Mr. Brown stared at his wife with a dark expression and asked, “Whose grandfather did you go to?”“Who else? It was Liberty’s grandfather. Her grandmother was in the hospital, so I went there to see them and presented my request. Old Mr. Hunt said he wanted one hundred thousand, but I refused. After some bargaining, I gave him sixty thousand.“He repeatedly assured me that he would persuade Serenity not to divorce, but Serenity didn’t do so with Liberty. They just took the money and did nothing.”As soon as Olivia was done explaining, Mr. Brown flung his hand and slapped her on her arm.“Are you stupid? How could you trust those people in Liberty’s family? Besides, it’s not like you’re not aware of the conflict between Liberty and her family. You should’ve gone to anyone except for them. You’re usually smart, but how could you be so foolish this time?“Sixty thousand. You actually spent sixty thousand!”Mr. Brown was so angry at his wife that he was about to faint.Olivia said a
Chelsea called her brother.“I’m on my way there, Chelsea.”Hank knew that his parents and sister’s family had arrived at his place and he quickly got up. He also woke Jessica. After the two of them briefly freshened up, they rushed toward Bright Boulevard.“Hank, we haven’t had breakfast.”“I’ll treat you guys to breakfast when I go over.”Chelsea said, “Aren’t you living with Jessica? Can’t you ask her to prepare breakfast for us? There are so many of us. If we go out to eat, it’ll easily cost several hundred.”“We’re also staying in a hotel now since we haven’t had time to look for a place. There’s nothing in my house now, so there’s no way to cook for ourselves.”Liberty recovered the renovation fees in her own way. There was currently no water or electricity in Hank’s house. Even the kitchen was empty. Jessica could not cook for them even if she was willing to.Chelsea was silent for a moment and said, “Liberty blocked all of us. How are you going to contact her? We won’t
Grandma May said to herself, “Should I start with the second or third grandson?”Zachary did not speak, lest his nana told his brothers and cousins that it was him who stirred up trouble.“Let’s just start with Callum. Who should I match him with?”Zachary remained silent.He only knew a handful of young ladies. Rather than asking him to provide Callum with a wife candidate, it would be easier to tell Callum to go to the monastery to become a monk.Well, it was not like Grandma May expected Zachary to provide candidates either.“Go in.”Zachary looked at his nana, puzzled.Grandma May looked disgruntled. “You’re going on a business trip. Hurry in to say a few words to Serenity.”She had to remind him to do everything.Grandma May sighed and thought, ‘When I was bringing up this grandson of mine, I taught him everything except how to love someone. Now, he has become a chauvinist who doesn’t understand the mind of a woman.‘I thought loving someone was human nature and didn’t
After breakfast, Zachary transferred fifty thousand to Serenity.Serenity saw the transaction and said, “I’m not short of money.”There was sufficient money in the household card he gave her.“I’ll be away from home on business and don’t know when I’ll be back. The new year is around the corner so you’ll have to buy some stuff to ring the old year out. I wired fifty thousand to you so you can get whatever you want.“On the 28th, we’ll return to my hometown for the New Year’s. There are a lot of relatives, so we’ll need to deliver an abundance of gifts. Ask Nana what to give and buy them in advance. Tell me if fifty thousand isn’t enough and I’ll transfer more to you.”Zachary’s reason was indisputable. Upon hearing his explanation, Serenity had to accept the fifty thousand.After so long, this was the first time he mentioned bringing her along to go back to his hometown.In the past, whenever she met his parents, it was always him who informed his parents and relatives to come o
Tilting her head for a moment, Serenity helplessly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his head down, and offered him her red lips.Zachary was elated after getting a kiss from his wife which she initiated. He pulled the suitcase with one hand and held Serenity’s hand with the other, and the couple went out together.Grandma May was downstairs waiting for the young couple.Jim was chatting with the old woman.He was recognized by Serenity on the day Liberty moved out and said that he would do anything as long as he was paid. Thus, he did not panic when he saw Serenity now.He felt like he could finally live out in the open.“Mr. York and Ms. Hunt.Jim took the initiative to greet them.Serenity returned his smile and asked, “What is your name, mister? I forgot to ask for your name card that day.”Jim darted a glance at Zachary and saw his boss’s expression remained unchanged before he boldly replied, “My name is Jim.”Then, he fished out a small slip of paper from his pa
After hanging up the phone, Zachary instructed Jim, “Protect the missus while I’m away during this period.”“Don’t worry, Mr. Zachary. We’ll protect the missus well.”Serenity was skilled in the arts of self-defense, so it was easy peasy to protect her.Double the bonus!Jim was happy just thinking about it.This was the benefit of building connections with Serenity!“If Serenity needs help or encounters difficulties, tell Nana. She’ll arrange everything properly. Alternatively, you can tell Callum as well.”“Don’t worry, Mr. Zachary. If the missus faces any problems, Old Mrs. York will definitely hear about it.”Grandma May was seemingly omnipotent. Her grandsons could not hold a candle to her.Zachary thought of his nana’s capability and did not speak again.What surprised him was that for the first time in a while, he saw Elisa standing at the entrance of the company again.She was leaning on her red sports car, watching his team slowly approaching.The driver remarked,
Elisa smiled and raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes. She looked away and stared into the distance for a while before turning back. She then faced Zachary with a solemn expression, “Zachary, after hearing those words from you, I think it’s all worth it. My infatuation with you over the years was not in vain.”She graciously extended her hand toward Zachary, who mirrored her action in the same manner, and they shook hands.“Zachary, I wish you and your wife a long life of happiness.”“Thank you, Ms. Stone.”“I hope I will have the honor of attending your wedding in the future.”Zachary retracted his hand and said warmly, “When my wife and I have chosen a date to hold a wedding, I’ll definitely send an invitation to Mr. Stone and you.”“I’ll be waiting for your invitation, then.”Elisa smiled. “You must be a busy man. I won’t take up more of your precious time than I already have. Goodbye, Zachary.”She waved at him before turning back toward her sp
“Yes, my Elisa has her pride. It’s not like no one else wants to marry my daughter.”Audrey still knew her daughter best.If Elisa said she would give up, then she would stay true to her words.The sound of a car was heard coming from outside.Alice stood up and while walking out of the house, she said, “That must be Elisa.”There was her sister-in-law in sight.Elisa got out of the car and walked toward her sister-in-law, showing a bright smile. “Alice, Mom is still at home, right?”Alice’s heart ached when she saw her sister-in-law smiling so radiantly. She would rather Elisa cry her heart out than smile like that. Heavens knew it only meant that the brighter Elisa smiled, the deeper the pain in her heart.She sighed.It was painful enough to fall in love with a man she should not fall in love with, and it was even more painful to know that the man had just gotten married.“Mom is still at home. Elisa, are you okay?”“Do I look like I’m not okay? Don’t worry, Alice. I’m gr
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
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