“Shawn, I’m someone else’s wife now. My husband and I have gotten a marriage license. Although we married right away, we’re developing feelings for each other. I won’t betray my husband. “If you’re hell-bent on getting in between my husband and I, starting troubles and rumors, you’re depleting what’s left of our relationship. I’ll be forced to hate you and see you as an enemy.” With paleness overtaking Shawn’s complexion, Serenity sighed, wondering when she ever sent out the wrong message. As she would put it, she would rather die than be nice to Shawn had she known it would give Shawn the wrong idea. Serenity was long-time friends with Jasmine, so she knew Shawn through Jasmine. As she was older than Shawn, Serenity had always played the part of an older sister to him. It never crossed her mind that… “Shawn.” Relaxing her tensed facial muscles, Serenity said, “You’re a nice and cheerful boy, Shawn, but you and I don’t go together. Stay away from me. I can promise to keep
It was because Serenity and Zachary got into the marriage without any feelings for each other in the beginning. It took a lot of care for them to come this far. Serenity drove away. Shawn wanted to take his car and gain up on her, but seeing that no one was watching Serenity’s shop, he gave up the chase and stayed to watch over the shop. Serenity ran into Elisa at the corner turning into the school. Their cars nearly collided right before both parties jammed on the brakes. Elisa rolled down her window to give the other party a piece of her mind when she realized that it was Serenity’s car. She shouted, “Where are you going, Serenity?” Serenity was surprised to see that it was Elisa. Noticing the beautiful middle-aged woman sitting on the passenger’s seat next to Elisa, Serenity guessed it must be Mrs. Stone. She nodded at the mother and daughter and said, “I have an urgent matter to attend to, Elisa.“Jas is in the hospital for a cold and fever. No one’s looking after the
To everybody’s surprise, Zachary grimacingly ignored Josh and stormed past him. The only thing Josh heard was Zachary callously telling Mr. Chaplin, “Notify all senior-level executives for a meeting now.” Josh wondered if the earth was about to shake. “Duly noted.” Mr. Chaplin was ahead of Josh in responding as Josh was taken aback by his best friend’s sour face. Zachary made a beeline to his office, only to stomp back out in less than two minutes to head to the meeting room. Josh went with him this time. There was no one in the meeting room. No meeting was scheduled today, to begin with. Yet, Zachary told Mr. Chaplin to notify higher management to attend a last-minute meeting. The man was on a warpath! Zachary entered the meeting room and took a seat at his place while waiting for the arrival of his executives with a stoic face. Josh paused before making his way to Zachary. He pulled a chair out and sat next to Zachary. “What’s going on with you, Zachary? Who g
Zachary fell silent. “You should let it all out to me before the others arrive. Don’t bottle everything up inside. You’re not just harming yourself by doing that but everybody in the company too.” Zachary’s rage brought forth hellfire! Josh was trying his best to keep the better days alive in the entire office building. “I saw Serenity with Shawn when I was delivering her a coat.”Josh was rendered speechless. With his jaw wide open, Josh had a hard time finding the words before finally saying, “It’s a misunderstanding. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. Sometimes, what you see isn’t the whole truth, Zachary. Don’t sulk as you did before. You have to give the missus a chance to explain.” “Shawn confessed his feelings to her.” Josh paused and replied, “Shawn is my idol. He’s bold and courageous. Mr. Lowe taught him well to be his successor.” Zachary gave Josh the stank eye. Josh rubbed his nose and said with a smile, “Zachary, maybe I should get Mr. Chaplin to buy you
The senior executives entered the meeting room in droves by then. Seeing the two biggest bosses waiting in the room, the senior executives were startled and got a bad feeling about the meeting being called at the last minute.Zachary still had his poker face on. Some looked at Callum, hoping to seek comfort from him. The least he could do was tell them what the sudden meeting was about. Although Callum appeared calm, he was looking at Josh. Sure, Callum was from the same family as Zack, but Josh was closest to Zack. Josh got up.“I’m going to the men’s,” he said while tipping Callum the wink. Getting the hint, Callum got to his feet and followed behind Josh before all attendance was accounted for. Despite knowing what was going on, Zachary did not stop them. Zachary stared at the senior executives who were in the meeting room. Josh mentioned that he would drive his employees up the wall when he went mad. Zachary was interested to see how so. Everybody was at a loss
Serenity stopped the car in front of York Corporation’s building before giving Zachary another call. While on the road, she had called Zachary no fewer than twenty times. The jealousy-ridden sourpuss refused to take her calls. It made her worried sick! Fortunately, Zachary finally accepted her call. “I’m at the entrance of your office building, Zachary. Can you take thirty minutes off work? Come out. I need to talk to you.” Jumping to his feet, Zachary approached the window in the meeting room and pulled open the curtains to look down. Since he was on a high floor and far away from the ground, Zachary could not tell if the car at the entrance belonged to Serenity. “Are you listening, Zachary? Say something.” Serenity uttered anxiously, “Come out. I’ll wait for you at the entrance until you’re off work if you don’t come out.” Zachary’s husky voice came through. “Hang on. I’ll be right out.” Closing the curtains, he turned on his heel to walk out of the meeting roo
“You’re a b*stard! You won’t even give me a chance to explain. What you see isn’t always the truth.” Serenity let go of Zachary and angrily pinched him on the arm. He scared her. She thought they were entering another phase of silent treatment. Zachary quietly took her pinching. It hurt like hell, but he did not care. All was good knowing that she cared about him. “Shawn confessed his feelings to me, but I rejected him. I’m your wife. I won’t leave you unless you decide you don’t want me anymore.” “Really?” The concealment of his identity came to mind. Would she stay by his side when she was to find out that he had been lying to her for so long? “Don’t you believe me?” Letting out a sigh, Zachary pulled her into his arms. “Serenity, I was really angry when I saw you with Shawn. My instinct told me to leave. I know that you were not to blame. Shawn was all over you.“The truth is… I’m jealous. “I’m green with envy. I’m jealous at the thought Shawn loves you and
“Although you can kickbox, you should stay away from him. Your husband is petty-minded and can’t stand to see you together with him. I’ll get jealous even though he’s the one all over you.” Zachary was feeling jealous in the past but he never admitted to it back then. It would not matter to Zachary who Serenity was with if he did not care. Now that he had feelings for Serenity, Zachary lost his head and was out for blood. “I’ll chase him away if he comes along, but I can’t cut off his legs to stop him from coming.” Zachary put on a stern look and said, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t show his face.” “What are you planning to do? Don’t do anything stupid.” Zachary pinched her cheek. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid now that I have you.” He wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. Zachary had made plans to end partnerships with the Lowes and even steal from them some projects that were in talks. The Lowes would know the Yorks were putting the heat on them. Zac
Liberty and Sonny had a lot to share with each other. Meanwhile, Caroline had not gone home yet. She told Liberty she was going home after they separated but ended up going shopping instead. It was still early. There were too many cars on the road. Even a fool would not choose that time to make a move. To play along with her brothers’ scheme, she had to go shopping and only head home late at night. That would make it easier for Adrian and his brothers to take action. Darren sent Caroline a message to tell her that the Dott brothers and Clark brothers were waiting to ambush her when she was on her way back. When she approached them, they would hit her car with theirs. Her dying on the spot would be the best-case scenario. If she did not die, they would kidnap her. Adrian was already waiting in a deserted place by the sea. They planned to chop her up and throw her body into the sea. The fish in the sea would eat her up. The Clark brothers were cruel. Caroline wa
Sonny himself needed taking care of. Duncan said, “Summer vacation, then. Since it’s a long holiday, you can be in Jensburg for two months.“Once you graduate from preschool and come over to Jensburg for elementary school, you’ll be able to see your mom every day. I’ll also move my business to Jensburg. That way, the three of us can reunite as a family.”While Lewis & Co. had businesses in Jensburg, there were not many. Since Liberty would be living in Jensburg permanently, Duncan increased his investments there to expand into a new market. Therefore, he had to be in Jensburg as the CEO. It also presented him with the opportunity to accompany Liberty and Sonny there. Sonny pouted. “Okay.“Mom, you haven’t answered my questions.”Sonny turned his attention back to Liberty. Liberty smiled. “I’m not as busy tonight, so I don’t have to work till late. I’m on my way home now. I called you because I knew you’d be going to bed soon.“Do you miss me, Sonny? I miss you so much.”“
Serenity shouted from the stairs, “Sonny, your mom’s on the phone.”Sonny was concentrating on his game of chess with Liam. Naturally, he was not as good as Grandpa Liam. He lost most of the time, aside from the few games Grandpa Liam let him win. However, even if Sonny always ended up losing, he was determined. Liam realized Sonny would change his strategy after every loss. He would learn from his mistakes and even emulate Liam’s playstyle. Sonny had a versatile mind. He was clever. Liam thought, ‘Maybe this is why our family loves Sonny.’Sonny was intelligent, studious, and thoughtful. Serenity was about to give birth. If Liam’s grandson would be as adorable as Sonny, he would not mind having a few more. “Let’s pause this round for now, Grandpa Liam. We can continue after I talk to Mom on the phone.”Liam smiled. “You should go to bed soon, Sonny. You still have to go to school tomorrow. We can leave this here and continue tomorrow evening. I promise not to move the
After the divorce, her life went on an upward trajectory.Hank’s, on the other hand, went on a downward spiral, although that was due to Zachary. He had orchestrated Hank’s downfall behind the scenes, causing him to lose his job. No other employer dared to hire him either.Initially, Hank hoped to join Stone Group, as the Stones and the Yorks were sworn rivals.He thought that if he could make a name for himself within Stone Group, he could wield its influence to take revenge on Zachary.However, who could have expected that Audrey Stone was actually Liberty and Serenity’s biological aunt?Audrey had spent decades searching for her sister, only to find just her two nieces in the end. She doted on them as if they were her own daughters.Elisa and Serenity, who could have been considered love rivals, unexpectedly became close friends. Instead of fighting, they became as close as sisters, and Elisa even gave up on Zachary, whom she had admired for years.Now, she had found her own
Duncan held his wife’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about her. Fletcher’s secretly protecting her and she won’t be in any life-threatening danger.“You’ve been working all day. You must be tired.” Duncan patted his shoulder. “Lean on me.”Liberty smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as he immediately wrapped his arm around hers.“Duncan.”“Hmm?”“It’s wonderful to have you. I finally have someone to rely on too.”In the past, she had been the one her sister and son relied on. Now, she had someone to lean on as well.Duncan said affectionately, “It’s even more wonderful to have you. You’re my support too, my pillar of strength. I really thank God for bringing us together.”He thanked God that they met, got to know each other, fell in love, and would spend the rest of their lives together.“Do you remember the first time we met?”Duncan chuckled. “How could I forget? You were pushing a stroller with Sonny in it, and you accidentally bumped into my car.“My brand-new car g
It would prevent them from ending up with nothing.“Mr. Lewis is coming over. You should go to him.”As they entered the hotel, they saw Duncan slowly walking over. His two bodyguards followed behind him, pushing a wheelchair. People coming in and out of the hotel could not help but glance at Duncan. The hotel manager wanted to help him, but Duncan declined.Liberty took a deep breath and said to Caroline, “Call me if anything happens. Good luck.”“Thank you!” Caroline said and smiled. “We’ll both have good luck.”Liberty walked over to Duncan.Caroline, on the other hand, turned and walked out.“Duncan.” Liberty stepped forward to support him. “Let’s go home.”Duncan let her help him, and the couple slowly made their way out.“Ms. Fisher left.”“Yes, she didn’t tell me, but I think it’s probably happening tonight. Adrian Clark and his brothers left work on time this evening instead of staying late, and they’ve finished everything assigned to them.”Duncan whispered, “They h
Meanwhile, in a private room at Fortress Hotel in Jensburg, Caroline and Liberty stood up together and shook hands with their client, having successfully closed a business deal.The two of them escorted the client downstairs.After the client got into their car and left, Caroline turned to Liberty and said, “Liberty, it's getting late. Mr. Lewis is still waiting for you inside, so go get him and head home early to rest. The weather is really cold.“He still has trouble with his legs and isn’t used to the cold here, after all.”Duncan had caught a cold on his third day here.After seeing a doctor and taking medication, he was still coughing a little.Liberty did not move. Instead, she asked Caroline, “Are they making their move tonight?”“How would I know? They’ll act whenever they want. I’m just waiting. It’s likely to be soon, though. I’ve spread the word that Darren is on a business trip for half a month.”She did not want Liberty to worry, so she did not tell her that her fi
How long had it been since she last truly appreciated the night view of Satbury?Every day, she left home early and returned late, rushing from one place to another, with endless meetings, piles of documents to process, and countless business deals to negotiate.It always felt like there was not enough time.Before she knew it, time had flown by.It seemed just yesterday she had taken over the family business, but in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.Back when she first took over, many people had looked down on her, doubting her ability to manage the O'Connors’ vast empire. Many had wanted to devour the O'Connor family, to carve it up and take a share for themselves.Her parents’ generation was utterly mediocre, and after her grandparents passed away, they could not hold things together.As a result, the O'Connors’ family business declined and they lost a significant amount of money.On top of that, their extended relatives tried to exploit the situation, digging p
Isabella smiled, “Every time I hear you talk about your family, my heart gets restless, and I feel like going to meet them myself.”She even felt the urge to join their family, but she could not bring herself to say that out loud.Austin treated her very well. Tati said that when Austin looked at her, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and she kept saying that Austin had come here for her.Technically, Austin could indeed be considered to have come here for her, but it was really because of her picky palate and because she was hiring a private chef.To put it bluntly, Austin had come for the sake of culinary art.Sometimes, when Isabella locked eyes with Austin and saw him looking at her so intently, she could not help but wonder if he felt something for her.However, such thoughts were always quickly brushed aside.She and Austin were simply employer and employee.Austin treated her well because she was his employer. If there were any issues with the dishes he prepared, she coul