“When did I say I was going back to the manor tomorrow for a barbeque?” Zachary asked.If Duncan wanted to have some barbeque, could he not eat somewhere else? Why did it have to be at the manor?“And squid, lamb, and big prawns. Anyway, I like eating whatever you roast.”Duncan continued talking to himself about the food as if he did not hear what Zachary said.Zachary proceeded to hang up immediately after that.Though, Duncan’s words did make him think about the idea. Tomorrow was Sunday and they did not need to go to work. Plus, he had never brought Serenity to the manor before. He would do as Duncan said and invite a few friends to the manor for a barbecue. There was indeed a barbecue area back at the manor.He could even bring Serenity back to stay for a few days and let her familiarize herself with the surroundings. The beautiful landscape there might cheer her up too.While the plan brewed in his head, Zachary texted Duncan: [Got it. Call Josh too, and tell him to bring
Serenity had long learned that the Yorks were not living in Whitmore Mansion, the residence they stayed in during the New Year’s holidays. The Yorks had cleaned up the place and moved back in just to deceive her.Lying was hard work!Zachary replied fondly, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. Anyway, it’s our home. We can go back whenever we want to and stay however long we wish.”Serenity was about to take the apron off him while saying, “I’ll go make dinner.”“There’s no need. I only have two more dishes to cook, then I’m done. You should just sit here and appreciate the blooms while I finish up.”Zachary stopped her, not allowing her to enter the kitchen.Serenity then kissed him on the cheek.Zachary felt happiness blossom in his heart.He returned to the kitchen to continue cooking with elation.“Babe.”Serenity knew he liked to hear her call him “babe”. She would indulge him while they were at home. “You invited Josh and Mr. Lewis to the barbecue but I don’t think that’s enou
“Dad brought Sonny to play in the park.”Serenity asked him, “Has Dad left already?”“Dad’s gone back already. He said he’ll come again tomorrow to take me out to play. I wanna go to the zoo and Dad said he would bring me there. Aunt Ser, do you want to come with me to the zoo tomorrow?”Hank took Sonny out to play for a while and the little guy was really happy. Now, he only had his father on his mind and kept talking about him.Serenity laughed and said, “Aunt Ser is going to a barbecue tomorrow. Your mom’s going too. Do you want to come, Sonny?”Without any hesitation, Sonny replied, “I want to go! Then I’m not going to the zoo with Dad anymore.” Both the aunt and nephew went back and forth with questions and answers, happily chatting away. Serenity only ended the call after a long while, then proceeded to call Jasmine and Elisa, inviting them to go on a road trip to Wildridge Manor together the next day.It was said that Wildridge Manor was captivating and was a scenic area
Zachary helplessly looked at the two women.Once Serenity was done laughing, he said, “Honey, have some soup first.”Serenity said in relief, “Luckily, I wasn’t drinking soup earlier, or else I might have spat it out.”“Dig in.”Grandma May laughed as she scooped from a dish she liked. After tasting it, she frowned and said, “Seren, these weren’t cooked by you, were they? It tastes a little different from before.”“Does it taste bad?” Zachary asked. “If you think it tastes bad, I’ll call Kevin right now and get him to pick you up so you can go to the hotel and eat all the delicacies there since my homecooked food isn’t to your taste.”“Such a belligerent tone. It must be Zachary’s cooking.”Grandma May continued to eat as if nothing had happened and said to Serenity, “Seren, Zack’s cooking hasn’t improved much. You should let him practice more. Let him cook on the weekends and prepare all your meals. With more opportunities to practice, his cooking will get better.”Zachary’s
It was after Zachary had lost weight and started having gastric problems again that Serenity felt pity for him and that was how their relationship got better. Thus, his deception and concealment of his identity had come and gone with the wind.Serenity came out of the bedroom with a jacket on and she had helped grab one for Zachary too.“It’s really windy tonight and the spring chill is still lingering. You should put on a jacket before we go out.”Serenity walked over and thoughtfully helped Zachary put on his jacket. His face was full of smiles.Grandma May looked away, unwilling to look at her silly grandson.The couple left for their walk, hand in hand.Meanwhile at the Browns’ rented house, Mrs. Brown came to the door.She was anticipating greeting her son when she heard the door open. Once she saw that it was really Hank, she asked in concern, “How was it? Was it open? Where did Liberty bring Sonny? Did she hide with Sonny somewhere else because we kept disturbing her?”
Hank sat down on the sofa and after a moment of silence he said, “That Mr. Lewis seems to be pursuing Liberty.”“No, it doesn’t just seem like it. He really is pursuing Liberty. If he didn’t feel anything for Liberty, why is he constantly going to Liberty’s diner?”Mrs. Brown heard her son bring this matter up and took this opportunity to advise him. “Hank, look at how Liberty has opened her own business now. And a breakfast diner at that. With her cooking skills, business will definitely be good.“She’s also a very hardworking woman who knows how to get by and is now losing weight. She’s not as ugly as she was before. You see, she can even attract top executives like Mr. Lewis, which means she’s still immensely valuable on the market.“The main thing is, right now, her family is strongly backing her. Don’t even mention that Serenity is Zachary York’s wife—just her rich aunt alone is impressive. I’ve heard Mrs. Stone has a lot of say in the Stone family.“As long as you remarry Li
Without realizing it, Hank had become his sister’s enabler for many years.Mrs. Brown was at a loss for words.The door opened.Hank dropped the conversation with his mother, guessing that Jessica had come home.As expected, when the door opened, Jessica walked in with two portions of fast food.“Darling, you’re back. You’re right on time—let’s eat. I got two set meals for us.”Jessica walked over, carrying the two set meals. She sat down beside Hank and opened a bag to take out one set meal and passed it to Hank. Then, she placed her portion on the coffee table, opened the fast food cover, and began to eat.Hank looked at his mother, then looked at Jessica, and asked, “Darling, did you only get two sets? What about Mom and Dad?”Jessica said as she ate, “I didn’t buy any for them. They can cook whatever they want. There are still two packets of instant noodles at home—enough for them to have one each. And there still are three eggs, enough for the three of you to have one each
The first thing the next morning, Duncan got up anxiously. He got changed and went out the door after washing up without even eating breakfast.He was terrified that his mother would shove Lily on him and make him accompany her everywhere.In the face of a mother who was always urging him to get married, the best policy was to leave.Truth be told, Duncan could understand where his mother was coming from since he was already thirty-six, after all, and not twenty-six. His eldest nephew was about to get married too while as the youngest uncle, he still had no girlfriend. How could his mother not be worried then?The result of escaping to Brynfield so early in the morning and calling Zachary at the entrance to the neighborhood was—“Go away!” Zachary was still lying on his bed with his wife in his arms. When he received the call from his good friend, with a dark expression, he bluntly replied Duncan with those two words.“Why are you so fierce? Considering our many years of friendsh