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
“Mr. Lewis is already here. Hurry up, get up, and go outside to bring him in,” Serenity said as she once again got out of bed. Zachary tried to pull her back onto the bed once more, but she expertly dodged him.As he watched her walk to her wardrobe to take some clothes, he said, “It’s not like I asked him to come over and wait. He wanted to come over, so just let him wait. Once Kevin is here, we can get Jim to go out and lead them both in to save Jim from making the trip twice.”Serenity picked out the clothes she was going to change into and also grabbed a suit for Zachary.“I’m on leave, so I’m not wearing a suit.”Serenity turned back, holding the suit, and very quickly grabbed a different set of clothes for him to change into.She walked into the bathroom to change, and Zachary said to his wife’s receding back as he held his clothes, “Honey, we’re already an old married couple. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about changing in the same room.”Serenity could not be bother
Zachary responded faintly, “Nana, didn’t you say I’m bad at cooking?” “You are, but I’m your nana. As bad as your food tastes, I’ll honor you so you’ll have some confidence.” Zachary was speechless. Ring, ring, ring…His phone rang, so he answered it to remove himself from bickering with his nana. He had never been able to win arguments against her. “Zachary, I’m at the entrance of your neighborhood, but I can’t enter without an access card. Duncan is here too. He said he has been waiting for half an hour.”It was Kevin who called. Their nana informed them in their family group chat last night that everyone in Wiltspoon had to return to the manor today. Serenity’s elders were going to visit for the first time, so the others had to be home to welcome them as a form of respect toward her. After all, Serenity would be the wife of the head of their family in the future. Her authority should be established bit by bit. “You came real quick.” Zachary added indifferently, “
Serenity greeted Kevin and Duncan with a smile. She closed the door after Duncan entered the house. By the time she turned around, she saw that Grandma May had asked everyone to gather for breakfast. Zachary doted on his wife and knew what Serenity liked to eat, so he asked Kevin to bring some of her favorites. There was plenty to choose from. Even though Duncan showed up uninvited, there was enough food for everyone. After having a full meal, Grandma May instructed Duncan, “Duncan, go to Liberty’s place now to pick up her and her son, then go to my place together.” Duncan’s eyes flickered. He immediately wondered why he was summoned again. He asked, “Grandma May, how many people have you asked to join the barbecue?” “I don’t know? In any case, I notified everyone in the family group chat. Everyone in Wiltspoon is to return to the manor today.” Duncan was speechless. It sounded like the Yorks were going to have a family meeting. Duncan only wanted to gather with a few f
Wildridge Manor was the home built with love by Zachary’s grandfather for his wife. It covered an extremely vast area. The landscape of the manor was artificially created according to Grandma May’s preferences. Grandma May liked an antique and classic feel, hence Wildridge Manor was built like a garden. The gate of the manor opened. It was worth noting that the sons of the Yorks usually lived in their respective villas and would only return to the manor during festivities such as Christmas and New Year’s for a few days to accompany the elders. Apart from those times, it would be difficult to see them here. Today, the sons returned and were especially early. A few of them even had breakfast with their parents. As for their parents, regardless of the plans they made, they turned them down and waited conscientiously for Grandma May to return. Serenity was going to Wildridge Manor with Zachary for the first time. On the way, when she listened to Grandma May talk about the sce
Grandma May patted the back of Serenity’s hand as she spoke. “You and Zack haven’t held your wedding yet anyway. It’s not too late to have a child after the wedding. You should enjoy your romantic time together during this time.” It was fine as long as the young married couple was not taking contraception methods. They would have a child sooner or later. Serenity responded with a hum. She was not in a hurry, so she would just go with the flow. “Zack.” Grandma May suddenly asked Zachary, who was driving, “Has Callum made a move?” “How would I know? I only care about what he does in the company. I don’t care about what he does after work. He’s an adult and not a three-year-old kid. He doesn’t need his big brother watching over him.” Grandma May choked. “Nana, do you mean Camryn?” Serenity added, “I’ve seen her in person.” Grandma May had long known that Serenity and Camryn had met. She even knew Serenity had helped Camryn at the banquet, but she pretended not to know
Grandma May was glad to see the manor’s gate open. She turned to look at Duncan’s car behind them. Liberty and her son were in his car. Following behind Duncan’s car was Darrell’s family of three. Clive had to keep the pregnant Alice company because she was having morning sickness. She vomited everything she ate and only wanted to stay in bed every day, so it was not convenient for them to get out of the house. The second son of the Stones was rarely home, and Mrs. Stone did not ask him to come with. It would be enough for her and her husband to show up with Elisa.Zachary led everyone to park their cars in the open parking lot. Sam, the manor’s head butler, welcomed everyone with a smile. While Zachary opened the door to get out of his car, Sam opened the door for Old Mrs. York and reached out to support her. Unsurprisingly, she pushed him away and refused his help—it would make her look weak when she was clearly strong. “Old Mrs. York.” Sam smiled and greeted her w
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabella’s private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austin’s cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austin’s perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancées. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancée. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s