“Sonny is still a child. As his aunt, you didn’t even prepare a Christmas gift for him, and you have the nerve to ask him for one?! Have you even prepared gifts for your mother and me?“Liberty is rich now because of her capability. Now that she’s well-off, you expect her to prepare Christmas gifts for you, her former sister-in-law? Who do you think you are?“She treated you so well in the past that she would buy and cook whatever you wanted when you visited. Though the money came from Hank’s earnings, if Liberty hadn’t been willing to do it, do you think Hank could have done anything about it?“She shouldn’t have been so good to you and allowed you to get used to it. You’re always trying to take advantage of others when she doesn’t owe you anything. Hank and Liberty are divorced now! But even if they’re still married, how do you have the gall to take so many things from us when you come home empty-handed?“Let me ask you—have you ever left empty-handed from here? Even a roll of to
Wiltspoon’s hot weather in October was a killer. Still, the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze. Serenity Hunt got up first thing in the morning to make breakfast for her sister’s family of three. She then grabbed her birth certificate and slipped away in the silence. “We’re going Dutch from now on, and I’m talking about everything—the living expenses, the mortgage, and auto loans! Your sister should be splitting the cost since she’s staying at our place. Sure, she pays two thousand bucks a month, but it doesn’t stretch very far. She’s basically mooching off us.” Serenity overheard her brother-in-law’s comment during the couple’s argument last night. She had to move out of her sister’s place. However, there was only one way to put her sister’s mind to rest, and that was to get married. Since Serenity wanted to tie the knot on short notice without ever having had a boyfriend, she decided to take up on Grandma May’s offer. Serenity had saved the old lad
“I won’t back out on a promise.” It took Serenity a few days to consider before reaching a decision. Now that she had made up her mind, she was not going to go back on her word. There was nothing more Zachary could say at that point. He took out his document and placed it in front of the officer. Serenity did the same. The pair swiftly went through the formalities in less than ten minutes. Once the officer issued the marriage license, Zachary fished out a bunch of keys from his pocket and gave them to Serenity. He said, “The house I bought is in Brynfield. Nana told me that you own a bookshop near Wiltspoon School. My place isn’t too far from your workplace. It’ll take around ten minutes by bus.“Do you have a driver’s license? If you do, you can get a car. I can help with the down payment while you will be responsible for the monthly payment. It’ll be easier for you to commute to work.“I can get very busy at work, so you won’t see me much. There will be business trips too
“I will, Nana,” Serenity casually responded. Although Grandma May was nice to her, Zachary was her blood relative while Serenity was only related to the family by marriage. Serenity found it hard to believe that the Yorks would stand by Serenity during a conflict between her and Zachary.Such was the case with her sister’s parents-in-law. Before marriage, the in-laws were nothing but good to Liberty to the point their birth daughter was jealous. It was a different story after the wedding. Every time Liberty got into a disagreement with her husband, Hank, her mother-in-law would get on Liberty’s case about being a bad wife. In short, the son was always family while the daughter-in-law remained as an outsider. “You must be heading to work, so I should get out of your hair. I’ll get Zack to get you home for dinner tonight.” “Nana, I’m closing the shop pretty late at night. I probably won’t be able to make it. Can we reschedule for the weekend?” The school was off on weekend
“You said it yourself, Liberty. It’s his prenuptial property. It doesn’t make sense to add my name to the title deed since I didn’t pay a penny for the house. I think we should forget about it.” Zachary did Serenity a huge favor by handing her the keys to the house the moment they got married. She could move in right away, solving her housing predicament. Serenity was not going to request that of Zachary. Of course, she would not refuse if Zachary added her name on his own accord. Now that they were husband and wife, Serenity made up her mind to spend the rest of her life with him. It was just a passing mention by Liberty, but knowing her sister who was self-reliant and not driven by greed, Liberty did not dwell on the matter. After a series of interrogations, Serenity successfully moved out of her sister’s place. Liberty wanted to drop her off at Brynfield, but Sonny happened to wake up. The little guy was crying for his mama the moment he opened his eyes. “You should atte
With his game face on, Zachary said, “Back to the meeting.” Sitting nearest to Zachary was his cousin, Callum. Among the cousins within the same age range as Zachary, Callum ranked second.Callum drew close and whispered, “Zack, I overheard your conversation with Nana. Did you really marry that Ser- girl?”Zachary shot him a glare. Scratching his nose, Callum straightened his back and ended the probing. Even so, Callum had nothing but sympathy for Zachary. There was no need for the York boys to secure social and financial standing through marriage, but Zack and his new bride were not a match in every single way. Poor Zack. He merely married the girl because Nana took a liking to her. Once again, Callum offered Zachary his deepest sympathy through his thoughts. Thank goodness Callum was not the oldest in the family. Otherwise, he would have to step up to the plate and marry Nana’s lifesaver. Unaware of all that, Serenity got the location details and was busy dragging her
Serenity said with a smile, “What do I need your cousin for? He has a girlfriend. It’s too late now because the papers are signed! Keep it between us and don’t let my sister know. I don’t want her to be sad.” Jasmine was speechless.Her best friend sure pulled one heck of a move. “There are all those Lifetime movies and romance novels about blindly marrying a multi-billionaire. Maybe that’s the case with you too, Seren.” Smacking her best friend in the head, Serenity remarked with a grin, “I bet you read all the chick lit in the shop. Dream on about marrying a billionaire at first sight. Do you think the place is crawling with billionaires?” Jasmine rubbed on the bump and sighed as Serenity had a point. Jasmine then asked, “Where’s your husband’s place?” “Brynfield.” “Not bad. It’s a good neighborhood and easily accessible. Plus, it’s not far from our shop. Where does your husband work? He must earn a lot of money since he bought a house in Wiltspoon and in an expensive ne
Zachary got into the Rolls-Royce and instructed in a husky voice, “Don’t forget to bring around the national car I bought.” It was a façade to fool his wife. What was his wife called again? “Oh, right. What’s the name of the missus again?” Zachary could not be bothered to dig out the marriage license. Oh, it was likely Nana did not return it to him after he showed her. Anyhow, the marriage license was not with him. The bodyguard replied, “… The young missus is Serenity Hunt. She’s twenty-five this year. You might want to remember that.” Mr. Zachary had an exceptional memory, but when it came to people who he was not fond of, he jammed them out. This was especially true with women. He probably would not know the lady’s name even if they met every day. “Sure. Got it.” Zachary responded offhandedly. Judging by Zachary’s tone, the bodyguard knew he would not be bothered to learn the young missus’ name. Refusing to waste more brain cells on Serenity, Zachary slumped agai
“Sonny is still a child. As his aunt, you didn’t even prepare a Christmas gift for him, and you have the nerve to ask him for one?! Have you even prepared gifts for your mother and me?“Liberty is rich now because of her capability. Now that she’s well-off, you expect her to prepare Christmas gifts for you, her former sister-in-law? Who do you think you are?“She treated you so well in the past that she would buy and cook whatever you wanted when you visited. Though the money came from Hank’s earnings, if Liberty hadn’t been willing to do it, do you think Hank could have done anything about it?“She shouldn’t have been so good to you and allowed you to get used to it. You’re always trying to take advantage of others when she doesn’t owe you anything. Hank and Liberty are divorced now! But even if they’re still married, how do you have the gall to take so many things from us when you come home empty-handed?“Let me ask you—have you ever left empty-handed from here? Even a roll of to
If it were not for the fear that his mother would scold him when they got home, Lucas would have rushed over to have a go at Sonny. He would just wait until the adults were busy and their attention diverted settling the score with Sonny. It was just a two-day visit, but Sonny made it seem like he was the crown prince back from winning the war.“Sonny, didn’t you bring any Christmas gifts for your dad or Granddad and Grandmom? I’m really craving steak. Your mom knows I love steak, but she didn’t even prepare a big box of prime Kobe beef cuts for you to bring back.”Chelsea opened Sonny’s small suitcase and looked through it. Besides Sonny’s clothes, there were only a few toys. She was about to open the three gift boxes to check what was inside, but Hank quickly smacked her hand aside.“These are the supplements Sonny brought for me and our parents,” Hank said. He then hurriedly took the boxes back to his room. Chelsea was like a thief—if the things were not locked away in his roo
Luke and Olivia came over as well. Luke pushed Chelsea aside and said, “Move to the side. Don’t scare Sonny.”The old couple was all smiles when they turned to face Sonny. They fought over who to carry Sonny, but the little guy ultimately chose Luke. To him, his grandmom was the same as Aunt Chel. Granddad was much better. Luke sat on the sofa with Sonny in his arms. Lucas was also sitting on the sofa and eating snacks.Hank had bought those for Sonny when he returned. When Lucas saw Sonny, he did not greet or hug him like brothers usually do. Instead, he quickly took the plate filled with snacks away and said, “These are all mine.”Sonny frowned. Lucas was still as bossy and gluttonous as before. Whenever Lucas came to his house, he snatched his toys or food. ‘Oh, it’s Dad’s house,’ thought Sonny. It could not be considered his house. The place where he and his mother lived was his home. “Lucas.”Chelsea scolded her son, “Your uncle bought those snacks for Sonny.
Even Corey dared not do anything to Liberty, let alone the relatives. They were not fools.They would not incite arguments like Chelsea. Moreover, Liberty had the backing of the York and Stone families. The Wiltspoonians knew how much Serenity cared about her sister. Serenity would fight anyone who dared harm Liberty. If Serenity wanted to fight, Zachary would not sit still either. “I’m not my past self. I won’t get bullied.“Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I was so stupid back then. I was a housewife whose world revolved around my husband and baby. Even so, I was mistreated.”Liberty did not take care of her health as well. She let herself overeat to the point her weight became unhealthy. At that time, she thought she could afford to gain some weight since she was already married and had given birth. She also stopped dressing up. After the divorce, Liberty realized that women, especially married women, should love themselves. How could a woman expect oth
“You must come pick me up with Mom, Dunc. Okay?”“Of course.”Duncan could not bear leaving Sonny. He was already missing Sonny even though the little man was still right before him. Sonny slid down and returned to Hank’s side. Hank held his hand. He was about to say something to Duncan but ultimately decided against it. “Sonny and I shall head up now. His grandparents are waiting for him.”Liberty hummed in approval.She and Duncan stood and watched Hank walk away with Sonny. Sonny kept looking back and waving at them. Duncan tried his best to restrain himself from running forward to hug Sonny. He kept chanting mentally, ‘Hank is Sonny’s biological dad.’Letting the father and son reunite once in a while was perfectly normal. As a stepfather, he could not stop Hank and Sonny from hanging out together. Luckily, it was only for two days. Duncan was thankful that Liberty had brought Sonny to FC Manor right after winter vacation started instead of letting the Browns t
“Dad.”Sonny ran toward Hank when he spotted his father. Hank stepped forward and bent over to lift his son. He then kissed Sonny’s cheeks several times and rubbed his face against Sonny’s. They seemed close.Indeed, Hank had been treating Sonny well. Liberty only pushed Duncan over after Hank and Sonny were done.Hank’s gaze landed on Liberty’s face. She had a rosy complexion and charming eyes. Her expression was gentle, and she had a slight smile. However, it was not because she was being friendly toward Hank. She was simply in a good mood because she and Duncan finally got married and just had their wedding night. “Sorry for making you bring Sonny over, Liberty.”They initially agreed on having Liberty drop Sonny off at the neighborhood’s entrance, where he should have been waiting. However, he missed the timing because he was quarreling with Chelsea. Liberty had no choice but to bring Sonny inside. Hank knew she did not really want to return to the neighborhood, h
Liberty’s old neighbors even told her how terrible life had been for the Brown family for the past two years. A lady who used to be close to Liberty and Serenity pulled Liberty’s hand. She said, “The Brown family is unfortunate. Your living a better life than them is the best revenge.”Liberty smiled. “I don’t want to get revenge. I just want to live my own life. Whether they’re doing well or not doesn’t concern me.”“Of course. You’re kind and generous. There’s no need to stoop down to their level.”The lady caressed Sonny’s face. “Sonny has grown so much. He’s in preschool now, right? Getting more handsome as he grows. He looks just like you, Liberty.”“Hello,” Sonny greeted the lady. She smiled. “What a good boy.”Sonny had always been an obedient child as she recalled. The residents loved to tease the boy whenever Liberty or Serenity brought him out to play. What was the Brown family thinking? How could they not love such an adorable kid?Mr. and Mrs. Brown would rather
Sonny nodded. “I know, Mom. I’ll tell Dad to hide the box so Aunt Chel can’t find it. Why does Aunt Chel like taking stuff from Dad’s house?“Lucas used to take my toys too. I even cried. Grandmom said Lucas would return my toy after some time, but he never did.”Although Sonny was only two years old two years ago, he still remembered how his grandmom sided with Lucas. “About Chelsea… That’s something for the adults to think about. You’re still young. Don’t pay any mind to it.”Chelsea’s parents were to blame for her selfish behavior and habit of leeching off her family. Hank also played a part by allowing his parents to spoil his sister. Even he helped her out a lot in the past. Whenever Chelsea visited, he would get Liberty to prepare whatever dishes Chelsea wanted to eat, no matter how expensive they were. He also specifically asked for large portions to be made so that Chelsea could have her fill. Chelsea loved seafood. Her favorites were pricey ones like lobsters and crab
“Dunc picked me up. He’ll take me to Dad’s place afterward.“Are you feeling unwell, Mom?”Sonny got up and touched Liberty’s forehead, then his own. He even stuck their foreheads together. His mother and Aunt Ser always did the same thing whenever he felt sick. He simply copied what they did.“I’m fine.”Liberty could not tell Sonny that her waist and legs were sore. Instead, she glared at Duncan, who was sitting at the bedside. It was all his fault. He was insatiable. Duncan smiled apologetically. He could not help but indulge himself once he got a taste of pleasure after being single for so long. Liberty was the victim of his hunger. “Then why did you wake up this late? It’s already eleven. I wanted to wake you up, but Dunc didn’t let me. He said you were tired and that I should let you rest,” said Sonny.Liberty lied. “I was on an extended business trip and worked night and day. The things I had to do were endless. I’m too tired. Now that I’m finally on vacatio