“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.
Serenity first took out the small note.The note read: These two are recorder pens. Listen to the recordings when no one is around. Josh Bucham.It was sent to her by Josh.Recorder pen?What was on the recorder pens that could not be heard by other people?Serenity’s curiosity was killing her.Josh told her to listen to the recording alone, so she could only wait until she returned to her room after dinner.“What is that, Seren? Who sent it to you?” Audrey asked with concern.Serenity put the note back into the bag and said, “It’s a pen I want to use. Mrs. Lane had someone send it over to me.”Audrey hummed and did not ask more.Curiosity piqued, Serenity finished eating dinner and followed her sister upstairs, saying she was going to help her sister bathe Sonny.The sisters’ rooms were next to each other.Audrey made the arrangement so the two sisters could rely on each other even in an unfamiliar environment.Serenity went back to her room, closed the door behind her, t
Zachary forced a laugh and said, “Is my wife taking control of me now? I don’t have an appetite and don’t want to eat. I’m working so hard now because I want to finish work early and go back to you.”“Even if you want to come back soon, you have to take care of your health. Are you staying at a hotel now? If you don’t have an appetite, then just eat something light.“Pick up your phone, Zachary. I want to see you.”Zachary did not move.Serenity got angry. “Zachary York, I’ll give you till the count of three. If you don’t let me see you, I won’t talk to you for the rest of the year. I won’t answer your calls or reply to your texts either. One...”As soon as she started counting, Zachary’s face appeared on the screen.He looked miserable. His usually cold and indifferent face was flushed an abnormal red. Serenity was startled and asked, “Didn’t you go see a doctor? You must be running a high fever now. Are you trying to worry me to death?!”Zachary propped his head up with his ha
Josh looked solemn. “Zachary has always been as fit as a fiddle though. I don’t think he has the flu and fever. Take it easy. I’ll contact someone to drive him to the hospital and make travel arrangements for you to get there. Pack up. You can leave in half an hour.” Now that Zachary was ill and Serenity was worried sick, it was the perfect chance for the couple to bond. While feeling concerned about Zachary’s well-being, Josh secretly moaned about Zachary’s timing to be sick. “Thank you, Mr. Bucham.” Serenity was grateful for Josh’s help to get her to Zachary. Josh uttered in a gentle voice, “Zachary is my colleague. I’m worried that he’s sick, and he can be stubborn. He won’t say a word when he’s sick. The bosses and I will feel better if you head there and take care of him.“You might want to get ready now. I’ll give the colleagues there a call to send Zachary to the hospital.” “Sure.” After the phone call, Serenity got up and picked up the bag with two sets of fresh
Alice’s uncle was a doctor who specialized in alternative medicine. Whenever a family member was not feeling well, Alice would go to her uncle and ask for a remedy. Clive really could not stand the awful taste of alternative medicine. Hence, he looked after himself and tried not to get sick. He would hide from his wife if he had the occasional sniffles. Serenity’s worry for Zachary was like Alice’s worry for him. Clive soothed Serenity, “Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. You want to get to the Buchams’ residence? I’ll drive you there.” “Thank you, Clive.” Tilting his head, Clive told his wife, “Wait for me at home, Alice. I’ll drive Serenity to the Buchams’. I don’t feel good getting someone else to drive her.” Alice replied, “Sure. Go ahead.” “Clive, Alice, the chauffeur can drive me if you have something to do.” “What’s the matter?” Liberty had just gotten her son out of the shower when she heard her sister talking in the hallway. With Sonny in her arms,
“His boss made arrangements for me to get there. I need to rush there now,” Serenity replied. “You should hurry there then. His boss will probably have a private plane ready for you if he approves the arrangement. You’ll get there quicker. Clive, you should take Seren there.”Mrs. Stone thought the boss Serenity mentioned was Zachary. Knowing that the Yorks had a private jet, she felt assured enough to let Serenity go. Several minutes later, Clive drove Serenity out of the Stones’ residence. While on the way, Clive said to Serenity, “I have a somewhat unreasonable request to ask of you, Serenity.” “Do say, Clive.” While behind the wheel, Clive said, “You must know that Elisa was in love with Mr. York. Although she said she would let go of her feelings for him, you can’t stop loving someone after going at it for years. It would take some time before she could embrace reality wholeheartedly.” Serenity’s mind harked back to Shawn. This was the case with Shawn toward her as
The only person that Serenity was wrong about was Zachary. Then again, Serenity was fooled by Zachary’s whole family. The cousins shared a pleasant conversation along the way that the journey felt short to Serenity. Soon, they arrived at the Buchams’ residence. Josh was not back. He was still having dinner with Jasmine and her brother. Jasmine was concerned about her best friend, but her mind was at ease since Josh had everything sorted out. Serenity had just arrived at the Buchams’ residence when Jasmine gave her a call. Jasmine felt better after confirming Serenity was at the residence. “Thank goodness Mr. Bucham stepped in to help tonight, Jasmine. Please thank him for me. I’ll personally express my gratitude to him when I return.” Sure, Josh was Zachary’s colleague. He could simply do his due and inform a colleague there to send Zachary to the hospital. However, Josh went above and beyond at sorting everything out when Serenity said she wanted to be there. Josh even
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge
Tony Longbottom was the only person who would put on such a parade. The big shots in Satbury usually had entourages of their own, but none would put on a spectacle as big as Tony would.As they departed in their car, Tony’s gracious demeanor utterly shattered.His face twisted into an ugly, cruel expression as he said, “I’ve never been treated like this before, even when the legitimate branch of the family still lived, and those two ignorant little girls actually refused to see me multiple times.”Manny was very angry too and he said, “Pops, since they refuse to go about this the easy way, we’ll have to show them the hard way. We can approach it from other angles, and once they’re completely out of business and they have nowhere else to turn to, they’ll be at our mercy.“Won’t they have to do as we please then? I want to marry them, they’ll have to marry me, and if I don’t, I’ll just make them my mistresses. Don’t the O’Connors have plenty of daughters? I’ll fuck every one of them
“Isabella O’Connor is so outstanding, so why are you asking me to go for Tati O’Connor instead?” Manny said under his breath in puzzlement.He had seen photos of the two ladies and Isabella’s appearance was more striking. She had a cold and aloof aura that easily triggered his desire to conquer her, and after just a few glances, he was captivated.If it were up to him, Manny would choose Isabella.Tony looked at his son, smiled, and said, “You can’t control her. Of course, if you manage to make her fall for you, we can talk about switching. But for now, focus on Tati O’Connor.”Tati was also beautiful. However, she did not have Isabella’s cold demeanor. She seemed much gentler, like she smiled often.“Marrying Tati O’Connor would be a big advantage for both you and our family.”Manny thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “Got it, Dad.”Manny’s good looks, wealth, honeyed tongue, and generosity toward girls made him good at winning them over. Pursuing a rich youn
After testing the O’Connor sisters and realizing they were not like other women, Mr. Longbottom thought of having his son marry Tati.He knew that his son would not be able to handle or control Isabella, so he set his sights on Tati. Tati probably did not realize she was considered an easy target. Most people underestimated her because she had always kept a low profile.At that moment, a young man got out from the other side of the Rolls-Royce. He resembled Mr. Longbottom. Indeed, he was Mr. Longbotton’s eldest son, Manny.“Dad.”Manny went to his father’s side and glanced at the building before him. He asked, “Aren’t we driving inside?”In Havenmill, Manny could do whatever he wished because his father was the interim head of the Longbottom family. While he had no respect for ordinary people at all, he was clever enough not to offend people he should not.He never parked his car outside the places he wanted to go and simply drove his car through the gates. However, Manny
Meanwhile in Satbury, a few luxury cars stopped at the entrance of Costa Corporation. The door of the first car, a Rolls-Royce, opened. A bodyguard came out of the car.He waited for his boss, who was sitting in the backseat to exit.Mr. Longbottom got out of the car. Although he was over fifty years old, he looked like he was in his forties as he maintained his appearance well.He wore a white tailored suit with a tie, which made him look more youthful.The bodyguards in the other cars alighted as well.They quickly stood behind Mr. Longbottom to protect him. It was also his display of power.A few bodyguards grabbed many gift boxes from the trunks. Mr. Longbottom stood in front of the company and raised his head to look at the sixty-eight-storey office building. It was a symbol of the O’Connor family’s abilities.Costa Corporation was not the family’s only business. They were involved in many industries and were successful in all of them.The O’Connors were wealthy and powe
Jasmine added, “In some cases, the divorced women can get married to a better man, while the divorced men can’t even find a new wife. There are many single men now.“Isn’t there a saying nowadays that men who have wives are extremely lucky?”When Jasmine was at the bookstore, she would also visit the neighboring stores to listen to juicy gossip. Many of the store owners were not locals and they had many stories to tell. Someone said there was an evil mother-in-law in a rural area who looked down on her daughter-in-law. She would egg her son on to abuse his wife and get a divorce. She would also tell her son that she could find a better and younger wife for him. However, once the divorce went through, news of the mother-in-law’s evil deeds and the son’s domestic abuse spread far and wide. Who would dare marry off their daughters to a man like that?Besides, holding another wedding would require a lot of money. The cost of a wedding had increased a lot compared to the past.Whe
“Sonny’s fine. He has recovered. You want to get Sonny from school?”After thinking about it, Serenity agreed and said, “Okay. I’ll message Sonny’s teacher later to tell her you’ll be taking him.”“Okay, Serenity. Thank you.”Hank was thankful that Serenity did not make things difficult for him. Serenity and Liberty had great character. Liberty had a new relationship and already let go of her resentment for Hank. She could coexist with him peacefully. On the other hand, Serenity still held grudges against Hank. However, since he and Liberty had divorced, he could no longer hurt her. He was also Sonny’s father. Serenity was willing to tolerate him for Sonny’s sake. Therefore, she always said yes whenever Hank requested to meet his son. “You’ll be taking Sonny out to eat after picking him up, right? Remember not to let him eat too much fried food, especially fried chicken and fries. He’ll get a sore throat.“He got a fever that day due to a throat inflammation.”“Got it. I’ll