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
Mrs. Stone grinned and said to her daughter, “Sonny dislikes the perfume you’re using, huh? It’s fine. Let’s eat. Don’t haggle over it with a three-year-old kid.”Elisa raised her arm and smelled herself. Indeed, she sensed the faint smell of perfume.She recalled how Sonny disliked her scent. Since the kid could not tell that it was perfume, other people might misunderstand that she stank. “I won’t wear perfume anymore. This way, I can save my money as well.”Serenity laughed and said, ”Sonny was just talking nonsense. Elisa, don’t blame him. He’s still young.”“It’s precisely because he’s young that he was telling the truth.”Regarding the remark Sonny made about her smell, Elisa took it to heart.She was particularly fond of Sonny, yet he disliked her because of her smell.“Let’s start eating,” Mrs. Stone said with a grin.Now that she was old, she did not wear any perfume. She found it best to be natural.However, her daughter was still young. It was natural for her to b
Much as Zachary wished to maintain his current relationship with Serenity so she could be happy and relaxed, he did not say anything else. She took pity on Serenity as she was changing her life for his sake.However, he could not bring himself to let her go.He would attend social gatherings occasionally to make an appearance, but he would soon leave. As for the women in his family, everyone would admire and flatter them ladies whenever they showed up. Hence, it would be impossible for them to get bullied.Nevertheless, there was one point Zachary would not overlook, namely that his mother and aunts grew up in wealthy families.His mother’s and aunts’ marriages with the Yorks were considered well-matched.At the thought of Serenity’s circumstances, Zachary gradually came to understand her persistence.Zachary held Serenity’s hand.To save his dignity in front of her aunt, Serenity did not shake his hand off.Zachary was just holding her hand tightly without saying a word.Afte
“I’ve informed Mrs. Lewis that there was no need to arrange for someone to pick you two up. Zachary and I will do it.”After speaking, she smiled at Duncan and greeted him. Duncan usually gave off a rough demeanor, but he looked gentler after experiencing love. Serenity was glad that her sister was finally back. Liberty put Sonny down but he continued clinging to her after crying. Even Duncan did not get to carry Sonny and could only touch his little face. Sonny was still pouting. With a sulking face, he complained, “You didn’t wait for me to come back before going to look for Mom.”Duncan replied, “You said you’d be away for a long time, so I went ahead. Aren’t your mom and I back now? I’ll invite you before heading out next time, okay? Don’t be angry. I bought many new toys for you.”“Come and give me a hug. I missed you.”“I don’t believe you. You didn’t miss me at all. You only think about Mom. I missed Mom too. I want to be with her.”Sonny had not missed his mother
Everything would be done according to their divorce agreement. The money would be given to his children anyway. Hunter was the one who said to leave the children to Emma. A mother would always love her children. Without his children by his side, it would be more convenient for Adrian to remarry. Adrian’s flirtatious heart was already tempted. He was divorced, and his mother had passed away. No one could control him anymore. He was a free man who could flirt with any woman openly. If he happened to meet someone he liked, he could be a groom again and marry that woman. He could have more children as well. He was rich anyway. Emma stood up. “I’ve told you everything Caroline said. You can make your decision. From now on, don’t disturb me unless you need to. If you want to meet the children, call them and obtain their permission first. Then, you can meet them anytime.”She would not stop the children from meeting Adrian. Adrian nodded and did not ask Emma to stay. Hu
“There’s a cafe outside the hospital. Fancy a cup of coffee, Emma? We can sit and chat.”Emma quickly replied, “No, thank you. I need to return and ensure my kids are doing their homework. They have plenty to finish this winter. They’ll be on their phones or gaming if I don't watch them.”“It’s best if you can keep an eye on them to prevent them from getting addicted to games and doom scrolling. Supervise them if you have the time to do so. Don’t expect them to be disciplined enough because even we adults can’t control ourselves from using our phones.”Children getting addicted to their phones was a bad habit the adults allowed them to develop. Some adults were focused on using their phones instead of spending time with their children. When the kids threw tantrums, their parents would hand them mobile devices to pacify them. That way, they would focus on their screens instead of making noise. However, that would lead to the children getting addicted to these devices. It would
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