Serenity fell into contemplation before agreeing to let Zachary come with. Walking around the cash register, Serenity told her best friend, “I’m heading out for a while, Jasmine. I’ll leave the shop in your hands. Reassure my sister that everything’s going to be okay when she comes over. I’ll sort things out.” “Okay.” After telling her best friend to be safe, Jasmine watched as Serenity and Zachary took off. Sitting in Zachary’s car, Serenity asked him, “Mr. York, do you know anyone in the media?” “Yes. Do you need their help with something?” Serenity replied, “I’m going back to my hometown to take photos of my uncles’ houses. It’ll be more convincing with a third party validating it. I still don’t know what my relatives do for a living.” Her grandparents were still hogging her family home too. Serenity intended to snap photos of their living conditions. A visual proof was crucial to disapprove their claims. As for the public witch hunt online, Serenity was not going to
Caught off guard by the response, Serenity ensued with a smile. “Many couples break up in the face of adversity. We got married without knowing anything about each other and have only lived together for two weeks. I’m grateful that you’re willing to face this together with me.” The people around her might be embroiled in the scandal if not handled well. “My sister and brother-in-law were college sweethearts and had been dating for years before tying the knot. They also have a son together. My brother-in-law wasn’t very nice when he discovered that my sister and I were villainized on the internet.” Zachary fell silent for a while before responding, “Serenity, you can’t use your brother-in-law as the benchmark for every man out there. It’s unfair to them and not everyone’s the same.” He believed Hank’s feelings for Liberty had gone sour. As the new addition to the family, Zachary did not want to point out that Hank was having an affair without proof. However, it was his gut fee
“Of course, I can give you an extra day if you’re going on a blind date and getting married.” Josh disconnected his boss-cum-best-friend’s call. Zachary was trying to lead him astray! Not happening! Zachary only married in haste because his nana made him do it. Grandma May took a fancy to Serenity so much so she sacrificed her darling grandson’s marriage. After giving out directives to Josh, Zachary got out of the car and went to get some snacks. By the time Serenity returned, Zachary had snacks ready for her in the car. “It’ll take some time to make the roundtrip. Have something to eat. Don’t starve yourself over a tiny issue,” he said.“Have you eaten?” “Yeah.” Zachary ate just enough to stop the hunger. The snacks were not to his liking. Seeing that Zachary was full, Serenity helped herself with the food. Zachary was tasked behind the wheel while Serenity filled her belly. Serenity’s hometown was over an hour’s drive on the highway from Wiltspoon. It had been
Serenity swiftly wiped away her tears before turning to look at the lady. Serenity immediately recognized her. “You must be Mrs. Deli.” The lady was one of Mom’s close friends when Mom was still alive. “It’s me. You came back.” Mrs. Deli was very friendly toward Serenity. “Do you want to come by my place for a catch-up?” She looked at the house and said to Serenity, “I heard your grandmother is sick and getting treatment at a hospital in the city. Your grandfather and your uncles made quite the fuss when sending your grandmother there. They all took their cars. People might mistake them for going to some wedding or holiday.“I’ve never seen them so proactive, but somehow, they were very zealous the moment your grandmother fell sick. They were just putting on a show for us.” Mrs. Deli had no idea about the tweet online since she was without internet. The viral tweet had not been up for a few hours, so it had not spread far and wide yet. “Mrs. Deli, do they usually ignore
“Back then, your grandparents said you didn’t have to help them with the cost of living if you split them half of the insurance money. Besides, your grandmother is blessed with a lot of children. You girls shouldn’t be forking out the money for her medical bills.“Your parents were still at the morgue when they seized a share of the blood money and hogged your house and land. They wouldn’t even take you in or let you visit your parents’ grave. Don’t feel bad for not footing your grandmother’s medical expenses.” As a close friend to Serenity’s mother, Mrs. Deli was aware of the events at the time. Once the uncles got their hands on the cash, they wanted no part in the funeral since Serenity’s parents died in a gruesome car crash. They either feigned sickness or made up some sort of excuse to evade the responsibility. It was the mayor who had to step in and give the family a telling-off. With the community giving them judging looks, the uncles begrudgingly helped put the funeral a
“Won’t they try to explain themselves online?” Old Mr. Hunt asked. The internet was a foreign world to the old man. However, he knew the story his grandson posted on Twitter was made up. He was worried that his two granddaughters would straighten the facts and leave the Hunts without the money and pride in the end. “Who would believe them? We hired trolls to write nasty comments and spill dirt on Serenity and Liberty. The netizens will blast them to kingdom come if they even so much as get online.” Old Mrs. Hunt chimed in. “Mike, use my phone and give Serenity another call. She better delivers the money right now if she doesn’t want to face public outrage. Liberty probably doesn’t have much money since she has a family. You must get Serenity to open her wallet.” “Say that you’ll delete the tweet in exchange for six hundred thousand dollars or be prepared to be ruined. She won’t be able to show her face in public,” Old Mr. Hunt added.“Granddad, we shouldn’t be the ones to call
Zachary quietly handed the phone to Serenity. With many netizens blowing up Serenity’s phone with text messages and calls, her phone was out of battery. Serenity could at least get some peace and quiet, but her friends and family had trouble getting in touch. “Who is it?” “Nana,” Zachary answered.Serenity took the phone and greeted, “Nana.” “I just got online and found out about the tweet, Serenity. Are you okay? Do you need help? Just let Zachary know. He’s been around the business world to know a lot of big CEOs. It’s a piece of cake for him to sort things out. “Don’t feel shy to ask. You’re married. You can tell me if he doesn’t even help with this tiny favor. I’ll beat him up.” Grandma May had only learned about it now. It was mainly because the viral story did not get far enough. Plus, the tabloid post about Zachary and Elisa snagged the attention away from the tweet. It did not make much of an impact either when it was retweeted by the press. Grandma found out fro
Liberty said, “There’s a part two. It talked about Grandmom being admitted into the hospital and prepped for surgery with the date fixed, having received help from kind netizens.“The netizens are really tearing into me, calling us ingrates. Apparently, Granddad and Grandmom struggled hard to raise us, but we repaid them with nothing after we made something of ourselves. We didn’t even visit Grandmom now that she was sick in the hospital. They said we were heartless and a letdown to our grandparents and deceased parents.” Liberty did a slow burn after scrolling through the comments all day.It hurt especially when her parents were brought into the picture. Mom and Dad were way better children to Granddad and Grandmom than her uncles when they were still alive. Yet, this was the treatment Serenity and Liberty received from Grandmom and Granddad now that their parents were dead. “Liberty, don’t read what the keyboard warriors have to say. They don’t know the truth and will belie
However, if there really was a good woman out there, meeting up and getting to know her would not be a bad idea.Liberty returned to the office and finally felt in the mood to work. After a while, as evening approached, she received a message from Duncan telling her he would arrive at her office in two minutes.Liberty tidied up and went downstairs to meet him. At the same time, she called her aunt to let her know not to wait for her to return for dinner, as she would be eating out. She also informed her aunt that Duncan was in town.When Audrey received the update, she laughed. “Duncan is so eager! Okay, I understand. You two enjoy your time together.”Duncan must have been missing her niece like crazy.As Liberty walked out of the office building, she spotted a car parked at the entrance. Duncan got out of the car and stood aside, waiting for the bodyguard to unload the suitcase and wheelchair from the vehicle. He was able to stand for a while now and should probably be ab
Liberty nodded. “How could they compare to Elisa? She has such a strong moral compass. Zachary was still unattached when she liked him but when he announced his marriage, even though Elisa was upset, she gave up on pursuing him. The other women are more like Ms. Daniels.”In truth, Liberty knew about Ms. Daniels. She believed that Serenity and Zachary could handle things on their own, so she kept silent, but even though they eventually resolved it, it also proved that despite Zachary being married, there would still be people who harbored inappropriate thoughts about him. They were hopeful about replacing Serenity all because they felt that her pedigree did not match Zachary’s.Liberty wanted to be her sister’s support, to provide her with a confidence boost. That was why when Audrey suggested she come to Jensburg to compete for the position of family head with Caroline, she did not refuse. If she took control of the Fisher family, she would be the head, and even if most of the
Liberty asked.“Yeah, I’m on my way out now. You know what—you don’t need to come pick us up. It’ll take over an hour by car for you. I’ll just take a taxi over.” That way, he would not have to wait too long at the airport.Liberty laughed. “I wasn’t planning to come pick you up anyway. If you had told me in advance, I would have come for sure. But since you didn’t say anything… “I could still come to pick you up, but you’d have to wait at the airport for a while so it makes more sense for you to take a taxi.”It would be easier for everyone that way.“I’m on my way back to the office now. Just come straight here and text me when you’re nearby. I’ll come out to get you.”Duncan chuckled in response. “Okay, we’ll take a taxi. I’ll text you when I get there. Where did you just now?”“I went to Fisher Enterprise to check on Caroline. She’s a good person.”Duncan pursed his lips and asked, “She doesn’t blame you guys, does she?”“Not at all. Based on what she says and does, it’s
Although they had the two hundred thousand dollars, it did not change the fact that Liberty was fifteen and Serenity was ten—they were still just children. Having been pampered by their parents and never having experienced hardship, after their sudden death and being tossed out into the street, Serenity often cried, saying that she missed their mom and dad. Whenever Liberty tried to comfort her sister, they would end up crying together in each other's arms instead.Liberty could understand Caroline's feelings, though she also accepted that Caroline was much luckier as she was of age, had a father and three older brothers, and no one could kick her out of her home. “Yeah, I’ll go out once in a while. Please thank Audrey for me and ask her to let me know when she’d like to come over so that I can hand over all my responsibilities related to the company and the family. I’ll work with her schedule. And…I don’t blame any of you for my mother’s death.”That was her mother’s own doing
They were aware of everything Caroline had done for the family. To be honest, Caroline had indirectly saved Liberty. If she had not warned Liberty, Liberty’s bodyguards alone would not have been able to protect her when Belinda sprung that surprise attack on her. Liberty had already had a good impression of Caroline, but after that incident, that impression only grew stronger.Caroline’s smile faded a bit as she said, “There’s no rush for Darren and me. At the earliest, it’ll be at the end of the year. It’s too chaotic right now.”Liberty nodded in understanding. “As long as you and Darren are on the same page, that’s enough.”“He’s a good man. We haven’t really gone out on dates, but we know how we feel about each other. He suggested we date first, get engaged, and finally register our marriage. “He wants to take it step by step and promises I’ll have everything I want.”“Aunt Audrey and I are very reassured about your relationship with Darren. He’s a man worth spending a
At the mention of Liberty’s wedding, Caroline congratulated her. “Have you decided to register your marriage with Mr. Lewis? Congratulations in advance! I wish you both a long life together and hope you have a precious daughter soon.”Liberty already had a son, so it seemed normal to wish for a child the second time around.However, when Liberty became the head of the Fishers in the future, Caroline understood that Liberty would need a daughter to take over from her.Liberty smiled. “It hasn’t been easy for Duncan and me to get to this point. Considering we’re not young anymore, we decided to just get it done. Thank you for your well-wishes, Caroline, but we’re not in a hurry when it comes to kids.” She did not have the energy to raise a child at the moment. Whether she took over the Fisher family or not, she was too busy right now. Even though her new company seemed to be doing well, it had not truly stabilized yet and was only temporarily so through the influence of her brot
There were very few people left of Patrick’s generation. After a moment of silence, Caroline said, “Yes, he’s just returned to his hometown, so he should stay for a while longer. “Liberty, please tell my cousin to just give me a few days. I’ll clear the mansion out for you to move in. What I said before still stands!” Liberty elegantly sipped her coffee and did not respond immediately. Half a cup later, she set it down and looked at Caroline, who was also looking back at her.The two of them held each other's gaze for a full two minutes before Liberty averted her eyes and said calmly, “There’s no need to rush. Let’s discuss it after Christmas. My aunt hasn’t laid out a concrete schedule yet.”Caroline also set her coffee cup down. “It still needs to be cleared out and cleaned. It’s fine if you don’t move in immediately; letting it be for a bit will help disperse my mother’s lingering presence, so you won’t feel uncomfortable.” Fisher Manor did not belong to the head of th
Caroline did not care what her father and brothers thought of her. She could hazard a guess— they were most certainly not happy with her. With that in mind, she had Darren drive her back to the office. Just as she returned to her office and poured herself a cup of water, her secretary called her on the intercom to say that Liberty had arrived.“Let her in,” Caroline said. She had not expected Liberty to come looking for her so quickly but did not think the visit was to ask her to vacate her position. Perhaps it was to check on her. A few minutes later, the secretary led Liberty in.“You can go ahead with your work,” Caroline said as she dismissed her secretary. Once the secretary left, Caroline and Liberty exchanged glances before Caroline awkwardly said, “Liberty, I don’t know how to face all of you.” “Well, I’m not here to kill you, so there’s no need to be nervous,” Liberty replied as she walked over to sit on the sofa.“Killing me would only dirty your hands,” Caro
Not to mention the antiques. If they sold it all off, even at a conservative estimate, it could fetch them several billion dollars. That did not even include the jewelry Belinda had accumulated. Women, even the iron ladies, loved jewelry. Belinda was no exception. Many of her jewels were passed down through generations of the Fisher family, making them more valuable than the ones on the market today.Adrian’s eyes sparkled greedily but darkened just as quickly. “Dad, no one but Caroline is allowed inside the manor now.”“What? Who decided on that?” Hunter asked, alarmed.“Audrey Fisher left people to guard it. She’s even arranged for her people to take over and all the employees have been replaced, including the housekeeper.” Hunter was momentarily stunned before he spluttered, “What right does she have to do that?” Adrian was silent. Audrey was a Fisher and the eldest daughter of the previous family head, who should have inherited the title but was prevented from doing so