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’m going to work now.”Zachary walked out of the Stones’ villa reluctantly and left under Serenity’s gaze.Sonny touched the part of his cheek where his uncle pinched, then he asked Serenity, “Aunt Ser, Uncle Zak just called me a third wheel. My name is Sonny, not a third wheel.”While carrying Sonny, Serenity returned to the house and said gently, “Your uncle was just joking with you. You’re not a third wheel but a peacemaker.”If she brought Sonny along to meet Zachary, the two of them would control their temper and avoid conflict. This would be helpful in improving their relationship and trust in each other.They were very concerned about the healthy environment in which the child grew up. Therefore, Sonny acted as a reconciler between the couple even though he was not their child.“I’m Sonny.”“Fine, fine. You’re Sonny.”Only then was Sonny satisfied.He had no idea what a third wheel or peacemaker was. All he knew was that his full name was Sonny Brown, and his nickname
“My boss suddenly showed mercy and attended the social function on his own. I’m quite relaxed, so I came over to pick you up after work. Let’s have a meal together. I made a reservation and even ordered the dishes at Wiltspoon Hotel. Once we arrive, we can straight away have the dishes served without waiting.“I’ve also bought two movie tickets. After dinner, we can watch a movie. It’s rare that I have so much leisure time.”Ever since Josh became Zachary’s administrative executive, he had been really busy.He barely had nights with no social functions to attend.Josh was busiest during the period when Zachary and Serenity’s relationship improved. It was because Zachary always assigned the company’s matters to Josh while he spent time with his wife. When Jasmine was about to speak, Josh suddenly swung around and ran out.Jasmine was dazed for a moment before she asked Mrs. Lane, “I haven’t said anything, have I? Why did he run out all of a sudden?”Mrs. Lane said, “Just now, I
Twenty million dollars!It was the Clark brothers’ turn to exchange glances. They did not expect Jacob and Michael to name such a high price. While they could pay that amount, they did not want to hand the money to Jacob and Michael. After all, it was no longer a small sum to them, given their situation. Adrian was nervous that he would have to fork out the money himself. While he had significantly more assets than an ordinary person, most were fixed assets, and he only had a few tens of millions of savings. Therefore, he was unwilling to pay twenty million dollars out of the blue. After exchanging glances, Adrian said, “Twenty million is too much. We don’t have that much. We may be wealthy people to you, but it’s all fake. We aren’t as rich as you think.“You’re aware of the Fishers family rules—only daughters can be the successors. Sons can’t even take on the Fisher surname, let alone inherit the family assets.“When my mom was alive, she would support us financially in
“If the plan fails, we have a backup plan—hit her bodyguards’ car and force her car to stop. That way, you two can take Caroline away and leave the rest up to us.”Adrian was prepared for various scenarios.If the car accident did not succeed, then they would first eliminate Caroline’s bodyguards. Without them, and with Darren on a business trip, they could easily take down Caroline, who did not know how to fight. After kidnapping her, they would kill and cut her to pieces before throwing her into the sea. No one would be able to find her. If Caroline were dead, the inheritance from Belinda would belong to the Clark brothers. They still could not take over Fisher Enterprise and the Fisher family or do anything to Liberty. However, with Caroline dead, there would be no one to teach the new and inexperienced Liberty. Whether Liberty could hold her ground was an unknown variable. After a discussion between Adrian and his brothers, they set two goals. Firstly, they would kill Car
“Caroline will definitely receive retribution for this.”Adrian said with spite, “I shall see how she meets her death. The people in Wiltspoon will kill her sooner or later.“Does she think they’ll treat her well just because she betrayed her family? They despise us. She’s still my parents’ biological daughter. There’s no way she can be spared.”“You’re absolutely right.”The three men kept cursing Caroline throughout their journey. Upon arriving at Adrian’s villa, he parked the car. Jacob and Michael looked around after getting out of the vehicle. They thought Adrian’s place was luxurious. Adrian mentioned it was a small place, but it was already a lavish place to them. It was many times bigger than their house in the countryside. Adrian invited Jacob and Michael into the villa and they followed suit.Jacob whispered to Michael, “The Clark brothers are fighting with Caroline for the inheritance, Michael. They must be up to no good, calling us here.“No matter what request
“Although Caroline is our biological sister, she doesn’t treat us as her brothers. We only recognize Celine as our sister. I really wish we could turn back time.“We shouldn’t have allowed Caroline to return to the Fisher family. Ever since she came back, the family had been declining. Many things had happened. My mom’s dead, and my dad’s crippled. All of these are related to her.“Caroline’s an ungrateful bitch. I can’t believe she sided with the people from Wiltspoon. Even now, she’s constantly in contact with them and giving away Fisher Enterprise.“It should’ve belonged to Celine.”Jacob and Michael stayed quiet. They had known for a long time that their biological sister was not Caroline but Celine, the then-successor of the Fisher family. Therefore, they treated Caroline badly and often abused her.Although Caroline had learned to put up resistance after growing up, she was still bullied by Jacob and Michael.She hated them. She did not know the truth in the past and
The two men were Celine’s biological brothers, Jacob and Michael Dott. Adrian nodded. “That’s good to hear. Grieving is useless. Avenging Celine and seeking justice is more important.”Jacob and Michael remained silent. They could not do much. When their father was still the Fishers’ butler, he received a high salary with excellent benefits; the Dotts were the wealthiest family in their town. Since their family was rich, the brothers never put effort into studying. They spent time with questionable friends and led a life of debauchery. Jacob and Michael only matured after marrying and having kids. However, their father was already in prison. Meanwhile, Caroline, whom they used to abuse, had returned to the Fisher family. Celine had refused to return to the Dott family and simply gave them some money. Jacob and Michael had built houses in their town and furnished them well. The money they used was from Caroline and their parents’ savings. Since then, their financial crisi
In the afternoon, Duncan fetched Liberty from Fisher Enterprise for dinner. Caroline stood at the building entrance, watching Liberty and Duncan leave. She was envious. She missed Darren. Although he was still following her, he could not expose himself before others. She was not used to it. Nevertheless, she had to endure it to lure the Clark brothers into her trap. She thought, ‘Please make your move soon, brothers. Don’t keep me waiting.’At that moment, Adrian and his brothers exited the elevator. They were discussing something as they walked. When they saw Caroline standing at the entrance, they paused for a moment. However, they quickly pretended they did not see her and walked past her.Soon, three cars left the company.Caroline stood there for a few more minutes before heading to the parking lot. Her personal bodyguards were waiting at her car. They quickly went to her when they spotted her, while one of them opened the door for her. After Adrian left the com
“I’m used to him being by my side. Now that he’s hidden, it just feels weird.”Caroline added, “Even if I want to kiss him, I can only do it in my dreams.”Liberty was speechless. Seeing Liberty being at a loss for words, Caroline smiled. “Did I renew your impression of me?”“Yes. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.”Caroline giggled. “Darren’s too serious and respectful. If I don’t take the lead, we might sleep on opposite ends of the bed after getting married. He probably won’t even dare to turn in bed.”Liberty thought of Darren’s face, which constantly had a stern expression. He only looked normal around Caroline. He indeed treated her respectfully and never dared to offend her. Liberty said, “You’re still his master. It’s only natural that he’s acting that way.“When you two become husband and wife, he’ll change. However, you won’t have to doubt his love and loyalty for you.”The next thing Liberty knew, Caroline asked her private questions regarding married lif
Caroline moved first, exiting the elevator.Adrian blocked her path, refusing to give way.Caroline did not want to argue with her brothers, so she simply sidestepped and continued toward the CEO’s office. The Clark brothers watched her leave.“Let’s go, Adrian.” Justin entered the elevator first.Adrian withdrew his gaze and led Jason into the elevator.“I heard Darren’s out on a business trip and has been sent to another province to handle some matters, so he won’t be back for at least ten days to half a month,” Jason shared in a low voice. “And for the past few days, Caroline’s only been accompanied by those few bodyguards of hers. There really hasn’t been any sign of Darren with her. I’ve asked someone to look into it and verified Darren left Jensburg by flight a few days ago. What do you think, Adrian?”Adrian replied under his breath, “We’re at work. Don’t talk about that here. We’ll talk about it when we get home tonight.”Justin and Jason immediately shut their mouths.
“I’m in charge now, not your mother. If you can’t do the work, then don’t cling to your positions and collect a salary for doing nothing.”Liberty had no intention of tolerating their laziness any longer.The three brothers had tried investing and running their own businesses, but they mostly ended up losing money. The only stable income they had was from renting out the properties and shops they owned.That was why Hunter had advised his sons to return to Ashford, buy more properties and shops, and live off the rental income. It was much more stable than their business ventures.If the properties were hard to rent out, they could always sell them and recover some money, but with their business investments, not only did they lose money, they often ended up in debt by the time the businesses failed.It was a mystery how much of Belinda’s personal wealth had been spent helping her sons pay off their debts while she was alive.However, there were times when they made money. They wou