After Noah ran away, Jasmine said to her friend, “Seren, those guys might be trying to replace you.”“It’s not that they ‘might’ but rather they’re already planning it.”Serenity sat down behind the cash register looking slightly exhausted.Her sister and she were really unlucky to have been born into that family.To think they were related by blood!“Is that Harriet whom Noah mentioned older or younger than you?”“We’re the same age. I’m a week older than her.”Serenity thought about her cousin who was only one week younger than her. She had not seen Harriet for more than ten years and had little memory of her. Did Harriet and her look similar?When her parents were alive, she and Harriet went to school together and were in the same class. She seemed to remember her classmates mentioning that they looked alike.Even if they did, they would only look somewhat similar. Did Harriet think she could replace Serenity by just impersonation?Did they think Zachary was stupid?Unles
“There’s always wind blowing from any direction.”Grandma May slapped away Callum’s hand that wanted to support her. “No need for that. I’m still hale and hearty. I won’t die until I see all of you marry and have children.”“Then I won’t marry and have children. I’ll let you live until you’re two hundred years old, Nana.”Grandma May whacked Callum.“You little brat. I followed your big brother back to the office today to talk about your marriage.”Callum was speechless. Was it too late for him to escape now?Of course, it was.He hurriedly helped his nana to the couch for a seat, then knelt in front of her and helped to massage her legs. He asked a little curiously yet nervously, “Who do you have your eye on, Nana? Is it someone I know?”He was aware that his nana had recently set her target on him.It was because he was the second born. Since the eldest got married, it was his turn now.“Nana, I’ll say this first. I’m not interested in getting married out of nowhere. Don’t
Callum pointed to the handsome man in the photo. “So, he’s a she?”“She has a fraternal twin brother, but they look exactly the same. Her family raised her as a boy since childhood, so she acts like a man. People outside of her family think that she’s the eldest son.”“How did you know she’s actually a woman?”Callum heard of Casey Stoll before, and he had seen pictures of her too. At first glance, she really did look like a man, but it was not because she was deliberately trying to come off as the opposite sex. She dressed androgynously, but since she was known for her power and influence, people misunderstood and thought she was a man.The handsome guy in the photo was different from Casey. She was raised as a man and also deliberately dressed like a man. She had thick eyebrows and large eyes, looked grim and cold, and her tall figure was dressed in a suit. Anyone who looked at her would think she was a he.Callum flipped over the photo and read the woman’s profile on the other
“No. I’ll only help you and Kevin find a candidate for the time being. There’s no hurry for the others.”Callum tried to drag his younger brothers into this. “Only Rowan is still a minor. Alex just turned twenty this year, and the others are at the legal marriageable age. You can’t be biased, Nana. Let them all get married. The more granddaughters-in-law you have, the greater your chance of having a great-granddaughter.”Grandma May said, “I’m counting on Seren to give me a great-granddaughter. The fortune-teller said that Seren’s firstborn will be a girl.”Callum asked, “When did you become so superstitious?”“Since your big brother actually fell in love with Serenity. Fortune-telling is an age-old art. It’s worth believing in a little.”After she finished speaking, she stood up. “I won’t bother you with your work. I’ll go to Liberty’s shop to have a look. I miss Sonny after not seeing him for so long. Liberty’s breakfast diner will be open for business soon, right?”Callum said
“Mrs. York.”“Mrs. York.”The two receptionists greeted Serenity respectfully with a smile when they saw her come in.Serenity smiled in return. The receptionists had always been very nice to her.One of the receptionists went around the desk and led Serenity toward the elevator entrance. She glanced at the insulated lunch boxes that Serenity was carrying.“Zachary’s stomach isn’t feeling well lately, so I brought him food. It’s almost lunch break, right?”Serenity came over early.The receptionist looked concerned. “Mr. York’s stomach isn’t feeling well? He should take care of himself.”She thought in her heart, ‘The CEO has been working all day nonstop recently and isn’t having his meals on time. Most of the time, it’s Mr. Chaplin who packs food for him to eat at the office, but I heard Mr. Chaplin say that Mr. York still often forgets to eat because of his busy schedule.‘It’s only natural that he’ll have stomach problems like that.’“We’re having our lunch break soon,” th
“Seren, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve gone downstairs to pick you up.”Zachary took the insulated lunch boxes from his wife, fearing that she would be tired from carrying them. He turned around to place the two boxes on his desk, then led her by the hand to sit on the sofa.His fiery eyes glued to her body.Callum spat in his heart, ‘If he could dig out his eyeballs and stick them on Serenity, I guess he would do it without hesitation.’“It’s not the first time I came to your office. You don’t have to pick me up. I brought you food, so eat it while it’s hot. Eating your meals on time every day will help your stomach recover.”Zachary grinned. “Thank you, honey.”Serenity could not help but pinch his cheery face and smile. “Is the company giving out bonuses today? Everyone I saw today was beaming brightly.”Callum chimed in with a laugh, “Serenity, having you come here is more gratifying than getting a bonus.”Zachary looked at his brother.‘Didn’t you see
Zachary wanted to see the photos now because Serenity was present.There was new gossip to be heard, so of course he wanted to let his beloved wife in on it.Callum was not stupid and knew that Zachary was using Kevin and him as gossip material for Serenity.Alas, he was betraying his brothers for his wife.As Callum handed over the two photos, he despised himself for his lack of backbone. Zachary was selling him out to please his sister-in-law, but he was still bending over backward to go along with it.If his relationship did not go smoothly in the future and he needed his brother’s and sister-in-law’s help, he hoped the young couple would lend him a hand unconditionally.Bah, what was he thinking?His relationship was sure to be smooth sailing.In any case, he would not get married out of the blue or hide the marriage. He would not conceal his identity to lie to his wife either. Everything would go smoothly.“What photos?”Sure enough, Serenity was interested.Zachary pre
Callum remembered that Kevin was six feet two and understood Grandma May’s arrangements.Callum was only five foot seven. If he were to get together with Hayden, she would be taller than him.Out of the nine brothers, Kevin was the tallest.“Even if a woman dresses up as a man, there’ll be signs. A woman’s Adam’s apple is less obvious.”Serenity stared at Hayden’s picture. Her interest was genuinely piqued. ‘Why did she pretend to be a man for more than twenty years?’“Seren, there are clothes to hide the Adam’s apple.”Serenity was speechless.She did not think of that.“Who is Casey Stoll?” she asked curiously.Zachary took the initiative to explain, “She’s the president of Stoll Corporation in Annenburg. She’s a little pitiful. She lost all her family members except for her little sister, so she had no choice but to take over the family business. Her life has been quite hard. She often dresses in unisex clothing, but she’s very powerful and influential, so people mistake he
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s
“It’s okay if you don’t want my bouquets. Can you feel my sincere love for you through these letters?“I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell even harder the second time I saw you.”Manny’s gaze was affectionate as if he truly loved Tati. To be honest, Tati was outstanding in various aspects. She was good enough for him, a young master of the Longbottoms. They were also close in age and definitely had common topics to talk about. However, Tati refused to give him a chance and rejected his confession. That did not matter. After all, it had not been long since he started pursuing Tati. As the O’Connors had more daughters than sons, he could understand that their daughters would be especially cautious regarding romantic relationships. They did not want men dating them solely for the O’Connor family’s money. Although that had been Manny’s initial intention, he was satisfied with Tati after meeting her in person. He was willing to marry her. Besides, Tati was com
Meanwhile, in Satbury, Tati returned to the company but was forced to stop her car at the entrance. Some people were decorating the entrance with flowers. Security tried to chase them away, but they did not even budge. The security guards seemed wary of something and did not force those people to leave. A few cars were parked nearby, including a truck that still carried fresh flowers.Tati did not honk. There were people and flowers on the road before her and honking was useless anyway, or she could simply drive past without a care. She got out of the car to have a look. “Sweet Tati.”An unfamiliar voice rang. Tati looked toward the person who called her and frowned. She recognized that person. He was Manny Longbottom, the eldest son of the interim head of the family.Mr. Longbottom had come over several times for business negotiations. However, it was not yet his scheduled timing. Even if he were the Longbottom family’s interim head, there would be no special treatmen
First, Adrian poured himself a glass of water. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Jacob while sipping his water.When the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “We’re going ahead with the plan. Caroline will be heading to Fortress Hotel later to meet with a client. After the meeting, she’ll have dinner there.“The discussion and dinner will take a long time. By the time she leaves the hotel, it’ll already be nighttime. She probably won’t go anywhere else after that.“Wait for her on the route she usually takes home. Her license plate is CA 201. Got it?”Adrian made sure Jacob remembered Caroline’s license plate number. He had also sent the information via text, so unless the person had an exceptionally bad memory, they should be able to recall it.Jacob replied, “Got it. We’ll have to start preparing, then. Try to get Caroline to drink some alcohol. If she’s drunk, it’ll be easier to handle her.”After all, they could not guarantee that the
Adrian snapped, “Are you saying that I don’t do real work? Caroline, I was working at Fisher Enterprise long before we even knew you existed.”Caroline said neutrally, “Yes, yes, Adrian, you’ve been at Fisher Enterprise for a long time, but what achievements have you made? I mean, achievements that you accomplished on your own.“The results credited to you in the past weren’t actually your doing. You know better than anyone how they came about, so I won’t spell it out. I may have joined Fisher Enterprise only recently, but look at the position I’m in now.“Adrian, I’ve made it very clear. If you want to keep your job, do it well and take it seriously. Stop trying to take credit for other people’s work.”Adrian’s expression darkened. “I only said a couple of things, and you fired back with dozens. Can’t you give me some grace? I have pride, too.”“Adrian, go back to work. I need to get ready to head out soon.” Caroline was done talking to her brother.Adrian fell silent for a mo
Adrian was sullenly quiet. Was he really that incompetent? He thought he had done a pretty good job.Back when their mother was still around, he had not even needed to lift a finger. He just had to vaguely outline the requirements, and the elite team under him would come up with a proposal that satisfied everyone upstairs.All he had to do was wait for the praise and the compliments about how capable he was.After doing this for so long, Adrian had started to believe that he truly was talented.Then, he found out that Celine was not his biological sister and that Caroline was, but the latter had grown up in the countryside, appearing weak and timid, and seemed useless to the company—a good-for-nothing. Thus, Adrian began to harbor ambitions. He wanted to replace his sister and become the successor of the Fisher family.He had repeatedly expressed to his mother his desire to take over, to become the first male successor in the Fisher family’s history. He even said he was willing
Adrian tried several times to interrupt his sister, but Caroline’s barrage came at him like a machine gun, rapid and relentless. All he could do was glare at her, his face flush with anger. If looks could kill, Caroline would have been torn to pieces long ago.After finishing her lecture, Caroline picked up her cup and took a few sips of her coffee. She then said, “Adrian, look at me, I’m parched from all this talking. I’ve really gone out of my way to persuade you for your own good, just like how you tried to persuade me not to hand over control of the Fisher family. “To be honest, even if I didn’t give it back to Audrey and the rest, do you think I could hold onto the position of the matriarch?“The rest of the family doesn’t support us. They might not necessarily side with the Wiltspoonians either, but they definitely won’t side with us. They’ve long been dissatisfied with Mom and us.“Without their support and unable to win against Audrey, the Fisher legacy would eventually be