Liberty did not believe that Mrs. Lewis would randomly pass by somewhere near her rented house. Surely, Mrs. Lewis came to meet her on purpose.She took a glimpse of her son who was having fun. Then, she turned her eyes to Duncan and said, “Mrs. Lewis, I’m outside now. It’ll take time for me to return.”“Oh, you’re out? Are you alone?” Mrs. Lewis asked patiently.She did not know Liberty’s number. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis deliberately went to All You Can Eat and jotted down Liberty’s number from the signboard.“I’m on the third floor of Gloria Mall with my son. There’s an indoor playground, and Sonny enjoys playing here. We bumped into Mr. Lewis at the entrance of the mall, so he’s here as well.”When Mrs. Lewis heard that her son pretended to create the encounter to be involved with Liberty, her face turned grim.However, she was not angry at Liberty. After suppressing her anger, she said to Liberty, “Liberty, since Duncan is there, you can have him look after Sonny. We’ll… find a p
Liberty wished she could keep a distance from Duncan all the time. Nevertheless, he always used Sonny as an excuse, which left her feeling helpless.“You deserve it. It serves you right. You rejected Lily who’s interested in you and wants to get into a relationship with you, but you like Liberty instead. You know full well that Liberty has no feelings for you, yet you shamelessly pester her in spite of your status.”Mrs. Lewis did not take pity on his son for going through a hard time pursuing Liberty.She even hoped that Liberty would persist in treating her son the same way so he would eventually give up.“Mom, I have no feelings for Ms. Harmon. I simply like Liberty.”“Tell me in what way Liberty is better than Lily,” Mrs. Lewis asked her son huffily.The kid really made Mrs. Lewis’s blood boil.“Ms. Harmon and Liberty have their own qualities; everyone’s positive traits differ.”Duncan was not averse to Lily, but he knew that she was not his cup of tea.Lily was a career w
By the time Liberty arrived at the destination set by Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Lewis was already waiting for her.She parked her e-bike and removed the helmet. She walked up to Mrs. Lewis and greeted her politely, “Hi, Mrs. Lewis.”Although Mrs. Lewis had a row with her son and was furious at him, she remained well-mannered in front of Liberty and gently acknowledged her greeting.“Let’s go in and take a seat.”Mrs. Lewis invited Liberty in.Liberty nodded and followed behind Mrs. Lewis. Mr. Lewis did not tag along. His wife ordered him to stay in the car, and he was not allowed to leave.Mrs. Lewis found a table in a corner to sit at, which was away from other customers. It was also quiet enough for her to speak to Liberty. She did not have to worry about other people overhearing their conversation.Once Liberty was seated, Mrs. Lewis hailed a waiter over to order a glass of fruit juice for herself. Since it was nighttime, she did not want to drink coffee.“Liberty, what would you l
“Go ahead, Mrs. Lewis.”Mrs. Lewis looked at the beautiful appearance of Liberty who had successfully lost weight, then she praised her by saying, “Liberty, you bear a passing resemblance to Mrs. Stone when she was younger. She was a beautiful career woman back then. Many elders wanted her to be their daughter-in-law. “In the end, Mr. Stone captured her heart, and she became Mrs. Stone. Now, she is the mainstay of the Stones.”Old Mrs. Stone initially disapproved of her son and Audrey’s marriage. However, she could not take control of it. Her husband and son were fond of Audrey, so Old Mrs. Stone had no choice but to accept Audrey.Anyway, the relationship between Old Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Stone was not the most pleasant.When Stone Group got into trouble, Mrs. Stone was the one who went all out to save the company from crisis. It was only then that Old Mrs. Stone accepted Mrs. Stone wholeheartedly.Elisa mentioned that when her mother just married into the Stone family, her grand
Lily let go of Duncan because she knew that Duncan liked Liberty. Apparently, she did not even try to hold onto Duncan before letting go of him.Duncan had a unique taste. Since Lily could not satisfy Duncan, she might as well give up so that Duncan would not hate her. At least the two of them could still be business partners.“Mrs. Lewis, I’ve helped you advise Mr. Lewis before. I told him that Ms. Harmon is nice. I noticed that he gets along quite well with her too.”Liberty did advise Duncan.Nevertheless, the attempt proved futile.As Mrs. Lewis mentioned, Duncan was an independent and obstinate person. It was almost impossible to change his decision unless he was willing to give up or make changes himself.“Liberty, I won’t blame this matter on you. The problem lies with Duncan, not you.”If Liberty had pestered Duncan, Mrs. Lewis would have forcefully driven her away despite the powerful forces backing Liberty.However, Liberty was not interested in Duncan. There was ac
Liberty might be able to run away, but she could not hide.This would not solve the root problem.“Mrs. Lewis, the best solution is that you talk Mr. Lewis out of it. I hope you can try harder in persuading him.”Mrs. Lewis was speechless.Upon hearing Liberty’s words, Mrs. Lewis felt a slight burning sensation on her face. Mrs. Lewis wanted Liberty to stay away from Duncan, yet Liberty expected Mrs. Lewis to stop Duncan from pestering her.After a while, Mrs. Lewis said to Liberty in a pleading tone, “Liberty, if I had a solution, I wouldn’t have come to meet you. My unfilial son just won’t listen to me, so I had no choice but to ask you for help.“Liberty, I don’t mean to look down on you. In a marriage, families have to be well-matched in social status. I’m sure you understand this. Now, you’re leading a peaceful life and not planning to remarry. Even if you consider remarrying, you’re not going to feel happy in a relationship with Duncan.“Both of you have different social
“Mrs. Lewis, is there anything else? If not, I’ll take my leave. Sonny is still in the mall. I need to pick him up.”Deep down, Liberty was slightly bitter about it.She had never thought of being in a relationship with Duncan. However, in the face of Mrs. Lewis’s request, it was only natural to feel bitter.All Liberty did was rent Duncan’s store. Besides Duncan being good friends with Zachary, Duncan had helped her a lot, which was why she treated him enthusiastically. Even so, she had never thought of being with Duncan, yet she was compelled to leave.She did not do anything wrong, so why must she leave?“You may take your leave. Be careful while riding on the road since there’s heavy traffic,” Mrs. Lewis said with fake gentleness.Liberty took the key to her e-bike before she bade Mrs. Lewis goodbye. Then, she rose to her feet and left.Soon after Liberty left, Derek came in.Seeing his wife seated in a corner, he walked toward her.“How was the talk? It ended so quickly?”
Mrs. Lewis said, “I wonder what’s wrong with Liberty’s taste. My son is outstanding, yet she’s not interested in him. What kind of man does she want to marry?”“Is it a must for divorced women to remarry? I guess Liberty is frustrated. It’s not easy for her to accept a new relationship. If Duncan doesn't give up, he might spend several years trying to move Liberty. Perhaps you won’t be stopping them from getting together. Instead, you might be the one begging Liberty to be with Duncan.” Mrs. Lewis’s face darkened.“It’s impossible for me to beg Liberty to be with Duncan unless pigs can fly.”Derek was teasing her inwardly, ‘Don't jinx it. It might be a slap to your face. You might beg Liberty to marry your son in the future, and pigs can actually fly.’…Duncan, who was keeping an eye on Sonny in the mall, was absent-minded. He wanted to meet his mother and Liberty very badly. He wanted to hear about the conversation between the two of them. Would Liberty be more reluctant to
“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
They had taken a few days of sick leave, but after receiving the news, they miraculously “recovered” and returned to work.However, their behavior did not improve. They continued strutting around the company, acting as if they owned the place, just as they had before.While others completed the tasks Liberty assigned on time, the three Clark brothers always dragged their feet. They only ever barely managed to finish them after repeated urging, and the results were still always far from satisfactory.“Look at the plans and reports you submitted. They’re a complete mess! What kind of work is this? You all sit in the positions of vice president, earning high salaries, and this is how you perform?“Do you think your work justifies your pay?”In the CEO’s office, Liberty sat behind her crescent-shaped desk. The three Clark brothers stood in front of her, having been summoned.Liberty slammed their work results onto the desk in front of them and her face was filled with anger as she be
Darren stopped walking.Caroline stopped as well.“What’s wrong?” Caroline looked at him. “You don’t want to follow my plan?”“I’ll do whatever you ask of me. It’s just, could we delay it for a couple of days? I’m worried…”“Darren.” Caroline’s expression turned serious. “Trust me! And trust yourself. I have the ability to protect myself, and you have the ability to protect me too. I might get hurt, but I won’t be in any life-threatening danger.”She glanced at Liberty and Duncan walking ahead, both had not noticed that the two behind had stopped. The distance between them had widened.Taking advantage of Liberty and Duncan’s oblivion, Caroline quickly cupped Darren’s face, tiptoed, and kissed his warm lips.Darren immediately tightened his arms around her, turning his passiveness into action, and deepening the kiss. The two were clearly in love, but Darren never took the initiative in intimate gestures. It was always Caroline who made the first move.In Darren’s eyes, Caroline
Among the younger generation of the Fisher family, very few could work at the headquarters of Fisher Enterprise. Most of them worked in subsidiaries, no different from ordinary workers.They worked themselves to the bone for a monthly salary of four to five thousand dollars as being part of the Fisher family did not guarantee them high-paying jobs. Those without ability and who were lazy could not even get into the subsidiaries.When Belinda was alive, she had made it clear that the Fisher family’s companies would not support idle people. Those who wanted to slack off and collect a paycheck for doing nothing were dreaming!The biggest benefit of being part of the family was that during holidays, they could receive gifts and a generous bonus from Fisher Enterprise.These holiday gifts and bonuses were distributed uniformly, regardless of age or seniority. Everyone received the same amount—a newborn baby received the same as an eighty-year-old elder.After some thought, Liberty said
Duncan said, “I’m not picky. Whatever you serve me, I’ll eat. Let’s start with a bowl of soup.”He was very cooperative. Indeed, this was how they usually interacted as a couple. He took care of Liberty, and Liberty took care of him.Liberty served him a bowl of soup and then grabbed some food for him. Duncan immediately grabbed some of her favorite dishes and placed them on her plate.Caroline and Darren sat across from them.“How long do you plan to stay this time, Mr. Lewis?” Caroline asked.Although she had said that Fisher Manor was Duncan’s home too, she knew that Duncan’s roots were in Wiltspoon. His career, friends, and family were all there, so he preferred to stay in Wiltspoon.“I’ll go back once Liberty’s work settles down,” Duncan replied.He planned to stay until Liberty had established a firm foothold in the Fisher family.Caroline smiled and looked at Liberty, saying, “Liberty, you’ve chosen the right person this time. From now on, no matter how stormy the road a
“Your company is also very busy. What about your work now that you’re here?”“I have so many managers. If they can’t handle the company affairs, then what’s the point of having them? If worse comes to worst, my three brothers are there too. They’ll help out when they have time.”“Josh and Zachary will also keep an eye on things. Don’t worry, Lewis & Co. won’t collapse just because I’m away.”For Duncan, at this moment, nothing was more important than his wife.Lewis & Co. had his three brothers overseeing things, along with the management team he had trained and promoted. He did not need to worry.After all, he was currently disabled.Whenever his brothers complained about having to manage the company for him, he would just say he was so useless now, even walking was a struggle.Then, his brothers would feel sorry for him and stop complaining, dutifully taking care of the company for him.The group entered the house.“Let’s eat first,” Caroline said.Once inside, the warmth o
The next day, Liberty only woke up at noon. She had barely managed to fall asleep around four o’clock but slept through the morning. Reaching for her phone on the bedside table, she checked the time and was surprised to see it was almost noon.Liberty quickly sat up. She changed her clothes at lightning speed, freshened up, and then hurried downstairs.The first floor was quiet and only the sound of her footsteps echoed through the house.“Caroline. Caroline?” Liberty called out twice, but there was no response.She guessed Caroline might have gone out or was in the yard. The smell of food lingered in the house, indicating that lunch had already been prepared.Liberty walked toward the front door. Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Caroline returning with Darren and a few others.Liberty’s sharp eyes immediately spotted her husband.Duncan was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by his bodyguard, while another bodyguard pulled a suitcase.Caroline and Darren were also c