Hank said, “Chelsea, you’re…”Before Hank could finish, his father, who was sitting in the passenger seat, reached out and snatched Hank’s phone.“Hank, focus on driving.”Mr. Brown instructed his son in a deep voice before he said to his daughter over the phone, “How dare you ask Serenity for compensation?!”Chelsea heard her father’s voice and shouted aggrievedly, “Dad, George was forced to beat up Matthew.”“Your son made a mistake. So what if his father beat him up? I hit you too when you were young and disobedient.”Chelsea said, “Dad, are you alright? Why does it sound like you’re siding with Liberty and her sister? I’m your daughter!“Even if Matthew made a mistake, he’s still a child. How bad of a mistake can he make? He didn’t kill or rob anyone. He just hit Sonny a few times. Matthew said that Lucas was crying because Sonny beat him. He was standing up for his younger brother and kicked Sonny a few times. How could Sonny end up in the hospital? I think they’re just mak
Mr. Brown added, “So what if they trashed your house? I want to thank Serenity for venting anger on my behalf as well. Chelsea, if you dare ask Serenity for compensation, your mother and I will cut all ties with you. Also, I’ve kept a tab of all the expenses your mother and I have spent on your family, so you have to pay me back!“Since your younger brother had a job, he gave us monthly living expenses that we spent on your household. But look what he got in return! His son was sent to the hospital because of your son!“Don’t accuse Serenity for making a fuss. I’ve asked around myself. Sonny was sent to the emergency room and was treated for a long time. The doctors were cursing the abuser for being ruthless, and I saw how badly Sonny was injured!“We just came out of the hospital. We’re going back to your house to pack our things. Your mom and I will stay in our own home from now on and will no longer babysit your children. Ask your in-laws to babysit them. If not, you can take car
Serenity and Liberty were unaware of the rare occasion that Mr. Brown sided with Sonny. Sonny’s swollen face subsided slightly after applying the ice pack.He kept crying and wanting to go home.Serenity asked the doctor if they could leave, and the doctor said he could be discharged from the hospital. However, they had to be careful because Sonny might get a fever at night.In the evening, Zachary and his brothers sent Liberty and Sonny home.Serenity was still worried about Sonny, so she brought Zachary to the balcony and said, “Can I stay over with my sister and nephew tonight?”Zachary was reluctant to part with Serenity as he started to have feelings for her and wanted to cling to her 24/7 if he could.However, Serenity was Sonny’s aunt, so he understood that she would want to stay back with Sonny at this time.“Zachary?”Serenity saw his deep eyes that were staring straight at hers. His thin lips were pressed into a straight line, and he did not speak. Thus, she asked c
Zachary gently let go of Serenity, bowed his head, and looked at her.Serenity gulped.Every time she looked at him, she could not overlook his attractiveness and always wanted to take advantage of him.If he had always been so gentle, she would have jumped him in less than a week.If she was more courageous, she could even try different moves every day.When Serenity was thinking about various ways to sleep with Zachary, Zachary’s deep voice resounded in her ears. He asked, “When did we sign an agreement?”Serenity was speechless.She looked dumbfounded as she was in disbelief that Zachary would say such a thing.“Back when we got our marriage license, you drafted the agreement and asked me to sign it. The contract period was half a year.”Zachary looked calm and said blankly, “Why don’t you recite the content of the agreement for me?”Serenity opened her mouth but could not say a word.After so long, she could not remember much about the contents of the agreement. She only
The eight York brothers surrounded their grandmother and left.The group went to the Wiltspoon Hotel for dinner.When the lobby manager at Wiltspoon Hotel saw the York brothers coming in with Old Mrs. York but without their bodyguards, he was a little lost.Should he greet them respectfully?However, Mr. Callum said that as long as Mr. Zachary did not bring his bodyguard, he should treat them as regular hotel guests and pretend not to know them.While the lobby manager was deliberating on what to do, Zachary and his family had already entered the hotel and walked past the manager.All eight of them York brothers were extraordinary. When they walked into the hotel together, they instantly attracted the attention of countless people.The passersby heard the brothers talking to the old lady softly and heard them address her as their grandmother.They gave the old lady envious looks. This old lady was so blessed to have eight extraordinarily handsome grandsons. Their eyes were gree
Josh was talking to Julian. Although they were second cousins, it did not prevent them from being close-knit brothers.A bodyguard in a black uniform entered the room while walking in front of the two men, and said respectfully, “Mr. Julian, Mr. Josh. Mr. Zachary York is here.”“Let him in.”The bodyguard responded respectfully and turned to leave.Josh pointed to the yellow envelope on the table. “Zachary’s here to collect that.”“He came in person because he wants to meet me.”Julian instructed the butler to make tea and serve some fruit to the guest.Julian often used his family’s influence to help Josh. In fact, it was to help Zachary. Zachary knew that very well, so he came in person to thank Julian.“Zachary wanted to come and see you long ago, but you’ve been busy and you’re always away from home, so he hasn’t had the chance.”“Since he’s your friend, he’s also my friend. Friends help each other, so he doesn’t have to stand on ceremony. I’m glad that you’ve proven your
Ring ring ring…Julian’s cell phone rangAfter he answered the phone, he said apologetically, “Mr. York, I have something urgent to attend to. My apologies for not being able to host you.”Zachary quickly stood up.“Josh, please entertain Mr. York on my behalf.”Julian instructed his cousin and left.After Julian left, Josh took Zachary to his place. Zachary then listened to Josh’s mother complaining that if Josh did not get a girlfriend soon, he would be alone forever.Finally, Zachary managed to excuse himself. When they got out of Josh’s house, Zachary said, “Next time when your mother is at home, don’t ask me to come over.”Josh laughed. “Whatever she says just goes in one ear and out the other.”“How was your blind date with Ms. Sox? Didn’t you mention it to your family?”“Julian knows about it, but I didn’t tell anyone else lest they pester Ms. Sox and scare her away.”Zachary patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “If you like her, you just need to work harder to
Serenity was elated that he had the thoughtfulness to do so, but she still rejected the idea.Just as Zachary was about to anxiously say something, with one arm hugging the flowers, she hooked her other arm around his neck. She pulled his head lower, leaned in closer and said softly, “Don’t put too many flowers at home, or else the owner will be easily charmed.”After she said that, she even patted Zachary’s chest—she was telling him not to be easily charmed by others.Zachary was at a loss for words.Was there such a saying?He would have to ask Josh about this another day.Serenity got into his car.Zachary returned to his car and as he started it, he asked, “How’s Sonny?”“The swelling hasn’t gone away completely. Last night, he had a fever and cried the whole night. This morning, his fever finally went down but he was so tired from crying he only fell asleep in my sister’s arms then.”Serenity’s good mood deflated again once Sonny was mentioned.“Zachary.”Serenity looke
Liberty did not need them to push her husband. She continued to push Duncan toward the car, and only then did the bodyguards help him into the vehicle. Soon, the luxurious car carrying the family of three drove away from the city hall and merged into the street traffic, gradually disappearing into the distance.It was not until the car was out of sight that the car parked not far from the city hall slowly began to move.The driver was Hank.He would not stop Liberty and Duncan from registering their marriage and neither did he have the right nor the standing to do so. He had intended to take customers but had not received any orders, and without any particular destination in mind, he ended up at the city hall by chance, arriving before Liberty and Duncan.However, his car was parked farther away, and many other cars were occupying spaces near the city hall. After the divorce, Liberty no longer paid much attention to him and did not notice that Hank’s car was already there, waiting.
Liberty was his wife now.Sonny was completely confused. He had come here with his mother and Dunc. Everyone here was so friendly and smiled at them as they congratulated Liberty and Duncan. Why, though, did they not congratulate him?“Mom, Dunc is smiling so brightly. What’s so special about that paper? Mom, can I see it?” Sonny asked, looking up at Liberty, curious about what was so interesting about the marriage license that made Dunc smile so widely.Liberty glanced at Duncan and teased him, “Duncan, the corners of your mouth are almost reaching your ears.”“I’m happy. Very happy,” Duncan responded with an even brighter smile.The weather today was cloudy, though occasionally, the sun took a peek while sometimes it became overcast. Still, the power of the sun today certainly could not compare to the beam of Duncan’s smile.Liberty handed the marriage license to Sonny to view.Sonny eagerly took it and started reading it. Some of the words he recognized, but overall, he did n
“That brat is already at that age and still doesn’t think about settling down. Every time we pressure him, he hides away.” When Audrey talked about Anthony, who did not want to get married, she could not help but feel a headache coming. Out of her three children, the one who worried her the most was Anthony.Serenity walked over to Audrey and affectionately linked arms with her, smiling, “Aunt Audrey, you don’t need to worry. Anthony’s a good man. When the right person comes along, he’ll get married.”“Let’s hope so—he’s not young anymore. Children are always a worry, aren’t they? There’s always something to be concerned about. What about Sonny? Why didn’t he come along?” Audrey asked. “Didn’t you come from your sister’s place?” “Sonny went with my sister and Duncan to the city hall. They said they wanted to go as a family of three,” Serenity replied.Audrey laughed, “Duncan doesn’t mind bringing along a little third wheel, huh? Well, that’s fine. They’re going to be a family, aft
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