Elisa sat on the bench. “That’s great. I can’t stand the provocation from seeing you people being lovey-dovey now. I feel jealous every time I see Serenity and Jasmine.”“Elisa, you don’t have to be envious of them. You’ll be as happy as they are in the future.”“Who can be certain about the future? However, if I were to be unhappy, I wouldn’t compromise. If my future husband doesn’t treat me well, I’ll divorce him and return to my family. My two brothers can support me for the rest of my life.”The confidence of a married woman came from her family’s support. Elisa felt that her family was very supportive. “That won’t happen. Your in-laws will be great people.”Remy felt the elders in his family were nice. No one would make things difficult for their daughter-in-law.“Let’s stop talking about me. Tell me. Who’s the lady on your mind? It must be someone from Wiltspoon, right? Did you buy a house here because of her?”Remy nodded and admitted it honestly. “Yes. I did it for
“Remy, allow me to consider this.”Neither did Elisa reject nor accept him immediately—she wanted to think about it. Remy said understandingly, “I know. You can take your time. I’m not in a rush. Even if you reject me, I’m willing to wait for the day you can accept me.”Elisa smiled. “I just find it too sudden.”“I was abrupt,” Remy said apologetically. He thought that since everyone could already sense his feelings for Elisa, it would not be suitable to keep delaying his confession. Since Elisa asked about it, he immediately confessed. He loved her, so he had to let her know his feelings for her. Not everyone could feel others’ love for them. Silence fell between them. After sitting for a while, Elisa stood up and said, “Let’s go back.”“Okay.”When they headed out, they chatted and laughed. However, both of them did not talk much on the way back. It was Elisa who did not wish to speak. After returning to the Stones’ house, Remy did not linger too long and retur
Elisa laughed. She said, “I’m only a nice girl to you guys. Others say I’m the wild daughter of a rich family. Those madames never considered having me as their daughter-in-law. They think they can’t control a daughter-in-law like me.”She would not be suppressed. Her family was strong. The usual wealthy families truly did not consider having Elisa as a daughter-in-law. Men of equal social standing to her were married or younger than her. She would never consider dating a younger man. “That’s because they have bad eyes and blindly follow other people’s opinions. They believed the rumors without trying to understand you. When Serenity and I first met you, we thought you were an honest, straightforward person.”Jasmine returned to the kitchen to prepare the juice. “Elisa, you’re really great. We’re not deceiving you with sweet words just because we’re friends.”Elisa entered the kitchen.She watched as Jasmine blended the juice. “Can you tell me who confessed to you? Is it
Elisa said with a grin, “Speak of the devil.“Jasmine made pear juice. She said she’ll make you a cup because she thinks you’ll be back soon. You came in just after she spoke. Luckily, we were not talking about you behind your back.”Serenity laughed. “Jasmine must’ve heard my footsteps.”Jasmine passed the blended juice to the girls. Serenity held the juice and went to the cashier counter. After putting the juice down, she moved the small dining table she and Jasmine usually used for meals over. The three of them sat around the table with their glass of juice. “Seren, did you go to Spring Blossoms to look for Ms. Newman?”Elisa asked, “How’s she now? She’s amazing. She managed to sue her stepfather and mother even though she’s blind.”“I went to get flowers for Zachary. I didn’t see Camryn. She was gone for the entire day. The store employee said she would tell Camryn to call me after she returned. Camryn hasn’t been contacting me, and she switched phone numbers.”After ta
As long as Elisa did not get married, Serenity would always feel that she had stolen Elisa’s happiness. Elisa liked Zachary so much, yet it was Serenity who got married to him. Therefore, Serenity sincerely hoped Elisa could quickly find her significant other. She would only feel better if Elisa found her happiness. Elisa had never blamed Serenity. She did not think Serenity had snatched Zachary away from her. Elisa said she and Zachary were destined to meet but not fated to be together. It had nothing to do with Serenity. It was a fact that Zachary did not love her. Even without Serenity, other women would still appear. Elisa would rather Serenity than other people. She had said smugly before that Zachary even had to acknowledge her as his cousin after being with Serenity. She was secretly happy that she could make that arrogant cold man bow down and call her his cousin. “Seren.”Elisa held Serenity’s hand. “Don’t feel guilty for me. You didn’t do me any wrong.”
Josh said, “Don’t you have a business dinner tonight?”He changed the topic. It was to prevent Zachary from talking about the flowers again. Zachary made it look as if Josh had never received flowers. “I’m going to pick my wife up. She’s accompanying me tonight.”Josh hummed in acknowledgment. “I’m going to take a break after working for another week.”It would be his and Jasmine’s wedding soon. Zachary said, “Isn’t there still half a month until the wedding day?”As Josh walked outside with Zachary, he said, “Half a month is only two weeks. Can’t I take a break a week in advance?” He could not possibly work up till the day of his wedding, right?Zachary had nothing to say about that. “Mr. York, Mr, Bucham.”Everyone greeted them respectfully as they walked out. “Shall we leave together?”Josh was walking toward Zachary’s car. Zachary asked him that question with raised eyebrows. “I have to bring my wife home to have dinner and then visit the house we’ll live i
Zachary’s cell phone started ringing.Before Zachary even looked at his phone, he told Josh, “It must be my wife that's calling. Maybe she wants to pick me up after work.”Josh pouted. “Hey, I am doing pretty well myself. Heck, I even had my wedding before you. You don’t have to show off, I'm not provoked at all.”With a wide grin on his face, Zachary replied, “I’m not showing off. That’s just how my wife and I get along every day.” It became the daily routine for the couple that Zachary would pick up Serenity or the other way round.The moment Zachary took out his phone and realized that it was Remy calling, his ever-handsome face twitched.Zachary thought it was Serenity who called. He did not expect it to be Remy.With eyes as sharp as a hawk, Josh saw that it was Remy’s name on Zachary’s screen.Josh busted out laughing.Zachary shot him a mean glare, and Josh turned away to continue his gleeful laughter.Despite the humiliating circumstance, Zachary answered Remy’s call
“The Yorks have so many men. Even if you and I aren’t around, they’ll be able to hold up. Besides, I’m just going to be away for a few days. York Corp is a big group with mature management. Even if we’re not available for a month, the company will be fine,” Zachary said to Josh. The mid-level and senior managers in the company were not raised for nothing. Josh breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled as he said, “As long as you’re not asking me to stay in the office to work my butt off for you.” Zachary said with amusement, “I’m not an exploiter. Look how nervous you are. I’ve never ordered you around, have I?” “No, no, I’ve always volunteered to be ordered about by you.” Zachary was lost for words. Josh chuckled and said, “I should be glad to have worked hard for you. After finding your happiness, you didn’t forget about me and matched Jasmine to me. We’re good friends and brothers.” “You're as sweet as ever with your words. No wonder Ms. Sox fell for you and agreed to mar
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
Isabella’s bodyguard had only called out to her, not daring to touch her, so she had not woken up. However, when Austin gently patted her face and called her, she woke up almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and saw Austin’s handsome face, Isabella was momentarily dazed, thinking she was dreaming about him.She had actually dreamed about Austin. Had she developed feelings for him? If she had not, why would she dream about him? In all her life, this was the first time she had dreamed about a man. Isabella wanted to touch Austin’s face, but as she raised her hand, she realized she was not dreaming.Austin was real. She could smell the fresh scent on him because they were so close.He had showered.Isabella quietly lowered her hand, hoping Austin had not noticed her earlier intention, lest he misunderstood.“Ms. Isabella,” Austin’s warm and pleasant voice reached her ears, making her want to close her eyes and go back to sleep. With him around, she felt safe and secure.
Hunter had neither money nor power. What could he possibly use to save his sons?“Dad, go home. When the trial starts, we’ll send someone to pick you up so you can attend and observe.”Hunter stood up angrily and stormed off.After he left, Ellie asked Ava, “Are we really not going to do anything? My child is still young. Having a father in prison will always be a stain on their life.”“What can we do? Even if we wanted to save them, we don’t have the means. We know what Caroline is like. She’s not going to let this go lightly this time,” Ava replied. “Anyway, think about last year, when they were caught cheating. How did they treat us then?”Remembering the events from last year, Ellie said, “Let them serve a few years in prison, then. Ava, Caroline is in the hospital. Should we go visit her?”“We should. Let’s go tomorrow. We’ll call Emma and visit Caroline together. The Fisher family is full of terrible people, but Caroline still has some conscience. She’s always been kind t
Hunter was momentarily speechless. He did not have much money. When Belinda was alive, he never had more than five hundred dollars on him. After his children grew up, he secretly asked them for money. During that time, he had money to spend freely, living a lavish life outside.However, all that money had been spent. He had no savings, mainly because he was used to spending extravagantly.He had been unable to save money. He did not own any shops or properties either; Belinda had kept him on a tight leash.The house in their hometown had been built with Belinda’s money, but it was not under his name. It was under his three sons’ names.After Belinda’s death, his sons supported him. Each son gave him over a hundred thousand dollars a month for living expenses.Combined, that was several hundred thousand dollars a month, allowing him to live comfortably in Ashford. He had managed to save a little, but not much, just over a million dollars in total. Hiring the best lawyers for h