Zachary clutched the paper without a word, but judging by the bantering look on Josh’s face, he could guess the drawing had something to do with him. He had seen Serenity’s artwork before. Serenity would often draw samples for her crafts and she was a good artist. “Zac…hary…” Nestling against Zachary’s chest, Serenity mumbled. Zachary carefully carried her into the car and sat her down at the backseat. He then sat next to her and propped her body against his before she slipped down from her seat. “I’m here.” He breathed a husky voice into her ear, “I’m here, Seren.” Serenity had no idea. She was so wasted that she could not open her eyes. Held tightly in Zachary’s embrace, Serenity drifted between sleep and mumbles. Sometimes, she could voice her strong opinion about Zachary, but other times, it was hard to catch what she was saying as she murmured under her breath. Jasmine and her brother stood outside the bar and watched as the sedan drove off. “Who was that man
Josh left quite a good impression on Drake. Jasmine suspected Drake would sell her off if the boys kept in touch behind her back. Josh pulled out his phone with a smile plastered on his face. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Drake. Let’s exchange numbers. I think we hit it off, Drake. Let’s have dinner sometime.” Drake happily whipped out his phone and exchanged contacts before saying, “Well, we should get going, Mr. Bucham.” “See you. I’ll treat you to dinner next time.” “Sure thing.” Drake was overjoyed but stopped short following the glare from his sister. He rubbed his nose and got into the car straight away. Standing there, Josh watched as the siblings took off. Once afar, Jasmine told her brother off, “Do you know who Josh is? Why did you act all friendly and exchange numbers?” “I don’t care who he is. All that matters is that he was on a blind date with you and he’s interested in you.” Jasmine was speechless. “Do you want me to kick you out of the house?” “I d
Back at Brynfield, Zachary gently carried Serenity out of the car. “Mr. Zachary, Mrs. Lane is staying with the missus’s sister,” said Jim. Zachary huskily replied, “I don’t need Mrs. Lane. I can take care of her.” He carried Serenity into the building. Jim waited until Mr. Zachary was inside the building before driving away. Zachary took notice of his loafers at the front of their house. His gaze deepened as his mind harked back to when they got married. She did the same thing to send a message that there was a man in the house. It was a safety precaution. Although Serenity was a good fighter, it was better to be safe than sorry. “Stand here, Seren. I need to grab the keys and open the door.” Zachary put Serenity down, but she was too drunk to stand still. She would collapse to the ground the moment he let go. Zachary immediately grabbed ahold of her. Putting his arms around her waist, Zachary guided Serenity to lean on his shoulder. He tried to feel the keys with his
That girl had always said she did not want to marry up but in reality, her family was rich too.It was just that the Sox family was low-key and pragmatic. They lived ordinary lives like ordinary people despite their wealth.“My parents are asleep, so I won’t invite you in, Mr. Bucham.”Josh smiled. “It’s late, and I didn’t bring a gift either, so I won’t go inside and disturb your parents. I’ll visit them another day when I come bearing a generous gift.” Jasmine said in her heart, ‘You’ve only just given me a bouquet of flowers and started pursuing me, but you already want to meet my parents.’“Mr. York came back in a hurry. Will he need to continue his business trip tomorrow?” Jasmine asked suddenly.Josh thought about it and said, “I think he still has to rush over tomorrow. After all, he’s responsible for the matters there. If something goes wrong, he has to go over to deal with it.”“That’s quite tiring for him.”“It’s tiring, but he’s willing to be a little tired for his
After slipping out, Josh said to himself, “He’s a clean freak, but he didn’t push her away when she barfed on him. How much love does he have for her to tolerate that?”There was nothing more to say.Josh was still a big fan of his boss’s wife. He admired her to the core.In the house, Zachary first took off his jacket and threw it on the ground before doing the same for Serenity.He would clean them up later.First, he had to carry this drunk little woman back to their room.Serenity threw up once and might be feeling soberer or slightly more comfortable as her mouth started to mutter.“Zachary...”She suddenly called out Zachary’s name loudly.“I’m here,” Zachary answered softly. He carried her into his room and instantly noticed that it was different.Everything that belonged to her was gone.Did she... move back to her room in a fit of rage?Zachary stood at the door of his room in silence for a few minutes before finally deciding to carry Serenity back to her room.
“After marriage, I was always guarded against you and suspected you. I even made you sign a six-month agreement which was full of restrictions for you... I admit that I’m a jerk. I’ve only ever cared about my own interests and never thought about you.“You called me a slimeball, and you’re right. Seren, I’m sorry!”Zachary kissed her gently on the lips, his handsome face filled with heartache. “Seren, I promise you that I won’t be like this again. I’ll learn to understand you. I’ll learn to communicate with you and to trust you.“It’s your first time being a wife, and it’s my first time being a husband. We’re both inexperienced, so let’s work hard and learn on this journey, and move forward together, alright?”Zachary muttered a lot in Serenity’s ear. As he spoke, he gradually fell asleep beside her.This time, both the husband and wife had it bad after the fight.Serenity went to a bar to get wasted while Zachary pulled all-nighters without eating and resting well. When he heard
Zachary looked at the drawing.His gaze deepened.Serenity had drawn him particularly well, but she deliberately drew his heart outside, and a super duper small one at that…Was she saying that he had a tiny heart? She meant to say he was petty and narrow-minded!There was also water behind his portrait. Was it a lake or a pond? Furthermore, what did the circles on the surface of the water mean? There were no fish under the water. If there were, he could say that the bubbles were from the fish.Zachary held the drawing and pondered while walking.What did Serenity mean by her artwork?The portrait was “Zachary”, but what did the water and balls mean?Jim was waiting for him downstairs.“Mr. Zachary.”“Mm.”Zachary hummed. When he saw Jim looking at the paper in his hand, he got into the car and said, “Serenity drew this for me.”Jim did not see clearly what was on the paper, but since the missus drew it, then it must be a good drawing.He thus complimented, “The missus’s d
Zachary snapped, “Were you looking forward to me being angry? Why would I be angry? Even if Serenity called me a slimeball, it’s a form of tough love. She scolded me because she loves me. If she doesn’t have feelings for me, she wouldn’t waste her time even looking at me, let alone waste her breath on me.“How can I tear the first drawing my wife has drawn for me? I’m going to frame it as a treasure. When I get older, I’ll take it out and reminisce about it fondly.”Josh was stunned. “Okay, you said it. If you don’t frame that drawing, then you’re a chicken!”Zachary said in a low voice, “Not only am I going to frame it, but I’m also going to hang it in our bedroom and look at it twice a day, morning and night, every day.”It would remind him to stop being narrow-minded and not to quarrel with her over trivial matters.It would remind him not to make her angry or bring sad tears to her.Josh curled his lips. “I dare you to hang it on your office wall.”“Why should I hang it ther
Twenty million dollars!It was the Clark brothers’ turn to exchange glances. They did not expect Jacob and Michael to name such a high price. While they could pay that amount, they did not want to hand the money to Jacob and Michael. After all, it was no longer a small sum to them, given their situation. Adrian was nervous that he would have to fork out the money himself. While he had significantly more assets than an ordinary person, most were fixed assets, and he only had a few tens of millions of savings. Therefore, he was unwilling to pay twenty million dollars out of the blue. After exchanging glances, Adrian said, “Twenty million is too much. We don’t have that much. We may be wealthy people to you, but it’s all fake. We aren’t as rich as you think.“You’re aware of the Fishers family rules—only daughters can be the successors. Sons can’t even take on the Fisher surname, let alone inherit the family assets.“When my mom was alive, she would support us financially in
“If the plan fails, we have a backup plan—hit her bodyguards’ car and force her car to stop. That way, you two can take Caroline away and leave the rest up to us.”Adrian was prepared for various scenarios.If the car accident did not succeed, then they would first eliminate Caroline’s bodyguards. Without them, and with Darren on a business trip, they could easily take down Caroline, who did not know how to fight. After kidnapping her, they would kill and cut her to pieces before throwing her into the sea. No one would be able to find her. If Caroline were dead, the inheritance from Belinda would belong to the Clark brothers. They still could not take over Fisher Enterprise and the Fisher family or do anything to Liberty. However, with Caroline dead, there would be no one to teach the new and inexperienced Liberty. Whether Liberty could hold her ground was an unknown variable. After a discussion between Adrian and his brothers, they set two goals. Firstly, they would kill Car
“Caroline will definitely receive retribution for this.”Adrian said with spite, “I shall see how she meets her death. The people in Wiltspoon will kill her sooner or later.“Does she think they’ll treat her well just because she betrayed her family? They despise us. She’s still my parents’ biological daughter. There’s no way she can be spared.”“You’re absolutely right.”The three men kept cursing Caroline throughout their journey. Upon arriving at Adrian’s villa, he parked the car. Jacob and Michael looked around after getting out of the vehicle. They thought Adrian’s place was luxurious. Adrian mentioned it was a small place, but it was already a lavish place to them. It was many times bigger than their house in the countryside. Adrian invited Jacob and Michael into the villa and they followed suit.Jacob whispered to Michael, “The Clark brothers are fighting with Caroline for the inheritance, Michael. They must be up to no good, calling us here.“No matter what request
“Although Caroline is our biological sister, she doesn’t treat us as her brothers. We only recognize Celine as our sister. I really wish we could turn back time.“We shouldn’t have allowed Caroline to return to the Fisher family. Ever since she came back, the family had been declining. Many things had happened. My mom’s dead, and my dad’s crippled. All of these are related to her.“Caroline’s an ungrateful bitch. I can’t believe she sided with the people from Wiltspoon. Even now, she’s constantly in contact with them and giving away Fisher Enterprise.“It should’ve belonged to Celine.”Jacob and Michael stayed quiet. They had known for a long time that their biological sister was not Caroline but Celine, the then-successor of the Fisher family. Therefore, they treated Caroline badly and often abused her.Although Caroline had learned to put up resistance after growing up, she was still bullied by Jacob and Michael.She hated them. She did not know the truth in the past and
The two men were Celine’s biological brothers, Jacob and Michael Dott. Adrian nodded. “That’s good to hear. Grieving is useless. Avenging Celine and seeking justice is more important.”Jacob and Michael remained silent. They could not do much. When their father was still the Fishers’ butler, he received a high salary with excellent benefits; the Dotts were the wealthiest family in their town. Since their family was rich, the brothers never put effort into studying. They spent time with questionable friends and led a life of debauchery. Jacob and Michael only matured after marrying and having kids. However, their father was already in prison. Meanwhile, Caroline, whom they used to abuse, had returned to the Fisher family. Celine had refused to return to the Dott family and simply gave them some money. Jacob and Michael had built houses in their town and furnished them well. The money they used was from Caroline and their parents’ savings. Since then, their financial crisi
In the afternoon, Duncan fetched Liberty from Fisher Enterprise for dinner. Caroline stood at the building entrance, watching Liberty and Duncan leave. She was envious. She missed Darren. Although he was still following her, he could not expose himself before others. She was not used to it. Nevertheless, she had to endure it to lure the Clark brothers into her trap. She thought, ‘Please make your move soon, brothers. Don’t keep me waiting.’At that moment, Adrian and his brothers exited the elevator. They were discussing something as they walked. When they saw Caroline standing at the entrance, they paused for a moment. However, they quickly pretended they did not see her and walked past her.Soon, three cars left the company.Caroline stood there for a few more minutes before heading to the parking lot. Her personal bodyguards were waiting at her car. They quickly went to her when they spotted her, while one of them opened the door for her. After Adrian left the com
“I’m used to him being by my side. Now that he’s hidden, it just feels weird.”Caroline added, “Even if I want to kiss him, I can only do it in my dreams.”Liberty was speechless. Seeing Liberty being at a loss for words, Caroline smiled. “Did I renew your impression of me?”“Yes. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.”Caroline giggled. “Darren’s too serious and respectful. If I don’t take the lead, we might sleep on opposite ends of the bed after getting married. He probably won’t even dare to turn in bed.”Liberty thought of Darren’s face, which constantly had a stern expression. He only looked normal around Caroline. He indeed treated her respectfully and never dared to offend her. Liberty said, “You’re still his master. It’s only natural that he’s acting that way.“When you two become husband and wife, he’ll change. However, you won’t have to doubt his love and loyalty for you.”The next thing Liberty knew, Caroline asked her private questions regarding married lif
Caroline moved first, exiting the elevator.Adrian blocked her path, refusing to give way.Caroline did not want to argue with her brothers, so she simply sidestepped and continued toward the CEO’s office. The Clark brothers watched her leave.“Let’s go, Adrian.” Justin entered the elevator first.Adrian withdrew his gaze and led Jason into the elevator.“I heard Darren’s out on a business trip and has been sent to another province to handle some matters, so he won’t be back for at least ten days to half a month,” Jason shared in a low voice. “And for the past few days, Caroline’s only been accompanied by those few bodyguards of hers. There really hasn’t been any sign of Darren with her. I’ve asked someone to look into it and verified Darren left Jensburg by flight a few days ago. What do you think, Adrian?”Adrian replied under his breath, “We’re at work. Don’t talk about that here. We’ll talk about it when we get home tonight.”Justin and Jason immediately shut their mouths.
“I’m in charge now, not your mother. If you can’t do the work, then don’t cling to your positions and collect a salary for doing nothing.”Liberty had no intention of tolerating their laziness any longer.The three brothers had tried investing and running their own businesses, but they mostly ended up losing money. The only stable income they had was from renting out the properties and shops they owned.That was why Hunter had advised his sons to return to Ashford, buy more properties and shops, and live off the rental income. It was much more stable than their business ventures.If the properties were hard to rent out, they could always sell them and recover some money, but with their business investments, not only did they lose money, they often ended up in debt by the time the businesses failed.It was a mystery how much of Belinda’s personal wealth had been spent helping her sons pay off their debts while she was alive.However, there were times when they made money. They wou