After a moment of silence, Zachary replied, “Yes, but I trust my eyes and feelings more. That was why I concealed my identity to examine your character.”“Given your character, you wouldn’t agree to marry me either if you didn’t get a background check on me. Why did you still suspect me of going after you for your money?”“I was afraid that the investigation was wrong.”Serenity was speechless.“Marriage is a life-long event. Women are afraid of marrying the wrong man, but the same goes for men. I have to get along with you personally before knowing what you’re really like. A background check is just a few lines of summary.”“Yes, marriage is a life-long event. It seems we were both too hasty.”Serenity sighed, but said gratefully, “Fortunately, we fell in love with each other.”If she could do it all over again, she would probably make a different choice.“Keep going, Seren. I’ll listen to the story.” Zachary did not want to talk about the time when their marriage was hidden b
“Waters run deep in wealthy families. They can do anything for the sake of their interests, but don’t worry, Seren. Our family isn’t like that. Even if I paid someone in our family to take my spot as the head, they wouldn’t want to.”Serenity believed in Zachary’s words.She met her in-laws several times. Whether it was her elders or peers, they were all good people. The only person who was a little prejudiced against her and was not satisfied with her was her mother-in-law, but the latter still did not do anything to harm her.When she was angry at Zachary, her mother-in-law accompanied Grandma May to apologize to her instead of taking the opportunity to tell Zachary to divorce her.Perhaps to Tania, although she cared about what her daughter-in-law’s background was, her son’s feelings and happiness were more important than that.“Mrs. Newman was glaring at me like she was trying to kill me. I wonder if she’ll badmouth me to her husband when she goes home. Zachary, is the Newman
“Go back to the room and change out of your dress.”Zachary wanted to pick Serenity up as he spoke, but she stopped him.“I can walk.”Serenity stood up. Her legs felt much better after Zachary’s massage.“Seren, you won’t even give me the chance to perform. I want to train my arm strength. Carrying you around is a good way of training.”Serenity pinched his face lightly. “What do you mean you want to train your arm strength? You work out every day. Let’s go to sleep already.”“I’ll draw the bath for you.”Zachary did not carry her back to the room and went ahead to draw the bath for her. Then, he brought her pajamas so she could sleep comfortably after soaking in a hot bath.After coming out of the bath, Serenity climbed into bed and lay beside Zachary. She suddenly remembered something, propped her head up, and kissed him twice on the cheek. “Good night, Babe.”Zachary kissed her back. “Good night. Sweet dreams.”“I rarely have nightmares.”Serenity lay down and habitually
“Mr. Newman is protective and dotes on his children the most, but your daughter-in-law caused his beloved daughter to make a fool out of herself in public. Mr. and Mrs. Newman probably hate your daughter-in-law now. Isn’t she causing trouble for the York family?“Mrs. York, you should discipline your daughter-in-law. She represents the York family now. She has a bad background, and her parents are dead, so she had no one to educate her. Shouldn’t you correct that wild nature of hers? How can someone like her be the missus of the York family?”The other party went on a tirade about Serenity.Tania’s expression darkened on the spot.Liam saw the drastic change in his wife’s face and asked with concern, “Who’s calling? What did they say?”Tania did not immediately answer her husband’s question, but coldly refuted the other party and said, “Mrs. Walker, what does this matter have to do with you? You went on and on about my daughter-in-law not minding her own business, but aren’t you d
“Ms. Carrie drugged her own sister?” It came as a shock to Liam. “I know, right? Serenity did a good thing by saving Ms. Camryn’s life, but the busybodies said Serenity should mind her own business. “They had the nerve to say that Serenity’s meddling rubbed Mrs. Newman and her younger daughter off the wrong way. Apparently, Mr. Newman can be very protective of his family. So what? I’m protective too! My daughter-in-law fears no one! I have Serenity’s back even if she upset all Wiltspoonians. Of course, on the condition that she’s in the right. “That really riled me up. I can’t believe they tried to stir the pot with me. Are they trying to make me the first person ever to break apart the peace of the Yorks?”Liam uttered with a smile, “My wife is too smart to be fooled.” “I’m fuming here, and yet you’re smiling there. Serenity is your daughter-in-law too, you know. Let me put this out there. You better criticize anyone who calls Serenity an insensible and meddling country bum
The chilly spring and the soak in the bath of ice water gave Carrie a cold. With her temperature running high in the middle of the night, Mrs. Newman was quick to notify the family doctor. The doctor examined Carrie and prescribed her medication. Mrs. Newman fed her daughter the medication and stayed by her daughter’s side. Mrs. Newman only left her daughter’s bedroom when Carrie’s fever subsided. “Where’s Camryn? Didn’t she come back last night?” The mention of her elder daughter turned Mrs. Newman’s tenderness into a scowl. “That blind girl got Ms. Stone’s help through some dumb luck. That country bumpkin was on her side too.“That country bumpkin with no parents thinks she’s all that after marrying into a wealthy family. Carrie would’ve been fine if she stayed out of our business. The country bumpkin struck fast. She must work out in the gym a lot.” The couple talked about last night’s incident while walking down the stairs. Mrs. Newman hated Serenity’s guts. Her daughter
Complying with her husband’s request, Mrs. Newman reluctantly put a gift together. She then saw Mr. Newman out the door. Once Mr. Newman was gone, Mrs. Newman murmured to herself, “She’s just a country bumpkin. I doubt Mr. York will love her forever. The girl’s just a breath of fresh air to Mr. York for now. The country bumpkin won’t be the lady of the house for long once he’s bored of her.” Half an hour later, Zachary got a call through the intercom. Mr. Chaplin relayed Mr. Newman’s wishes to meet. Needless to say, Zachary knew why Mr. Newman was here. Mr. Newman turned up before Zachary had a chance to get even with the guy. “Let him in,” Zachary callously responded to Mr. Chaplin. Mr. Chaplin hung up and relayed the message. Sitting in the building’s VIP lounge on the first floor, Mr. Newman quietly but restlessly waited. He pulled himself together at the sound of incoming footsteps, pretending to play it cool as the receptionist approached. “Mr. Newman, our CEO wi
It had long come to Mr. Newman’s attention that Zachary was aloof and not the easiest to get on with. It was too early for Mr. Newman to say if he could get along with Zachary. Nevertheless, it was true that Zachary was an indifferent man. Mr. Newman had been around the business world for many years, and during his management of Newman Enterprise for more than a decade had turned a small business into a billion-dollar corporation. Although the Newmans thrived in foreign business, Mr. Newman had influence and connections in Wiltspoon too. “Mr. Zachary, I’m here to apologize on behalf of my daughter and wife,” Mr. Newman explained with a smile. Zachary callously replied, “I’ve never met your wife and daughter.” “Here’s the thing, Mr. Zachary. My wife and daughter got into a bit of a misunderstanding and conflict with your wife. I have given them a telling-off, but since my wife has to take care of my sick daughter, I’m here on behalf of them to apologize to your wife. “I didn
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k
Dylan said, “Go ahead.”He was a bit hungry too and wanted to eat.Imogen called for Wendy and instructed her to make a fresh pot of tea and serve some of the snacks she usually ate.Once Wendy finished preparing the tea, Imogen poured a cup for Dylan and said, “You can start your story now.”“Ms. Doyle, I’m not making up a story, I’m—Ms. Doyle, you are Fox, aren’t you?” Dylan asked again.“Mr. York, I’ve told you, I don’t know who Fox is. I only know a fox is an animal, like in the zoo. If you ask me again if I’m Fox, I’ll think you’re calling me a vixen.”“‘Fox’ is just a nickname, meaning she’s very cunning and deceptive. I call her Chameleon Fox for her ability to shape-shift into many different identities. She changes so much that people mistake her for many different people, but in reality, she’s only one person.”Imogen looked quite interested and said, “Oh, so you think I’m Chameleon Fox, who likes to deceive people? Do you have any evidence for this?”“No, I don’t.”“
Couples always talked about eternal love, but how many could truly last forever?Dylan stammered, unable to say anything. Could he say that he suspected she was Fox? It was just a guess, with no evidence.Under Imogen’s gaze, Dylan steeled himself and spoke honestly, “I came to apologize to you.”Imogen raised an eyebrow. “Apologize? You already apologized to me the last time we spoke. There’s no need to apologize again. I’m not angry at you. When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s all about reciprocation. You can’t force it.“Feelings can’t be pressured into existence, so I won’t pressure you to accept me.“Plus, it’s been so long, and I have no feelings for you anymore. For that, I should thank you for clearing things up for me early on. At that time, I had just started to like you and could give up so quickly because of that.”Dylan, embarrassed, said, “Ms. Doyle, it’s not about that. Recently, I… secretly followed you.”“You followed me? Why?” Imogen pretended to be clue
“Drink it while it’s hot. Only when it’s steaming will it have the best effect to ward off the cold.”Dylan nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. He threw the tissue into the trash bin, but when he saw that the bin was full of tissues, he felt even more embarrassed.He picked the steaming hot soup up carefully and took a big sip.It was so spicy!The spice almost made him spit it out. Remembering that Imogen was right next to him, he forced himself to swallow it. After just one sip, Dylan put the bowl down.“Ms. Doyle, the soup is too hot. I’ll drink it later,” he said.It was too spicy. He did not want to take a second sip.“I’ll take the medicine first,” he added.Compared to drinking the soup, Dylan would rather take the medicine. The medicine might be bitter, but he could handle it.Imogen immediately called him out. “You’re afraid of the spice and you don’t want to drink the soup, do you?”Dylan sneezed again and then poured himself some water to take the medicine.Hav
All he could do was hold it in. However, he soon sneezed again.Imogen commented, “My dad told you to stand in the cold without your coat, and you really did it, like an idiot. It’s not like you feel anything for me or you’re trying to win my affection, so there’s really no need for you to listen to my dad.”Luckily, she came out quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have turned into an icicle.“It was my fault before. I hurt you, so it's only natural that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are angry with me. They didn’t hit me or scold me, and they just made me stand out in the cold for a while; they’re already being very lenient,” said Dylan, sneezing again.He was usually in good health, but this time, he was afraid he might really catch a cold.Imogen glanced at him without saying anything. She led Dylan into the house and asked their housekeeper if the soup was ready.Wendy replied, “Almost.”Imogen nodded and asked Dylan to sit down. Then, she poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Have you ea
Dylan finally put his coat on after Imogen said that. He had only been standing there for half an hour but even in that short time, he had become so cold.Once he put his jacket on, Imogen turned around and began walking inside. “Come with me.”“Okay,” Dylan quickly bent down to grab the gifts before quickening his steps to catch up with Imogen. “Thank you, Ms. Doyle.”Imogen glanced at him for a moment before turning away. “I was just afraid you might freeze to death at my doorstep, and then your family would come after mine. Plus, since your sisters-in-law are my good friends, I couldn't just let you die at my gate.”After leaving Wiltspoon, Imogen had not gone back there under her real name, but she had stayed in touch with Serenity and the others and was still on very good terms with them.Dylan smiled and said, “Serenity will give birth in a few months, and Josh’s wife is also pregnant, but she's a month ahead of Serenity. Liberty and Duncan have already registered their marr
Her daughter’s excellence was all thanks to Silver’s influence.“What I wanted to tell you was that Dylan is standing at our doorstep. He said he wanted to see you. Your dad and I refused and told him to leave, but he’s not budging.”Imogen was not surprised by this, but she still pretended to be surprised, so as not to raise her mother’s suspicion.“Why’s he here?” Imogen asked, feigning ignorance.“Who knows? He didn’t say. He only said he wanted to see you. The way he treated you, playing with your feelings—your dad and I have been holding in a lot of anger for a long time. “But you didn’t want us to confront him, so we couldn’t vent it. Now he’s come knocking, wanting to see you? It won’t be that easy.”Imogen was not planning to meet Dylan either.“Your dad told him to stand outside for two hours with his coat off and that if he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll let him see you.”Imogen was speechless for a moment. “Mom, it’s freezing outside. Even wearing a thick coat, it’s