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 chose such great timing. We’re just about to eat.”While speaking, Serenity opened the gate of the villa for Zachary.Zachary said shamelessly, “I’m here to sponge food off you.”Serenity replied with a friendly sneer, “I feel really sorry for you.”He shamelessly came to the Stones to sponge food off them for Serenity’s sake.It would be a lie to say that he was calm. Serenity knew that when she was angry at him for lying to her, he was silently changing his ways for her.Zachary stared at her deeply and said affectionately, “I’ll show respect for those you care about. I’ll be wherever you are without any fear.”“Don’t make it seem as though my aunt’s house is frightening. She’s very nice.“By the way, Elisa is at home too.”Serenity reminded Zachary.Undoubtedly, she would not misunderstand Zachary for having feelings for Elisa. As he said, he did not accept Elisa’s love or promise her anything. It was Elisa’s own decision to be interested in him and pursue him. This h
As usual, Sonny’s face was covered with rice. There was also a lot of rice on the table. Mrs. Stone and Elisa left him alone. Mrs. Stone felt that the kid needed to learn how to clean the mess on his own. Even if he failed to handle it well at first, the more he practiced it, the better he would get at it.A few months later, Sonny would turn three. It was about time to learn how to eat.Zachary touched Sonny’s head before turning his eyes to Mrs. Stone and calling her “Aunt Audrey” gently.Mrs. Stone replied in a soft tone, “Mm. I’m coming. You can start eating.”A servant had already prepared the cutlery for Zachary.After greeting Mrs. Stone, Zachary turned his gaze to Elisa. She was focused on eating and did not beam like how she used to when she saw him. After Zachary pursed his lips, he said, “Hi, cuz!”“Ha—”“Ahem—”Elisa spewed her food. Then, she choked and coughed.The person closest to Elisa was Mrs. Stone. She promptly lifted a glass of water and handed it to her d
Caroline had witnessed Belinda’s downfall and did not want to experience the same thing. She was still young and very much valued her life. “I’ll section out the money Mom left for my nieces and nephews. Those who’ve come of age can manage it themselves. For those who are underage, their parents will manage the money for them. When they become adults, the parents should hand the money over to them. “As parents, you guys won’t keep your children’s money for yourselves, right?”Even if they truly did such a thing, it would have nothing to do with her. After a moment of silence, Emma defended herself, saying, “I’m not here to ask for my children’s inheritance, Caroline. It should be distributed according to Mom’s will, and I think no better person can handle it than you.”Caroline was not Celine. If Celine were in charge, Emma would be worried that her children’s share would be embezzled. However, Caroline was trustworthy. She treated her nieces and nephews equally. While
After a pause, Emma continued, “But what did I get in the end? Your brother almost killed me for someone else. I lost hope at that point. I realized that a good marriage can make a woman happy, whereas a bad one will only hurt endlessly.“With my children's age, I have no plans to marry again. Remaining single isn’t too bad. If I meet someone with similar interests, I might date him, but I won’t get married.”Caroline said, “Although Adrian’s my brother, as a woman, I must say he’s a terrible man who isn’t worth entrusting yourself to. Since he cheated on you before, he’ll definitely do it again. I support you getting a divorce.“Live your own life from here on and ignore what others say. I believe your children will come to understand the divorce when they grow older.”Emma nodded. “They’re supportive of me too. Although there was a nanny, I took care of them most of the time after they were born. They’re closer to me. None of them are willing to stay with Adrian after the divorce
“Why are you here, Emma? To visit Dad? Or do you have relatives who are hospitalized?” Caroline asked. She used to feel neutral about her sisters-in-law. When she returned to the Fisher family, they did not treat her well and curried favor with Celine instead. They even joined Celine in bullying her. Later, Caroline discovered her brothers were having affairs. Her sisters-in-law made a huge fuss about it upon finding out. From a woman’s perspective, she naturally supported and spoke for her sisters-in-law. Although she had also warned her brothers, they did not take her seriously. They were punished and only broke things off with their lovers when Belinda caught Hunter cheating on her. Since then, Caroline’s sisters-in-law started treating her better. Many events happened thereafter, which brought them closer. Emma said, “Your brother and I are divorced, Caroline. I’m no longer your sister-in-law. You can call me Em from now on.“I’m here to look for you. I went to your c
“This is what Mom wanted. They’ll definitely lose if they take this matter to court. Offending me won’t do them any good either.“They should sell their houses and stores. After that, they can return to your hometown and treat the past decades as if they never happened.”Caroline stood and added, “You should get proper rest since your injury hasn’t recovered fully, Dad. Stop speaking ill of us before the caretaker. You should know your place and accept reality.“Your path was already destined the moment you chose to marry Mom. It was your choice, so you can’t resent anyone for it. The Clark family has also gained many benefits from your marriage. There’s nothing to complain about because it’s a fair trade.”Hunter was embarrassed. Caroline had clearly overheard him complaining earlier.“Call Darren over, Caroline. I want to talk to him.”Hunter forgot about his embarrassment and quickly spoke to Caroline as she was about to head out. She looked toward him and said, “Darren wi
Caroline was neither saying she did not trust Liberty nor that Liberty would definitely go after them, but people would change, so who knew what would happen tomorrow? It would be best to leave now, while Liberty and the others were not planning anything against her, so that no one could provoke her into opposing Liberty. This way, she would preserve the best impression and keep things amicable between them, so that if they encountered each other in the future, it would not feel like they were crossing paths with their enemy.“Adrian, Justin, and Jason’s families are their responsibilities. It’s none of my business. I’m not obligated to help them, or to support their children. As long as they raise their children well and teach them to be self-sufficient, isn’t that better than leaving them a pile of money? If they have no ability, even if I leave them money, they won’t be able to keep it.“As for the division of my mother’s assets, she arranged it all before she passed. I will dis
“If you still think it’s too little, Dad, after you recover, you can look for a job as a security guard or janitor. You’ll still earn a few thousand a month.”Hunter was speechless at this. He was already in his seventies and had never worked a day in his life. “I’m already over seventy. You want me to work? Which company would hire a seventy-year-old security guard?”Caroline replied coldly, “Since you know you’re no longer able to earn money, then whatever your children give you for living expenses, don’t complain that it’s too little. I’m your ungrateful daughter, after all, and giving you ten thousand a month is already a lot. If you’re not happy with that, I can reduce it to five thousand. If that’s not enough, you can go to your sons or sue your most dearly beloved daughter’s biological mother for her assets.”Hunter was silent before he gave in. “Fine, ten thousand it is. But remember to send it on time every month. Your brothers all have their own families and children to
“What did you say? I didn’t hear you clearly. What was it?”Hunter stammered, “Nothing, I didn’t say anything.”His ungrateful daughter would not admit that she had heard his complaints, so he was not going to repeat himself. He was not dumb enough to do that.“Do you want an apple, Dad? I’ll wash one for you,” Caroline asked. Before her father could respond, she took two apples and began washing them. Soon, she returned to his bedside, handing one apple to her father and biting into the other herself. Hunter did not like apples, but he took it anyway. “Are you really planning to stay in the hospital for another half a month?”Hunter answered irritably, “If not, where else would I stay? Where will I live once I get discharged? The Fisher family mansion is off-limits to any of us other than you and Fletcher now. Caroline, can’t you have some backbone? That’s our home! How can you just bow down to them and give up our own home? If your mother knew, she’d be so angry that even the cof
Caroline was so unfilial! She inherited so much wealth, yet she did not even give him a little bit of money for retirement. At the very least, she could buy him a villa to live out the rest of his days and give him a monthly allowance. It did not have to be much; just thirty thousand a month for living expenses would be enough for him.“How's my dad been recovering these days?” Caroline casually asked.“Mr. Clark’s recovery has been going pretty well, but since he's in advanced age, he still needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days before he can be discharged,” answered the caretaker honestly.“The doctor suggested I stay in the hospital for at least another half a month,” Hunter added. He did not want to be discharged too soon. He feared that once he left the hospital, no one would take care of him. Once he was out, Caroline would definitely arrange for the caregivers to be transferred elsewhere. His sons were busy, and his daughters-in-law were superficially filial wi
When they arrived at the hospital, Caroline told Darren to wait outside the ward and not follow her in, so Darren waited by the door in the corridor. Caroline took a few deep breaths before entering the room, holding the bouquet of flowers.As soon as she entered, she heard Hunter complaining to the caretaker about Caroline’s cold-heartedness and Belinda’s bias. He also said that Belinda deserved to die, that she should have died sooner because if Belinda had died a few years earlier, the matriarchy would have been succeeded by Celine, who had a good relationship with the Clark men. If Celine were in charge, Hunter could walk all over the Fisher family.As the father of Fisher’s matriarch, he would not lack money. Celine, being filial, would just give him money if he asked for it. There would be no room for Caroline then.The caretaker spoke up in defense of Caroline. She said, “Mr. Clark, Ms. Caroline’s your actual daughter. And the late Madam Fisher did not treat you badly either