Never in her wildest dreams would she guess that she was lied to by Grandma May and Zachary. The man whom she thought was an ordinary salaryman turned out to be the eldest young master of the York family.A plot that only appeared in novels actually happened in real life. Serenity was truly dumbfounded.She was caught off guard and did not know what to do.She could not leave, but she could not continue on either. She was extremely conflicted.It was hard for her to replicate the path taken by her aunt.Times were better back when her aunt was young. She could climb up as long as she seized the opportunity.However, it was completely different now.Of course, Serenity knew that women should strive for self-improvement. She never thought of relying on a man for the rest of her life. From her sister’s marriage, she witnessed that she could not believe men when they said nonsense like “I’ll support you”. Their mentality would change at any time.Several men in suits nervously gath
“Right, the head of their family is the same as you. He also got married out of nowhere. His wife grew up in the countryside too, but she was much luckier than you. Although she was adopted, her adoptive parents treated her as if she was their own and raised her well.“She has adoptive parents who genuinely love her, and she has an older brother who spoils her like crazy too. Later, she found her biological parents who turned out to be from the richest family in Meadspring. Her identity changed from a country bumpkin to the missy of the Meadspring’s Lafayette family overnight. She’s a match for the Johnson family head whether it’s her status or identity.”Elisa was from the Stone family, so she knew all about the gentry’s affairs.Her cousin was not as lucky as Mrs. Johnson.“Seren, do you think I should go over and greet him? I’ve met Remy several times before.”Serenity laughed. “Since you know each other, go over and say hello.”“I think so too. Sit here while I go and say hel
A few minutes later, Zachary arrived in a hurry.“Seren.”There was only Serenity in his eyes. He did not notice Remy sitting to the side chatting with Elisa.Zachary quickly walked to Serenity and looked at the IV drip, then he crouched and gently held up Serenity’s injured finger. His heart ached as he asked, “Does it hurt?”“Why don’t you try for yourself?”Zachary blamed himself. “I’m sorry, Seren. I was wrong again.”Serenity pursed her lips and said, “It has nothing to do with you. I hurt myself accidentally.”Zachary looked up at her. She met his eyes for a moment and then looked away.His heart clenched.He stood up, and said after a moment, “The infusion is finished. I’ll send you home. Rest well and don’t touch cold water for the next few days so the wound doesn’t get infected.”“You’re busy with work, so you don’t need to send me. Elisa will send me home.”It was a Saturday, but his whole company was working overtime. It was clear that work was up to their necks.
Elisa asked Serenity, “Seren, do you want him or me to send you back?”“I’ll take a cab myself.”Serenity did not let Elisa or Zachary send her back so she would not offend either party.Ugh, life was so hard!“Let Zachary send you back. I’ve been out for a long time and should be going back too. My mom doesn’t even know I went out.”Elisa took the initiative to step down.She looked deeply at Zachary, then let go of Serenity and left.“Zachary.”She suddenly stopped again, turned her head, and called out Zachary’s name. “Don’t force Serenity, Zachary! Also, my family will always stand on Serenity’s side. Don’t think that you can bully her because she doesn’t have a maiden home to rely on. If you dare to restrict her freedom like the other day, I’ll come to your door to beat you up!”Zachary’s handsome face was tense as he said coldly, “You won’t have the chance.”He wanted nothing more than to hold Serenity in his arms now. How could he bear to bully her?“Seren, tell me if
“Why are you suddenly thinking about making money? Do you lack money now?”“I only have a few hundred thousand in my savings account. I don’t lack money, but I’m not considered rich either. Elisa said a lot of things to me. I need to think about the reality gap between Zachary and me.”Jasmine asked, “Are you not angry at him anymore?”“Whether or not I’m angry, I still have to think about my future with him.”Serenity sighed. “I just wanted to find an ordinary man to marry. How did I jump into such a large pit? Now, I can’t climb back out. Elisa said that even if I sue for divorce, I won’t be able to leave if Zachary doesn’t let me.”“If you dare to sue for divorce, he’ll imprison you in the house for the rest of your life.”“Stop bringing that up. It’ll only make me angrier.”Serenity forked a piece of honeydew to eat. “This melon is quite sweet.”“Of course it is. I picked it out myself. At first, we were all worried that Elisa would turn against you when she found out, but
After calling Zachary, Serenity told her sister that she would be going back to Brynfield in the evening to have a talk with him before returning to the rented apartment.Liberty said, “That’s fine. It doesn’t matter how late you are. I’ll leave the door open for you.”After the phone call, Serenity did not go back to the store immediately. She walked alone on the streets along the river in front of the school.Her mind slowly calmed down as the cold wind blew.The most important problem in front of them was not the question of whether she was angry or not, but the reality gap between them.As she walked, she realized that she had walked quite a ways. She stopped and turned to walk back.When she turned around, she saw that Jasmine was following her from afar. She paused before walking toward her friend.“I’ll get over it.”Jasmine smiled. “I know you will. I just figured that I should follow you so I can hear you if you shout if you need anything.”Serenity looked at Jasmine
Serenity held the watering can in her right hand and raised it when she turned to look at him. She was showing him that she was using her right hand.She injured her left hand.“It’s tiring if you only use one hand too. I told Mrs. Lane to take good care of these flowers. You don’t have to worry about them.”Zachary took the watering can from her hand and did not allow her to water the flowers. He pulled her to the swing chair and pressed her down to the seat. “Here’s your favorite spot. Just sit here and swing. I’ll go into the house and get you a coat.”“I’m not cold.”However, Zachary went inside as if he did not hear her. He brought her a jacket and wanted to put it on her, but she refused, so he draped it over her legs instead. That way, she would not feel cold when sitting on the swing chair.“I’ll go cook now. Call me if you need anything. Don’t touch the water.”Zachary exhorted her again and returned to the kitchen to prepare their dinner.Serenity sat on the swing cha
“I was really angry when I first found out that you lied to me... Forget it. Let’s put that aside for now. Look at yourself. It’s like your hair is standing on end. I’m still angry, and I haven’t calmed down yet, but everyone is speaking up for you and pleading your case.”Even her best friend, who was on her side, spoke up for him.“You have the right to be angry, Seren. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have concealed it from you for so long. I couldn’t even confess to you in person and chose another way to let you find out... It was Remy who suggested that!”If Remy were here, he would say, “You were the one who came to me for advice.”After a moment of silence, Serenity said, “In the end, it’s because you don’t trust me enough.”“Seren, I admit that I used to distrust you and guard against you. I thought you were after my money. Now, I absolutely believe in your character.”Serenity was silent again and looked up at him. With a heart split between hesitance and certainty, she aske
At that moment, the office phone rang. Liberty picked up the call and was informed by the secretary that Caroline had arrived.“Please let her in,” replied Liberty before hanging up. “Caroline is here.”Liberty told Duncan. He said calmly, “So what? We aren’t doing anything shameful. There’s nothing to hide.”He was Liberty’s fiancée. Most people in WIltspoon and Jensburg were aware of this. Seeing him in Liberty’s office would be completely normal to Caroline. Besides, he was one of the shareholders of Liberty’s company. Therefore, the company was also Duncan’s territory. He was uninvolved in the operations and only invested his money. He believed that Liberty could manage the company well. Liberty smiled and did not say anything else. She went to prepare a pot of tea. Soon, Caroline entered. Darren was behind her with multiple shopping bags in his hands. When Liberty saw the bags upon exiting the pantry with a pot of tea, she told Caroline, “What did you br
“What’s wrong?”Duncan replied softly, “I’m fine. I thought you caught a cold because you kept sneezing.”He wanted to fuss over her, yet he received her concern instead. That was the kind of relationship he wanted—mutual concern, understanding, and trust. Liberty understood why he suddenly came to her. She said, “You got so worried over an occasional sneeze. Don’t worry. I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to the winter in Jensburg after staying here for some time.“Maybe I was sneezing because someone said something bad about me behind my back.”Duncan immediately said, “Who dares to badmouth my fiancée?”Liberty feigned anger with a glance, but she was clearly happy. Duncan was very protective of her. Even Hank was not as protective as when she was dating him back then. The difference between true and fake love was so apparent. Duncan guessed, “I can’t think of anyone who’d scold you besides your previous in-laws.”Liberty replied, “You shouldn’t think about them. I no lo
“Anyway, you’re not allowed to take advantage of Sonny. He’ll catch on because he’s growing up. Don’t offend Serenity either. Otherwise, your hardware store that has finally stabilized will have to close down.”Chelsea’s expression changed when she recalled why she and her husband lost their jobs. “One more thing. If Liberty and Duncan get married, don’t be ignorant and stir up trouble at their wedding.”Olivia was worried that her daughter would be unreasonable and make a fuss. Chelsea was unhappy. “Do I look like someone who likes to create trouble? Liberty is different and isn’t as gullible as before. I don’t have the guts to make a ruckus at their wedding.“Do you think I’m that fearless? I’m afraid of losing everything too.”Nevertheless, Chelsea was still jealous that the sister-in-law she used to bully was able to marry into a wealthy family two years after her divorce. Olivia knew well of the daughter she birthed. She said, “Think about who rescued Lucas when someth
Chelsea muttered, “Even if you do that, Sonny isn’t close to you, Mom.”Olivia was speechless for a second. She said, “Even if we aren’t close, he’ll call me grandmom when he sees me. He doesn’t even greet me now.“Sonny may be young, but he’ll be four years old next year. He knows everything he needs to and is clever. He must’ve inherited Hank and Liberty’s best genes because they used to be smart people.”Liberty was not stupid. She even had a better career than Hank before she got married. What were they thinking back then?The Browns wanted to suppress Liberty to ensure she was less dominant than Hank. Therefore, Liberty was persuaded to leave her job after marriage to stay home throughout her pregnancy. She ended up becoming a housewife and lost the sharp edge she had in her workplace. Her world only revolved around her husband and son, causing her to lose her identity gradually. The Browns were changing Liberty bit by bit, yet they were not treating her well. Ultimately
“I’m not using Sonny. Since Hank and I are siblings and he only has one son, Sonny and Lucas can get along as cousins. If Sonny hangs out with his cousins more often, he’ll have brothers who have his back in the future.“If he runs into any problems, we can help him. He won’t be alone.”Chelsea guessed Hank must have told their parents something to have caused the change in their mother’s attitude. Olivia favored Sonny and no longer wished to work toward the future of Chelsea’s children.Olivia glanced at her daughter and chuckled. Then, she looked toward Lucas, the grandson she raised. Lucas was a naughty boy. He would never stay still and had already made a mess of the house in a short period. “Look at how Lucas behaves now and compare it to Sonny’s personality. Although Sonny can get mischievous sometimes, he’s more mature and sensible despite his young age. He’ll only be more composed in the future.“Even if he does run into trouble, he won’t require your help. You guys
“Even if my husband and I work tirelessly for another decade, we can never achieve the wealth of the Lewises.”Chelsea was mentally cursing Hank for being ignorant and not mending his relationship with Sonny. He even brainwashed their parents until they stopped siding with her. She could only imagine Sonny’s bright future, where he would be living in a large villa, driving luxury cars, and inheriting a megacorporation. Meanwhile, her children could only get a decent nine-to-five job. Their monthly salary could even be lower than the price of one of Sonny’s meals.Chelsea was jealous. She was anxious about getting her son to build a close relationship with Sonny.“Why don’t we file a case to regain Sonny’s custody, Mom? Liberty and Serenity won’t ignore us so long Sonny is in our house. They’ll help us so that Sonny lives a good life too.“That way, Sonny will have a deeper connection with us. He won’t forget us when he becomes a capable person.”Chelsea had a pipe dream. O
Hank’s parents had always been biased toward his sister, Chelsea. It would be difficult to change them. Their father, Luke, was a slightly better case because he had felt regretful ever since knowing Serenity was the York family’s missus. He regretted letting Hank date Jessica. After going through so much, he was more convinced that Liberty suited Hank better. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Hank could no longer return to the past. On the day Serenity and Zachary brought Sonny to the Browns’ place for a meal, Chelsea also brought Lucas back to visit her family. When Chelsea entered the house, Olivia was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She said, “I heard Liberty and Duncan getting married soon, Mom. The Lewises are preparing for the wedding. The couple will most likely get their marriage license after she returns from Jensburg.”Olivia looked indifferent. “That’s bound to happen sooner or later. Why are we still talking about her?“Even if she gets a boost in her
Next, she posted the pictures on social media. Many of her followers were her students’ parents. Only a minority of them were her friends or ex-classmates. She was flooded with blessings from them as well. One of Zoey Crawford’s worries was finally resolved. Since her daughter had gotten married, she would continue urging her sons to do the same. Zoey had been anxious that Quinn could never find a suitable partner because of her easy-going personality and proficiency in martial arts. Although she was introduced to a few men through matchmaking services, the men usually refused to show up. They were scared of the potential domestic abuse they could face since Quinn was good at fighting. They had heard of her countless accomplishments as well. Therefore, no one was interested in Quinn despite her decent figure, looks, and family background. This was where Zoey’s constant urging for her to find a life partner came from. Quinn had felt frustrated about Zoey’s nagging. She did not
Julian said gently, “You can meet Serenity, Jasmine, and Elisa often in the future.“By the way, don’t trust anything Elisa says. Take her words with a grain of salt.”Quinn asked, “What will Ms. Stone say to me? Why are you specifically asking me not to listen to her?”Julian cleared his throat. As he drove, he said embarrassedly, “I pretended to pursue Elisa for some time to help Remy back then.”Quinn said, “I didn’t know I had a love rival.”“Elisa isn’t your love rival. She and her family don’t fancy me anyway. When they knew I was pursuing her, Mrs. Stone immediately changed her mind and agreed to Remy and Elisa’s marriage. To her, I’m like a fierce beast unsuited for her baby daughter.”Quinn got invested and asked, “Why did helping Remy involve pursuing Elisa?”Julian came clean and recounted everything to Quinn. He did not want her to misunderstand.“Even your parents fell for your acting. I didn’t think you’d do such a thing.”“Don’t misunderstand, honey.”Quinn smi