Zachary got up and walked up the stairs; he could not be bothered about Callum anymore.“Zachary...”“Get out!”Callum was speechless.When his eldest brother’s figure disappeared, he grumbled, “He only cares about his happy life and doesn’t care about his brothers anymore.”Sam came in with a bouquet of flowers. Callum had ordered Sam to cut blooms from the garden for a bouquet as soon as he arrived.“Mr. Callum, you got the cold shoulder from Mr. Zachary, didn’t you? Why didn’t you look at the time first. Only roosters get up this early.”A rooster needed to get up early because it had to crow.“Mr. Callum, I’ve wrapped the bouquet for you as you ordered.”Sam handed the bouquet to Callum.Callum took the bouquet and looked at it, then said with contempt, “Sam, I remember the flowers blooming brilliantly in the garden. Why are the flowers in this bouquet so small? They don’t look pretty either.”Sam said, “The missus likes those large and flashy flowers, so I can’t cut the
Sonny perked up when he heard that they were sending breakfast over to his mother.Zachary looked at the two with a smile in his eyes and said, “Honey, when I see you and Sonny, you look like a parent who has to wake their child up for school every day.”Serenity looked at him and was just about to tell him to change his clothes, only to see that he had already changed.“Did you get up early? You already have your suit on.”“A certain lovesick fool called me and woke me up.”Serenity guessed that it was Callum and asked, “He called so early? And you didn’t ride on the radio waves to beat him up?”“I didn’t beat him up since he’s my brother. He can’t even solve a little problem, but he had the gall to laugh at me back then. The person who can help him the most is Nana, but he doesn’t know to go to her instead.”“Speaking of, I haven’t seen Nana in two days. I miss her.”Zachary picked Sonny up and went downstairs with Serenity.“She must have gone out to pick out more granddaug
Zachary placed the phone on the table and said to Serenity, “Nana is getting craftier.”He wanted to call her devious instead but was afraid that she would get back at him if word got to her.In the end, he decided to keep to himself.“A matchmaker is only responsible for introducing two people to each other, not to guarantee that the couple will have a child.”Serenity teased Zachary.Grandma May was only responsible for helping her grandsons choose their wives. How they pursued their wives was their business; it was not something for her to worry about.She still had several grandchildren at home who were still single.Recently when Dylan and the others learned about their nana’s method of choosing their wives, all of them grew nervous. In fact, they were shivering in fright.Every day, they wondered what kind of wife their nana would choose for them.Recently, they tried sweet-talking and coaxing their nana every day, wanting her to let them remain single for a few more yea
While Sonny went to class, Serenity went to the hospital accompanied by Zachary.She asked Zachary to stop when they passed by Spring Blossoms. She got out of the car and went into the store to buy a bouquet of flowers.Camryn was not in the store.“Is your boss making a delivery?” Serenity asked the store assistant.“Our boss went to get the goods early in the morning and will probably only be back at around ten o’clock. Do you have anything important to ask her, Mrs. York? I can ask her to call you when she comes back.”Serenity hummed. “Okay, tell her to ring me when she’s back.”The assistant agreed and saw Serenity out of the store.Serenity held the bouquet and got into the car, saying to Zachary while closing the door, “Camryn isn’t in the store. She went out first thing in the morning to get some goods and won’t be back until around ten o’clock. Tell Callum that I might not be able to leave at ten. I can only come over if Jasmine is at the store.”Zachary said, “Don’t w
Upon hearing what Serenity said, he could not help but think, ‘As expected of Zachary’s wife.’The husband and wife said almost the exact same thing.“Serenity, I can only say that I won’t give up as long as your sister doesn’t remarry.”Duncan spoke solemnly.There was nothing else Serenity could say.Putting aside everything else, she held quite an admiration for Duncan.The three of them entered the in-patient building together. When they arrived at Liberty’s ward, they saw Hank standing by the door early in the morning.This time, Hank came alone.Olivia and Chelsea did not tag along.Hank was also holding a bouquet and an insulated lunch box.His parents asked him to do this.Serenity was a little surprised when she saw Hank. Did her grandparents not stop him from coming out?However, Olivia and Chelsea did not come, so it was still better than before.Hank was a walking contradiction now and could easily be driven away.“Hank Brown, are you here to disturb Liberty’s
Zachary shot a look at the bodyguard. The bodyguard got the hint.Duncan was the last person to enter the ward.Hank noticed that Duncan too had bought flowers and that the latter was holding an insulated box. Obviously, Duncan was trying to pursue Liberty! Hank immediately felt bitter about it.“Liberty, Liberty…”After Hank called Liberty twice, Noah covered his nose and mouth to stop him from screaming.Noah was young. Besides, he had spent a short period of time with some hooligans, so he was ruthless. He would not show Hank mercy when dealing with him. Considering that Hank was used to sitting in the office, he was no match for the youngster who just turned eighteen. It was only until Noah dragged Hank far away while covering his nose and mouth that Noah let go of Hank.“Are you trying to suffocate me?” Hank criticized Noah. “Don’t be rude. Technically speaking, you need to acknowledge me as your brother-in-law.”“Pah. Brother-in-law? What gives you the right to be my b
Serenity watched Duncan walk out of the ward.After that, she turned her eyes to her husband. Zachary looked very calm as though Duncan’s reaction was within his expectation.Zachary saw Duncan off.“Seren, your store must be busy. You should return to your store.”“Liberty, let me accompany you.”“I don’t need you to. I can walk around on my own. I’m fine. If it hadn’t been for the doctor who insisted on having me stay in the hospital, I would’ve wanted to be discharged right now.”She missed All You Can Eat.“Listen to the doctor.”Serenity said, “Stay in the hospital for a few more days. Once you’re discharged, you can’t return to the store and work straight away. You need to have a good rest at home.”“I’ve been lying on the hospital bed for nearly half a month. If I continue to do so after being discharged, my body will fall apart. Once I’m out, I’ll keep an eye on the breakfast place and help collect money without doing things on my own, okay? Don’t worry. It’s my body.
Serenity asked Zachary, “Callum took a day off, and Josh might not return to the office today.”Zachary laughed. “I can have the secretary postpone the meeting. Let’s go. I’ll send you to your store. As for your car, I’ll ask Harry to drive it there straight away.”Serenity did not turn him down.“I’ll pick you up in the evening. There’s a social gathering at night, and I’d like you to go with me.”“Okay.”Serenity readily agreed.Only after Zachary sent Serenity back to her bookstore did he rush to his office and start his busy day of work.Jasmine came to the store today.Serenity mocked her playfully. “Why don’t you stay at home and prepare for the wedding? Your other half is desperate. I thought you might not come to work today.”“There’s nothing much I need to do. Plus, it’s boring to stay at home, so I came.”Jasmine looked radiant. Serenity felt that her best friend had become much prettier.Serenity stretched out her hand and pinched Jasmine’s face while complimentin
Since Carrie was approaching Spring Blossoms, she decided to drop by. It was a pity she could not wreck the store as she was heading there as Mrs. Longbottom.When she arrived, Camryn was not in the store. Only Louise and Leah were there. Carrie asked casually, “Where did your boss go?”“Our boss is very busy. Usually, we’re the ones looking after the store. She only comes by when she’s free. Are you looking for her, Mrs. Longbottom?”Louise and Leah recognized Mrs. Longbottom. “No. Your boss is always around whenever I’m here to buy flowers, so I’m just curious since she isn’t here today. Get me two jade plants. The ones I have aren’t growing well. I want to change them,” said Carrie. She really had jade plants at her villa and she was the one who bought them. In fact, they were growing well. It symbolized her having great luck with wealth.Indeed, she was doing well financially. Mr. Longbottom had never mistreated her in terms of living standards.Carrie wanted to get
Tati kept trying to match her with Austin.As soon as Austin left, Tati came in. Isabella could tell, just by the timing, that it had to be related to Austin.If she had not known how loyal Austin was to her, Isabella might have suspected her cousin was being bribed by him.Tati smiled. “I happened to see Austin leaving when I came in. He was very polite to me and his smile was gentle, and the way he looked at me was respectful. But it’s completely different from how he looks at you, Isa.“I noticed it long ago. When he looks at you, there’s light in his eyes, there’s affection, and tenderness. He’s utterly devoted to you, or rather, he dotes on you.”Isabella was quiet.“Isa, the first time I saw Austin, I knew he was no ordinary person, and I thought you two made a great match. You know me, I don’t joke around about these things, but when I saw him, I just couldn’t help it.“I really think you two are perfect for each other. Before, we didn’t know his real identity, so you mig
Tati hummed in agreement.After her cousin reviewed the documents, Tati said, “Isa, why don’t you try dating? Neither of us has a boyfriend, so outsiders are always thinking they can take control of us through marriage alliances.“You could just date. There’s no need to get married. Or you could even just pretend to date. Make them give up.”Isabella looked up at her cousin, amused. “What? That’s a crazy idea.“I haven’t been in a relationship until now because they all know I’m hard to deal with. They think I don’t even have feelings. If I start dating, they’ll realize I’m just like any other girl who dates and wants to get married. Then, they’ll get even more ideas.”Unless her boyfriend was someone so powerful that no one would dare to touch him. He would have to come from a family strong enough to protect the O'Connor family, and he would need to love only her and not be after her family’s money.Power, status, wealth, and good character were all essential.There were men
Austin quickly left the CEO’s office. Just as he stepped out, he ran into Tati, who was looking for Isabella.“Ms. Tati,” Austin greeted politely.Tati nodded and waited for Austin to leave before she knocked on the office door and entered.“Austin came early today to cook for you,” Tati said, holding a folder in her hand and opening it as she walked toward Isabelle.She sat down at the desk, handed over the folder, and said, “Isa, this is urgent. Please take a look.”Isabella took the document, glancing through it as she replied, “He comes around this time every day, neither early nor late.”“That Longbottom fellow came by again?” Tati asked.It was only after Mr. Longbottom had directly asked to see Isabella that Tati found out the old lecher had come again.“Yes, but I didn’t meet him. He brought some gifts, claiming they were holiday presents for us. I had them sent back. He’s too ambitious, and he has bad intentions. We’re absolutely on guard against him. Why would we give
Isabella turned her head to look at Austin.Austin stopped the massage and asked in a gentle voice, “Are you feeling any discomfort? I can work on it. I don't give people massages often, so I don’t have much experience. I'll keep giving you more massages as practice so I'll be able to serve you better.”“It's not that,” Isabella smiled. “It's actually very comfortable. It’s just that I really want to meet your grandmother every time you mention her.”In Isabella's mind, Austin's grandmother had already become something of a legendary figure.Austin thought to himself, ‘Nana’s already met you. You probably met her before, you just didn't know it was her.’His nana had surely spent a lot of time observing Isabella, getting to know her, and confirming that her character and abilities were suitable for him before choosing Isabella for him.“When you’re less busy, if you’re willing, you can come visit us in Wiltspoon. Lots of flowers bloom in spring, and there’s beautiful scenery ever
When Isabella first took over the family business, many of her grandparents' and parents' friends and relatives openly tried to sabotage her. They played dirty tricks, schemed, and tried various ways to undermine her.They wanted to take advantage of her, and they also did not want her to take control of the family’s legacy. They tried to prevent her from establishing herself in the company, even going as far as to collaborate with outsiders to trap her.She had suffered countless setbacks, faced numerous conspiracies, and even experienced several so-called accidents, nearly losing her life. It was only after all this that she truly understood the treachery of human nature. From that point on, she learned to arm herself with cold indifference.Though she was taking over her own family’s business, it felt like she had to fight through a bloody battle to secure her place, as if she were a king striving to ascend the throne. It was exhausting and disheartening.However, she endured an
Austin said, “He’s definitely here to discuss a potential partnership with your company.“He's just the acting head of the Longbottoms. He doesn’t truly control the family. If the real head returns, everything he’s worked for will go to someone else.“The downfall of Belinda Fisher probably gave him a wake-up call and he doesn’t want to end up like that.“He’s definitely seeking to cooperate with you regarding his personal business. He’s just using the Longbottoms’ name, since their influence in Windermere is enormous.”In terms of wealth, the O'Connors and the Longbottoms were on equal footing, but the O'Connors had fewer members and did not have the same level of influence in Windermere as the Longbottoms.Isabella said, “He’s very ambitious. A partnership would only just be the beginning. Once it’s established, he’ll start thinking about how to cheat us and steal our business.“Plus, he’s very lecherous. Nobody can put a number to how many women he’s toyed with. Some even lost
Tony was aware that whenever his wife had to play the villain, it was always to protect him. He said, “You're right, I misspoke. Your mother isn’t that kind of person.”“Manny, I’ll be leaving soon. You stay here, and I’ll leave half of my men with you. If anything comes up that you can't handle, contact me. I’ll be waiting to hear good news from you.” Tony decided to fly to Wiltspoon in the afternoon. He would only stay for two or three days before returning to Havenmill to handle business.However, as he thought about how he was working like a horse for Longbottom Corporation when many of the benefits did not even belong to him personally, Tony felt a bit disgruntled.“Got it.” Manny did not reject his father’s arrangement.As the Longbottom father and son were discussing how to deal with the O’Connors, Austin entered Isabella’s office.Isabella was busy, so Austin did not disturb her. He quietly sat at the tea table and made some tea.“It seems you’ve learned the art of tea-
Manny had never been to Wiltspoon, but he knew from his father that several prominent families in Wiltspoon had close ties with the Johnsons from Annenburg. It was possible that the child adopted by the Johnsons’ young missus was Laurence. Unfortunately, he could not meet that child, so he could not be a hundred percent certain. The child was currently out of sight and well-protected, hidden so effectively that even the Longbottoms’ information network could not find anything. The other prominent families in Wiltspoon were also helping to keep the child hidden, so Manny deeply disliked the people from these families. Even though they were thousands of miles away, they were still an obstacle to him and his father in their pursuit of becoming the true head of the family.“That's right. If we can conquer the O’Connors, we’ll have a backup plan,” his father said. “You must put your all into it, son. If you need help, just let me know, though this is also an opportunity for you to ge