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
Jasmine, who was sitting next to Josh, stuck her head out to see Duncan’s puzzled face. She pursed her lips and smiled. Duncan and Zachary were the same. Josh, on the other hand, had a high IQ and EQ. Among the three of them, he played the role of a consultant. Elisa and Remy were chatting happily. Remy was also only able to sit still because Elisa was talking to him. Otherwise, he would feel so troubled that he would want to slip away. He was most afraid of such an occasion. Seeing Old Mrs. York was likened to seeing the boss of his family. His grandmother was also always worried about his and his brothers’ marriages.Fortunately, Remy’s grandmother was not as active as Grandma May. Even so, she had handed them over to Remy’s sister-in-law to manage their marriages. This was because Jane had the potential to be a matchmaker. Josh stared at Duncan for a while and said, “Tactless people can’t use 0.25mm pencil leads.” “I don’t like to use 0.25mm pencil leads anyway—they
“Mr. Johnson, do you think Serenity and Jasmine were smiling strangely?” Since they stopped chasing her, Elisa walked side by side with Remy. She looked back at them as she walked. Elisa saw them whispering with their men. She would be lying to herself if she said she was not jealous, especially of Serenity. This was because Serenity’s partner was Zachary, whom Elisa had a crush on for years. Zachary treated her coldly and did not look her in the eye in the past. Elisa thought that it was his nature and that he would never be gentle his whole life. After witnessing the way Zachary and Serenity got along, Elisa realized that it was not that he did not know how to be gentle, but that side of him was not for her. Of course, Elisa was simply envious. She no longer had feelings for Zachary. Especially when Zachary had acknowledged Elisa as his cousin-in-law, Elisa knew the man would never belong to her. There were many fishes in the sea, so Elisa did not need to be hung up on
“Sure,” Remy said. Elisa asked, “Mr. Johnson, your family lives in a manor too, right?” Remy hummed and responded, “Ms. Stone, call me Remy. We’ll be neighbors soon, so there’s no need for us to act like strangers. A near neighbor is better than a distant relative.” “Alright, but you shouldn’t call me Ms. Stone either. In your words, there’s no need for neighbors to act like strangers. You can call me Elisa.” Remy smiled and continued, “Our family’s old house is also a manor, similar to that of Mr. York’s family. Ours is called FC Manor.” He looked at the scenery in front of them and said to Elisa, “It looks like Old Mrs. York and my grandma have similar tastes and preferences. They’re from the same era and have the same aesthetic standard. FC Manor and Wildridge Manor are quite similar.” If he had to point out a difference between the two manors, it would be that FC Manor was slightly bigger. Elisa also looked at her surroundings. “I used to dream of living here. It’s qu
“In the end, Cupid had to come down to Earth to clean up his apprentice’s mess and bring together the man and woman who were fated to be a couple. The show felt so magical when I first watched it. I was young and didn’t understand love, but the idea of bringing two people together by shooting them with arrows seemed really interesting.”Zachary asked, “Was there a TV show like that? I don’t remember seeing it. I rarely have time to watch TV.”He was the successor of the company and had to learn more than his peers since his childhood. He received all kinds of training and education, so of course he did not have time to watch TV.“When my parents were still alive, I often watched TV shows with them. TVs back then were still in black and white.“After my parents passed away, my sister and I were on our own. We had to focus on studying and didn’t have time to watch TV for several years. We only watched a few shows occasionally after we started working and had time.”Zachary held her
Serenity watched her brothers-in-law bickering and felt envious. The brothers and uncles of the York family were harmonious, unlike the Hunt family where everyone was trying to plot against another.“Elisa, what did you say you wanted to invest in?”Serenity remembered about the investment and asked Elisa about it while eating the barbecue seafood platter her man specially prepared for her.Jasmine also pricked her ears to listen.She also felt some pressure now because of Josh. When she saw how her best friend was trying so hard to improve herself in order to shorten the gap between Zachary and her, Jasmine did not want to stand idly by anymore.“All the industries are saturated now, so it’s hard for us to compete with others. When I accompanied you back to your hometown yesterday, I saw the fields in your village were basically deserted.”Serenity nodded. “Many of them are abandoned. The young people leave the village to work, so only the elderly and children are left at home.
Liberty thought about it and said, “You’re right. Elisa, your way of thinking is much better than ours. You should learn more from Elisa, Seren.”The Hunt sisters were motivated and ambitious, but they might not be as good as Elisa when it came to investing and making money. After all, Elisa came from a family who ran their own business, so she at least had some experience.Elisa blushed and laughed, “I only thought of renting the fields to plant fruits and vegetables after I saw so many fields deserted on the way back to your hometown.“I talked to Clive, and he said that it’s feasible. He said that no matter what project we invest in, any project that makes us money is a good project. He suggested we give it a try.”Elisa added confidently, “Let’s just give it a go. It’ll be good if we can profit, but if we fail, it’ll be a learning experience. In any case, I’m not short of money.“Seren, mention it to Zachary later at night. If he thinks it’s worth a try, then we’ll go for it.
Fortunately, Quinn herself was strong, and her family was not pushovers either. She turned to look at Julian.Without asking, Julian knew exactly what she was thinking, and he quickly reassured her, “Quinn, you don’t have to worry. That kind of thing won’t happen to us. I’m your rock. As long as I’m around, no one can bully you. In my family, apart from my parents, everyone else has to accede to me, and you know how my parents feel about you. They’re so grateful to you that they practically worship you like a goddess.“You’re familiar with the York family now and have seen the way they operate, right? Well, my family and the Yorks are old family friends. Birds of a feather flock together. The reason our two families are so close is we have similar family values.“Setting aside the fact that your family is powerful enough and supportive of you—even if you were like Serenity in the beginning, my family would never look down on you or mistreat you. They would only love and cherish you.
Stacy was actually hoping that Julian and Quinn could get their marriage license today and hold the wedding right away. However, the date they had picked was after Christmas and they still had to wait over a month for the actual wedding. At least once they signed the papers, there was no need to worry about Quinn changing her mind. Stacy was afraid that Quinn and her family might have second thoughts, especially since her son was afflicted with a disorder.“Hey, sweetie.”When Stacy addressed Quinn, her tone was very gentle. Quinn thought that her future mother-in-law was even kinder and more considerate than her own mother. Her father had looked into the Buchams' character and knew that Stacy was actually quite formidable. To Quinn though, Stacy appeared so gentle and kind that she did not seem like the kind of person who would be overly strict or tough. Of course, anyone who could hold fast the position of the Buchams’ head missus and secure her husband’s love for decades as if
Quinn could not stop laughing when she saw him.Julian blushed a little in response. He asked, “What are you laughing at? Is my outfit ugly? Does it not look good?”He was used to wearing black clothes all the time. Although he had a white suit, he rarely wore it. Today, for the special occasion of legally getting married to Quinn, he had specifically chosen to wear white, a color symbolizing purity, to proclaim how his feelings were as pure as snow.“It’s not ugly, it looks great! You look even more handsome than usual. I’m just not used to seeing you in a white suit. Now, you look like a prince from a fairy tale—my prince.”Julian smiled indulgently. “That’s right. I’m your prince charming and yours alone. You look great in white, too, my dear wife.”It was Quinn’s turn to blush slightly. She was not used to being called his wife, especially since they had not even registered yet. Since they were about to go get their marriage license though, she might as well start getting used
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.