Mrs. Marshall thought Serenity’s voice was pleasant. She held her hand in a friendly manner and complimented her. Serenity responded to everyone’s compliments with grace, which disappointed those who wanted to see her make a fool of herself. Some people thought Mrs. Stone was indeed good at teaching. Serenity had only attended a few banquets with Mrs. Stone, yet she had managed to train a country bumpkin into a graceful missus of a wealthy family. The York family of four went on to meet Old Mr. Marshall. After looking at Serenity for some time, Old Mr. Marshall did not say a word. However, he gave her a generous gift in front of everyone. He even told Zachary, “You two must live a happy life. Your nana won’t go wrong.”Zachary was soft toward Old Mr. Marshall. “Thank you, Old Mr. Marshall. I’ll cherish and love Seren a lot.”Old Mr. Marshall smiled kindly. He was much older than Old Mrs. York, and his energy could not compare to hers. He would only meet youngsters of higher
After greeting the hosts, everyone started looking for their friends to chat with or discuss business. At first, Serenity stayed by Zachary’s side. He did not have to go to other people to discuss collaborations as there were many CEOs who wished to collaborate with him. Serenity watched as Zachary became the spotlight no matter where he went. Everyone revolved around him. She whispered to her husband, “I overestimated myself when I said I wanted to be on equal standing as you.”Rather than thinking of being on par with him, running behind him would be good enough for her. Zachary raised their interlocked hands. He stared into her with smiling eyes and said gently, “We’re holding hands and standing shoulder to shoulder now.“Honey, to me, there’s no distance between us. If there were any, it would be me being a man and you being a woman.”Serenity smiled. She had learned socializing from Aunt Audrey for some time. She figured out and learned many things along the way and gai
It turned out that Zachary had been using Serenity as an excuse for some time. No wonder he smelt nice and fresh when he came home recently. Of course, Serenity did not want Zachary to drink so much alcohol. His stomach had been unwell before, and she had spent time nursing him back to health. It would be better if he avoided drinking whenever he could. However, he deliberately created an image of him being bossed around by his wife…Zachary held onto Serenity’s waist. He scolded Josh with a smile and said to Jasmine, “You shouldn’t be laughing happily, Ms. Sox. Josh uses you as an excuse too.”Jasmine said, “I’m okay with it. He can use me as an excuse as much as he wants to as long as he’s healthy. You two are the same. Serenity and I have never been strict and given you guys enough freedom. You’re the ones labeling yourselves as men who’re afraid of their wives.” Serenity grinned. “They’re not even scared of being ridiculed.”“No one dares to laugh at me for being afraid
Zachary clinked glasses with Josh, but he did not drink. He replied, “Clive’s wife is pregnant. You didn’t just find out about this. If it were you, would you have brought your wife to such a venue tonight?”After a moment of silence, Josh said, “I forgot about it. People of no importance are none of my concern. If my Jasmine were pregnant, I wouldn’t even let her walk. I’ll carry her around.”Zachary found it funny and said, “Being pregnant isn’t the same as falling sick. There’s no need to be so nervous. Pregnant women have to have sufficient exercise too.”Josh pouted. “You’re talking now, but wait till your wife gets pregnant. If you can maintain the same opinion when that time comes, I’ll treat you to a meal.”“You’re talking as if I don’t have food. I cook for Seren whenever I have time. My cooking skills have leveled up.”They chatted in low voices as they walked toward the crowd. Many people raised their glasses in their direction as a form of greeting. Josh smiled and
Otherwise, even Mrs. Stone would have wanted to bring Jasmine and her son together.Josh would have thought, ‘I was lucky that Zachary introduced me to Jasmine first.’Zachary deserved a reward for playing matchmaker. Elisa breathed a sigh of relief after getting away from the mothers. She complained that Serenity and Jasmine rescued her too late. “You’re exaggerating.”Serenity found it funny. She said, “You even used the word ‘rescue’.”“The ladies seemed easy going though.”Jasmine smiled and said, “Their gazes on you were so gentle.”Elisa shuddered. She said, “They were looking at me as if I was their daughter-in-law.”That statement made Serenity and Jasmine laugh. “Seren, look.”Elisa suddenly nudged Serenity and stuck her lips out in a direction. “What’s wrong?”Serenity and Jasmine looked in the direction Elisa indicated. Jasmine saw Duncan was with an unfamiliar woman. Serenity did not find anything unusual because she had seen Duncan and Lily before. She
“Mrs. York.”They were stopped by Mrs. Newman and Camryn just after taking several steps. Camryn was being dragged by Mrs. Newman. When Serenity saw Camryn was about to fall, she instinctively stretched her hand to support her. “Be careful, Camryn.”Serenity steadied Camryn before looking toward Mrs. Newman. Mrs. Newman squeezed a smile. “Thank you for helping Camryn, Mrs. York. She can’t see, so she falls easily.”Elisa said, “She’s blind, yet you keep dragging her.”Mrs. Newman’s smile faltered. “I guess the sun will rise from the west tomorrow,” Elisa said sarcastically. She gave Mrs. Newman a sidelong glance. “This is your first time bringing Camryn to a banquet, Mrs. Newman. How rare. Do you guys think the sun will rise from the west tomorrow?”Elisa’s mockery infuriated Mrs. Newman, but she did not let it show on her face. She maintained her smile and said, “Camryn is blind, and I can’t always be by her side even if I brought her to banquets. I was afraid of her ge
Serenity asked Camryn softly, “Is she trying to arrange a marriage for you and some rich man’s son?”After pressing her lips together, Camryn replied softly, “She won’t let me get married to a rich man. She’ll only give me to someone else. She can give me to anyone who’ll benefit her.”Serenity was furious upon hearing that. Sensing her anger, Camryn smiled unexpectedly. She said, “Don’t worry. I can protect myself.” She had a small blade with her wherever she went. Serenity still wanted to say something, but Camryn poked her palm again. Therefore, she did not say anything else. Mrs. Newman chose a quiet and relatively remote spot. She gestured to Serenity to sit. “Do you want anything to eat, Mrs. York? I’ll take some food for you.”“No, thank you. You can talk about what you want, Mrs. Newman.”Mrs. Newman laughed sheepishly. She said, “Mrs. York, you and Camryn clicked right away and are friends. Carrie is Camryn’s biological sister. Can you not sue Carrie for Camryn’s s
Serenity said seriously, “Mrs. Newman, I’m not insisting on having your daughter sentenced. Your daughter committed a crime. Whether or not she’ll be convicted, I don’t want myself to get hurt anymore. You should know your daughter well. You said she knows her mistake and guarantees not to hire someone to hurt me again. “You might believe her, but I don’t.”Mrs. Newman glared at Serenity with a dark expression. Her husband kept telling her to build a good relationship with Serenity and plead for mercy for their daughter. Did he think she did not want to build a good relationship with that country bumpkin? Did she not apologize, offer compensation, and plead for mercy for their daughter?She even asked Camryn to look for Serenity. However, Serenity was stubborn. She was determined to sue Carrie. Hatred boiled in Mrs. Newman’s heart. Since Serenity would not make things easier for them, she would not let Serenity live a peaceful life either.Mrs. Newman stood up and said wit
Hank’s parents had always been biased toward his sister, Chelsea. It would be difficult to change them. Their father, Luke, was a slightly better case because he had felt regretful ever since knowing Serenity was the York family’s missus. He regretted letting Hank date Jessica. After going through so much, he was more convinced that Liberty suited Hank better. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Hank could no longer return to the past. On the day Serenity and Zachary brought Sonny to the Browns’ place for a meal, Chelsea also brought Lucas back to visit her family. When Chelsea entered the house, Olivia was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She said, “I heard Liberty and Duncan getting married soon, Mom. The Lewises are preparing for the wedding. The couple will most likely get their marriage license after she returns from Jensburg.”Olivia looked indifferent. “That’s bound to happen sooner or later. Why are we still talking about her?“Even if she gets a boost in her
Next, she posted the pictures on social media. Many of her followers were her students’ parents. Only a minority of them were her friends or ex-classmates. She was flooded with blessings from them as well. One of Zoey Crawford’s worries was finally resolved. Since her daughter had gotten married, she would continue urging her sons to do the same. Zoey had been anxious that Quinn could never find a suitable partner because of her easy-going personality and proficiency in martial arts. Although she was introduced to a few men through matchmaking services, the men usually refused to show up. They were scared of the potential domestic abuse they could face since Quinn was good at fighting. They had heard of her countless accomplishments as well. Therefore, no one was interested in Quinn despite her decent figure, looks, and family background. This was where Zoey’s constant urging for her to find a life partner came from. Quinn had felt frustrated about Zoey’s nagging. She did not
Julian said gently, “You can meet Serenity, Jasmine, and Elisa often in the future.“By the way, don’t trust anything Elisa says. Take her words with a grain of salt.”Quinn asked, “What will Ms. Stone say to me? Why are you specifically asking me not to listen to her?”Julian cleared his throat. As he drove, he said embarrassedly, “I pretended to pursue Elisa for some time to help Remy back then.”Quinn said, “I didn’t know I had a love rival.”“Elisa isn’t your love rival. She and her family don’t fancy me anyway. When they knew I was pursuing her, Mrs. Stone immediately changed her mind and agreed to Remy and Elisa’s marriage. To her, I’m like a fierce beast unsuited for her baby daughter.”Quinn got invested and asked, “Why did helping Remy involve pursuing Elisa?”Julian came clean and recounted everything to Quinn. He did not want her to misunderstand.“Even your parents fell for your acting. I didn’t think you’d do such a thing.”“Don’t misunderstand, honey.”Quinn smi
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