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
Caroline hummed. “I do plan to visit Wiltspoon to see her sometime soon. I just don’t know if I’ll be kicked out when I get there.”“And I should visit Mr. Foster too. How is he, by the way?" Patrick was the longest-living person she had ever met. Back when she lived with her adoptive family in the countryside, the oldest people in town usually lived into their eighties, and few made it to ninety. Patrick was nearly a hundred years old. What was more, he could walk without support and even travel long distances with his old friends.Liberty replied, “He’s doing quite well. Aunt Audrey accompanies him on walks every day. When they don’t go out, he sits by the cradle and watches baby Elias for hours on end.”The bond between generations was strong. When Patrick looked at Clive’s son, Elias, he felt like he was looking at his great-grandson. As Tiara’s great-grandson, Elias was naturally like his own great-grandson, too.“Dr. Carden comes by periodically to check on him and adjus
Liberty had already called Audrey to inform her about what had happened and also mentioned it to Serenity.Knowing the Clark brothers had all been captured, Serenity felt thoroughly relieved and stopped worrying that her sister would run into trouble in Jensburg.She told Zachary that Caroline never let people down.Zachary did not comment.Caroline’s fever had completely subsided, but her coughing had worsened. The doctor had changed her prescription, but the effects were not immediate.When Liberty entered, Caroline was out of bed and walking around, supported by Darren.“Caroline, why are you out of bed?”Liberty scolded her, “Get back in bed and lie down. You’re injured. If you don’t rest properly and keep moving around, you’ll aggravate your wounds, and you’ll regret it.”She did not blame Darren, though. She knew Caroline always came first to him. He always followed her lead and was unable to influence her decisions.“I’ve been lying down all day. My back is sore, and I’m
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, sir.”They did not have much work in the first place, so they did not need to slack off. Once they were done with their work, they had tons of time to entertain themselves.Hunter rushed out the door with his car keys. Despite being over seventy years old, his driving skills were still quite good. Not needing to hire a driver, he drove himself straight to Jensburg.Upon arriving at the city, Hunter did not immediately go looking for Caroline. He was unaware that she had been injured.Instead, he went to meet his old friends to ask them to help him find out if anything had happened in relation to the Fisher family last night.After he finished speaking, one of his friends said, “We were about to ask you the same thing. Your three sons attacked your daughter with knives and even kidnapped her, intending to chop her up and feed her to the fish.“Luckily, that Mr. Fletcher, who works for your daughter, arrived with the police and rescued her, but she wa
The Queen family was well-educated and had few members. Sophia had heard of other families fighting over power, but Caroline’s experience shocked her the most. Maybe it was because the Queens was close to her. Sophia quite liked Caroline as well. “How could they… You’re their biological sister!”Caroline smiled bitterly. “Are you having a fever, Carol? Your face is red.”Sophia touched Caroline’s forehead. She said, “You’re burning up. Have you informed the doctor, Mr. Fletcher?”Darren replied, “The fever started at dawn. Ms. Caroline caught a cold. Her fever subsided after taking medication once, but it returned.“It’s time for her to take her medicine.”Sophia spotted the lunch boxes. She told Darren, “Go have your lunch, Mr. Fletcher. I can look after Carol.”“It’s okay, Mrs. Queen. I can eat on my own,” said Caroline embarrassedly. It was her first time feeling cared for by someone her mother’s age. Although Sophia was not part of her family, the lady treated her
Caroline looked toward Darren. She said, “In my younger days, I often caught colds and coughs when the weather was too cold. The coughing will last throughout the changing of seasons. Therefore, I’ve been looking after my health since I grew up.“My immune system strengthened a lot. I haven’t been coughing for years.“I’m not worried.”Caroline stared at Darren lovingly. “I have nothing to be worried about with you here.”Darren pinched her face lightly with affection. “I’m still sulking. I didn’t want you to risk yourself, yet I couldn’t stop you. I’ll only feel better once you recover.”He was Caroline’s assistant and had to heed her orders. Even if they were dating, he still had to follow her arrangements.“Okay. Don’t be angry. I won’t take risks like this again in the future. You’ll age quickly if you get angry frequently. If that happens, your hair might turn gray before I even grow old.“We promised to grow old together.”Under Caroline’s gentle coaxing, Darren’s expre
Darren became an orphan when he was only a few years old. After losing everything, he was collected and trained by the training center to be an all-rounder assistant. He could not remember how he lost his parents as he was too young back then. Since he had no memories, there was no pain.Nevertheless, he had seen others interacting with their parents. He knew parents should love their children. There were not many parents who would not shower their children with love. Ms. Caroline was too unlucky to have met one. “I don’t care. I don’t care about my dad at all.”Caroline asked, “Has my dad asked you to give him money? He doesn’t need money. He just wants to know about his sons’ conditions.“Having lived for so many years, he was probably aware of the consequences of his sons’ plan and had advised them not to do it. They didn’t listen to him, so he’s just hoping to get lucky and waiting for some news.”Hunter must have known that her brothers were going to murder her. Sinc
“I’m not obliged to provide for you, Mr. Clark.”Darren would not give Hunter money. He also felt Hunter was trying to obtain some information through the call, not money. Hunter said furiously, “Aren’t you going to marry Caroline? You’ll be my son-in-law in the future. It’s like being half a son to me. Since you’re my son, you should look after your father. Quick. Give me the money.“Otherwise, I won’t let you marry my daughter.”Darren said without hesitation, “Ms. Caroline will decide for her marriage.“If we do get married, she’ll be the one in charge of the finances. I don’t have money.”“Fletcher! Are you a man? Can’t you revitalize the spirit of the Fisher family’s sons-in-law? You saw how I ended up like this. I didn’t have access to the finances and didn’t have money. I’ve been under strict control ever since I married into the family.“That was how I ended up in this miserable state. I’m telling you, the Fisher women are evil. It’s best if you don’t marry Caroline.
“Why would a husband have an affair if his wife could do well?”Ellie was exasperated. She ended the call without hesitation. “Old bastard. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. All your sons cheated on their wives because they have a perverted father like you.“I would’ve divorced Jason if it weren’t for my children being too young. Look at Emma now. She even received half of Adrian’s assets and doesn’t have to look after her children herself. How relaxed her life must be.”The wealth Belinda had left behind was sufficient to afford the children’s education. Ellie still had feelings for Jason. Otherwise, she would have gotten a divorce upon knowing he cheated on her. She would not have reconciled with him with just a little coaxing and advice from her family. Since Jason did not return home the entire night, Hunter guessed his sons’ plan had failed. As he had expected, Caroline was not an easy target. After all, she was Belinda’s biological daughter. Belind
Since the call ended abruptly, Adrian’s girlfriend, Irene, muttered, “Is Mr. Clark unsatisfied with me?”She was almost twenty years younger than Adrian. If he had not been rich and willing to spend his money on her, she would not have wanted to be his lover. Adrian promised to marry her after he was done fighting a legal battle against his sister and claiming his inheritance. He would make her the missus of the Clark family. As for the three children he had with his ex-wife, he had told Irene not to worry about them.Since his mother had left some money behind for her grandchildren, he did not have to pay child support. Irene knew Adrian used to be a young master of the Fishers and that Madam Fisher was extremely wealthy. She did not expect Belinda to be helping her son take care of his children even after her death. Considering Adrian would be able to receive a huge portion of inheritance in the future, Irene decided to be with him. If she did get married to him, and gave