Zachary accepted the bag from Mr. Chaplin.Inside contained two red brocade boxes.He took one box out.Josh was not stupid and knew that Grandma May retrieved this from her private treasury to please Serenity.He envied Zachary for having a good grandmother who was worried about his marriage.Grandma May was the pillar of the York family and was respected by everyone. No one would stop her if she arranged for a sudden marriage like the one between Zachary and Serenity.Josh wanted a handful of grandmothers like that.Unfortunately, his grandmother passed away.“I’ll go back to work.”Josh did not want to be further provoked by his best friend again. There were some things that should not be envied.He stood up and left the office with Mr. Chaplin.Zachary looked at the two diamond rings that his nana had sent him and took out his cell phone to call her. “Nana, I’ll buy these two rings from you. How can I accept wedding rings as a gift from you?”Grandma May laughed. “Sure.
Mr. Brown had a hunch. It must be related to the divorce with Liberty.Olivia brought the cutlery and served her son food. “You didn’t tell me in advance, so I didn’t cook for you. This was supposed to be for the dog, but you can have it instead. I’ll cook some pasta for you later if you’re still hungry.”“I’ll be full after eating this, Mom.”From the moment he walked in, Hank let his mother serve him food and even set the table for him with cutlery ready. He was used to his mother doing this.After the family of three finished their meal, Hank handed the manila folder to his father.“What is this?”Mr. Brown was suspicious, but he reached out and took the envelope. He opened it and took out a stack of papers and photos from inside.Olivia took a peek too.The husband and wife frowned as they looked at it.“Hank, you kept so much money?” Olivia was shocked that her son had so much money.Mr. Brown frowned and asked his son, “Did Liberty give you this?”Hank nodded.“What d
“The fight was just kids being kids. Plus, it was an accident. We will take good care of Sonny and keep him from harm’s way when we get custody.” Mrs. Brown heartachingly said, “Hank, don’t go with the divorce. I can’t take it.”It never crossed her mind that fights between children could influence decisions on a child’s custody. Despite Mrs. Brown’s old age, she had never seen anyone take their divorce to court. In the separations that she came across, the women would pack their things and walk out, leaving the house, car, and children to the men. “Sure, it was just a fight between children, but people would see Sonny living with us as whether it’s conducive to his growth and well-being.” Hank patiently persuaded his parents. “Mom, I don’t love Liberty anymore. It’s not like Liberty would take me back either. You can’t make things work just by force. It would be hard for her and me at this rate. Besides, Liberty’s willing to settle. The divorce is going to happen.“I’ve mad
Mrs. Brown grabbed the divorce paperwork for another look, feeling the pain every time she read the line on the payout to Liberty. “I thought the estate was split evenly. The amount doesn’t seem right.” “Liberty’s relinquishing her rights to the house and car, so I need to make it up to her monetarily. Altogether, that’s the total payout.” Mrs. Brown replied after a pause, “What about the renovation cost for the house?” Hank answered, “It’s not included. I’ve said it before. I won’t compensate her for that.” Although feeling a little better, Mrs. Brown said, “The renovation was tens of thousands of dollars. I guess we benefited a little since she didn’t ask you for the renovation cost.” It did not hurt as bad anymore for the money they were losing. “Hank, how did Liberty collect these photos?” Mr. Brown believed his daughter-in-law did not have such means. “Did someone help her?” “I asked her, but she wouldn’t say, nor did she know who helped her. The person’s pretty good
“Chelsea said she’s having problems at work. I wonder what happened. I thought she was doing well. What changed?” Mrs. Brown mumbled as she swiftly tapped the call button to connect to her daughter. During the call, Chelsea restlessly uttered, “I don’t know what’s going on, Mom. I have a feeling the people at work are out to get me. They have a bone to pick in everything I do. Not one good thing happened the whole day. Just let the divorce go through if Hank wants it, Mom. Your son is a great man. He’ll have no problems finding another wife.” “God knows where Liberty found dirt on your brother, and she got enough to threaten your brother to meet all her demands. Liberty gets over a million bucks in alimony, full custody of Sonny, and three thousand dollars a month for child support.” “Does Hank have that much money to give her?” Chelsea was shocked. “Hank had transferred his assets out, but Liberty somehow got proof of the transfer. Never mind. Since trouble at the workplac
Serenity’s phone fell on the bed. Sure, Serenity had waited for Zachary, but sleepiness got the best of her. It was a blow to Zachary’s exhilaration. He brought along two Eternal diamond rings that he bought from Nana with the intention to put one on Serenity’s finger. Yet, she was far off in dreamland. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zachary reached out to pinch Serenity in the face. “You could sleep through an earthquake, little piggy.” After pinching her cheeks, he leaned down to kiss her face and hovered against her lips for a prod. He then grabbed her phone and put it on the bedside table. Although his wife fell asleep waiting for him, at least she was in his bedroom. That was what a certain Mr. York comforted himself with. The next day, Serenity woke up only to be blown away by a huge bouquet of flowers. Behind the flowers was Zachary’s handsome face. She blinked. Serenity sat up the moment she was certain she was awake, and it was Zachary before her eyes.
“Seren.”Serenity was putting the ring on Zachary’s finger when the latter tenderly uttered, “No matter what happens, we won’t talk about splitting up or a divorce, alright?” Thinking the wedding bands were perfect for them, Serenity was in awe of Zachary’s good taste. Zachary was able to pick out a suitable ring for her in her absence. Serenity heard what he had to say and picked her head up to look at him. “I can’t promise you this. What if you turn out to be like Hank? Am I not supposed to bring up divorce? Cheating men should be dumped as soon as possible. Why should women keep these disgusting men around?” Zachary wanted to bait a promise out of her in hopes she would not leave him when he came clean about his identity. To his surprise, she did not fall for it. Despite being caught in a tender moment, her head remained clear. She was deservingly the woman he fell in love with. “Um… In the context that I don’t have an affair, you can’t ask me for a divorce no matter
“That’s hard to say. I’ll be back once my work there is done.” “Let me know when’s your trip. I’ll help you pack and drive you to the airport.” Since Serenity did not have a change of clothes in his bedroom, she intended to return to her room to get dressed and wash up. With Serenity about to leave, Zachary reached out to pull her back. His dark eyes were fixed on her beautiful face. “That’s it?” Serenity was without a word.She blinked, unable to get the message he was trying to convey. What else if not that? Was he expecting her to see him off at the city he was conducting business in? “Can family tag along too?” Zachary was twitching by the corners of his mouth. “Since I can’t go with you, is it not enough that I’ll drive you to the airport?” Zachary’s hand over hers loosened. Serenity stared at his hand and uttered with a frown, “I thought you had been slick with your words lately, but you lost it now. You just keep me guessing by leaving things hanging. I’m