“I married you without having a wedding reception. Your sister’s terrorizing me. I guess she can’t be bothered to play the nice sister-in-law.” Jessica heard that the Browns acted as though they adored Liberty and her sister before Hank and Liberty got married. After Liberty gave birth, the Browns showed their true colors, probably thinking Liberty would not leave since there was a child in the picture. Jessica had to admit that the Browns were good actors. The Browns did not care to put on a show now that Jessica married Hank. Jessica had real feelings for Hank. Otherwise, she would have thought twice before marrying into the family. As for the crazy in-laws, she had the confidence to sort them out. Her in-laws did not scare her. There was nothing to fear so long as she clung tight to Hank’s heart and his wallet. Jessica whined amid tears. Hank’s heart was broken as he stared at her tearful face. He scanned the room with anger building inside him. Wrapping his arm ar
Hank gave his sister the stink eye. “Clean up my room, Chelsea. You should keep an eye on Lucas next time. Don’t turn the place upside down every time you come. Lucas always picked on Sonny and stole his toys back then. He even lied and beat Sonny up so bad he was in the hospital. I know he’s young, but you should start disciplining him now. You’ll regret not doing anything about his behavior when he grows up.” Despite wanting to say her piece, Chelsea was reminded of why she was here. Hence, she reluctantly uttered, “Got it. I’ll tidy up your bedroom. That’s how Lucas is. How am I supposed to do anything about it?” After soothing his wife, Hank asked his sister, “What brings you here, Chelsea?” “Your brother-in-law and I are out of work. We haven’t been lucky with our job prospects, and our age is not helping either. The employees are looking for people not older than thirty-five years old. Your brother-in-law and I are in our forties. “So now your brother-in-law is thinkin
As expected, Jessica said, “Chelsea, Hank and I have a wedding coming up. Our house is under renovation too. Everything costs money. We both lost our jobs, so we don’t have any spare cash lying around to lend you.” Jessica gathered from Hank’s statement that her money-hungry sister-in-law had fat savings. Chelsea was used to getting financial help from her family. To Chelsea, she did not see the point of spending her own money when she could use her family’s. So long as Jessica was around, Chelsea could forget getting a dime out of Hank. Pursing her lips, Chelsea was without a word. Meanwhile, at the Stones’ residence, Serenity held Sonny’s hand as they walked into a grand living room. “You’re here, Sonny. Come, come to your grandaunt.” All smiles, Mrs. Stone got up to welcome Sonny. After finding out that Mrs. Stone was his grandaunt and meeting a few times, Sonny was happy to let Mrs. Stone hold him now. “Aunt Audrey.” Serenity handed two bags of fruits she bought
While carrying Sonny with one hand, Mrs. Stone held Serenity’s hand and glanced at it. Distressed and helpless, she said, “Since Zachary confessed his identity, you’ve always stopped me from standing up for you. You didn’t come to me and pour out your feelings either. I’m so worried that my hair has turned gray. You and your sister are always this stubborn.“I remember that your mom has a good temper and isn’t stubborn at all. I wonder whom you take after with your stubbornness.Serenity laughed and asked, “Didn’t you say my sister and I take after you in temper?”Mrs. Stone choked. She recalled that she admired Serenity and her sister not just because of their kinship, but also because of the way the two of them conducted themselves.Indeed, Serenity took after Mrs. Stone in stubbornness.“Now that you came over today, what help do you need from me?”Ever since Zachary confessed his identity, all Elisa felt was anger. Even so, she did not fall out with Serenity. She took pity on
Deep down, Serenity wondered who else she could spend the rest of her life with apart from Zachary.That domineering man would panic if she mentioned that she wanted to break up.Since she could not split with him, she could only try to blend in with his circle.“Lately, I’ve received quite a number of invitations. I haven’t taken a look at them. They shouldn’t be of importance. The butler did not deliberately remind me.”Mrs. Stone added, “Since you want to tag along to accumulate your experience, I’ll let you join every social gathering with me.”As she was speaking, she ordered someone to hand her the invitation cards.After looking at all the invitations, she passed them to Serenity. “Seren, please sort these cards based on the dates, in ascending order. I’ll then describe to you the organizers of each social gathering, what businesses they are doing, how they became wealthy, their family members, and their personalities.“When you get along with other people, it’s crucial t
Mrs. Stone was at a loss for words.“Seren, since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll sacrifice myself to accompany you and Mom to play pretend with others. On that kind of occasion, everyone puts on an act.”Mrs. Stone was infuriated by her daughter.Serenity laughed and said, “In my opinion, we need to learn to tolerate a lot of things, considering that you’ve decided to learn to grow a business.”“How great it would be if Elisa is half as understanding as you are.”Mrs. Stone could not do anything to her daughter. Of course, her daughter had enough capital, so she could act however she wanted without having to make a false show of compliance.“Elisa is great. I like how straightforward Elisa is.”Elisa lifted her chin complacently and said to her mother, “Mom, look, you think Serenity is better than me, but she thinks that I’m great.”“Oh you, becoming so arrogant with just one compliment.”The three of them were chatting merrily. With Sonny’s baby talk in between, the house was
Mrs. Stone cast a glance at her niece and said, “From the day we know each other until now, this is Zachary’s first time paying a visit.”Serenity brought some dishes to Sonny and said indifferently, “He’s guilty.”“He’s indeed guilty. He definitely came over for your sake. I feel angry that he lied to you too, but it’s undeniable that he has fallen in love with you.“You’ve known him for several months, but I’ve truly known him for a decade, so I have a better understanding of him than you do.”The Yorks were very protective of their children. Before the children grew up and stepped into the business world, the public had no idea who they were. The children kept a low profile and were no different from any ordinary child.That was why Mrs. Stone said that she had truly known Zachary for a decade.At that time, Zachary was already under training at York Corporation. He officially showed his face when his grandparents took him to a grand business reception.Since he took over Yor
Elisa continued to eat. Seemingly, she was indifferent toward Zachary’s arrival.At that moment, her mother’s eyes were fixed on her. She looked up and said to her mother, “Mom, why are you staring at me? Your nephew-in-law is here, not your son-in-law. Your son-in-law isn’t found yet, so you still need to support me for several more years.”“If you don’t want to get married, I can support you forever.”“Please. I’m 27 this year. If I round it up, I’ll already be 30. My concern is that you’re not worried about it. You might act like Jasmine’s mother where you can’t wait to kick me out of the house if there’s a man pursuing me.”That was how Mrs. Sox treated Jasmine.Of course, Josh was outstanding and had a glib tongue. He managed to persuade the Soxes to take his side. The Soxes nearly made Josh marry Jasmine.“Mom, since you’re keen on meeting your nephew-in-law, hurry up and let him in. Now that we’ve just started eating, you can ask him to join us. If you’re not, then I’ll dr
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h
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