Serenity smiled. She did not think her brothers-in-law were playing up to her. She simply thought they respected her as their eldest sister-in-law a lot. She also knew that it was because Zachary loved her. Grandma May adored her too. However, she would not become haughty because of the love she received. âCallum and Camryn are still the same. I think their progress is pretty slow.âZachary said smugly, âThey canât compare to me. I completed everything in one go.âSerenity turned to glance at him. She mocked him, âYour face was as tight as marble when we got our marriage license back then. I was afraid people would misunderstand that I forced you to register our marriage with a gun.âZachary was speechless. He had to admit that he did not want to get married back then. He was hoping she would go back on her word. However, it turned out that she was in a rush to get a marriage license. Just like that, both of them registered their marriage. It was primarily because
Grandma May had mentioned that even though Elisa had a similar social status to Zachary, she was not suitable to be the wife of the York familyâs head. âLetâs eat at a hotel. You still have a business engagement. We donât have to travel a long distance back home.ââItâs up to you.âSerenity smiled. Although her relationship with Zachary was not dramatic, he started respecting her and prioritizing her wishes more. Their days were ordinary yet fulfilling and sweet. Zachary often said he still wanted to be with her in another life. Serenity got greedy too. She also thought of marrying him and being husband and wife again in their next lifetime. âĶWhile in the Lewis familyâs house, Mrs. Lewis put down her phone with a grim expression. Although Mr. Lewis sat opposite her and was holding a newspaper, he had been paying attention to his wifeâs expression. He heard the conversation between his wife and their youngest son too. âWhat happened again? You look awful. Youâve been
Derek said, âI disagree too, but what can I do? Thatâs Duncanâs decision. He has always disobeyed us.ââWell, do you think Liberty will let Serenity know that I talked to her?â Mrs. Lewis suddenly asked. âWhy did you go and meet Liberty? Didnât you say Liberty isnât interested in our son at all? The problem lies with our son.âAfter a moment of silence, Mrs. Lewis replied, âI know the problem doesnât lie with Liberty, but Duncan refused to listen to us. Heâs very stubborn. I had no choice but to deal with it by approaching Liberty. I wanted to advise Liberty to cancel her tenancy agreement and move her breakfast place somewhere else so she can stay away from Duncan.âIn the future, if Duncan visits the Yorks, tell Liberty not to visit the Yorks to prevent the two of them from meeting each other.âThat said, itâll be great if Liberty is willing to leave Wiltspoon and live in a place that Duncan is unaware of. Iâm ready to pay her a hefty sum as long as she doesnât meet Duncan.âM
Worried that his wife would screw things up, Derek had no choice but to meet Liberty with his wife since he could not stop her.In order to continue talking his wife out of meeting Liberty, Derek asked his chauffeur to drive.The couple was seated in the back. Along the journey, Derek kept advising his wife. He said, âIf Duncan finds out that you go and meet Liberty, heâll surely have a row with you. This will affect your relationship with him.âIf Serenity finds out, it means Zachary will too. You know full well how much he protects and pampers his wife. Liberty is his sister-in-law. Forcing Liberty to leave Wiltspoon will stir up a hornetâs nest and greatly damage the relationship between the Lewises and the Yorks.â Mrs. Lewis tilted her head and glared at her husband before she said, âIâm just going to have a talk with Liberty. Iâm not forcing her to leave Wiltspoon either. Why are you nagging at me non-stop? Youâre annoying.âThe Lewises and the Yorks are family friends. S
After moving closer, Liberty got a better sight of Jessica.Jessica had thinned down a lot. She had a dull complexion and was dressed in loose clothes. Only those who were sharp-eyed could tell that she was pregnant.âLetâs go, Hank,â Jessica said to her husband.Currently, she disliked seeing Hank being close to Sonny. She was afraid that if they got very close, Hank would not take care of her child wholeheartedly.Regardless of whether she gave birth to a son or daughter, the Browns would surely be biased toward Sonny.Jessica had to continue serving her sentence in the future, so she would not be able to watch her child grow. If her child turned out to be a girl who failed to please the family, who would know how much the child would suffer when Jessica was not by her side? Therefore, Hank was the childâs support.Sonny was a lot more fortunate than Jessicaâs child.With so many people loving and supporting Sonny, there was no need to worry that he would suffer. âSonny, w
âDunc.âSonnyâs mannerism toward Duncan and his father, Hank, was the same.Once Sonny saw Duncan, he shook off Libertyâs hand and scurried toward Duncan.Hankâs expression became graver.His parents and elder sister had always nagged him, telling him that Liberty had a pursuer. If he was not going to divorce Jessica and go after Liberty again, Sonnyâs father would be someone else.Duncan would most likely become Sonnyâs new father.Hank knew full well that Liberty would not accept him anymore. As for Jessica, he still had feelings for her. He also felt sorry for her.He hurt two women because of his unfaithfulness. Liberty was already divorced from Hank and had started her life anew. She was leading a wonderful life. He did not want to hurt Jessica again, especially by divorcing her when she was in jail. If he did that, she would be homeless after she was released.Ever since Jessica was arrested, her brother and sister-in-law had established boundaries with her.Although h
âSonny.âSonny.âSomething seemed to be wrong with Hank. He kept shouting his sonâs name as he strode toward his son.âSonny, Iâll play with you.âHank hurriedly caught up with Duncan and blocked him.He stretched out his hand to snatch Sonny over.Sonny was Hankâs son!He shared the same surname as Hank, namely Brown!He had nothing to do with Duncan at all. There was no need for Duncan to play with Sonny.Sonnyâs biological father was here!âSonny, let Dad play with you, okay?âAs Hank asked Sonny, his eyes were fixed on Duncan. He purposely stressed the word âDadâ.Hank would forever be Sonnyâs father!If Duncan wanted to be Sonnyâs father, he could dream on!Hank failed to stop Duncan from going after his ex-wife. After all, he was still married to Jessica. What was more, Jessica was pregnant with his child, which meant he could not divorce her at this point.If Liberty wanted to remarry, she had the freedom to do so.Besides feeling annoyed, there was really nothin
Liberty watched the situation indifferently.Jessica was faking it, yet Hank could not see through it?Perhaps it was because Hank was concerned about Jessica and her baby.Soon, Hank left with Jessica by car.He did not even bid goodbye to Liberty and the rest.Liberty and Duncan wished Hank could quickly leave.However, Sonny was dejected.Hank said he would play with Sonny. However, once Jess said she was unwell, Hank instantly ignored him and left with Jess.âMom.âSonny walked toward Liberty. He extended his hands to ask for a hug from Liberty.Liberty carried him. Seeing his dejected look, she fell quiet for a moment before explaining on Hankâs behalf.âSonny, Jess isnât feeling well, and your dad is worried about her. He had to send her to the hospital for a check-up, and thatâs why he canât play with you. Itâs not because he doesnât want to play with you or he doesnât love you.âDuncanâs lips twitched. He felt that Hank did not love Sonny dearly.Hank loved Jessica
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabellaâs private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austinâs cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louisâs place with his bag. âAustin.âLouis suddenly asked, âDid my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austinâs perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancÃĐes. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancÃĐe. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, âMs. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.âIâm polite to other women when I need to be. If theyâre unimportant, Iâll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I wonât cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.âGet some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. Iâll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.âAfter 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 fiancÃĐe, 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. âMs. Isabella.âIsabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, âThis may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?âIsabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?âSomeone like Austin,â she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, âI like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isnât as financially well-off as mine, I donât mind so long as heâs honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.âOf course, itâll be great if we have the same social status. That way, weâll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, weâll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.ââAlthough you can accept someone who isnât from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, âItâs okay. I know I was forcing it.âThere 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 fiancÃĐe was. He was already so protective of his fiancÃĐe 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. âYou werenât forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. Itâs only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.âAustin said gently, âItâs not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancÃĐes for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.âTo be honest, we didnât even know Nana had been choosing fiancÃĐes for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
âYou can drink it now. Itâll turn cold if left aside for longer.âIsabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. âIâm drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what Iâm doing and saying.âIâve had enough ginger ale.âShe did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. âWhich family is your fiancÃĐe from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?âIsabella 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 fiancÃĐe that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austinâs fiancÃĐe, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austinâs fiancÃĐe had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabellaâs 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. âYouâre the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.âAustin added gently, âYou give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but youâre always a nice person in my eyes.âIsabella 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. âEven my parents are scared and avoid me when Iâm in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, âDonât worry, Ms. Edith. Iâll take good care of Ms. Isabella.âEdith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousinâs 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 Austinâs 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, âMs. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?âIsabella rubbed her temples and said, âYes, please. I donât want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.âAustin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austinâs