โMrs. Lewis, is there anything else? If not, Iโll take my leave. Sonny is still in the mall. I need to pick him up.โDeep down, Liberty was slightly bitter about it.She had never thought of being in a relationship with Duncan. However, in the face of Mrs. Lewisโs request, it was only natural to feel bitter.All Liberty did was rent Duncanโs store. Besides Duncan being good friends with Zachary, Duncan had helped her a lot, which was why she treated him enthusiastically. Even so, she had never thought of being with Duncan, yet she was compelled to leave.She did not do anything wrong, so why must she leave?โYou may take your leave. Be careful while riding on the road since thereโs heavy traffic,โ Mrs. Lewis said with fake gentleness.Liberty took the key to her e-bike before she bade Mrs. Lewis goodbye. Then, she rose to her feet and left.Soon after Liberty left, Derek came in.Seeing his wife seated in a corner, he walked toward her.โHow was the talk? It ended so quickly?โ
Mrs. Lewis said, โI wonder whatโs wrong with Libertyโs taste. My son is outstanding, yet sheโs not interested in him. What kind of man does she want to marry?โโIs it a must for divorced women to remarry? I guess Liberty is frustrated. Itโs not easy for her to accept a new relationship. If Duncan doesn't give up, he might spend several years trying to move Liberty. Perhaps you wonโt be stopping them from getting together. Instead, you might be the one begging Liberty to be with Duncan.โ Mrs. Lewisโs face darkened.โItโs impossible for me to beg Liberty to be with Duncan unless pigs can fly.โDerek was teasing her inwardly, โDon't jinx it. It might be a slap to your face. You might beg Liberty to marry your son in the future, and pigs can actually fly.โโฆDuncan, who was keeping an eye on Sonny in the mall, was absent-minded. He wanted to meet his mother and Liberty very badly. He wanted to hear about the conversation between the two of them. Would Liberty be more reluctant to
โYour mom has something to deal with. Sheโll be back soon,โ Duncan lied.โWeโll wait outside for your mom to come back.โSonny acknowledged it.After carrying Sonny to the first floor, Duncan asked him, โSonny, is there any snack you want to eat? Iโll buy it for you.โโThanks, Dunc. But there are a lot of snacks at Aunt Serโs house. I donโt need it.โNowadays, Sonny stayed the nights at Aunt Serโs house. Jim would send Sonny to class in the morning. It was only when Sonny did not need to go to class that he would stay with his mother.Aunt Ser and Uncle Zak loved him dearly. They always bought him a lot of tasty snacks.โThatโs Aunt Serโs business. I simply want to buy it for you to express my kindness. Sonny, give me a chance to do this.โSonny stared at Duncan.He did not quite catch Duncanโs meaning.Duncan did not explain further but asked Sonny, โSonny, have you thought of allowing me to be your father?โโI have a father.โDuncan choked before he replied, โI know you h
Duncan had no idea what to say.Sonny was such a stubborn kid.โSonny.โHaving caught sight of Duncan and Sonny, Liberty walked toward them.Still worried, Duncan reminded Sonny once again not to expose their discussion earlier. Sonny seemed to turn a deaf ear to his words and struggled out of his arms. He slid down and ran toward his mother. โMom.โOnce Sonny ran toward Liberty, she held his hand and asked with a smile, โDonโt want to play any longer?โโNo. I want to go home.โโAlright. Letโs go home.โLooking at Duncan in front of her, Liberty expressed her gratitude to Duncan calmly. โMr. Lewis, thank you for looking after Sonny on my behalf.โโYouโre welcome. Iโm more than ready to help you look after him.โDuncan stretched out his hand to touch the top of Sonnyโs head. โSonny is easy to handle.โLiberty grinned before she said to Duncan, โMr. Lewis, weโll leave first since Sonny wants to go home now.โDuncan instantly replied, โLet me send you home.โโItโs fine.โL
Duncan was embarrassed because of Sonnyโs words, and so was Liberty.She turned her gaze to Duncan.Duncan grinned at her.Liberty was speechless. She kept quiet, thinking about how to answer her sonโs question.โMom.โSonnyโs childish voice rang out again.โMommy, do you disagree?โโSonny.โLiberty said tenderly, โYou already have a father. Dunc is your uncle, and heโll forever be your uncle.โโLiberty.โDuncan called her.โMr. Lewis, Sonny is still young and immature. Donโt say these things to him. Sonny isnโt the one to decide on my life.โLiberty was solemn when she spoke.Duncan said apologetically, โLiberty, itโs my fault. I shouldnโt have said these things to Sonny at this point. But my feelings for you are real, Liberty. Iโm genuinely fond of Sonny and will treat him like my biological son.โโMr. Lewis, as I said, I donโt want to get into a relationship now.โIn Duncanโs face, Liberty said composedly, โMr. Lewis, I hope you can understand. I also hope that youโll
Sonny was obstinate.When Hank badmouthed Dunc in front of Sonny, Sonny insisted that Dunc was scary. However, Dunc was not a bad guy. No matter what his father told him, Sonny would not change his perception of Dunc.To him, there was a clear boundary between good and bad people. He would not call a bad person good, and vice versa. โIโm not unhappy. Something just crossed my mind.โLiberty smiled. โLook, Iโm smiling.โThe kid was clever and sensitive.Seeing his mother smile, Sonny believed that his mother did not get angry at what he said.โMom, Dunc wants to marry you and make you his wife. Is that true?โ Sonny asked after feeling relieved from earlier. Liberty was speechless.Duncan actually told Sonny everything.Considering Sonnyโs age, would he understand it?Even if Sonny could accept Duncan as his father, his decision would not change Libertyโs mind.โDunc was just kidding with you. You donโt need to take it seriously.โSonny hummed in acknowledgment. โSo Dunc w
When Zachary came out and saw Sonny kissing Serenityโs face, he was actually jealous of the three-year-old kid.Zachary carried Sonny into the house while speaking to him.โWhat do you want to tell me?โA look of curiosity washed over Sonnyโs face.Then, Zachary gave him a lengthy lecture.Sonny was at a loss for words.He could not understand most of Zacharyโs words. However, he managed to grasp one point, namely that he should not always kiss his auntโs face since he was a boy.However, Serenity was his aunt.Even Serenity could kiss his face.In the end, Sonny thought, โThe adult world is so complicated.โWhat Zachary said to Sonny left Serenity feeling speechless. She had no choice but to say to her husband, โBabe, take Sonny upstairs for a shower.โโOkay.โZachary took Sonny upstairs and said to him, โIโll help you shower tonight.โโI want to bring along my toys for a shower.โโYou can take your water gun.โโAlright.โWhile heading upstairs, the two of them were ne
โSeren, sure enough, weโre sisters. I refuted Mrs. Lewis this way too. Why should I leave? Why should I make such a sacrifice?โโI think running away from the problem wonโt solve it. Liberty, donโt move out of that street now. Your shop has been operating there for quite a while, and you finally have some regular customers. If you relocate, youโll need to start everything from scratch.โAs long as you stick to your decision and donโt be convinced by Mr. Lewis, he canโt do anything to you no matter how hard he tries. If you fulfill Mrs. Lewisโs request and leave Wiltspoon with Sonny, Mr. Lewis might never be able to get over you. He might spend his remaining life searching for you and Sonny.โBy then, despite having gone after you for a long time, he still hasnโt won your heart. With his motherโs disapproval and persuasion over time, heโll give up and leave you alone.โLiberty thought so too.She would not be able to solve the problem by leaving.Serenityโs thinking was the same a
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. Isabellaโs 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 Austinโs 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 Louisโs place with his bag. โAustin.โLouis suddenly asked, โDid 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 Austinโs 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 fiancรฉes. 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 fiancรฉe. 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, โMs. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.โIโm polite to other women when I need to be. If theyโre unimportant, Iโll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I wonโt cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.โGet some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. Iโll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.โAfter 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 fiancรฉe, 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. โMs. Isabella.โIsabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, โThis may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?โIsabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?โSomeone like Austin,โ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, โI like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isnโt as financially well-off as mine, I donโt mind so long as heโs honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.โOf course, itโll be great if we have the same social status. That way, weโll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, weโll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.โโAlthough you can accept someone who isnโt from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, โItโs okay. I know I was forcing it.โThere 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 fiancรฉe was. He was already so protective of his fiancรฉe 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. โYou werenโt forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. Itโs only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.โAustin said gently, โItโs not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancรฉes for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.โTo be honest, we didnโt even know Nana had been choosing fiancรฉes for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
โYou can drink it now. Itโll turn cold if left aside for longer.โIsabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. โIโm drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what Iโm doing and saying.โIโve had enough ginger ale.โShe did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. โWhich family is your fiancรฉe from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?โIsabella 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 fiancรฉe that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austinโs fiancรฉe, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austinโs fiancรฉe had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabellaโs 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. โYouโre the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.โAustin added gently, โYou give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but youโre always a nice person in my eyes.โIsabella 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. โEven my parents are scared and avoid me when Iโm in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, โDonโt worry, Ms. Edith. Iโll take good care of Ms. Isabella.โEdith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousinโs 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 Austinโs 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, โMs. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?โIsabella rubbed her temples and said, โYes, please. I donโt want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.โAustin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austinโs