“I’ve gone through many obstacles throughout my life. My principles and personality are already not going anywhere. I can’t change myself to suit your criteria.”Belinda said icily, “Are you trying to guilt trip me?”Caroline laughed. “I wouldn’t dare. Besides, will you feel guilty even if that was my intention? Do you still have a heart?”After she spoke, Belinda slapped her other cheek. Both sides of Caroline’s face were swollen. More blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.“Ms. Caroline!” Darren exclaimed. He could not hold himself back anymore. If Belinda hit Caroline again, he would probably throw her out of the room. Caroline was the person he had to protect this lifetime. How could he let Belinda hurt her over and over again?Belinda glanced at Darren. “Get out, Darren. This is between Caroline and I. It has nothing to do with you.”She was worried that Darren would chase her out. Darren stayed still. Caroline tried to sit up. Darren quickly helped her u
Caroline knew Darren was worried about her. She told him to go out and even reassured him, “Don’t worry. My mom won’t take my life. She gave birth to me. I ought to be slapped for doing something that ruined her plans.”Caroline felt Belinda did not kill her because they were tied by blood. Darren glanced at Belinda before looking at Caroline’s swollen face. He walked out in silence. He asked a nurse for some ice and told Caroline to apply it on her face. She accepted the ice pack and said, “I’ll use it. You can leave us now.”Darren went out unwillingly. Only Belinda and Caroline were in the room. Caroline put the ice pack on her face and said, “You must be tired from standing. You can grab a chair and sit down.”Belinda glared at her before pulling a chair over. “Can you not slap my face the next time you want to hit me? I’m not pretty to begin with. Now that my face is swollen, I look worse. I don’t even have a boyfriend yet. If I can’t get married and have a daught
Belinda said sternly, “Even if I didn’t obtain my position through legitimate ways, you becoming the next matriarch is justified.“If that position returns to Tiara’s descendants, won’t my efforts for the past decades become a joke? I’ll lose so much.”Belinda touched her daughter’s swollen face and sighed. “Carol, everything I do is for your sake. I want you to inherit everything the family owns.”Caroline stared at Belinda. She believed that her mother wanted to leave everything to her.However, the family did not belong to her mother alone. Belinda wanted to own everything that belonged to the family. She had been trying to remove some of the family rules and her action had garnered dissatisfaction from several family members. Caroline had noticed this since her return.Belinda’s ultimate goal was to take everything the Fishers had for her core family and deny it to the rest of the family. How could the others support her when their rights were being violated?Belinda
If the young ones refused to work, then they deserved to go hungry. It would be better to cancel their living allowance. Only by losing the source of money they were so dependent on would they start looking for jobs and become self-reliant. By doing so, more capable youths would emerge as well. On the other hand, the benefits given to the elderly could stay. “Many useless people in the family rely on us to earn money and provide for them. I want to change this. I want to make this family business belong to us only, but I need your cooperation.“Carol, I’ve sacrificed a lot to become the matriarch and have dedicated decades of effort. Although my abilities are limited, and I couldn’t lead the family back to its prime, I want to centralize our power and benefits so the elders can’t overstep the matriarch’s authority.“We’ll also silence those who dare to oppose us. I’ve done so many evil deeds to achieve what I have today. I’d rather die than hand everything over to Tiara’s descend
She poked Caroline’s forehead with her finger and scolded, “What’s in your head? Why are you so stubborn and uncompromising?“Why do you care about the past? I, your mom, am the one managing the Fisher family now. It’s not your Aunt Tiara who died decades ago. The generations have changed.“Even in the past, there would be a bloodbath whenever a new king ascended the throne.Caroline remained silent.No matter what her mother said, she would never find her mother’s actions acceptable.More importantly, she wanted to withdraw from the battle for the position of matriarch. With her abilities, she felt she could build her own empire.It would also be legitimate; no one could criticize her behind her back. Belinda knew she had been wasting her breath since Caroline was quiet. Her daughter’s principles were set and her mind unchangeable.After taking a few deep breaths, Belinda gave up on persuading Caroline.“If you aren’t willing to do anything, then I’ll do it. If I die one d
“Darren, let’s leave Jensburg after everything ends, okay?“Let’s leave all the mess behind. We don’t have to go too far as long as it’s away from the city center.”Caroline remembered that her company was still in Jensburg but not the city center. She had spent years getting her company going. She had no thoughts of relocating it yet. Resettling the company in a new city and environment meant starting anew, which would hinder its development.Darren replied affectionately, “I’ll leave with you anytime you want. I’ve said that I belong to you in this lifetime.”Whether for personal or official reasons, his body and heart could only belong to Caroline. She raised her head to look at him. She saw his love for her in his eyes. Caroline suddenly found Darren pretty handsome. Although he could not compare to Hayden or the York brothers, he was above average in terms of looks.He was more than enough for her. “Darren, am I marrying into your family? Or will it be the other w
“Don’t sleep just yet. Place an ice pack on your face before you do. It is so red and swollen. I can do it for you while you’re asleep, but it’ll affect your rest.”Darren knew Caroline was embarrassed. He kissed her swollen face lightly and said, “I’m yours forever. Why are you embarrassed by just a kiss?”“Who said I was? I’m thick-skinned. I’m not embarrassed at all. Besides, you said that you’re mine. So what if I kissed you? Even if I decide to have sex with you, you can’t say no.”Caroline refused to admit that she was embarrassed.Darren held the ice pack to her face. He smiled at what she said. “You’re welcome to have sex with me anytime you want. However, it’s best if you can inform me ahead of time so I can bathe and be squeaky clean for you.”Caroline was speechless.“You should’ve tried to dodge Madam Fisher’s blows a little. Both cheeks are swollen.”After a short silence, Caroline said, “I betrayed her first. She has the right to get angry. Even if I think I’ve d
All because she wanted to shorten her business trip. Hence, Isabella worked overtime every day and only returned to the hotel at midnight. She would also go to work at her usual time the next day.Being sleep-deprived, she struggled to stay focused and relied on several cups of coffee to keep herself going.Isabella got up and went to the window. She observed the world outside. The weather was cold. The people walking on the streets seemed to be in a hurry, and there were not many people outside. Austin had mentioned that the streets in Wiltspoon were always crowded regardless of the time of the day. The city was only quiet and less crowded between Christmas and New Year’s Day due to folks from out of town returning homes.Once the week was over, Wiltspoon would be back bustling as city dwellers made their way back.Luckily, Isabella had Austin preparing her three meals every day. No matter how busy she was, she would always be able to eat something when mealtimes came arou