Zachary was speechless. “I’m looking for encouragement and support here, Josh. I’m worried about what Seren’s going to think.” “I support you wholeheartedly and in spirit. No matter what you do, I’ll always support you. Zachary, I’m your No.1 fan! Keep it up, Zachary! Even if your world comes crumbling down, you’re a tall guy. Stand up and hold your world up. It’ll be fine. The worst that can happen is you getting crushed.” Zachary was at a loss for words. “But your wife might stumble upon the truth if you keep up with the secrets. She’ll be angrier than ever and might dump your sorry ass. Prepare to sign the divorce papers, man. “You should prepare for the storm instead of having the storm sneak up behind you and take you by surprise. We have each other if your wife is mad at you and gives you a snub. Haha. I don’t have to watch you act lovey-dovey with one another anymore.” The men could chase after their wives together. Zachary uttered, “I shouldn’t have called you. Yo
It would take a couple of days before their order could be processed. Serenity and Jasmine needed to get all the study materials the students needed for the new school term before the school reopened. They should at least know the materials needed in advance so they could place the order. Putting the mop back into the closet, Jasmine uttered, “I found out last night what we needed and made a list. The list is in my bag. You can check it and phone the supplier to make the delivery in the next few days.” Students would purchase the school materials assigned by the teachers or that were recommended in the first few days of school. It would be the busiest time in the shop. Serenity asked her sister and Mrs. Lane to help out at the shop on the first day of school. Liberty had gotten in touch with a contractor to remodel her restaurant. Now that the price had been agreed upon, the remodeling would begin in a few days. The students would be returning before the restaurant's reno
Jasmine was highly interested in the identity of Mrs. York. She was in awe of Mrs. York’s ability to turn a callous man like Mr. York into an uxorious husband. She had heard a lot about Mr. York adoring his wife lately. Jasmine had asked Josh before to pull some strings and introduce her to Mrs. York. Josh was Mr. York’s most trusted man, so he must be one of the first to know that Mr. York was married. Jasmine bet Josh had met Mrs. York in the flesh. Alas, Josh turned down her request, saying that he could not reveal who Mrs. York was until Mr. York was ready to make the public announcement himself. It got Jasmine down for days. Josh was trying to win her heart right now, but he could not even make her one wish happen. It showed how protective Mr. York was of his wife. Now that some news was finally out, she had to click on it and see what was going on. “What’s there to read? It’s only about his marriage.” Serenity laughed and added, “Why are you people dying to fi
It explained why Zachary went away on business after Serenity did a DNA test with her aunt. Zachary was trying to get away from meeting Aunt Audrey in case the jig was up and his cover was blown! Serenity’s mind flashed back to the moments in their four-month-old marriage as color washed off her face. Jasmine noticed that Serenity’s hand over the mouse was shaking. “Seren. Seren. Are you okay? Are you alright?” Serenity’s reaction gave Jasmine a scare. Jasmine immediately smacked and shook her. Like a puppet, Serenity sat still and did not respond no matter how many times Jasmine tried to get her attention or smack her. Serenity simply stared at Zachary’s face blown up on the computer screen in a trance. It was him. It had to be him! He was her spouse. There was no way she could be wrong about that. They were a couple who shared the most intimate moments together. She was beginning to trust her spouse, but he turned out to be a big liar! He had her fooled from the sta
Duncan shot Liberty an angry look before getting out of the car. He went into the restaurant and picked up the keys to lock the place up. Back in the car, Duncan concentrated behind the wheel and asked, “What happened? You’re all over the place, and you look pale.” “Jasmine called me to say something happened to Seren.” Color washed off Liberty’s complexion further at the mention. Her sister went to the bookshop to tidy up the place today. What could have happened? Did a bookshelf topple over her sister? There were a lot of books on the shelf. The weight of the bookshelf with the help of gravity falling on a person… Liberty stopped herself from dwelling deeper into that scenario. She was terrified. What if something happened to her sister? What if her sister had an accident? Liberty had lost her parents and only had her sister, growing up. If her sister… Tears streamed down Liberty’s face. Duncan asked with concern, “What happened to your sister?” Since Sereni
Jasmine answered, “That’s him!“Mr. York accepted a press interview. I watched the interview, and it was about him and Seren. Seren turned white and stunned like a puppet when she saw the video. I pushed, hit, and yelled at her, but she hasn’t shown any reaction. She’s scaring the hell out of me. That’s why I’m calling you for help.” Liberty had the shock of her life. Her brother-in-law turned out to be the heir of the York family! How could that possibly be? Liberty had met the Yorks. They were no different from ordinary folks. They dressed in clothes without labels and drove mid-range priced cars. They did not seem wealthy to Liberty. The only thing that stood out was that the Yorks carried themselves with grace and culture. “I’ll be right there. Pour a glass of water for Seren and tell her to drink it. If that doesn’t help, splash her with a basin of cold water. That should do the trick.” Jasmine replied, “Won’t Seren catch a cold?” With her head clearer than before,
While Serenity and Jasmine took off from the shop, Liberty got a ride from Duncan and arrived at Wiltspoon School in no time. Since school was still out, it was dead quiet near the school grounds and the shops nearby the entrance were not open for business either. Liberty noticed the door to her sister’s bookshop was shut. “Why is it close?” Liberty got out of the room and approached the shop. She pounded on the door, but there was no response whatsoever from inside. Pulling out her phone, Liberty gave her sister a call. Serenity was bent on storming to York Corporation and getting answers from Zachary. Was he really the heir of the wealthiest York family? Too caught up in her clouded thoughts to hear her phone ring, Serenity did not pick up her sister’s call. Liberty had to call Jasmine. Jasmine was in mid-pursuit of Serenity on her e-bike, but her ride was losing speed. Jasmine had charged the battery of her e-bike a few days ago, and the battery was running out! Wi
Nevertheless, Zachary changed his mind after whipping his phone out. It was a decision he made. It was the path he chose. No matter what, he had to finish it himself.There was no doubt Serenity would be mad. All Zachary must do was apologize and explain. He was willing to do the grunt work of winning his wife’s heart again because it was his cross to bear. Zachary should not count on Nana’s help all the time. Frankly, he was not the only one lying to Serenity. His whole family had Serenity fooled… Nana probably would not be of much help to make the situation better because Seren might also hold a grudge against Nana. The first person to lie about who they were was Nana! If Serenity had watched Zachary’s interview, the others must have seen it too. The public was mostly unbothered by the interview, jealous of Serenity at best since she was so blessed to marry Mr. York and receive his love. However, the Hunts and the Browns took the news rather interestingly. John cam
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