Ring ring ring...Serenity’s cell phone rang. It was a call from Elisa.She stopped talking to Jasmine and quickly answered the call.“Serenity, where do you live?”“Brynfield.”“Okay, I’m going over now. I’m in front of your store, but you’re not open today.”Serenity said, “Sure, I’ll send you the location. My sister and I are ready to leave.”Elisa hummed.After Serenity sent the location, Elisa opened the navigation app on her phone and headed for Brynfield.She had always been a fast driver. When she was about to merge into traffic on the expressway at an intersection, she almost crashed into a Maybach. Both the Maybach and her car were urgently halted.Elisa wound down her window and the other driver did the same.She instructed the driver of the other car to back up a little to make way for her to pull up before they discussed the incident.The driver did not immediately do as Elisa gestured. Instead, he turned his head to look at the person sitting in the back seat.
When the light turned green, Remy’s car went ahead of Elisa’s.Elisa saw Remy’s car plate number and wondered, ‘Whose car is that? Those black cars behind belong to a security detail, right?‘Who else in Wiltspoon besides Zachary likes to go around the city with an entourage?’Elisa had no clue.Her eldest brother did not like to bring bodyguards and would only occasionally bring two, unlike Zachary whose bodyguards were divided into two teams of eight each. Every time he showed up, it was always with the fanfare of an emperor’s arrival.Serenity had no idea that Elisa met Remy on the road. After she sent Elisa her address, she sent a text message to Jasmine to inform that she was going to her aunt’s house.She then pondered for a while before sending a message to Zachary.He was most likely still on the plane and did not reply to her message.Serenity’s heart sank at once.She muttered, “Fine, don’t reply. It’s not like I care or anything.”She placed the phone into her coat
“By the way, just for your information, Hank and I will be registering our marriage on the coming Valentine’s Day.”Liberty was still remarkably calm. “Congratulations, Ms. Yates.”Congratulations on jumping into the pit of mud that was the Brown family.“It’s the weekend today and I just woke up to a handmade breakfast by Hank. I heard you were married for more than three years, but you were always the one cooking for Hank. You had probably never tasted his cooking before.”Liberty had had enough of Jessica’s provocation so she cut the call off.“Liberty, was that the Yates woman?”“Yeah. She’s insane. I divorced Hank and let them be together, but she still called to brazenly ask me if she could add me as a friend on social media. She must’ve wanted to flaunt her daily dose of lovey-doveyness with Hank to piss me off.“What’s there to be upset about anyway? We’re already divorced, so what is Hank to me now? He’s just an ex-husband.”As for Hank prepping breakfast for Jessica,
Liberty was the one who drove them here.She told her son to greet them.Sonny did not want Audrey to hold him, but he was willing to greet them. He addressed them the way his mother taught him.“This child is so cute.”Alice smiled. “Can I hold him?”Audrey said, “Sonny doesn’t even want me to hold him. Will he let you hold him instead?”Alice reached out tentatively. Unexpectedly, when Sonny saw her, he suddenly reached out as well for Alice to hold him.Audrey was speechless. “Sonny is picky with people.”“He’s usually not picky. He was just scared because of the last time. He’ll want you to hold him the next time we meet, Aunt Audrey.”Even Liberty was surprised that Sonny was willing to go to Alice.“Liberty and Serenity, this is Clive, my eldest son. He’s your cousin.”Audrey introduced her sons to her nieces.The sisters greeted Clive.Clive smiled back and said nothing.Audrey then pointed to her second son and said, “This is my younger son, Anthony. He’s two year
“Alice, I saw the wedding ring that Serenity was wearing.”Alice looked at him and said in amusement, “Do you think we don’t have eyes and you’re the only one who saw it? So what if you saw it? What’s wrong with Serenity’s wedding ring?”Clive was silent, pondering how to phrase himself.“We’re husband and wife. What is it that you can’t tell me? Didn’t you call me upstairs because you wanted to say something to me? What’s wrong?”“Alice, do you remember me telling you about Zachary showing off his wedding ring on his social media?”Alice nodded. “Of course, I remember. That day, you even told me to go talk to Elisa early in the morning. You were the good cop while I was the bad cop. I wanted to cry myself when I saw how much pain Elisa was in.“You also said that Zachary actually invited you to a meal when you met him by chance at Wiltspoon Hotel. You kept talking about it all night, saying that you would’ve never dreamed of having Zachary invite you to a meal in your lifetime.
Clive had this in mind, so he did not think about Zachary when his sister mentioned that Serenity’s husband had the last name York.Although the York family had a deep heritage that spanned several generations, they originated from the countryside. It was said from where their ancestors lived, everyone had the last name York.Clive did not know whether Zachary’s ancestors brought along the townspeople when they made a fortune in the city.However, he was cognizant that there were indeed many employees with the surname York in the headquarters of York Corporation and its branch companies. However, most of them had nothing to do with Zachary and simply shared the same last name.“That’s why I called you up. I want you to find an opportunity to secretly ask Serenity what her husband’s name is. Don’t let Mom or Elisa find out. You know Elisa hasn’t completely let go of her feelings for Zachary.“Mom just found Serenity and Liberty, so don’t let her know for the time being. I don’t kno
“Elisa finally put down her infatuation for Zachary. We’ll tell her when she has completely let go and is able to openly face Zachary with the fact that he’s married.”Clive sighed. “If she finds out that Serenity’s husband is the man she loves but can’t get, I can’t imagine the consequences. Serenity isn’t close to us, but Elisa and she get along.“I have to think about Elisa.”“But Serenity is your cousin now, and her husband is your in-law. If it’s really Zachary, he has to accompany Serenity to visit us eventually. He can’t keep hiding and refusing to see Mom, right?”It was fine if Serenity’s husband did not meet them but Audrey was their elder. He had to meet her.“I’ll ask Zachary tonight if his marriage with Serenity is hidden. Serenity probably doesn’t know his identity. She most likely wouldn’t dare marry him if she did.”Alice reminded him, “Serenity said her husband is out on a business trip and won’t be back for some time.“Why don’t you call Zachary now and ask him
Alice blurted, “We’re also acquainted with the York family. Should we invite them too?”After asking, she snapped back to her senses and hurriedly slapped her hand over her mouth, quickly glancing at her sister-in-law. “Sorry, I was talking nonsense.”She even stole a glance at Serenity to see if the latter had any reaction to the mention of the York family.Alice thought in her heart, ‘Are Serenity’s in-laws really the York family?’Audrey was not upset at her daughter-in-law and said, “They won’t send someone even if we invite them. Let’s not make a fool of ourselves.”The elders of the York family did not fancy her daughter.Elisa had liked Zachary for many years and openly pursued him, but the elders of the York family never expressed any thoughts, indicating that the York family did not want to ease relations with the Stone family and become in-laws.Audrey felt that finding her nieces was a grand and happy event. She did not want the attitude of the York family to spoil he
Liberty smiled. “Not yet. Maybe you can continue sleeping in the car until the sun rises.“We’re home. Let’s get out of the car. Even if you’re sleepy, you should still take a bath first. The year is ending in a few days. The weather isn’t that cold now. I checked the weather forecast. It says it’ll rain a little on New Year’s Day, so the temperature might drop slightly.”Duncan sat up and touched his forehead. Indeed, there was some sweat. “It really isn’t cold. I’m even sweating.”Liberty did not turn on the car’s air conditioning. In that weather, it would be cold if the air conditioning was turned on and hot if it was turned off. Thanks to the wind, it was still cooling when the car was moving. However, once the car stopped, it became stuffy inside. Liberty got out of the car and went to the passenger seat to help Duncan. Duncan declined her help and insisted on doing it himself. Then, he held her hand and walked into the house slowly. After heading upstairs, he belatedl
Liberty did have a fatty liver back then. However, that was resolved after she lost weight. Indeed, having an unhealthy weight could bring about health issues. Purchasing plus-sized clothes was also a problem. Once she started maintaining a healthy weight, she looked fantastic in whatever she wore and often received compliments for having a great figure when shopping for clothes. Most people marveled at her healthy and youthful complexion. She did not look like she was already in her thirties with a four-year-old son. “Do you want to take a nap? There’s heavy traffic ahead.”Liberty saw a stretch of road highlighted in red on the navigation app, signaling slow traffic. “Aren’t most people on holiday and traveling? Why is the traffic still congested?”Duncan muttered, “Maybe there was a car accident.“I don’t need a nap. I’m energetic now. I won’t be able to fall asleep.”He was extremely excited. “If you think I’m too talkative, you can play some music. We can liste
Since Audrey would take care of Sonny, Liberty and Duncan were in a good mood as they exited the Stones’ residence. Duncan’s bodyguards were to return home instead of following him around. He had Liberty anyway. Besides, it was his and Liberty’s wedding night. They even left Sonny with the Stones, so there was no way he would be letting his bodyguards follow him home. Liberty was the one who drove as Duncan’s legs were still recovering. She would glance at him from time to time. She said, “You’ve been staring at me the entire night. Haven’t you seen enough?“It’s not our first time meeting each other. What’s there to look at?”“You’re beautiful. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”Duncan was particularly generous with sweet words that night. To him, his wife was the most beautiful woman in the world. “I can’t get enough of watching you. I controlled myself in Aunt Audrey’s house because I didn’t want her to laugh at me. Now that there’s only the two of us,
Sonny asked Liberty, “Mom, is it okay? I want to stay at Grandaunt’s house for one night. Tomorrow, you can come pick me up and take me to Dad’s house.”After receiving a call from her former mother-in-law, Liberty had already asked Sonny after he woke up that morning if he wanted to stay with the Brown family for a couple of days, to spend time with his grandparents. Tomorrow, she would take him to the Browns.Liberty smiled, “You can stay the night if you want. Tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up and take you to your dad’s house for lunch.”She planned to call Hank soon and let him know that she was not taking Sonny there early in the morning, so the Browns would not have to get up early to wait.Sonny jumped up happily and said to Audrey, “Grandaunt Audrey, my mom agreed! I’m going to stay here tonight and play with Elias."With that, he rushed upstairs. Elias was getting cuter. When he talked to him, the baby would respond with cooing sounds, which was really fun.“Aunt Audrey, I
After a long while, Jessica finally asked, “You have swollen eyes because Liberty is getting remarried? You’ve lost your chance to remarry her.”“Jessica, I’ve never thought about remarrying Liberty. That’s impossible. I’ll wait for you to be released. No matter how many years it takes, I will wait for you,” Hank quickly explained. “It’s true that I’m upset that Liberty is remarried, but it’s mainly because of my son.“In the future, Sonny will call someone else ‘Dad’, and I’m not around him often. I’m afraid that one day, he’ll only end up closer to his other dad and not me, his biological father.”Jessica quietly looked at him for a moment before coldly replied, “If you have time, you should spend more time with Sonny. Even a biological father and son need to nurture their relationship.”“Who did Liberty marry?” Jessica asked. “Is it Duncan Lewis?”“Who else could it be? It’s Duncan. He kept Liberty close, never letting anyone else near her. Whenever any other man got close to L
Why was he crying? He knew the reason deep down but could not bring himself to say it out loud. Instead, he simply slumped over the steering wheel and cried his heart out. After he was done crying, he finally started the car and left the city hall, heading to the prison to visit Jessica.When Jessica saw him, she noticed his eyes were red and swollen. Thinking something bad had happened in his family, she immediately grabbed the phone and asked, “Hank, why are you crying? Your eyes are all swollen. Did something happen to your parents?”She still harbored hatred toward Olivia and Chelsea, hoping something would happen to that mother-daughter pair. Ideally, she wanted the old woman to face judgment in hell.Back when she stabbed Hank and Chelsea came to the rescue, Jessica felt she should have made sure to stab Chelsea to death. It was because of Chelsea’s incitement that she and Hank ended up like this. The two women had torn apart Hank and Liberty’s marriage, and now that Liberty’s
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