“Alright. I’m on a break like the students now. I’m going there to sort you out and whip you into a henpecked husband if you don’t be good. You can forget your dignity in front of your colleagues.” The smile across Zachary’s face deepened. “So you’re saying that you’ll come here and keep tabs on me if I deliberately stay away from the doctor?” “Don’t you dare, Zachary!” Zachary cowered on purpose. “I’m scared. I wouldn’t dare.” “Alright now. I’m going to stop here. Hurry up and get yourself to the hospital. You’re an adult, yet you don’t take good care of yourself.” Serenity grumbled before hanging up. She left Zachary to his work. “Seren.” “Liberty.” Serenity watched as her sister drew close. “Is Sonny asleep?” “Yeah. I want to take a walk while he’s sleeping. It’s good exercise. I run three times a day now. I put myself on a diet and cut down on my sugar intake.” Liberty stopped and added, “My takeaway from the three-year marriage is that we women should take ca
Clive cussed Zachary in his mind. He was still second-guessing whether it was Zachary when Serenity mentioned her husband’s name. Now that Zachary said that he was away on business, Clive could confirm that Zachary was Serenity’s husband. “When are you coming back?” “Are you that eager to buy me coffee?” “Quit the act, Zachary. I know it all. The wedding ring on Serenity’s finger belongs to the same pair as yours, right? Your wife whose face is not shown in the picture is Serenity, right?” Zachary went radio silent. He neither admitted nor denied it. Clive took Zachary’s silence as his admission to the fact. “When did you two get married? Was it before Serenity went viral on Twitter? You’ve been married for a while, yet you kept quiet about it. Elisa went mad for you and even went all the way to your office to profess her love for you in public!“Elisa became the talk of the town while you went on your aloof and sophisticated self, making a joke out of Elisa. The publi
Zachary terminated the call right away. Despite being hung up on, Clive was not angry at all.He smirked coldly. “You can refuse to acknowledge me as your cousin, Zachary, but I’ll get my way one way or another.” Alice was pouring him a glass of water when she heard his comment. She said, “You’re now family. What do you mean get your way? Whatever reason he keeps his identity a secret, Zachary is Serenity’s husband.” “I’ve been his rival for many years, and none of us ever get the upper hand. Now that I have the chance to climb over his head, I got to make use of the opportunity.” Clive grabbed the glass and took a couple of gulps. “Zachary wound me up badly. I must get my payback when he returns from his business trip. I’ll contact Serenity to come along when he buys me dinner. I bet he’ll have to call me his cousin then.“Honey, I’m walking on air just thinking about my nemesis bowing to me because I’m the older cousin.”“I think you’ve gone mad.” Alice replied amusedly,
Josh sat upright immediately.“Come in.”The door was pushed open, and a bodyguard came in with an invitation.Josh thought that it was an invitation for Julian to a banquet. Unexpectedly, the bodyguard walked straight to him and handed him the invitation. “Mr. Bucham, this is an invitation sent by Mr. Stone. The Stones will be holding a banquet tomorrow night and have invited you to join.”“Me?”Josh took the invitation skeptically and questioned, “The Stones are holding a banquet, and Clive had someone specially send it over? Also, the banquet is tomorrow night? Why so sudden?”Other families might make their banquet known a few days in advance. Some even gave guests ten days of notice so they could get ready.Was this a last-minute decision by the Stone family?Josh remembered how Audrey recognized her two nieces and he guessed the real purpose of the banquet.‘She must wish to introduce her two nieces to Wiltspoon’s elites.‘Hehe, what does Zachary think about it?’“Mr.
What would the scene of a woman meeting her ex-husband and his mistress when out shopping be like?Liberty did not have much of a reaction. As for Jessica, when she walked into the store and saw the Hunt sisters, her instinctive reaction was to cling tightly to Hank’s arm.It was as if she was afraid others would not know they were a couple.“Daddy.”Sonny, who was being held by Serenity, called out to Hank when he saw the latter.The people in the store turned to look at Hank.They saw Hank standing next to the young and beautiful Jessica, then at Liberty, whom Sonny had called “Mommy” earlier. The store clerks looked at Liberty with sympathy.She came out shopping for clothes but ended up catching her husband cheating on her...“Sonny.”Hank walked over to Serenity under the watchful eyes of the store clerks. Jessica followed closely.“Sonny, let Daddy hold you.”Hank reached out to hug Sonny.Serenity did not give him Sonny directly and placed him on the ground instead.
When Liberty was Hank’s wife, Hank led an easy life with everything provided.Now, it was Jessica who was living that life.Hank felt that Jessica was his true love.After defeating Liberty by easily getting promoted to the top and gaining Hank’s deep affection, Jessica could not wait to show off in front of Liberty, trying to provoke her.Liberty did not pay attention to Jessica and picked out a few more sets of clothes for herself.Seeing this, Jessica tried to grab the clothes again.Serenity caught her wrist and said coldly, “Hey, don’t think my sister is easy to bully. She doesn’t care to fight with you, but I won’t allow you to bully her!”She flung the hand away. With a push, Jessica was forced several steps back and retreated to Hank’s side.“Hank Brown, keep an eye on your lover. Don’t let her piss me off or I’ll beat her to a pulp.”Jessica was so angry that she was at a loss for words. “Serenity Hunt, does your man know how brutish you are? Be careful so he doesn’t
“Aunt Audrey...”Audrey raised her hand and motioned for Liberty not to speak.She gazed coldly at Jessica.Jessica cowered. “M-Mrs. Stone.”Audrey turned to her daughter and said, “Elisa, call and inform our family bodyguards to drive over all the luxury cars in our garage so your cousin can ride in all of them one by one. Each of our cars costs at least a million.”“Mrs. Stone, it’s a misunderstanding.”Hank hurriedly tried to smooth things over.“We won’t shop here anymore, Mrs. Stone. We’ll leave right away.”Hank was reminded of the difficulties he was facing at work now and did not dare to confront Audrey head-on.He took away the clothes in Jessica’s hand and passed them to the clerk. He quickly pulled Jessica and left despondently.Jessica did not dare to do anything in front of Audrey, but as soon as she left the shop, she shook off Hank’s hand and stormed forward angrily. “What were you doing just now? You didn’t say a word when you saw me being bullied by those sis
“Even if I give her more than a million dollars, she’ll probably end up spending all of it buying a house, but she still won’t be able to find a job. Unless her aunt keeps supporting her, she won’t be as happy as we are.”Sure enough, Jessica’s mood improved.“A million isn’t even enough for the down payment for a house in downtown Wiltspoon. A friend of mine bought a second-hand apartment in the busiest part of the city a while ago. It’s near a school district and is only seven hundred square feet, but it cost her five million. I was really shocked.”If she had not snatched Hank away, she could not have afforded to buy a house in downtown Wiltspoon with her income.Hank was cognizant that housing prices were exorbitant now.Fortunately, he struck early. If he only bought a house now, he would not be able to buy one in a good location, let alone a school district.“I asked around and heard that Mrs. Stone is a very strong woman. She dislikes weak and incompetent people the most.
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
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