Zachary turned his head and saw Serenity savoring the sight of him. When Serenity noticed that he was looking at her, she asked, “Are you gonna strip further?”She pointed at his pants to tell him that he had not taken off his pants yet.Zachary was speechless.He took off his shirt because he did not want it to get wet when he was washing his face.What was she thinking about when he took off his shirt?Zachary turned around and took a step to stand in front of Serenity. When he was in such proximity, Serenity reached out and wanted to touch his lean pecs. She praised him, “You have a great body since you exercise so regularly.”Zachary grabbed her wandering hand to stop her from touching him.He warned her with a dark expression and said in a deep voice, “Serenity, do you know the consequences of touching me?”Before she could answer, he flicked her forehead with his other hand. This had become a habit of his.Zachary enjoyed flicking Serenity’s forehead after doing so for a
Zachary was silent for a moment before he said, “My parents still have income, and there are a lot of flowers and fruit trees on our family’s farmland. Every year, we make a lot of money by selling flowers and fruits. We’re not filthy rich, but we’re also not poor either.“Even if the elders are retired, they’ll run some small businesses that aren’t so profitable and tiring, but they can pass the time and make their lives feel more fulfilling.“I’ve given my parents money, but they declined. I gave it to them once, but they returned twice as much to me so I can save it for my wife.”Serenity thought of the last time she met her father-in-law. Although he was old, he was a well-kept gentleman who had excellent composure.Her mother-in-law did not really like Serenity but was graceful not to target her. She spoke gently and looked youthful. Serenity felt that outsiders would think they were sisters when they were to walk side by side.Serenity and Zachary had been married for a whil
Serenity returned to her room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and touched her burning face. She had no clue why she blushed.Maybe she saw something when she accompanied Liberty to catch Hank and Jessica in the act last night.After standing there for a while, Serenity hurriedly went into the shower because she had to make breakfast for Zachary later.Before that, Serenity suddenly thought of Mrs. Lane and called her. After Mrs. Lane answered the phone, Serenity said, “Mrs. Lane, you can take Sonny to my store later, so you don’t have to rush back.”“Okay.”“How’s my sister?”“She’s acting like she’s okay and says she’s going to work after breakfast. I’m making a cup of coffee for her to boost her energy because she didn’t sleep well last night.”Serenity felt sorry for her sister, but she also knew that it was not appropriate for Liberty to take the day off. After all, Liberty had only just started work a few days ago.“Ask my sister to be careful when
Serenity had no recollection of it at all.She only drank two bottles of beer. Although she fell asleep afterward, she was not considered drunk. How could she vomit if she was not drunk?Did she vomit because she ate too much last night?Serenity was a little skeptical. However, it was just a drawing anyway, and Zachary had no reason to lie to her. Hence, Serenity dropped the subject.She would heed Liberty’s advice and drink less in the future.“Do you want to get it back?”“How can you get it back? Even if you do, it’s all mushed up. It’s okay, I’ll just redraw it.”Zachary said apologetically, “I didn’t know that drawing was so important. I just grabbed it without a second look. Next time, don’t put your drawing on the dresser. It’s too close to the bed.”“Okay.”Serenity thought to herself, ‘Well, this kind of thing can’t happen every day…’She would not drink every day either.“Mr. York, you don’t have to feel sorry. It’s my fault for not putting it away properly. Don’t
Josh was waiting for Zachary at the entrance of the office building.His pearly whites welcomed Zachary.“I thought you weren’t coming to the office today.”Josh followed Zachary inside while the bodyguards stopped at the entrance of the office building.“If I don’t come in and ask you to preside over the meeting, you’ll just complain about how much you must’ve owed me in the past life that you’re enslaved by me now.”“You’re quite self-aware and know that you’ve been enslaving me this whole time, huh?”Zachary turned his head to look at him. “I’m just providing a stage for you to perform. If I didn’t, would you be able to get the attention of your patriarch?”The younger generation of the Bucham family was not inferior to the York family.Josh stood out among the Bucham family’s younger generation mainly because of his capability, his friendship with Zachary, and his position in the top management of York Corporation.He was the most valued nephew of the Bucham family’s patri
Zachary looked at Josh speechlessly.Josh touched his nose embarrassedly and said, “I’m suddenly looking forward to the blind date with Ms. Sox.”“I’ll arrange for you two to meet this Saturday afternoon. You can decide on the location and let me know once you’ve booked the place. Then I’ll get Serenity to inform Ms. Sox.”“That’s the day after tomorrow! Zack, look at me now. Do I look good? Do I have acne on my face? Is my beard too long?”The elevator arrived at the top floor.Zachary waited for the elevator door to open and left without Josh, who was like a peacock ready to spread its train of feathers.Josh hurriedly followed in his footsteps.“Mr. York, Mr. Bucham.”Mr. Chaplin stood up and greeted the two bosses.Both of them nodded in response to Mr. Chaplin’s greeting.After entering Zachary’s office, Zachary pointed to the door of his lounge and said, “I have a mirror in the lounge, so you can go in and take a look in the mirror.”Josh pulled out his chair and sat i
“That's because she needs to get in shape. I told her to run five laps in the small park in front of the office every day before starting work. If she doesn't complete five laps, she can't begin her work. I want her to lose weight in a healthy way, but it won't show results after just one month. That's why I put her on a three-month probation.”Zachary was speechless, again.Duncan was being overly nosy. He hired Liberty for a job, and now he was getting involved in her health matters too."Duncan, cut her probation down to one month. If she successfully completes her probation, give her a salary raise. And if you don't think she deserves it, I'll personally cover the increment every month and give it to you discreetly."Duncan replied, “She’s only a clerk in the finance department, so no matter how much of an increment you give her, it won’t be much. At most, it’ll be a thousand dollars, so what’s the use of that?”Zachary said, “A thousand dollars might be nothing to you, but it
“Is Sonny alright?”Olivia was indeed a little concerned for her grandson after doing something like that and coming home.Her other grandson, having fallen sick this time, had made it so that the whole family could not have peace. Just having a recurring fever alone was enough to worry everyone.Sonny was younger than Lucas by a year. If he had fallen sick too, who knew how much suffering the family would have been put through?“He should be fine, I didn’t go home and didn’t see Sonny. I saw Liberty near the neighborhood going to work like normal.”After a whole night of suffering and having beaten up both him and Jessica, Liberty could actually still go to work like nothing had happened.He was alright. Jessica was still cooped up in the hotel, too scared to leave and meet anybody because the handprint on her face had not faded away. Last night, after Liberty and her sister left, Jessica hugged him and cried for a very long time, saying it was all his fault she had to suffer
Zachary said those words, but in his heart, he was thinking that he had to keep an eye on the younger generations of the major families in Wiltspoon, particularly those who stood out. He would make note of any promising boys, so that when he had a daughter, he could arrange for that boy to grow up alongside her. If they became childhood sweethearts, she would not have to marry far away. Of course, once he had a daughter, he would not want her to get married too early. He would still be fine even if she was unmarried at thirty.Zachary drove his beloved wife to the Stone residence. Audrey was walking in the yard with Patrick. The weather was nice today, and the temperature had risen a few degrees. Patrick had been ordered by Audrey to stay inside and avoid the cold wind, but he was now finally able to get out and walk around.Elisa had gone to Annenburg with Remy to celebrate Christmas. Anthony, afraid of his parents’ constant nagging to settle down, had bought a plane ticket abroad
“Duncan is a good man. Being with him, you will definitely be happy, Liberty. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, growing old together, and may you have children soon.” After a pause, Hank added, “Or maybe don't have children, I'm afraid that if you have your own kids, you might not love Sonny as much.”He was still quite selfish. He hoped that Sonny would be Liberty’s only child. As long as Liberty and Duncan did not have children, the fortune and empire Duncan built would eventually become his son's legacy. Then again, thinking about Liberty’s current status, Hank sighed quietly, knowing that his selfish prayer would never come true. Liberty would definitely have another child. She would need a daughter to take her place and eventually take over the Fisher matriarchy in Jensburg.What if Duncan had a biological child? Would he still treat Sonny well?Hank was actually quite worried that if Duncan had his own child, he might not treat Sonny well. That was why, when he last s
“Go cook some food. It's rare for Hank to be resting at home, so don't say those unpleasant things in front of him. Honestly, if he hadn’t gone after Jessica, she wouldn't have ended up like this. As a married man, Hank shouldn't have pursued a young, innocent girl in the first place. Everything that happened to him is his own fault—it’s all self-inflicted.”Ever since Hank divorced Liberty, and after seeing how Liberty had turned her life around and was living a better life, Luke had changed a lot because of regret. It made him realize many things and change a lot.Olivia opened her mouth as if to say something, but said nothing in the end. After a heavy sigh, she stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare food for her husband and son.In the past, when Liberty was still part of the Brown family, every time Olivia came to her son’s house, she never had to cook. She only had to mention what she wanted to eat, and Liberty would prepare it for her. All she had to do was eat and still
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st