Truth be told, Hunter understood in his heart that they were actually only doing this because Caroline was his biological daughter and they thought Caroline would become the Fishers’ matriarch. Then, he would become the Fisher family patriarch and become even more powerful than before.Hunter had not told his relatives back home about the internal issues within the Fisher family. There was no point in telling them as they would not be able to help anyway. He was also afraid that if he spoke up, the relatives and friends now surrounding him would drift away. He enjoyed the lively life he had now.“Master, the three young masters have returned,” one of the housekeepers informed Hunter. Hunter had asked the housekeepers to address him as “Master.” With Belinda no longer suppressing him, he wanted to savor the feeling of being the patriarch. “What are they back for this time?” Hunter frowned and added, “I told them not to go back to Jensburg, to stay and put roots down here, but
The price for one life was another life. If they killed Caroline and Liberty, they would likely be caught within days. Then, they would face legal punishment, possibly the death penalty. What would be the point of that?What they wanted was control over the Fisher family, but if they were sentenced to death, the Fisher family assets would only go to others. “Adrian, a life for a life. If we kill someone, we won’t be able to escape—what’s the point of that? What if our plan fails, and instead of them dying, we end up dead? They have powerful backers and connections. It won’t be easy for us to harm them.”Adrian said, “Mom succeeded. We’re her sons. She raised us with care since we were young. Are we really inferior to her?”Jason muttered softly, “We are inferior to her. Not just her, we’re even inferior to Caroline.”Adrian glared at his brother, feeling that he was boosting the opposition’s morale while undermining their own.Hunter finally spoke up, “Your brother is right.
If they had known that their biological sister would be so treacherous, even going so far as to turn against her own family and side with the Wiltspoonians, they would have stopped their mother from bringing her back in the first place.Celine was so much better. Although Celine had been carefully nurtured by their mother, her abilities were limited; similar to theirs.If Celine had not died and had taken over instead, their mother would not have had to die, their father would not have castrated himself and become an old eunuch, and the Fisher legacy would not have to be handed over to outsiders. They would have only risen in position and power within Fisher Enterprise and commanded respect and influence; not in the miserable state they were in now and treated like strays, chased away wherever they go and unable to return home.Their mother was forced to take her own life, while their father’s health deteriorated after his castration. They had lost so much.The vast majority of t
Although Hunter said that, he knew only Caroline possessed the cruelty all the Fisher matriarchs had. Belinda was biased toward Caroline in the later stages because she realized Caroline was the only one who had the competence and ruthlessness of the eldest daughter. Unfortunately, the daughter whom she loved and wanted to protect did not share the same goals as she did. Sometimes, Hunter would think, ‘If the butler hadn’t switched our daughters and Caroline had grown up in the Fisher family, would she have been capable enough to hold her own against the powerful families of Wiltspoon?’One thing was for sure—even if Caroline could not go up against them, she would not be treating her parents and brothers like how she was now. “That Fletcher guy is unpredictable. We don’t know how capable he is,” said Justin. Jason said, “No matter how capable he is, he’s alone. Everyone has weaknesses. We can definitely think of a way to tackle him. Even if we can’t eliminate him, I still h
Caroline’s cheeks were red. She told Liberty, “I really hate these parties.”“I don’t like them either, but it can’t be helped.”Even if they chose not to take over as matriarch, they still had their businesses; attending events was inevitable. Caroline patted Liberty’s shoulder. She smiled. “I won’t be doing these with you in the future. Everyone puts on a facade and speaks without sincerity. I hate these pretentious events the most.”“I won’t let your hopes down,” said Liberty. Darren brought two cups of honey water. He passed the cups to Caroline and Liberty and said, “Drink some honey water. It’ll make you two feel better.”“I’m not drunk.”Caroline muttered, yet she still accepted the cup. “Your face is already red from drinking. You’re drunk, just not knocked out.”Liberty also felt slightly drunk but still alert, like Caroline. She could still reason. Since they had drunk alcohol, they became more talkative and kept chatting. “Darren.”After finishing the ho
Darren was worried. “It’s too dangerous, Ms. Caroline. You don’t know how to fight. What if…”He could not bear the consequences of Caroline being harmed. Although Caroline would not be the matriarch, he was already assigned to her and considered on active duty by the training center. His responsibility was to protect Caroline and do her bidding.If something were to happen to her, it would be on him. The training center would hold him accountable because he would tarnish the center’s reputation. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll be protecting me secretly. I trust you, Darren. I believe in myself too.”Caroline reassured him. “Although I’ve not learned self-defense, I did get into fights with other people throughout my younger days. I’m experienced in fighting.”After thinking about it, Liberty asked, “Do you really want to do this, Caroline? Your brothers don’t even treat you as their sister. You don’t have to put yourself at risk for them.“They might be going afte
“My brothers think I’m the cause of my family’s downfall. They never had any brotherly love for me to begin with and are desperate to eliminate me now. Between the two of us, I’ll be their final target.“While they can’t get any of the family’s items after killing me, they’ll be able to inherit my mom’s private assets.”Caroline sneered. “I’m going to make a will. If something happens to me, everything I own will be split into three portions. A portion goes to Darren, the other will be yours, and the remaining will be donated.”“Caroline!”“Ms. Caroline!”Liberty and Darren exclaimed at the same time. Liberty said sternly, “Don’t say such disheartening words. I don’t want your assets. You can leave them for your kids in the future.”Darren chimed in. “I’ll always be with you no matter where you go, Ms. Caroline. I’ll continue breathing as long as you’re alive. If something happens to you, I shall also leave this world.”He would stay with her, whether alive or dead. Caroline
“Without Mom and Fisher Enterprise as their safety nets, they’ll be cautious about investments. It’ll take time. What I want is to end this as soon as possible.”Caroline said, “Just do as I say. It’s the simplest and quickest method.”She could not be bothered to trick the Clark brothers into committing a financial crime. Their intelligence, or lack thereof, was not worth her trouble. Since they wanted to kill her, she would give them a chance to do so. If she did not die, they would be the ones in trouble. When Belinda was alive, she told Caroline not to show mercy if her brothers were disobedient and troublesome. Belinda also said she could never bring herself to harm her sons. At that time, Caroline thought Belinda was truly cruel. Well, she was not wrong. Her mother could even kill her biological sisters. Belinda had always prioritized the Fisher family. She would not spare anyone who would negatively affect Fisher Enterprise, not even her own sons. Upon recallin
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc
“I’m not obliged to provide for you, Mr. Clark.”Darren would not give Hunter money. He also felt Hunter was trying to obtain some information through the call, not money. Hunter said furiously, “Aren’t you going to marry Caroline? You’ll be my son-in-law in the future. It’s like being half a son to me. Since you’re my son, you should look after your father. Quick. Give me the money.“Otherwise, I won’t let you marry my daughter.”Darren said without hesitation, “Ms. Caroline will decide for her marriage.“If we do get married, she’ll be the one in charge of the finances. I don’t have money.”“Fletcher! Are you a man? Can’t you revitalize the spirit of the Fisher family’s sons-in-law? You saw how I ended up like this. I didn’t have access to the finances and didn’t have money. I’ve been under strict control ever since I married into the family.“That was how I ended up in this miserable state. I’m telling you, the Fisher women are evil. It’s best if you don’t marry Caroline.
“Why would a husband have an affair if his wife could do well?”Ellie was exasperated. She ended the call without hesitation. “Old bastard. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. All your sons cheated on their wives because they have a perverted father like you.“I would’ve divorced Jason if it weren’t for my children being too young. Look at Emma now. She even received half of Adrian’s assets and doesn’t have to look after her children herself. How relaxed her life must be.”The wealth Belinda had left behind was sufficient to afford the children’s education. Ellie still had feelings for Jason. Otherwise, she would have gotten a divorce upon knowing he cheated on her. She would not have reconciled with him with just a little coaxing and advice from her family. Since Jason did not return home the entire night, Hunter guessed his sons’ plan had failed. As he had expected, Caroline was not an easy target. After all, she was Belinda’s biological daughter. Belind
Since the call ended abruptly, Adrian’s girlfriend, Irene, muttered, “Is Mr. Clark unsatisfied with me?”She was almost twenty years younger than Adrian. If he had not been rich and willing to spend his money on her, she would not have wanted to be his lover. Adrian promised to marry her after he was done fighting a legal battle against his sister and claiming his inheritance. He would make her the missus of the Clark family. As for the three children he had with his ex-wife, he had told Irene not to worry about them.Since his mother had left some money behind for her grandchildren, he did not have to pay child support. Irene knew Adrian used to be a young master of the Fishers and that Madam Fisher was extremely wealthy. She did not expect Belinda to be helping her son take care of his children even after her death. Considering Adrian would be able to receive a huge portion of inheritance in the future, Irene decided to be with him. If she did get married to him, and gave