“Didn’t you say you were only going to help me with the deposit?” Serenity asked Zachary in a hushed tone. “I could afford the car you picked, so I paid in full.” “Oh.” Serenity whispered, “I’ll wire you half the money later.” Zachary glanced at her. “It’s fine.” Serenity blinked. By that, did he mean he was giving the car to her? Sure he could afford the car, but it was over a hundred thousand dollars. Although they were husband and wife, they barely knew each other in the short period they were married. Most importantly, they signed an agreement to go their separate ways six months later. It was a red flag to Serenity when Zachary suddenly splurged on a car worth over a hundred thousand dollars for her. There was no free lunch in the world. Serenity dragged him out of the dealership and confronted him away from the public eye. “Mr. York, can you tell me why you’re gifting me with a car? I won’t feel comfortable driving the car unless you clarify that. I don’t want to be
In a show of support, Jasmine circled Serenity’s new ride and complimented, “Not bad. How much was it?” “More than a hundred thousand bucks.” “Was it paid in full or are you taking up a loan?” “My man made the full payment.” Jasmine beamed and patted her best friend’s shoulder. “Wow, Serenity. It did not take long for you to bag that man and get him to buy you a car.“I knew you had it in you even though you didn’t know him before marriage. Mr. York must be blind if he didn’t fall for your charms.” Serenity was the best in Jasmine’s eyes. Once in the shop, Serenity poured herself a glass of water and chugged down half before replying, “You’re crazy. Zachary found out that Shawn drove me home last night. We nearly got into a fight because he thought I was cheating on him. So he felt he did me wrong after I cleared the air and gave me a car as an apology.”Jasmine, “…” Here she was, imagining a Lifetime movie out of Serenity’s life when reality gave her a rude awakening.
It did not sit well with Zachary.He pulled a long face the entire afternoon, leaving everyone at York Corporation on tenterhooks. It was a mystery who stepped on the toes of the stone-faced CEO. As if his usual aloof demeanor was not enough, the tensed lines running along his chiseled face only made him scarier. Even Callum and Josh refrained from hanging around Zachary. Despite feeling exasperated, Zachary kept his promise and waited for Serenity at the shop after work. Since Serenity was busy, he stepped into the shop to help out behind the cash register. However, the combination of his stern outlook, his quiet presence, and his towering build scared the students away from the cash register, so the students approached Serenity and Jasmine instead.Serenity said to him point-blank, “I’ll take over from here, Mr. York.” Tilting his head, Zachary stared into Serenity’s eyes with utmost profundity. It took a while before he got up with a sour face and walked around the ca
By the time Serenity parked her sweet new ride and got into Zachary’s car, Zachary adopted a milder tone. He asked her, “This will be the first time I have dinner at your sister’s. I should bring her a gift. What do your sister and brother-in-law like?” Serenity buckled up. “Get a toy for Sonny. My brother-in-law smokes, so get him a pack or two. We can just bring some fruit.” “Right,” Zachary replied. As the car drove out of Brynfield, he asked his wife, “Where should we get the stuff?” “There’s a store not too far from here. We’ll make a pit stop and get everything we need there. Mr. York, have you lived here before I moved in? I’ve noticed you don’t seem familiar with the vicinity.” Zachary took the time to pause before replying, “I bought this house ages ago, but I let it sit because I was staying with my parents. I thought I shouldn’t take up space at my family’s home after we got married, so I moved into this house.” “Does your family have a big house?” Since Zachar
“Are you going to take the call?” Zachary asked as he caught his wife staring at her phone when he entered the car after loading the shopping bags in. “It might be my money-hungry relatives.” “You’ll know who it is when you pick up the call. You can’t hide forever. Don’t fear them. I’ve got your back.” With him around, he would have her back no matter what. Serenity felt warm when she heard Zachary say he got her back. The guy might have many flaws, but similarly, she was not perfect either. Zachary was willing to stand in her corner even though they married out of convenience.That scored Zachary another brownie point in Serenity’s books. Serenity accepted the call from the unidentified number. “Serenity, it’s me. Granddad.” A slightly unfamiliar voice resounded loud and clear over the phone. Despite losing contact with the family back in hometown, Serenity identified the voice to be Granddad’s. Serenity hummed a response, waiting for Granddad to go on. “Mike called y
Serenity knew her money-driven relatives were not going to stop there. Nevertheless, they had no idea where the sisters were living. Since it was not easy to scour the whole city for her and Liberty’s whereabouts, Serenity quickly put the matter behind her so she could enjoy a nice dinner at her sister’s. Having been listening to the conversation the whole time, Zachary did not take the matter lightly. He had instructed Josh to get a file on the Hunts’ and trust that he would hear back soon. The couple arrived at Liberty’s apartment and ran into Liberty who was taking out the trash downstairs. “Liberty.” Happy to see her sister, Serenity darted toward Liberty. “You’re here, Seren.” The fatigue across Liberty’s face was swept away at the sight of her sister and brother-in-law. With Zachary retrieving bags of gifts from the car, Liberty whined, “We’re family. You shouldn’t have to get us anything.” “It’s only some fruit, Liberty.” Taken in by Zachary’s kind gesture, Lib
Chelsea’s youngest son was right behind Sonny, wailing and demanding, “I want the plane Sonny got.” Gripping the toy plane against his chest, Sonny nervously looked back at his cousin and murmured, “Huggies, Mama. Huggies, Mama.” Liberty picked her son up. “Liberty, tell Sonny to give the plane to my son. We’re your guests. Sonny should be nice to my son.” Chelsea came over and wiped away her son’s tears before standing up to grab the toy plane from Sonny. Seeing that Sonny refused to let go, Chelsea was about to snatch the toy right out of Sonny’s hand when she caught a glimpse of Serenity and her husband. Zachary had his hands full with bags. She immediately withdrew her arms and greeted Serenity with a smile. “Long time no see, Serenity. Is this your husband? Why, he’s a handsome and striking man, isn’t he?” Not only was the man attractive, but he also carried himself with a presence and grace that even Hank, despite being in a managerial position, could not beat. Chel
Since Zachary was a bit of a germaphobe, the kid’s dirty hands on the new toy did not sit well with him. That was why he was generous to give away the new toy. Now that the two young ones quit fighting over the toy, the negative vibe among the adults subsided.Although Zachary said nothing, the Browns got the hint from his eyes and expression to never rub him the wrong way. Mrs. Brown already had the impression that Serenity was not one to be messed with, and now her man was difficult to deal with too. She was aware that Liberty was close with Serenity and that her son was having an affair, so she needed to warn her son against taking things too far. Liberty might have taken an unpaid role as a stay-at-home mother, but she gave the Brown family their first grandson, so Hank should be considerate and not go overboard. Hank soon returned home. After everybody had a brief rest on the couch, Liberty called them to the dining table as dinner was ready. Serenity followed her siste
Ever since Belinda passed away, they were worried their cruel sister would cancel their bank cards. Therefore, they withdrew all the remaining money from the accounts from which they received their monthly allowance. Adrian rarely used the money on that particular card of his because it was a meager sum to him. Tens to hundreds of thousands a month was not even enough to buy a high-quality watch. In the past, he would only transfer the money from that card to another account every one or two years. Otherwise, he would withdraw the money and use it to flirt with women; cash could always draw many gorgeous women to him. Not many people could resist someone who could take out bundles of cash. Adrian recalled that he had withdrawn a few million dollars. He kept it all in a safe. When their mother was still alive, they spent money extravagantly. When they switched cars, they would get cars that cost millions and pay for them in full. They also made full payment when buying houses.
Jacob said, “Add one more million to it and make it six. My brother and I will get three million each. We won't do the job if you offer anything less than this.“After all, we’re the ones solving a problem for you guys. The benefits you’ll obtain from this are more than ten times the amount you’re offering us.“Besides, you three are adamant about killing Caroline, not us. We might even go to prison for this.“If we get three million each, we can consider helping you out.”Michael added, “That’s right. We may be poor, but our lives aren’t worth any less. There’s no such thing as wanting us to sacrifice our lives for you without giving us money.”Adrian went to take a fine bottle of wine and poured a glass each for Jacob and Michael. Meanwhile, he took a sip of his juice and told them, “We won’t be drinking alcohol since we have to drive and go to work. This is a precious wine I’ve been keeping. It’s sold for a high price outside.“Help yourselves to it. If you think it’s good,
It could not satisfy their appetites. After all, the Clark brothers were asking them to commit a crime. If they were caught, they had to pay the price and go to jail for several years. Losing their freedom for a few years in exchange for a million dollars was not worth it at all. “Mr. Adrian, we do hate Caroline, but she won’t do anything to us if we remain in the countryside away from Jensburg and avoid offending her.“We can still live a peaceful life. Although we’ll face financial difficulties, we can still afford basic necessities and be free.“You guys are the ones in a rush to eliminate Caroline. Her existence affects your benefits the most. Of course, you can choose to accept reality by resigning from Fisher Enterprise, selling your assets, and leaving Jensburg.“If you flee to the countryside like us, you can enjoy a comfortable life away from Caroline’s control. You won’t have to reward us for doing your bidding and can save that money.”Jacob could accept not gett
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