“Mom! Mom,” Sonny shouted from the stairs.Both of them looked up at him. “What's wrong?” Liberty asked with concern.“I can't carry so many toys. Can you come up and help me carry some of them?”Liberty smiled. “Okay, you should pick out the gifts for Isaac and the rest first.”“I've already picked them.”Liberty then said to Duncan, “Can you help me out? I'll go upstairs to help him carry the things.”“Sure.”Liberty had several helpers at home who helped look after the house and clean it. Before the mother and son came back, these helpers took turns working. With Christmas approaching, only one couple stayed behind while the others went home for the holiday. Liberty had not told this couple she would be back today and had only sent them a message after they arrived home. The couple was out shopping for Christmas goods, so they had not returned yet. Thus, Sonny had to ask his mom for help.After a while, the two came downstairs, each carrying a lot of items—all toys that So
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
“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
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
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
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.
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
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
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge
Tony Longbottom was the only person who would put on such a parade. The big shots in Satbury usually had entourages of their own, but none would put on a spectacle as big as Tony would.As they departed in their car, Tony’s gracious demeanor utterly shattered.His face twisted into an ugly, cruel expression as he said, “I’ve never been treated like this before, even when the legitimate branch of the family still lived, and those two ignorant little girls actually refused to see me multiple times.”Manny was very angry too and he said, “Pops, since they refuse to go about this the easy way, we’ll have to show them the hard way. We can approach it from other angles, and once they’re completely out of business and they have nowhere else to turn to, they’ll be at our mercy.“Won’t they have to do as we please then? I want to marry them, they’ll have to marry me, and if I don’t, I’ll just make them my mistresses. Don’t the O’Connors have plenty of daughters? I’ll fuck every one of them
“Isabella O’Connor is so outstanding, so why are you asking me to go for Tati O’Connor instead?” Manny said under his breath in puzzlement.He had seen photos of the two ladies and Isabella’s appearance was more striking. She had a cold and aloof aura that easily triggered his desire to conquer her, and after just a few glances, he was captivated.If it were up to him, Manny would choose Isabella.Tony looked at his son, smiled, and said, “You can’t control her. Of course, if you manage to make her fall for you, we can talk about switching. But for now, focus on Tati O’Connor.”Tati was also beautiful. However, she did not have Isabella’s cold demeanor. She seemed much gentler, like she smiled often.“Marrying Tati O’Connor would be a big advantage for both you and our family.”Manny thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “Got it, Dad.”Manny’s good looks, wealth, honeyed tongue, and generosity toward girls made him good at winning them over. Pursuing a rich youn
After testing the O’Connor sisters and realizing they were not like other women, Mr. Longbottom thought of having his son marry Tati.He knew that his son would not be able to handle or control Isabella, so he set his sights on Tati. Tati probably did not realize she was considered an easy target. Most people underestimated her because she had always kept a low profile.At that moment, a young man got out from the other side of the Rolls-Royce. He resembled Mr. Longbottom. Indeed, he was Mr. Longbotton’s eldest son, Manny.“Dad.”Manny went to his father’s side and glanced at the building before him. He asked, “Aren’t we driving inside?”In Havenmill, Manny could do whatever he wished because his father was the interim head of the Longbottom family. While he had no respect for ordinary people at all, he was clever enough not to offend people he should not.He never parked his car outside the places he wanted to go and simply drove his car through the gates. However, Manny
Meanwhile in Satbury, a few luxury cars stopped at the entrance of Costa Corporation. The door of the first car, a Rolls-Royce, opened. A bodyguard came out of the car.He waited for his boss, who was sitting in the backseat to exit.Mr. Longbottom got out of the car. Although he was over fifty years old, he looked like he was in his forties as he maintained his appearance well.He wore a white tailored suit with a tie, which made him look more youthful.The bodyguards in the other cars alighted as well.They quickly stood behind Mr. Longbottom to protect him. It was also his display of power.A few bodyguards grabbed many gift boxes from the trunks. Mr. Longbottom stood in front of the company and raised his head to look at the sixty-eight-storey office building. It was a symbol of the O’Connor family’s abilities.Costa Corporation was not the family’s only business. They were involved in many industries and were successful in all of them.The O’Connors were wealthy and powe
Jasmine added, “In some cases, the divorced women can get married to a better man, while the divorced men can’t even find a new wife. There are many single men now.“Isn’t there a saying nowadays that men who have wives are extremely lucky?”When Jasmine was at the bookstore, she would also visit the neighboring stores to listen to juicy gossip. Many of the store owners were not locals and they had many stories to tell. Someone said there was an evil mother-in-law in a rural area who looked down on her daughter-in-law. She would egg her son on to abuse his wife and get a divorce. She would also tell her son that she could find a better and younger wife for him. However, once the divorce went through, news of the mother-in-law’s evil deeds and the son’s domestic abuse spread far and wide. Who would dare marry off their daughters to a man like that?Besides, holding another wedding would require a lot of money. The cost of a wedding had increased a lot compared to the past.Whe
“Sonny’s fine. He has recovered. You want to get Sonny from school?”After thinking about it, Serenity agreed and said, “Okay. I’ll message Sonny’s teacher later to tell her you’ll be taking him.”“Okay, Serenity. Thank you.”Hank was thankful that Serenity did not make things difficult for him. Serenity and Liberty had great character. Liberty had a new relationship and already let go of her resentment for Hank. She could coexist with him peacefully. On the other hand, Serenity still held grudges against Hank. However, since he and Liberty had divorced, he could no longer hurt her. He was also Sonny’s father. Serenity was willing to tolerate him for Sonny’s sake. Therefore, she always said yes whenever Hank requested to meet his son. “You’ll be taking Sonny out to eat after picking him up, right? Remember not to let him eat too much fried food, especially fried chicken and fries. He’ll get a sore throat.“He got a fever that day due to a throat inflammation.”“Got it. I’ll