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,
Zachary held Serenity, intending to meet her in dreamland. After closing his eyes, something abruptly came to mind. He gently peeled away from Serenity and sat up. Zachary reached out to grab Serenity’s phone on the bedside table. He posted the photo on Facebook to announce he was married within his circle. The photo would definitely get out in the open. Zachary was not afraid of the photo getting circulated because the photo only showed a pair of hands. It would protect Serenity from the media vultures for now. However, Serenity’s post on Facebook might be seen by Elisa.Since Serenity and Elisa were close, the girls would have added each other on Facebook. Clive could see his photo through others while Elisa would find the photo on Serenity’s Facebook. By making a comparison, Elisa would realize that Serenity was his wife. Zachary could not let Elisa know about him and Serenity for now. Serenity and Mrs. Stone had done a DNA test, and the results would be out in two
“That’s so considerate of Zachary.”Serenity took the clothes but was not in a hurry to get out of bed. Instead, she held the clothes in one hand and her phone in another to check her Facebook out of habit. No one sent a message last night, but a few liked her stories. Nevertheless, she limited her Facebook posts and stories to a few of her closest friends. She did not want those fellows in the same trade to access her personal life because she preferred to keep her privacy that way. Although Serenity often posted on Facebook, she tended to post on stories as they would be gone after a certain amount of time. Zachary was the first to like her post last night.Serenity was dumbstruck. Did she allow him access to her Facebook posts and stories when she added him? Maybe she forgot to limit Zachary’s access when she first added him on Facebook. Thinking back, Serenity did not publish anything other than her crafts and flowers on the balcony. She felt at ease and relieved that
The bodyguard in the passenger seat turned and informed Caroline. Caroline remained calm. She said, “Speed up and let them chase us. The road ahead has many curves. A truck will turn over if it goes too fast.”The people in the truck were probably her brothers from the Dott family. She wondered how much money Adrian had given them. Were they planning to drive the truck to chase her and create an accident?Caroline’s driver immediately acted on her orders. The truck behind them accelerated as well. Soon, they arrived at the section of the road with many curves and downhills.Accidents could happen easily if a car drove too quickly at a curve. The truck driver was not ready to give up his life. He decelerated when he saw the curved road ahead. By the time the truck turned, Caroline’s car was gone. The truck driver immediately stepped on the brake. He stopped by the roadside and made a call. He was not one of the Dott brothers but someone else they hired. The driver c
“They’re my biological brothers and father, Em. Although they had attacked me with their words before, they never hurt me physically.“It’s okay. I have bodyguards with me.”Caroline was letting Emma know that she would still be heading home. After sighing, Emma said, “Be careful. Call the police if something feels off. We didn’t treat you well in the past, Carol, but I saw through your family and came to a realization.“You helped me a lot, and you’re the aunt of my children. I wish you well.”Caroline knew Emma was genuinely concerned about her. Ever since she exposed her brothers’ affairs and took her sisters-in-law’s side, her sisters-in-law, especially Emma, have changed their attitudes toward her. When Adrian and Emma were fighting on the verge of divorcing, Caroline stood by Emma unwaveringly. She had also assisted Emma in many instances. Although Emma had left the Fisher family, she would always be Caroline's sister-in-law. “I will be careful and live well, Em.
Since it would be a sleepless night, drinking some coffee could help them stay awake. At eleven o’clock, Caroline and her bodyguards left the cafe. She sensed some people had been following her the entire night. The bodyguards had also noticed it, but Caroline prevented them from alarming those people and let them continue following her. It would be none other than Adrian’s people anyway. Adrian, Justin, and Jason had finished their tasks early and got off work on time. They had the entire night to themselves as they did not have to work or attend events. After Caroline got in her car, she suddenly received a call from Emma. She picked up the call. “Hi, Emma.”“You can call me comfortably, Carol. I’m not your sister-in-law anymore.”Caroline immediately switched to Emma’s nickname. “Why aren’t you asleep but calling me at this hour, Em? I hope my nieces and nephews are obedient. Now that the school term has started, you should be able to relax when they’re at school
Liberty and Sonny had a lot to share with each other. Meanwhile, Caroline had not gone home yet. She told Liberty she was going home after they separated but ended up going shopping instead. It was still early. There were too many cars on the road. Even a fool would not choose that time to make a move. To play along with her brothers’ scheme, she had to go shopping and only head home late at night. That would make it easier for Adrian and his brothers to take action. Darren sent Caroline a message to tell her that the Dott brothers and Clark brothers were waiting to ambush her when she was on her way back. When she approached them, they would hit her car with theirs. Her dying on the spot would be the best-case scenario. If she did not die, they would kidnap her. Adrian was already waiting in a deserted place by the sea. They planned to chop her up and throw her body into the sea. The fish in the sea would eat her up. The Clark brothers were cruel. Caroline wa
Sonny himself needed taking care of. Duncan said, “Summer vacation, then. Since it’s a long holiday, you can be in Jensburg for two months.“Once you graduate from preschool and come over to Jensburg for elementary school, you’ll be able to see your mom every day. I’ll also move my business to Jensburg. That way, the three of us can reunite as a family.”While Lewis & Co. had businesses in Jensburg, there were not many. Since Liberty would be living in Jensburg permanently, Duncan increased his investments there to expand into a new market. Therefore, he had to be in Jensburg as the CEO. It also presented him with the opportunity to accompany Liberty and Sonny there. Sonny pouted. “Okay.“Mom, you haven’t answered my questions.”Sonny turned his attention back to Liberty. Liberty smiled. “I’m not as busy tonight, so I don’t have to work till late. I’m on my way home now. I called you because I knew you’d be going to bed soon.“Do you miss me, Sonny? I miss you so much.”“
Serenity shouted from the stairs, “Sonny, your mom’s on the phone.”Sonny was concentrating on his game of chess with Liam. Naturally, he was not as good as Grandpa Liam. He lost most of the time, aside from the few games Grandpa Liam let him win. However, even if Sonny always ended up losing, he was determined. Liam realized Sonny would change his strategy after every loss. He would learn from his mistakes and even emulate Liam’s playstyle. Sonny had a versatile mind. He was clever. Liam thought, ‘Maybe this is why our family loves Sonny.’Sonny was intelligent, studious, and thoughtful. Serenity was about to give birth. If Liam’s grandson would be as adorable as Sonny, he would not mind having a few more. “Let’s pause this round for now, Grandpa Liam. We can continue after I talk to Mom on the phone.”Liam smiled. “You should go to bed soon, Sonny. You still have to go to school tomorrow. We can leave this here and continue tomorrow evening. I promise not to move the
After the divorce, her life went on an upward trajectory.Hank’s, on the other hand, went on a downward spiral, although that was due to Zachary. He had orchestrated Hank’s downfall behind the scenes, causing him to lose his job. No other employer dared to hire him either.Initially, Hank hoped to join Stone Group, as the Stones and the Yorks were sworn rivals.He thought that if he could make a name for himself within Stone Group, he could wield its influence to take revenge on Zachary.However, who could have expected that Audrey Stone was actually Liberty and Serenity’s biological aunt?Audrey had spent decades searching for her sister, only to find just her two nieces in the end. She doted on them as if they were her own daughters.Elisa and Serenity, who could have been considered love rivals, unexpectedly became close friends. Instead of fighting, they became as close as sisters, and Elisa even gave up on Zachary, whom she had admired for years.Now, she had found her own
Duncan held his wife’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about her. Fletcher’s secretly protecting her and she won’t be in any life-threatening danger.“You’ve been working all day. You must be tired.” Duncan patted his shoulder. “Lean on me.”Liberty smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as he immediately wrapped his arm around hers.“Duncan.”“Hmm?”“It’s wonderful to have you. I finally have someone to rely on too.”In the past, she had been the one her sister and son relied on. Now, she had someone to lean on as well.Duncan said affectionately, “It’s even more wonderful to have you. You’re my support too, my pillar of strength. I really thank God for bringing us together.”He thanked God that they met, got to know each other, fell in love, and would spend the rest of their lives together.“Do you remember the first time we met?”Duncan chuckled. “How could I forget? You were pushing a stroller with Sonny in it, and you accidentally bumped into my car.“My brand-new car g
It would prevent them from ending up with nothing.“Mr. Lewis is coming over. You should go to him.”As they entered the hotel, they saw Duncan slowly walking over. His two bodyguards followed behind him, pushing a wheelchair. People coming in and out of the hotel could not help but glance at Duncan. The hotel manager wanted to help him, but Duncan declined.Liberty took a deep breath and said to Caroline, “Call me if anything happens. Good luck.”“Thank you!” Caroline said and smiled. “We’ll both have good luck.”Liberty walked over to Duncan.Caroline, on the other hand, turned and walked out.“Duncan.” Liberty stepped forward to support him. “Let’s go home.”Duncan let her help him, and the couple slowly made their way out.“Ms. Fisher left.”“Yes, she didn’t tell me, but I think it’s probably happening tonight. Adrian Clark and his brothers left work on time this evening instead of staying late, and they’ve finished everything assigned to them.”Duncan whispered, “They h