Curling her lips, Liberty said, “I heard things aren’t going well for both of you at work. One of these days, you might just find yourselves without a job. You’ll only have access to an empty bank account. What’s there to brag about?“Although we paid for our half of the expenses, I got a million bucks off him during the divorce. My life with my son won’t be affected even when he’s out of employment.” Jessica was lost for words. Hank pulled a sour face. “What do you mean by out of employment? We’re doing fine at our jobs, thank you very much.” Serenity chimed in, “Your mom said otherwise. She’s been at my sister’s place nearly every day to rant about a mistress having you under a spell. She said Ms. Yates’s a prodigal who doesn’t care that money doesn’t grow on trees. Your mom even commented that Ms. Yates’s parents are selling their daughter instead of marrying off their daughter. Apparently, her family is money hungry.” Jessica scowled. Agreeing that the Yates family was d
“My mom doesn’t mean it. Why are you hung up on this? Jessica, if I can be honest about the bride price, I think your family is demanding a lot. I’m fine with giving your family over seven hundred thousand dollars if they pay for the wedding and offer other gifts of the same value. “Heck, I’ll be happy if they offer half the value, but your parents said they’ll only be gifting a few sets of bedding and an e-bike. The gifts are only less than ten thousand dollars put together.“I overheard your parents the day they came to meet mine that the bride price would be split between your two brothers for their home renovations and new cars. Your parents are keeping sixty thousand dollars while only six thousand dollars is left for you and the wedding.” Hank admitted that he went through the roof when he eavesdropped on how Jessica’s parents planned to spend the money. He owned a fortune of around two million dollars. Since more than a million dollars went to Liberty, Hank had less than
Hank carried on saying, “The house is also yours since your name will be added to the title deed. We can enjoy a nicely renovated house instead of paying for your brothers’ home renovation for your sisters-in-law to enjoy.” Although Jessica was in on Hank’s idea, she said, “Are you expecting my parents to come down from their request of 777,777 dollars and settle with over a hundred thousand dollars? Hank, are you trying to haggle on a gift? You said you would give me the world and only want me to enjoy the best of life. “You said you’ll give me a grand wedding, but all you’re going to offer is over a hundred thousand dollars? Is this the grand wedding you’re talking about?” Hank refuted, “The going rate for bride price in Wiltspoon is tens of thousands. Most people would settle for a few thousand dollars. It’s not about the money here in Wiltspoon. Families here only want their daughters to have a good and lasting marriage.” Liberty also came from a small town. The Hunts deman
Liberty said with a smile, “Zachary is a good man. Don’t lump him together with men like Hank.” Looking into the shopping cart, Liberty remarked, “It’s full. Are you getting more? Why don’t we stop here and take these things home? We can check what else is needed and go from there. It would be hard carrying all the shopping bags up the stairs if they bought too much. Mrs. Lane was not around because Serenity gave her time off to spend time with her family during the holidays. Serenity gave Mrs. Lane a Christmas bonus and some gifts since Mrs. Lane had been a huge help to Serenity and her sister. Liberty also gave Mrs. Lane a Christmas bonus. Plus, Mrs. Lane received another Christmas bonus and gifts from Zachary. She could spend the festive holidays with her family without worrying about finances. She could not go wrong working for Mr. Zachary. The missus and Liberty were the kindest people. Apart from Mrs. Lane, Jim, who had served and remained by Zachary’s side all th
Peering at Liberty who was spilling on the sides despite dropping thirty pounds, Hank snapped out of his thoughts and refused to take a trip down memory lane. Serenity bought too many things for them both to carry. They let the mall concierge know before borrowing the shopping cart to push out of the store. “Liberty, wait here with Sonny. I’ll drive the car up.” Serenity’s car was parked in the mall’s underground parking. She needed to drive the car out of the parking lot before they could load the goods into the car. “Sure.” Liberty was fine with the arrangement. Seeing that his aunt was leaving on her own, Sonny panicked and cried, “Aunt Ser! Aunt Ser!” Liberty responded, “Aunt Ser is driving over to pick us up, Sonny.” It gave Sonny the assurance he needed. He thought his aunt was going to abandon him and his mother here. Hank and Jessica soon emerged. Since they too had made a huge purchase, they asked permission from the concierge to push the cart out of the
Nevertheless, that was Zachary’s business. Duncan would not interfere in Zachary’s affairs as he was only Zachary’s best friend. “I see.” Duncan took a fleeting glance at the items in the shopping cart. Zachary’s wife did not take the visit to Zachary’s home lightly since she bought a lot of good stuff. “Sonny.” As always, Duncan would play with Sonny. Sonny turned his head away before Duncan could touch his hand. He asked Liberty to hold him. Knowing that her son was afraid of Duncan, Liberty picked him up. “Sonny, I gave you a pinwheel. Why are you still afraid of me?” Sonny wrapped his arms around the nape of his mother’s neck and buried his head against his mother’s shoulder, refusing to meet Duncan’s gaze. Did Dunc think a pinwheel could win him over? Sonny would not be taken in easily; as if he would fall for that. “Come, Sonny. Let me carry you to get more beautiful pinwheels.” Duncan tried to take Sonny from Liberty. Sonny put up a struggle and cried,
With Duncan’s help, Serenity managed to put all her shopping haul into her car and filled it to the brim. “Thank you, Mr. Lewis.” Serenity expressed her gratitude. Duncan smiled and replied, “I’m not just business partners with Mr. York. We’re friends too, and the close kind. You’re his wife. It’s only natural that I help.” He then turned to Sonny and added, “Sonny doesn’t like me and is scared of me, but I can’t help but draw near and play with him every time.” Duncan found it amusing even though Sonny was scared to tears and burrowed himself in his mother’s embrace. Sonny would think Mr. Lewis was treating him like a pet monkey. “We got to go, Mr. Lewis.” Liberty carried her son into her sister’s car and said goodbye to Duncan. “Bye.” Duncan took strides to his car parked by the side of the road after Serenity started the engine. Once they were gone, Jessica nudged the grimacing man next to her. With Hank scowling, Jessica remarked, “What? Are you angry that a ma
Hank uttered in disdain, “She’s still a fat cow no matter how many pounds she drops. I want to throw up just looking at her.” He put one hand on Jessica’s lap. “You’re the best, Jessica. I love you the most.” Jessica smiled in delight. Liberty had nothing on her! While on the way home with her sister, Serenity had to bring up Duncan to her sister, “Liberty, I think the universe is putting you two together. You’re always running into him. I mean, he was driving by when he saw you and Sonny.” Liberty burst into laughter. “That’s just a coincidence, Seren. Mr. Lewis is fond of Sonny.“Honestly, I have my apprehensions running into Mr. Lewis.” “It’s true that Mr. Lewis takes a shine to Sonny. I was at an Italian place with Jasmine when we met Zachary and Mr. Bucham buying Mr. Lewis dinner. I can’t believe the three of them were in the humble restaurant. We later had dinner together.“Mr. Lewis asked why I hadn’t brought you and Sonny along.” Liberty replied, “Mr. Lewis may
Although Corey’s daughters-in-law were not her biological children, she would love them as if they were. After all, they had married into the family and gave birth to the family’s future generation. The jewelry she gave them would be passed down to her grandchildren anyway. Her daughters-in-law came from wealthy families themselves and had many assets to their names. They had more than enough jewelry. Nevertheless, they still happily accepted their mother-in-law’s gift and promised to pass it down to their future daughters-in-law.Of course, they would also gather sufficient wealth and jewelry to be given to their daughters. Anyway, the Lewises treated boys and girls equally in the family. There was no gender discrimination. However, Corey preferred having granddaughters. She had only given birth to four sons and no daughters. After her sons got married, their first children were all sons. She had been afraid that men would outnumber the women in the Lewis family, just like how it
After Corey scolded Ezra, she looked toward Duncan and Liberty. She said gently, “When are you two planning to get your marriage license? Tomorrow?“The City Hall will be closed at the end of the year. It’s best to get the procedure done within these few days.”Getting their marriage license soon would also reassure Duncan. The wedding could be held later. Once they got their marriage license and became legitimate husband and wife, Duncan would no longer have to be alone. He and Liberty could love each other as a married couple. There was also a chance that Liberty might already be pregnant with Corey’s grandchild by the time the wedding was held. Corey wished Liberty could give birth to a child for Duncan. The gender did not matter so long as the baby was Duncan’s biological child. If Liberty truly did not want to get pregnant again, Sonny would probably take care of Duncan in his old age. Duncan had always treated Sonny well, and Sonny was a reasonable child. Sonny would no
Liberty looked at him again. To be honest, she had not known that Duncan had already arranged for a tailor to custom-make a wedding dress for her. As for her size, well, Duncan probably knew.He had sharp eyes and could probably estimate her measurements just by looking at her, not to mention how many times he had hugged her. He could also have asked her sister for her clothing size and preference.As for her preference, he probably had not needed to ask. They had known each other for two years, and Duncan knew very well what she liked and did not like. Serenity had not mentioned anything about the dress to her, so it seemed like they were keeping it from her as a surprise.Duncan met her gaze and softly explained, “After you agreed to register our marriage before Christmas, I immediately contacted the fashion designer Zachary and Josh recommended me. I asked Serenity about your clothing size, and I also secretly took your measurements myself to make sure there wouldn’t be mistakes
Liberty had looked over the dates Corey had chosen. The closest was in less than half a month. The timing for that one was a bit tight, while the farthest was in the early fall of the next year. Liberty actually wanted to choose this one because by then, her sister would have already given birth and could attend her wedding. Things in Jensburg would also be settled, and she would be able to take the time to handle her own wedding, but she decided to let Duncan take a look first and see how he would choose.After looking at the dates, Duncan turned to his parents and said, “Dad, Mom, I think the early fall date is better. Let’s go with that one.”Liberty gave him a slightly surprised look. She thought he would be eager to have the wedding right away. However, she soon realized why. Duncan had mentioned before that he wanted to fully recover before the wedding, not wanting to be in a wheelchair. By early fall, he believed he would be able to walk normally.He was already recovering
For a four-year-old child to write like this was quite impressive.Liberty also noticed her son’s handwriting and said, “Sonny mentioned that at FC Manor, he copied books and practiced writing with Laurence every day, so his handwriting has become neater and prettier.”She did not expect her son to be able to write a lot at his age. He was still young, and she was worried that excessive writing might deform his fingers. However, since Sonny liked writing and drawing, she did not stop him. Plus, at the age of four, he could not sit still for long. After writing for a while, he would go off to play. The time he spent writing was not long enough to worry about his fingers becoming misshapen.They had stayed at FC Manor for about half a month. In that time, he had not spent very long actually writing with Laurence, but perhaps just with Laurence accompanying him, Sonny had improved. After copying medicinal books for a few days, his handwriting had become much neater compared to before.
Isaac addressed Liberty as “aunt” and at first, she felt a little embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure and responded. Then, she said to the two children, “Sonny, you need to listen to Isaac. Isaac, keep an eye on Sonny.”“Don’t worry, Aunt Liberty. I’ll take good care of Sonny,” Isaac reassured her. Duncan also gave a few instructions before letting them go.“Liberty.”“Duncan’s back.”Everyone wore smiles when they saw the two of them walk inside. Looking at how close and affectionate the two were now, the Lewises could not help but feel a wave of emotions. They had once thought that Duncan would never marry and would stay a bachelor for life, but unexpectedly, he fell in love with his good friend's sister-in-law, Liberty, who was a divorcee.At first, the elders in the family strongly opposed the relationship, but he did not give up, determined to be with Liberty. With his persistence and after going through hardships, the two of them finally made it to this point
Liberty would be the head of the Fisher family in the future. Since he was technically marrying into the Fisher family, it was reasonable to say she would support him.She smiled as well, “Let’s support each other, trust each other, and walk hand in hand.”“Okay.”After Corey carried Sonny in, everyone started playing with him. Isaac squeezed his way to his grandmother’s side and reached out to pinch Sonny’s face, praising, “Sonny’s face is so soft, it feels really good to pinch.”Sonny was speechless. Isaac was the youngest grandson of the Lewises, the seventh of his generation. He pinched Isaac’s face back and said, “Isaac, your face is also fun to pinch.”“I feel like my skin’s a bit rough now and not as smooth as yours. Kids’ skin really is nice,” Isaac said, trying to pinch Sonny’s face again. However, Corey swatted his hand away and scolded him lightly, “If you keep pinching, Sonny will feel pain.”“When I was Sonny’s age, the others used to pinch my face all the time
“Even if she sees him every day, my mom will still dote on Sonny. We don’t have such young children in our family right now, and Sonny is so cute, sweet-talking, and likable,” Duncan said as he instructed someone to help bring the things Liberty had brought into the house.He did not need a wheelchair, but he got a bodyguard to help him up the steps. Then, Liberty took over supporting him, and together they walked slowly toward the house.“I liked Sonny the first time I met him, although I didn’t really like kids before because they were so noisy. I remember when my nieces and nephews were younger, I would get really annoyed seeing them cry and throw tantrums. But after meeting Sonny, I started liking kids. When I heard Sonny call me 'Dunc' with his soft, sweet voice, my heart just melted.” That child’s mouth was indeed sweet and Duncan was speaking from the heart. He really liked Sonny a lot.Liberty said, “When I divorced Hank, Sonny still wasn’t very good with his words. I didn
Corey was smiling from ear to ear.“Hi, Corey.” Liberty greeted her.Corey smiled and said, "Liberty, you're back."She reached out with both hands to hug Sonny and helped him out of the car. Then, holding Sonny, she turned around to head indoors, asking along the way, “Did you have fun on your trip with your Aunt Serenity, Sonny?”“I had fun. Did you miss me, Grandma Corey?”Corey smiled and said, “Of course I missed you! So very much. As soon as you got back, I called Dunc and asked him to bring you to visit. I’ve prepared so much food, drinks, and toys for you—all the things you like.“I also called the other kids and told them that if they’re free, they should come back. There’ll be lots of people to play with you later. It’ll be lively, and you won’t feel lonely. Isaac knows you’re coming and he’s so happy.”Isaac was Corey’s youngest grandson, the youngest child of Duncan’s third brother Ezra. Isaac was turning eleven and especially liked Sonny. He was so excited when he f