Jane asked, not seeing the children around.After everyone greeted each other, Austin invited everyone indoors. As he walked, he replied, “They all went back yesterday. The elders were complaining that it’s summer break and it’s rare for the kids to be free, and they wanted to spend time with them, so they were all sent back.”If they stayed here, it would be so noisy. Even though the kids were all quite well-behaved, whenever they played together, they would still argue sometimes.Taking care of one child was enough to give one a headache, let alone a whole troop of them.When the kids were all around, Austin had arguments to break up every day. They were such headaches that, despite his good-tempered nature, he would lose his temper sometimes.“No wonder it’s so quiet. It’s summer break and the kids finally get to gather together. The elders just love it when it’s lively at home.”Lilian remarked, “I look forward to whenever the kids aren’t at home.”She was the most impatient

However, Isabella had no such self-awareness. Now, she continued to be a figure of importance within the O’Connor family, so much so that her word carried more weight than Louis’s did. Chase was in Costa Corporation too, and although he was not in any position of importance at the moment, it would happen sooner or later.The O’Connors had few boys. Even if Louis had a son right away after getting married, there would still be a large gap between his son and Isabella’s son. By the time Louis’s son grew up, Costa Corporation would likely have changed hands to a York.“Roxy.” After Manny and his father sat down, he called out to his daughter.Roxy withdrew her gaze and made a sound of acknowledgment in response to Manny.“Sit, stop looking.” Manny chided in a low tone.After confirming that Laurence Young was Laurence Longbottom, he knew his plan would not succeed. There was no way Louis would become his son-in-law.The auction began.Jane and the rest did not raise their paddles f

“Laurence, I’m your uncle. I even carried you in my arms when you were but a baby.”Tony asked anxiously, “We haven’t seen each other in thirty years, and I have lots and lots I want to talk to you about. Are you not willing to even have a meal together?”In terms of seniority, he was Laurence’s second cousin once removed.Tony and the previous family head were second cousins, and his grandfather and Laurence’s great-grandfather were half-siblings with different mothers. It was just that Laurence’s great-grandfather had been born to the first wife, and had been raised as the heir since young, while Tony’s grandfather had been born to the second wife, and thus had no chance at the family head’s seat, so he became a branch family.Despite being born to the same father, because of the difference in status, his descendants also lost their chance at the head of the family position and grew distant from the center of power.That was why Tony was so unwilling to accept defeat. While his

Tony said, “Louis is out of the question. Isabella practically raised him. It won’t be easy for you to wrap him around your finger.” Back then, Tony tried to set Manny up with Tati and did not bother to consider Isabella because the latter was a force to be reckoned with. Surely, Louis, growing up under Isabella’s guidance, would refuse to be tamed. “Who else is better, Grandpa? I have feelings for Louis. Laurence was just my mission, but it’s a different story with Louis.” Roxy honestly fancied Louis. It was love at first sight. Of course, Louis’s standing was the most attractive trait. He was a worthy match for her. Since Roxy was the granddaughter of the Longbottoms’ acting family head, she had every right to become the lady of the O’Connor household. Laurence was good-looking, but in terms of family hierarchy, he was technically her distant uncle. The family did not have proof that Laurence was a Longbottom before, but Manny assigned her to get close to him and find evi

Tony said, “I never brought it up. I wouldn’t want to put family at risk.” He had a deeper bond with Susan’s offspring. Susan had built the empire alongside him and had been his biggest supporter. Susan’s family had provided a lot of resources as well. It was true that Tony had cheated on her more than a handful of times, but he had never neglected Susan. His connections, resources, and assets practically belonged to Susan’s children. It was his way of compensating Susan for turning a blind eye. That was what Susan had proposed back then. So long as Tony gave everything he had to her children, she could not care less about the lovers he had. Her only wish was that these mistresses would not carry a son for him. Since Tony already had a son, he did not need another son to take care of the family. He was allowed to have daughters out of wedlock. Most of the Longbottom girls did not have access to the family’s core businesses. Their assignment was to marry well and provide f