis, and the O’Connor family flourished from that point onward. Isabella and Tati were the main decision-makers in the family. They were the youngest among all business tycoons. Isabella was only twenty-seven, while Tati was even younger. Edith and Eleanor were of similar ages and worked in one of the family’s businesses. Since they w
At that moment, Mr. Longbottom’s car was parked outside Costa Corporation. His bodyguards’ cars were parked behind his luxury car. He always had a convoy whenever he was out. It was to boost his aura and to protect himself. Mr. Longbottom stared at the tall office building. His expression was tense, and his eyes were cold. He felt furious. After a while, he told a bodyguard, “Get down and tell a security guard that I know Ms. O’Connor is in the company now. I want to know when she can meet me.”Although he was simply the acting head, no one in Havenmill dared to defy him that way. Most of the time, he would decide whether to meet someone based on his mood. Even if the other person were someone on par with his status, that person would show him respect and agree to meet him if he asked to. No one ever rejected him bluntly like Isabella. Tati was slightly better. Mr. Longbottom had met her twice. However, she had rejected him whenever he invited her out to hang out or
“They have to continue waiting if it isn’t their turn yet. No one can cut the line unless the CEO allows it. Didn’t Mr. Longbottom make an appointment two days ago? It probably isn’t his turn yet.“If that’s the case, please go back and wait. Coming to our company and blocking the way every day is useless. If you happen to block our boss’s way and make her angry, she might even cancel Mr. Longbottom’s appointment.”Mr. Longbottom’s guard was about to say something but decided against it. He simply thanked the security guard.He turned and returned to the car. Once Mr. Longbottom lowered the window, he said respectfully, “That security guard said you have to follow the given time of your appointment and that there’s no need to wait here every day.“He also mentioned that everyone has to wait if it isn’t their turn yet. We can’t skip the line.”Mr. Longbottom’s expression darkened, but only for a moment. His face soon returned to normal. He said calmly, “I’ll wait here until Isabell
“After that, he’ll gradually gain control of our family businesses. Although he’s just a temporary head of the Longbottom family, he has competence and cruel methods. Nevertheless, no matter how well he does now, he still isn’t legitimate.“His efforts will easily go to someone else. I believe he’s aware of the changes in the Fisher family of Jensburg. He’ll definitely be afraid of experiencing what Madam Fisher did.”Tati asked, “Is he leaving a back door open for himself? If he gains control of our family, he won’t lose everything even after stepping down as the temporary head and leaving Havenmill. He can even take many of the Longbottoms’ business contracts with him through his established collaborations.”“Most likely. He has already used that method to obtain a lot of money with his wife’s help. However, many senior managers of Longbottom Corporation are the family’s elites. They only obey the orders of the head of the family and are committed to protecting the family assets.
After thinking about it, Tati nodded and agreed with Isabella. She asked, “Are we going to keep ignoring Mr. Longbottom?”“Do you want to meet him?” Isabella questioned back.Tati immediately shook her head. “No. He thinks he’s a charming, elegant, and handsome middle-aged man. He has no idea that he’s just a sleazy old man to me. I hate his arrogant gaze and his being delusional about his looks.“After getting used to a great man like Austin, seeing a man as pretentious as Mr. Longbottom makes me realize the vast difference between them.“Austin is really gentlemanly and charismatic. Even without doing anything, he looks pleasing to me whenever I look at him.“I finally believe the saying that looking at handsome guys and pretty women can improve one’s mood.”After speaking, Tati noticed her sister’s teasing gaze. She quickly explained, “I don’t mean anything by that, Isa.”“You don’t need to explain. We’re cousins. We’ve grown up together and know each other well. Even my
Although Corey’s daughters-in-law were not her biological children, she would love them as if they were. After all, they had married into the family and gave birth to the family’s future generation. The jewelry she gave them would be passed down to her grandchildren anyway. Her daughters-in-law came from wealthy families themselves and had many assets to their names. They had more than enough jewelry. Nevertheless, they still happily accepted their mother-in-law’s gift and promised to pass it down to their future daughters-in-law.Of course, they would also gather sufficient wealth and jewelry to be given to their daughters. Anyway, the Lewises treated boys and girls equally in the family. There was no gender discrimination. However, Corey preferred having granddaughters. She had only given birth to four sons and no daughters. After her sons got married, their first children were all sons. She had been afraid that men would outnumber the women in the Lewis family, just like how it
After Corey scolded Ezra, she looked toward Duncan and Liberty. She said gently, “When are you two planning to get your marriage license? Tomorrow?“The City Hall will be closed at the end of the year. It’s best to get the procedure done within these few days.”Getting their marriage license soon would also reassure Duncan. The wedding could be held later. Once they got their marriage license and became legitimate husband and wife, Duncan would no longer have to be alone. He and Liberty could love each other as a married couple. There was also a chance that Liberty might already be pregnant with Corey’s grandchild by the time the wedding was held. Corey wished Liberty could give birth to a child for Duncan. The gender did not matter so long as the baby was Duncan’s biological child. If Liberty truly did not want to get pregnant again, Sonny would probably take care of Duncan in his old age. Duncan had always treated Sonny well, and Sonny was a reasonable child. Sonny would no
Liberty looked at him again. To be honest, she had not known that Duncan had already arranged for a tailor to custom-make a wedding dress for her. As for her size, well, Duncan probably knew.He had sharp eyes and could probably estimate her measurements just by looking at her, not to mention how many times he had hugged her. He could also have asked her sister for her clothing size and preference.As for her preference, he probably had not needed to ask. They had known each other for two years, and Duncan knew very well what she liked and did not like. Serenity had not mentioned anything about the dress to her, so it seemed like they were keeping it from her as a surprise.Duncan met her gaze and softly explained, “After you agreed to register our marriage before Christmas, I immediately contacted the fashion designer Zachary and Josh recommended me. I asked Serenity about your clothing size, and I also secretly took your measurements myself to make sure there wouldn’t be mistakes
Liberty had looked over the dates Corey had chosen. The closest was in less than half a month. The timing for that one was a bit tight, while the farthest was in the early fall of the next year. Liberty actually wanted to choose this one because by then, her sister would have already given birth and could attend her wedding. Things in Jensburg would also be settled, and she would be able to take the time to handle her own wedding, but she decided to let Duncan take a look first and see how he would choose.After looking at the dates, Duncan turned to his parents and said, “Dad, Mom, I think the early fall date is better. Let’s go with that one.”Liberty gave him a slightly surprised look. She thought he would be eager to have the wedding right away. However, she soon realized why. Duncan had mentioned before that he wanted to fully recover before the wedding, not wanting to be in a wheelchair. By early fall, he believed he would be able to walk normally.He was already recovering
For a four-year-old child to write like this was quite impressive.Liberty also noticed her son’s handwriting and said, “Sonny mentioned that at FC Manor, he copied books and practiced writing with Laurence every day, so his handwriting has become neater and prettier.”She did not expect her son to be able to write a lot at his age. He was still young, and she was worried that excessive writing might deform his fingers. However, since Sonny liked writing and drawing, she did not stop him. Plus, at the age of four, he could not sit still for long. After writing for a while, he would go off to play. The time he spent writing was not long enough to worry about his fingers becoming misshapen.They had stayed at FC Manor for about half a month. In that time, he had not spent very long actually writing with Laurence, but perhaps just with Laurence accompanying him, Sonny had improved. After copying medicinal books for a few days, his handwriting had become much neater compared to before.
Isaac addressed Liberty as “aunt” and at first, she felt a little embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure and responded. Then, she said to the two children, “Sonny, you need to listen to Isaac. Isaac, keep an eye on Sonny.”“Don’t worry, Aunt Liberty. I’ll take good care of Sonny,” Isaac reassured her. Duncan also gave a few instructions before letting them go.“Liberty.”“Duncan’s back.”Everyone wore smiles when they saw the two of them walk inside. Looking at how close and affectionate the two were now, the Lewises could not help but feel a wave of emotions. They had once thought that Duncan would never marry and would stay a bachelor for life, but unexpectedly, he fell in love with his good friend's sister-in-law, Liberty, who was a divorcee.At first, the elders in the family strongly opposed the relationship, but he did not give up, determined to be with Liberty. With his persistence and after going through hardships, the two of them finally made it to this point
Liberty would be the head of the Fisher family in the future. Since he was technically marrying into the Fisher family, it was reasonable to say she would support him.She smiled as well, “Let’s support each other, trust each other, and walk hand in hand.”“Okay.”After Corey carried Sonny in, everyone started playing with him. Isaac squeezed his way to his grandmother’s side and reached out to pinch Sonny’s face, praising, “Sonny’s face is so soft, it feels really good to pinch.”Sonny was speechless. Isaac was the youngest grandson of the Lewises, the seventh of his generation. He pinched Isaac’s face back and said, “Isaac, your face is also fun to pinch.”“I feel like my skin’s a bit rough now and not as smooth as yours. Kids’ skin really is nice,” Isaac said, trying to pinch Sonny’s face again. However, Corey swatted his hand away and scolded him lightly, “If you keep pinching, Sonny will feel pain.”“When I was Sonny’s age, the others used to pinch my face all the time
“Even if she sees him every day, my mom will still dote on Sonny. We don’t have such young children in our family right now, and Sonny is so cute, sweet-talking, and likable,” Duncan said as he instructed someone to help bring the things Liberty had brought into the house.He did not need a wheelchair, but he got a bodyguard to help him up the steps. Then, Liberty took over supporting him, and together they walked slowly toward the house.“I liked Sonny the first time I met him, although I didn’t really like kids before because they were so noisy. I remember when my nieces and nephews were younger, I would get really annoyed seeing them cry and throw tantrums. But after meeting Sonny, I started liking kids. When I heard Sonny call me 'Dunc' with his soft, sweet voice, my heart just melted.” That child’s mouth was indeed sweet and Duncan was speaking from the heart. He really liked Sonny a lot.Liberty said, “When I divorced Hank, Sonny still wasn’t very good with his words. I didn
Corey was smiling from ear to ear.“Hi, Corey.” Liberty greeted her.Corey smiled and said, "Liberty, you're back."She reached out with both hands to hug Sonny and helped him out of the car. Then, holding Sonny, she turned around to head indoors, asking along the way, “Did you have fun on your trip with your Aunt Serenity, Sonny?”“I had fun. Did you miss me, Grandma Corey?”Corey smiled and said, “Of course I missed you! So very much. As soon as you got back, I called Dunc and asked him to bring you to visit. I’ve prepared so much food, drinks, and toys for you—all the things you like.“I also called the other kids and told them that if they’re free, they should come back. There’ll be lots of people to play with you later. It’ll be lively, and you won’t feel lonely. Isaac knows you’re coming and he’s so happy.”Isaac was Corey’s youngest grandson, the youngest child of Duncan’s third brother Ezra. Isaac was turning eleven and especially liked Sonny. He was so excited when he f