“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
“What I mean is, give me a little time. I’ll try to see if I can fit into your world. If I can’t, I won’t force myself, and you shouldn’t force me either. An unequal marriage won’t last.“You just fell in love with me, so your feelings are especially strong now. You think you can accept everything about me, and you don’t care what my status is.“As time passes, you’ll feel that I can’t help you with anything. We have nothing in common. I won’t understand if you talk about finance, stocks, and investment. If you take me to socialize with your friends, other ladies will be able to make conversation easily with you all, but what can I talk about to you?“Do I talk about the weather? Or ask what you had for lunch?“Eventually, you’ll feel that I’m a disgrace, and that I’m not as good as your friends’ wives. It’s because they’re on the same level as you with similar social circles, so they share similar insights and conversation topics.“You can say that no one will dare do anything to
Serenity also admitted that her in-laws were very good people. However, she could tell that her mother-in-law was not too satisfied with her.There was no conflict yet between Serenity and her mother-in-law, but as they spend more time together in the future, would she experience the same thing her aunt did in her youth?What Serenity wanted was to be truly acknowledged by her in-laws!“Let’s leave it at this, Zachary. It’s late now. You should rest early. I’m going back.”Serenity suppressed her anger and did not quarrel with Zachary. She could not convince him, and he could not understand what it was that she wanted.It was a waste of breath to continue the discussion.Serenity felt powerless.She felt that if they continued talking, they would just end up quarreling again. In fact, the fight would most likely escalate and worsen their relationship further.She came here to settle their issues, not to fight with him.Zachary stood up and grabbed her arm, saying in a low voic
No matter how slowly he drove, the car soon reached Liberty’s place.Liberty did not want to be too far away from her sister when she was looking for a rented place, so the apartment was nearby Brynfield.Zachary stopped the car.“We’re here.”Serenity opened the car door, said goodbye to Zachary, and got out of the car.“I’ll take you upstairs.”“No need. You go back. Drive safe and have a good rest at home tomorrow. You don’t look too good.”Zachary’s dark eyes burned into her, and he asked in a low voice, “Seren, you still care about me, right?”He tried to hold her hand, but she simply turned and entered the building.Zachary stood at the entrance and watched her go up. In the end, he did not walk her to the door.He had his pride too. He had bowed to her several times, but never once she accepted...After a long time, he turned and went back to the car. He called Josh and Duncan and asked them to go to Neon Nights for a drink.After the call, he drove away and went str
After Zachary swept away all the bottles and glasses, he slumped down on the table and mumbled, “Serenity, Serenity... It’s not like it has to be you...”Josh and Duncan did not hear what he said clearly at first.He murmured repeatedly, and it was only when Josh leaned into his mouth did he hear Zachary say, “It’s not like it has to be you, Serenity.”“What is he saying?” Duncan asked curiously when he saw Josh’s odd look.Josh stood up straight, looked at the drunken Zachary, and said to Duncan, “Since his sudden marriage, he has gotten drunk several times because of Serenity.”In the beginning, when Zachary and Serenity signed the agreement, Zachary was depressed at Serenity’s indifferent attitude. Back then, he also asked his two friends out for a drink and got drunk, and it was Jim who sent him home. That was also the first time Jim appeared in front of Serenity as a substitute driver.“He said ‘it doesn’t have to be Serenity’. Hah!”Josh laughed at his drunk friend. “Why d
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