After a lively afternoon, calm finally returned after dark.Back in the day, Liberty was especially attentive when setting up this small home and spent a lot of money on it. Now, all the appliances she bought were removed. She could not fit all of them into her rented house, so she picked some of the commonly used ones to keep and sell the rest as pre-owned items instead of moving them to her sister’s place.It was somewhat like a farewell to the past.Liberty’s rented house was not cleaned up yet, so it was not convenient to cook. Thus, she invited everyone to a hotel for dinner.It was also a celebration of regaining her freedom.Liberty happily bid farewell to her past. Meanwhile, Hank was not idle either.He went to Jessica’s rented apartment at nine o’clock in the evening.“Jessica, is this all you have?”Hank saw that Jessica did not have many things packed. He went up to her and asked her while pulling the suitcase, “Have you finished packing everything?”“I usually liv
“Which floor is our unit?”“Sixteenth floor.”Hank carried Jessica’s suitcase out of the car, pulled it, and took Jessica inside.A neighbor bumped into them at the elevator and exchanged greetings with them, then asked, “Mr. Brown, didn’t your wife bring a group of people over to move out this afternoon? Why are you still coming back to live here?”“She was moving her stuff out.”The neighbor glanced at Jessica and seemed to understand.He smiled at Hank and left.It was no wonder Hank was chased by Liberty with a kitchen knife for five blocks. It turned out that he was cheating on his wife.The couple should be divorced, right?Liberty just moved out this afternoon, and Hank came home with a beautiful woman on the same night. He would not be so blatant unless he was already divorced.“Does he suspect something?”Jessica was a homewrecker, after all, so she still felt uneasy.Hank pulled her suitcase with one arm while embracing her shoulders with the other. He swept her i
Crack.The phone screen shattered when it hit the ground.Hank hurriedly bent down to pick up the phone and once again looked at everything at home without caring about the broken screen.Jessica also turned on the flashlight on her cell phone and together they looked at the state of the house. Never mind the lack of luxury decoration, it was even worse than a shack.“Hank, are we in the wrong house?”Jessica was still holding onto false hope.Hank walked inside and said, “That’s impossible. My key wouldn’t be able to open the door if it was the wrong house.“This is my house. What happened here? Where are my appliances? Is that all there is?”The more Hank looked, the darker his expression became.He stood in front of the dining table which he had paid for.A lightbulb moment hit him.He suddenly understood.It was Liberty.“Liberty!”He shouted up as the thought crossed his mind.“She smashed up my house!”Hank was furious.Jessica immediately said, “Let’s call the p
Hank paused before asking, “Couldn’t you have at least cleared away all the garbage?”Liberty laughed. “There was a lot of garbage when the house was first renovated too, and I was the one who paid for someone to clean it up. You didn’t reimburse me for that either. I’m just collecting my money back now.”“How much does it cost to hire someone to clean up? Why are you haggling with me over that little bit of money?”“Why shouldn’t I haggle? That’s my money. My money doesn’t grow on trees. Why should I give it to you? I’ll get back every penny I’ve spent.”Hank was speechless.After a long time, he gnashed his teeth and said, “Fine, you win!”“I’m only getting my renovation fee back. There’s nothing to win. Your house now looks like what you paid for.”Hank was so angry that he hung up the phone. He wanted to throw the phone, but Jessica quickly grabbed it. “That’s my phone. Don’t throw it.”“Damn it!”Hank could not do anything else but repeated those two words.As Liberty ha
Hank was furious whereas Serenity felt today went by spectacularly.After she and her husband left Liberty’s newly rented apartment, she was laughing the entire way home.Zachary was amused. “Don’t laugh too hard or your stomach will hurt.”“I’ll still be happy even if my stomach hurts. Hank must be home by now. I wonder what his reaction was when he saw the state of his place. He must have thought he entered the wrong house. Haha, I can’t help but laugh when I think of his reaction.”“Let me join in on the fun too!”Zachary then fell into Serenity’s laughing spell.He laughed until he almost hit the street light. He swerved in fright and managed to avoid the collision.Serenity was so startled that she forgot to laugh.When it was safe, she said, “Zachary, is your driving okay? I can drive instead. My driving skills are exceptional. Racing won’t be a problem either.”“I got my driver’s license when I was eighteen. I’m an experienced driver. Just now was just an accident. I la
“What’s wrong, Seren?”Zachary noticed something was wrong with her and quickly walked over. He sat down on the edge of the bed, reached out to tug her body, and asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”“My stomach hurts.”“Your stomach? Are you bloated because you ate too much during supper?”Serenity glared at him.“No? Then why does your stomach hurt?”Serenity rolled over and turned her back to him. “You won’t understand. I’ll be fine if I lie down and bear with it for a while.”Zachary frowned.He stood up then bent down to pick her up from the bed again. His handsome face said seriously, “I don’t know medicine, but a doctor does. I’ll send you to the hospital. Don’t try to endure it. It’ll be too late for regrets if you bear with it and it turns out to be a big problem.”“There’s no need to go to the hospital. I just... It hurts because I’m having period cramps.”Zachary paused before saying, “Your... period... O-Oh. I get it now.”He quickly placed Serenity back
Sitting up, Serenity took the cup of hot cocoa and slowly sipped on it. She had no idea whether it was Zachary’s care for her or the hot drink working its magic, but she felt a lot better after the cup of cocoa and another lie-down. By the time Zachary was back with something to relieve her pain, Serenity was scrolling the news on her phone. “Why are you on your phone when you’re sick?” Zachary drew close and snatched the phone out of her hands before stuffing the pain-relief medicine into her hands. He said, “It’s late. The pharmacy was closed. I went to the nearby hospital and got a doctor to prescribe you some pills. Take some and go back to bed.” Lifting her chin, Serenity quietly stared at him. “What’s the matter?”She jolted up and stood before him, bringing her arms around his waist while emotionally uttering, “You’re so good to me, Zachary.” As Zachary embraced her, he could guess that she must be feeling better after a cup of cocoa. He dotingly remarked, “You’r
Out of everything Zachary had said to Serenity, the point that caught Serenity’s attention was money. His wife reckoned that he, the heir of the Yorks and the head of the multi-billion-dollar York Corporation, had no money… Letting loose of her, Zachary got up and walked away. Serenity blinked her eyes. Was the petty guy angry again? She got up too, but instead of cheering him up, Serenity poured herself a glass of water and downed the pills he bought. He paid no heed to his appearance and wore his dressing gown and loafers to get her something to help with the pain. It would be a waste of his effort if Serenity did not take the medicine. It would probably fuel his anger too. Zachary soon returned to her side. “Put your hand out.” He ordered. “What’s the matter?” Lifting her chin, Serenity watched as he took out a red jewelry box. She asked hesitantly, “Is this a ring?” Zachary opened the jewelry box and grabbed her left hand. Taking the gold ring out of the box,
“Caroline wants to leave Jensburg, so she wants to finish the handover as soon as possible. She’ll leave once my sister is more familiar with everything. Since Fisher Enterprise resumes operations earlier than most, Liberty had to go to Jensburg earlier.“She’s about to be the Fisher’s matriarch, so she has to communicate with the family’s elders and show concern for them. There are just too many things to handle.”Serenity caressed her bump. “I could’ve helped Liberty if I wasn’t pregnant. She’s on her own now.”Audrey was getting older. While she would go over to Jensburg to see how things were going from time to time, she thought it was best for Liberty, the incoming matriarch, to handle everything herself. It was a test and a chance to establish her influence.Since Duncan was still in recovery, he could not go over with Liberty. It was to prevent her from being distracted. Liberty was truly single-handedly doing everything.Lilian said, “Even if you aren’t pregnant, you can
Serenity walked over and sat down. “I asked Duncan about it. He said Sonny’s grandparents brought him to eat fried chicken, fries, and chips when he was with them last Saturday. Eating too much of those makes the throat inflamed easily.”Before getting married, Serenity would eat some fried chicken occasionally. Her favorite was chicken wings. However, she would always drink lots of hot tea with honey and lemon afterward. Otherwise, she would get a sore throat within two days. That was why most people in Wiltspoon maintained a light diet; it could not be helped.“Is Camryn’s condition improving?”Serenity was concerned about Camryn. Camryn was nursing her body back to health. She had to do it so she could conceive and be a mother.Lilian lifted the cup of hot tea before her and took a few sips. She said, “It’s getting better. She can stop her medications at the end of this year and start trying for a baby six months after that.”By the time Camryn could get pregnant, she wou
After a moment of silence, Serenity said, “I’ll inform Mr. Brown and the rest not to let Sonny eat too much fried food the next time they pick Sonny up. Sonny can’t take it because he is susceptible to sore throats.”It would be better if she did it because she was Sonny’s aunt. She was also familiar with the Browns. Luke and Olivia would not feel offended because they would know she was simply concerned about Sonny. If it were to come from Duncan, the Browns would think he was trying to sour Sonny’s relationship with the Browns. Sonny joining the Lewis family, following Liberty’s marriage, had already become a thorn in the Browns’ hearts. However, they could not say anything for the sake of Sonny’s future. Olivia had talked to Hank about getting Sonny’s custody back.Hank rejected the idea. The Brown couple did not insist after Hank explained the pros and cons of Sonny living with either him or Serenity. Based on living conditions, Serenity was definitely the better choice
“He will get better soon now that he’s taken the medicine. Don’t worry too much. When you're taking care of him, make sure you wear a mask so you don’t catch it from him. You’re pregnant, and if you catch a cold, it’ll be more troublesome.” Liberty was relieved, but she then reminded Serenity to take extra care of herself, worried that her son’s cold might spread to her.Pregnant women had limited options for medication, and many pregnant women endured mild colds without taking medicine out of caution.“I'm fine, really,” Serenity reassured her.“When Sonny is sick, he's especially vulnerable and relies on me. If I don't take care of him, I won’t feel at ease, and neither will he.”Zachary was busier than she was, so Serenity did not want to trouble him with such minor matters.“Don’t you worry, Liberty. Once Sonny is better, I'll send you a message. Even if Sonny begs me, I won’t let him eat anything too greasy from now on, to avoid aggravating his condition.”“Children are bo
Sonny weakly protested, “The medicine will be really bitter.”“Yes, but good medicine tastes bitter because it helps cure the illness,” Serenity comforted him.Under her coaxing, Sonny took the medicine, drank a glass of water, and went to the bathroom. He came back and fell into a deep sleep in his aunt's arms.Serenity wanted to carry him upstairs.“Let me carry him—you’re pregnant,” Lilian said considerately.Sam immediately interjected, “Dr. Carden, Missus, allow me to carry Mr. Sonny upstairs.”Dr. Carden was a distinguished guest of the family. How could he allow her to carry Sonny upstairs? Sam stepped forward and carefully took Sonny from Serenity's arms before carrying him back to his room.Serenity followed them upstairs.Lilian did not follow.To her, Sonny's common cold was not serious. She only personally took care of him because she quite liked Sonny.Serenity sat down on the edge of the bed and told Sam, “I can’t do it myself right now, so please make sure to t
After New Year’s celebration, Liberty left for Jensburg and told the teachers that if anything happened to Sonny, they should contact Serenity, which explained the teacher's call coming through to Serenity.“I’ll go pick him up right away. Thank you, Ms. Penny.”Sonny’s teacher Ms. Penny replied, "Alright, please come and take him to see a doctor. Recently, a lot of kids have been catching colds."After hanging up, Serenity said, “Jas, I can't stay here and chat with you. I need to go fetch Sonny from preschool. He's got a fever. Lately, he keeps kicking his blanket off at night.” Though she and Zachary often helped cover Sonny back up, they could not always catch it every time he kicked off the blanket, so he had probably caught a cold.“The temperature has been rising these days, so it's a bit hot sometimes. Look, I don’t even need to wear a coat now.” The temperature was around 68°F during the day. When the sun was out, it was really warm, and there was no need for a coat.
Serenity agreed empathetically, “You can offend anyone, but don't ever offend Nana. Luckily, she's my nana.”Out of all her in-laws, Grandma May was Serenity’s favorite because the old lady treated her the best. Whenever she had conflicts with Zachary, Grandma May would always stand by her side first. Only when she was ready to listen would Grandma May try to reason with her and speak up for Zachary. Even though Grandma May was Zachary’s grandmother, she treated Serenity like her own granddaughter; more so than Serenity's biological grandmother.“Are you going to help Dylan?” Jasmine asked.“How? He’s wooing his future wife. No one can help with that,” Serenity replied. “Zachary never meddles in his brothers' private matters. As long as they don’t ask him for help, he doesn’t care about anything.”In Zachary's words, he only wanted to take care of her. In his world, she was his priority.“True. Let’s just watch for now, unless Dylan comes to you asking you to speak well of him
“Now he's suddenly trying to pursue Imogen again? Did something happen to him? Or was it that his beloved turned him down, and then when he saw everyone else all coupled up, plus Grandma May’s pressuring him to get married, he decided to try to win Imogen back?“Who does he think Imogen is? Does he think he can just have her when he wants to, and throw her aside when he doesn't?”Even though Dylan was Serenity's cousin-in-law, Jasmine could not bring herself to take his side. Back then, when Imogen followed him from Huntington to Wiltspoon and even asked Serenity for help, all she ended up getting was an apology from Dylan that he could never love her. He even mentioned that he was in love with someone else, a woman he called Fox. How could a vixen be any good? Was she better than Imogen?Jasmine thought Dylan was out of his mind, but that was someone else's business. She was just a bystander. Even Serenity did not interfere much since she was only a cousin-in-law. After all,
Without a second thought, Leticia replied to her daughter.[Of course you should. As long as you can win that boy over, you'll be happy in the future. I’ve met so many young men, but I still think he’s the most suitable for you.]Despite her earlier anger, Leticia still hoped her daughter could win Dylan’s heart. She had always regarded him as a potential son-in-law, after all.Imogen smiled and left it at that. She had already made up her mind.In truth, when Dylan rejected her, she was not all that upset because the person he loved was still her. It was just that she had kept Dylan in the dark. One could say that he had been made to dance in her palm.However, when he realized that he could not love Imogen, he was honest with her and decisively left without bothering her further, not wanting her to fall even deeper when the situation was hopeless. In this aspect, she appreciated him.Now that she knew she was the one Dylan’s grandmother had chosen for him, Imogen was curious ab