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
Serenity responded, “When are we going to your family home? I bought gifts for your family. We can go in the afternoon or tomorrow, so the stuff can stay in the car. Otherwise, we’d be moving them up and down.” After much thought, Zachary said, “We’ll go tomorrow morning. I feel a bit tired since I just got back today. I should get some rest.” The couple had been apart for three days, and he missed her so. He wanted to spend some alone time with Serenity before heading to the old residence. “I’ll leave the stuff in the car then.” “Alright.” Zachary had no issue with that, but he still reiterated, “Text me when you reach the neighborhood.” “Got it.” Serenity then asked, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up now. I’m driving.” Zachary would see her soon since Serenity was on her way home. Hence, he said, “Alright. Drive safe.” “Sure.” Serenity then disconnected the call. “Liberty, Zachary proposed to leave for his family house tomorrow. You and Sonny should come
“She’s driving. Do you have something to say to Seren, Aunt Audrey? I’ll put her on.” Liberty was about to hand the phone to her sister when Mrs. Stone uttered, “It’s okay. Tell Seren to drive safely. Tell her not to put up with any mistreatments while she’s at her in-laws. It doesn’t matter who they are. You’re my nieces. You deserve only the best.” Having found out her nephew-in-law was Zachary, Mrs. Stone did not know how she felt about it in the last few days. She mentioned it to her son, and her son had known about it too. However, he wanted to keep it from Elisa. Mrs. Stone did not want her daughter to know that Zachary’s mysterious wife was Serenity either. Everybody was dying to find out who the missus of the York family was, not knowing that she was right under their nose. Some even got on well with the missus of the Yorks. Jasmine, for example, was into the hottest gossip about Mr. York. She was curious about who had won his heart and even wanted to know how his m
Besides the Hunt sisters and Sonny, Mrs. Stone also prepared a gift for Zachary.Although it was not possible for him to become her son-in-law, her niece’s husband was still her in-law, so she was feeling a little more generous and prepared a gift for Zachary too.“Mom.”Elisa came down the stairs, dragging her luggage behind her.Mrs. Stone hurriedly signaled for the butler to get out.She stood up, walked towards her daughter, and said with a smile, “Why’d you take so long to pack?”“I had to make sure I packed everything I needed to bring, you know. Where’s Clive and the rest?”“They haven’t come down yet.”Elisa lifted her luggage and descended the final few steps of the stairs. Mrs. Stone took a few steps forward, wanting to help her bring it down, but Elisa would not let her.“Mom, what did you ask the butler to do just now?”“I prepared some gifts for Liberty and her sister and wanted him to help send them over.”Elisa hummed in acknowledgment, then said, “Liberty did
Despite this, lying in bed and enduring the pain, Caroline could not help but start to cry, feeling deeply wronged.When Darren came in and saw her crying, he walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently wiped her tears with a tissue.“They’re not worth your tears,” he said, his heart aching for her.Caroline sat up and buried herself in his arms. “Darren, you’re all I have now.”Darren held her tightly, his voice filled with tenderness. “I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens, Ms. Caroline. Even if the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.“If you’re really hurting and need to cry, then cry. Let it all out.”It would also help her sever ties with the past and the family bonds that had caused her so much pain.Caroline did cry—a long, cathartic cry. It would be the last time. From now on, she and the Clarks would go their separate ways.Meanwhile, Hunter went to Justin’s house and called Jason’s wife, Ellie, over. He said to his two daughters-in-law, “By no
After a moment of silence, Hunter repeated the same line. “But you didn’t die, did you? You only got a little hurt, and it’s not even serious.”Caroline almost laughed in anger at this.Sure, she had not died. She had only been injured. Did that erase the fact that her brothers had tried to kill her, though?She retorted, “Dad, if I had tried to kill your three sons, but they didn’t die and only got a little hurt, would you say the same thing to them? Would you tell them it’s just a family dispute, ask them to forgive me, not to sue me, and not to send me to jail?”Hunter instinctively replied, "If you had the intent to kill, how could I let you continue down that path? Of course, I’d have to let you serve a few years in prison…“Carol, I’m old, really old. I only have the boys to rely on in my old age. Are you trying to leave me with no one to depend on in my later years?”Caroline said coldly, “I’ll provide for your living expenses. I’ll make sure you don’t starve. You can even
Darren did not let go even after being struck.Seeing Darren get hit, Caroline’s expression darkened. She coldly said to her father, “Dad, if you really want to kneel, go kneel at the hospital entrance and shout at the top of your lungs that your daughter is unfilial.“Tell everyone that your sons tried to kill your daughter, and your daughter refuses to forgive them, so you’re kneeling there to force her to forgive your sons.“Let’s see if I give in.”Hunter stopped struggling. After slapping Darren, he felt a pang of fear. He was afraid Caroline might retaliate by slapping him to avenge Darren. Fortunately, while Caroline was furious, she did not lay a hand on him.He began to cry. “Carol…” He wept bitterly.Darren released him, and Hunter sat on the sofa, sobbing, “Carol, I’m old. I have no income, my parents are long gone, and your mother is no longer here. I only have your three brothers to rely on.“If you send all three of them to prison, what will happen to me? Who w
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