“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
Now, Tania and Mrs. Stone still had to sit together. Tania took Liberty’s hand affectionately and smiled as she said, “Liberty, just bring yourself next time, and don’t spend so much money on gifts.” Liberty responded with a smile, “I didn’t buy much, just some small gifts.” Tania looked at Sonny, who was being carried by Serenity. She asked, “Should I carry Sonny?” Duncan, who was carrying a bunch of stuff for Liberty, interrupted at this time. “Aunt Tania, Sonny is very picky. In any case, he doesn’t want me to carry him.” Tania looked at Duncan, whose hands were occupied. He looked like Liberty’s porter. In actuality, Sam had welcomed everyone and would arrange for people to carry the things brought by Liberty and Mrs. Stone no matter how many there were. There was no need for a guest like Duncan to do the work. Was Duncan trying to show off? A wise person who could see through the truth would not expose it. Tania smiled and said to Duncan, “Duncan, Sonny doesn’t want
For easier communication, Audrey and Liberty sat together after they entered the house. Audrey took the paper handed to her by Grandma May and looked at it with Liberty. In the end, the aunt and niece picked a date that was neither too far nor too near. “Let’s go with this date—it’s neither too soon nor late. We both have ample time to get ready,” Audrey said to the elders of the Yorks as she pointed at the date she and Liberty had chosen. Since her sister was no longer around, Audrey was ready to take over the responsibility and organize her niece’s wedding. She would definitely let Serenity marry into the Yorks in style and not let anyone look down on her. Grandma May, Tania, and the others had nothing to say about the date selected by Audrey. In any case, no matter which date was chosen by the in-laws, Grandma May had carefully shortlisted them. Lastly, they asked Zachary and Serenity for their opinion. Serenity had no comment. On the other hand, Zachary looked at the
Serenity laughed and said, “I hope I’ll be toasting at your wedding soon.”Peter replied, “I think I'll get married before Dylan does.”Dylan’s romantic path had been much more complicated because he had not wanted to follow the smooth, well-paved road that Grandma May had arranged for him.“We have lots of happy occasions lined up after Christmas, then,” Camryn remarked.“Yes, lots,” Serenity agreed.The courtyard was lively, with the elders occasionally joining in on the fun. Meanwhile, inside the house, Dylan was thinking about what Serenity had told him. She had repeatedly said that the person Grandma May picked for him would definitely be the right one, someone who would suit him well.She also suggested that he look into Imogen and that there might be a pleasant surprise in store for him, but that he was not to let Imogen know. The implication in Serenity’s words was that Imogen might be Fox and that Fox’s real identity was Imogen Doyle herself.After understanding Serenit
Dylan frowned as he pondered deeply.“The scent from outside is wafting in. I think the food’s ready. I’m going out to have a couple of skewers to satisfy my cravings. You can stay here and think things through.”Seeing that Dylan had finally grasped the main point, Serenity stopped the conversation and went out to have some barbecue. It had been a long time since she had eaten barbecue.After getting pregnant, although she was not as strictly monitored as Jasmine was, she still paid close attention to her diet and would do her best to avoid things she could not eat or had to limit. Liberty called her every few days to remind her to be careful.When Zachary saw Serenity come out of the house, he immediately picked up a plate of freshly grilled skewers to his beloved wife, saying, “I deliberately used less seasoning on these for you, so you can eat them with peace of mind. Sonny’s asleep now, right?” “He fell asleep long ago, after playing so hard today,” Serenity replied, then gr
In that case, Grandma May would not even need to step in to teach him a lesson. His older brothers would beat him up multiple times for tarnishing the York family’s reputation and dragging their names in the mud with his own.“Dylan, I told you that if you didn’t trust Nana, you’d face the consequences. Look, you’re starting to suffer now, aren’t you?” Serenity said. Who was Grandma May? She was a kind-hearted but cunning old fox who could sell someone out and still make them feel grateful for it as they counted the money she made for her. How could she pick a bad match for her grandsons? There was no way they would be unsuitable. “Serenity, it’s not that I don’t trust Nana, it’s just that I really couldn’t fall in love with Imogen. I feel like if I couldn’t fall for her in almost three months then I just won’t. And I always thought about Fox when I was with Imogen. I’m not some naïve kid who doesn’t understand what that means.” Dylan smiled bitterly. His family always compla
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.
“Well, Rowan can play for a couple of days, but he has to start working on his homework soon. The college entrance exam is around the corner, and we can't let him relax too much.”“Rowan's grades are very stable and good. It won’t be hard for him to get into college, so don't put too much pressure on him. It's not necessary for him to get into the same university you and the others went to.”Serenity still remembered the pressure she had felt in high school, though it was not as much as Rowan felt, and her sister's expectations for her were more relaxed; she was only expected to do her best. No matter what the results were, Liberty would accept it. Of course, if she could get into an Ivy League university, that would be great. Otherwise, getting into an Ivy Plus university would also be fine. If that did not work out, she could go to a public university or even take a gap year. Liberty would have been okay with any of it. Her sister always told her that as long as she was physica
Zachary would not do such a thing. Julian laughed. “It’s my first time getting married. I’m asking around because I’m inexperienced. That way, I can make a plan.”Zachary turned to look at him. He said, “How many more times do you intend to get married? I didn’t have any experience either back then. It was my first time going to City Hall. Besides, Seren and I got married in a rush and did not even know each other well. After getting our marriage license, I completely forgot that I was a married man.“You’re in a better situation than I was. At least you and Quinn have feelings for each other and a stable relationship.”Julian chuckled. He caught up to Zachary and placed his arm on his shoulder. He said, “We all know what we should avoid after you’ve set an example.”Zachary was speechless. “You and Serenity are an enviable couple now.“I want to learn from you and make people jealous of Quinn as well.”Zachary brushed Julian’s hand off. “I think you’ll do a better job than m
Zachary and Julian exited the house with two housekeepers behind them, holding a tray each with snacks and drinks. The two men had excellent eyesight and quickly spotted the love of their lives sitting at a bench some distance away. Zachary knew that it was because Serenity got tired from walking. In the past, some pregnant female employees would return to work despite being pretty far along in their pregnancies. Their workload was only slightly lighter. Since Zachary had seen those employees insisting on working even though they were pregnant, he used to think being pregnant and giving birth were not that difficult. He had never put himself in the shoes of the female employees. They insisted on working because they feared being replaced if they took an extended maternity leave. When they returned, they could be discriminated against and had to start all over again. While there were opportunities to be promoted in a megacorporation, one had to climb the corporate ladder ste