“Daddy,” Sonny called Hank.Hank took two steps forward, picked his son up, and teased him for a while. When Liberty parked the e-bike, he said, “Your granddad took some of your cousins to my office to look for me.”Liberty frowned. “What for?”She already divorced Hank.Right before the divorce was finalized, her granddad even took a sum of money from her ex-mother-in-law amounting to several tens of thousands.She wondered if her ex-mother-in-law managed to get the money back.Probably not.There was no way money that went into her granddad’s pocket could come back out again.Both parties were brazen and shameless. It would definitely be fun watching them tear into each other. It was a shame she could not witness it.“I’m guessing they came to town to find Serenity after finding out that she’s Mr. York’s wife. They couldn’t find her—Serenity’s store wasn’t open, so they went to Brynfield, but they couldn’t enter. Serenity isn’t answering their calls either.“They wanted to
As Jessica was not yet pregnant, Hank was afraid that his relationship with Sonny would become increasingly distant.That was especially so when he saw Liberty and Duncan together. Even if he felt that Duncan could not possibly like Liberty, he was still worried that his son would call another man “father”.He wanted to take the opportunity to take Sonny with him and raise him for a period of time, so as to cultivate their relationship as father and son.He wanted to let Jessica get along with Sonny too. If Jessica could not get pregnant, and Liberty wanted to remarry, he would fight for Sonny’s custody and take him back.Hank was still Sonny’s father, after all. In no way Hank could allow Sonny to call another man his father.“They already know we’re divorced—why would they pester me? Even if they come, I’m not afraid of them. Sonny isn’t close enough to you all. Besides, you just married that Yates girl. What will she think if you take Sonny back with you?“You’ll have a child
“Yeah.”Sonny wrapped his arms around Serenity’s neck and returned her kisses with several of his own on her cheek, making Serenity’s heart burst with joy and love for this little cutie.“Why are you back so late, Liberty? I finished making dinner long ago,” Serenity asked her sister while hugging her nephew.“The interior designer finished work late, so I had to leave a little later as well. I was thinking of coming back to cook for you, but you already did.”Serenity said, “I just suffered some emotional hurt. It’s not like I’m sick. You don’t need to cook for me.”Liberty walked over and looked at the painting Serenity made. It was a hairpin.“Your drawing sucks when you’re not in a good mood. Stop drawing for now.”Liberty helped her sister put the drawing board away. “Did you go out for a walk today?”“I didn’t want to move, so I slept all day.”“Take a walk tomorrow. You’ll just feel worse if you stay cooped up at home all day.”Serenity hummed. “I’ll go back to work to
The moment Serenity opened the door, a palm swung toward her.She reacted quickly and caught the hand.It was Jessica.Jessica thought the person who came to open the door would be Liberty and raised a hand to slap the moment the door opened. She did not expect it to be Serenity instead. Serenity learned kickboxing and had quick reflexes, so she did not get hit.“It’s you?“What are you doing here?”Jessica saw that it was Serenity.Serenity shoved Jessica and her hand aside, resulting in her taking a few steps back and creating space between them both.“Where’s Liberty? Tell her to get out here. She seduced my husband!”After work, Hank left her behind at the office in a hurry.Jessica was already furious when the Hunt family came to the company to find Hank and called him brother-in-law.Hank and Liberty were divorced. How did they get the nerve to call Hank their brother-in-law? Did they want Hank and Liberty to remarry?Her in-laws thought that way, and so did the Hunt
Jessica knew she was being ridiculous. Whatever she was spouting was nonsense.She was just angry.In the past, Hank used to say that he would lose his appetite when he came home and saw how fat Liberty was.After the divorce, Hank kept looking for Liberty, and Liberty kept losing weight. She had lost tens of pounds in just two months but Liberty was still a fat woman if she were to be compared to a supermodel.However, for an ordinary person, Liberty just looked slightly chubby.Jessica felt that Hank came looking for Liberty because the latter lost weight and looked much better than when she got divorced.Liberty walked over.When Jessica saw her, she looked at Liberty with resentment and fury, and shouted fiercely, “Liberty, I’m not afraid just because you have a rich aunt. I’m not afraid that your brother-in-law is Mr. York either. I’ll tear you apart if you dare seduce my husband.”Liberty was highly amused and said, “Ms. Yates, are you feeling insecure because you stole s
“Ms. Yates, you can go back and question your husband if you don’t believe it. Why are you here to question my sister instead? You need to get this into your head. It was your husband who came to my sister, not the other way around.”Serenity could not help but add, “If you’re that insecure, cut off your husband’s legs to make sure he can only stay by your side in the future.”“Move out, Liberty. Move far away from here and don’t let my mother-in-law find out. That way, Hank won’t come to see you.” Jessica ignored Serenity’s mockery. Right now, the person she was most jealous of was Serenity.She was prettier and younger than Serenity, but it was Serenity who married Mr. York.Serenity’s life was too good to be true.Just what did Mr. York see in her?It was not just Jessica who had those thoughts. Many people did not understand what it was about Serenity that moved Mr. York’s heart and how she became his most beloved.Before Liberty could say anything, Serenity got furious and
Serenity hung up the video call.Zachary muttered, “She won’t even let me see Sonny.”If he had known, he would have kept teasing Sonny. That way, he could let Serenity hear his voice.Liberty looked at her sister but remained silent. She did not ask a single question since she brought her sister home. Serenity would naturally talk to her when she wanted to.When she saw her son’s mouth covered in gravy, she laughed and wiped the gravy from his face.Serenity wanted to go out after dinner.“Where are you going?” Liberty asked while washing the dishes.“I just want to go out for some air. I’ll use your e-bike.”“Stay close. The battery might not last. If you go too far and run out of battery, you’ll have to push the bike the rest of the way. Put on a jacket. It’s windy outside.”“Got it.”“Don’t ask Jasmine out for drinks. Zachary is worried about you, and I promised him I won’t let you drive recklessly or go drinking.”Serenity’s mood soured again at the mention of Zachary’s
Serenity and Sonny made two laps nearby and she ended up bringing Sonny to a nearby supermarket. They went home with a full load of snacks and a carton of milk.Serenity stopped the e-bike in front of Liberty’s block.She instinctively looked around but did not spot Zachary. She was relieved yet had mixed feelings.“Get down first, Sonny. I’ll push the bike into the garage and lock it up.”There was a public garage on the first floor for the tenants to park their vehicles.Serenity first lowered her nephew from the e-bike, then placed the snacks and the carton of milk she bought beside him.The little guy thought his aunt bought all these snacks for him, so he immediately squatted next to the bag and grabbed it with one hand while another was on the carton of milk. It was obvious he was trying to protect the food.“Sonny.”A familiar voice rang out.Sonny turned his head and saw Zachary standing behind him. He immediately stood up and called out happily, “Uncle Zack.”Then, h
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge
Tony Longbottom was the only person who would put on such a parade. The big shots in Satbury usually had entourages of their own, but none would put on a spectacle as big as Tony would.As they departed in their car, Tony’s gracious demeanor utterly shattered.His face twisted into an ugly, cruel expression as he said, “I’ve never been treated like this before, even when the legitimate branch of the family still lived, and those two ignorant little girls actually refused to see me multiple times.”Manny was very angry too and he said, “Pops, since they refuse to go about this the easy way, we’ll have to show them the hard way. We can approach it from other angles, and once they’re completely out of business and they have nowhere else to turn to, they’ll be at our mercy.“Won’t they have to do as we please then? I want to marry them, they’ll have to marry me, and if I don’t, I’ll just make them my mistresses. Don’t the O’Connors have plenty of daughters? I’ll fuck every one of them
“Isabella O’Connor is so outstanding, so why are you asking me to go for Tati O’Connor instead?” Manny said under his breath in puzzlement.He had seen photos of the two ladies and Isabella’s appearance was more striking. She had a cold and aloof aura that easily triggered his desire to conquer her, and after just a few glances, he was captivated.If it were up to him, Manny would choose Isabella.Tony looked at his son, smiled, and said, “You can’t control her. Of course, if you manage to make her fall for you, we can talk about switching. But for now, focus on Tati O’Connor.”Tati was also beautiful. However, she did not have Isabella’s cold demeanor. She seemed much gentler, like she smiled often.“Marrying Tati O’Connor would be a big advantage for both you and our family.”Manny thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. “Got it, Dad.”Manny’s good looks, wealth, honeyed tongue, and generosity toward girls made him good at winning them over. Pursuing a rich youn
After testing the O’Connor sisters and realizing they were not like other women, Mr. Longbottom thought of having his son marry Tati.He knew that his son would not be able to handle or control Isabella, so he set his sights on Tati. Tati probably did not realize she was considered an easy target. Most people underestimated her because she had always kept a low profile.At that moment, a young man got out from the other side of the Rolls-Royce. He resembled Mr. Longbottom. Indeed, he was Mr. Longbotton’s eldest son, Manny.“Dad.”Manny went to his father’s side and glanced at the building before him. He asked, “Aren’t we driving inside?”In Havenmill, Manny could do whatever he wished because his father was the interim head of the Longbottom family. While he had no respect for ordinary people at all, he was clever enough not to offend people he should not.He never parked his car outside the places he wanted to go and simply drove his car through the gates. However, Manny
Meanwhile in Satbury, a few luxury cars stopped at the entrance of Costa Corporation. The door of the first car, a Rolls-Royce, opened. A bodyguard came out of the car.He waited for his boss, who was sitting in the backseat to exit.Mr. Longbottom got out of the car. Although he was over fifty years old, he looked like he was in his forties as he maintained his appearance well.He wore a white tailored suit with a tie, which made him look more youthful.The bodyguards in the other cars alighted as well.They quickly stood behind Mr. Longbottom to protect him. It was also his display of power.A few bodyguards grabbed many gift boxes from the trunks. Mr. Longbottom stood in front of the company and raised his head to look at the sixty-eight-storey office building. It was a symbol of the O’Connor family’s abilities.Costa Corporation was not the family’s only business. They were involved in many industries and were successful in all of them.The O’Connors were wealthy and powe
Jasmine added, “In some cases, the divorced women can get married to a better man, while the divorced men can’t even find a new wife. There are many single men now.“Isn’t there a saying nowadays that men who have wives are extremely lucky?”When Jasmine was at the bookstore, she would also visit the neighboring stores to listen to juicy gossip. Many of the store owners were not locals and they had many stories to tell. Someone said there was an evil mother-in-law in a rural area who looked down on her daughter-in-law. She would egg her son on to abuse his wife and get a divorce. She would also tell her son that she could find a better and younger wife for him. However, once the divorce went through, news of the mother-in-law’s evil deeds and the son’s domestic abuse spread far and wide. Who would dare marry off their daughters to a man like that?Besides, holding another wedding would require a lot of money. The cost of a wedding had increased a lot compared to the past.Whe
“Sonny’s fine. He has recovered. You want to get Sonny from school?”After thinking about it, Serenity agreed and said, “Okay. I’ll message Sonny’s teacher later to tell her you’ll be taking him.”“Okay, Serenity. Thank you.”Hank was thankful that Serenity did not make things difficult for him. Serenity and Liberty had great character. Liberty had a new relationship and already let go of her resentment for Hank. She could coexist with him peacefully. On the other hand, Serenity still held grudges against Hank. However, since he and Liberty had divorced, he could no longer hurt her. He was also Sonny’s father. Serenity was willing to tolerate him for Sonny’s sake. Therefore, she always said yes whenever Hank requested to meet his son. “You’ll be taking Sonny out to eat after picking him up, right? Remember not to let him eat too much fried food, especially fried chicken and fries. He’ll get a sore throat.“He got a fever that day due to a throat inflammation.”“Got it. I’ll