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
Serenity’s heart melted at Zachary’s warm gestures while on the other side, Elisa’s spirits were dampened as she was given a rude awakening before she even got out of bed. As Zachary changed the settings on Serenity’s Facebook, Elisa did not see the photo on Serenity’s stories. It was her sister-in-law who showed her the photo. Her sister-in-law, Alice, knocked on the door and entered her room when Elisa just woke up. Alice quietly tapped on a picture on her phone and showed Elisa. Since Elisa had just gotten up, she could not understand the meaning behind her sister-in-law’s actions. Elisa asked, “Alice, who’s showing this mushy stuff online? Are you trying to get under my skin for being single by showing it to me?”Alice stared at her without a word. In fact, Alice gave her blessing to Elisa to fight for true love. As Zachary was outstanding in every single way, he would make the perfect couple with Elisa. Alas, Zachary was not into Elisa. Elisa had tried to move on,
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