With the hospital release paperwork all done, Duncan sat in a wheelchair while his bodyguard wheeled him downstairs. Having found out that Duncan was getting discharged, Duncan’s sister-in-law laid aside the matters at hand and hurried over to pick him up. Since there were a lot of people fussing over Duncan, and Duncan was under the bodyguards’ care, Liberty wanted to deal with her own stuff. She told Mrs. Lewis, “Mr. Lewis is getting out of the hospital, and you have a lot of people at home to look after him. I won’t go with you then. My newly acquired restaurant is under renovation now, so I want to check on it.” Mrs. Lewis wanted Liberty to come along to the house as Duncan would hold back a little on the tantrum when Liberty was around. Noticing the weariness across Liberty’s face, Mrs. Lewis felt bad and replied, “We can take care of Duncan, Liberty. Go on with your work, but don’t work too hard. The last few days must have been draining on you.” She took Liberty’s han
“I was thinking that you’d be home since Mr. Lewis is out of the hospital. I could have dinner with you instead of eating on my own at home.” Serenity carried Sonny to the dinner table and grabbed a plate to fill with appetizers. Wiltspoonians enjoyed their appetizers. It was hard to start a meal without an appetizer. Liberty made family favorites. She cooked extra since she had an inkling that Serenity would join her for dinner. “Here’s your appetizer, Sonny. Enjoy.” Serenity then filled a plate for Liberty before getting one for herself. After taking a bite, Serenity sighed with contentment. “Your food is different. The chef at home is good at cooking, but nothing beats my sister’s food.” Liberty responded with a smile, “You can always come over if you like my food.” Serenity craved comfort food after having too much fancy food. “Now that Mr. Lewis is discharged, are you going to carry on caring for him, Liberty?” Serenity asked with concern. “I don’t think so. He
One of the bodyguards courteously asked the stranger. Leaning against the body of the car, the woman pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her handbag and handed a couple to the two bodyguards. The bodyguards refused the offer.The woman did not mind and lit a cigarette for herself before putting the handbag into the car. She then slumped against the car and told the bodyguards amid puffs, “I want to meet with Mrs. York. Tell Serenity that I want to invite her out for supper. I want to have a talk with her.” “May I have your name, miss?” The young and beautiful woman requested to see Mrs. York by name. The bodyguards could guess that she was the woman who had feelings for Mr. York. Otherwise, the woman would not be here to talk with Mrs. York. “My last name is Daniels.” The woman in red was none other than Jenna Daniels. Jenna fell in love with Zachary at first sight. However, her father’s scolding seemed to get through to her as it had been a while since she showed her fa
Serenity and Jenna sized each other up. While the people of Wiltspoon knew that Serenity was Mrs. York, not many remembered what Serenity looked like. She rarely made press appearances as Zachary shielded her well. Any viral news about her was soon taken down. Zachary knew that his beloved wife preferred a peaceful life, but because of him, Serenity had to socialize. Still, Zachary tried his best not to interfere too much with her routine. Jenna had searched for Serenity’s photo online, and the only photos that came up in the search result were either blurry or only of Serenity’s side profile. It was only now that Jenna could admire Mrs. York’s stunning looks. Jenna was pretty too, but now that she met Serenity in person, Jenna had to admit that Serenity was a sight to behold and no less than her. She had a polished class, and that was one of the things she was proud of. Still, it was not a quality she could win Serenity with. Serenity carried herself with natural grace. It
It was only a little over nine o’clock right now. Jenna usually shadowed his father, so the father and daughter often worked until late at night before they could get home. Their weekends were filled with work too. With a sweet smile, Serenity answered, “My husband is a model husband. He would return home around half-past nine at night if I was not with him. He said no work is more important than me. He doesn’t want me to wait for him until late, so he would try and get off work early to spend time with me.” Jenna found the smile on Serenity’s face an eyesore, and the mushy response only fueled her anger. All Jenna wanted was to breathe fire and burn Serenity to the ground. It was a good thing she had ventured into the business world with her father and learned to keep her composure. Jenna held her anger back, not revealing any discontent on her face. “You have a good relationship with Mr. York, Ms. Hunt.” Serenity replied with a smile, “Yes. My husband really spoils me. I
Jenna noted Serenity’s mobile number. In case Serenity gave her a fake number, Jenna called the number in front of her. Serenity pulled out her phone to show the incoming call. She then hung up and said with a smile, “I should get going then, Ms. Hunt. See you next time.” “Goodbye.” Serenity waited until Jenna got into the car and waved at her before saying, “Please park your car in a designated parking spot on your next visit. Don’t park at random places. “I’m nice and tolerant not to make a fuss even though you kept my car from entering the house tonight. However, your sports car will be wrecked if you come in my husband’s way.” Jenna responded, “My bad. I’ll remember that. I’m sorry.” Serenity replied with a grin, “I said that I’m nice and tolerant, so I won’t be mad at your first parking offense. Bye now, Ms. Daniels.” Jenna waved goodbye and drove off. Once her rival’s car was gone, Serenity wiped the smile off her face and turned to Sam, who was walking out of th
The chauffeur asked Milo, one of Serenity’s personal bodyguards. Milo gave it a thought before answering, “I’ve been the missus’s bodyguard for several months now. I know a bit more about her. I don’t think she will take it out on Mr. Zachary. Ms. Daniels was the one clinging to Mr. Zachary, but she ultimately failed. Why should the missus blame Mr. Zachary for that?” “Good. My worst fear is that the missus is angry and gives Mr. Zachary the snub. We would be in trouble.” No one had it easy when Zachary was in fury. Nevertheless, the firsts to suffer were the ones who were often in Zachary’s life. The chauffeur usually drove Serenity around, so he often met with Zachary. His worry was justified. Serenity entered the house and sat on the sofa. There was a noise outside not too long later. Zachary was back. Zachary’s car pulled up at the front of the main house. Serenity remained on the sofa and did not go up to welcome Zachary home as she usually did when she heard his c
Since Serenity was in a good mood, Zachary cautiously asked, “Honey, did something happen before I came back?” Serenity looked at him and inquired, “What makes you think so?” “You would always come out of the house when my car rolled into the driveway. You would stand in front of my car and smile as I got out. If you’re back later than me, Sam will greet me outside, but you and Sam weren’t there tonight.“It’s not a coincidence. Something must have happened before I was back, and it might affect our relationship. Are you possibly mad at me?” Zachary asked in a tender voice, “Tell me, Seren. What did I do wrong?” It never occurred to Serenity that Zachary would assume something was wrong because she did not go out to greet him. With Zachary walking on eggshells and afraid to offend her, Serenity was amused and felt bad. She felt as though she was not nice enough for him to feel insecure. He was worried about angering her and that she would leave him in a fit of rage. Sereni
“Isa has a networking event tonight, so she’ll be working overtime. You should bring her dinner.”“Sure.” Austin was here precisely to do that.Tati entered the elevator. When she turned around, she saw that Austin had already walked off.Tati chuckled to herself, “When will it be my turn to meet a good man who only has eyes for me?”Isabella had Austin now. Even though they had not officially started dating, they were clearly interested in each other. In the near future, they would definitely become a couple, and if both sides’ parents had no objection to it, they would eventually be a loving husband and wife.Though, at the thought of her family circumstances, Tati was still a little worried that Isabella and Austin might not get to that point.Isabella could not move far away after getting married as she still had to manage the family business. Her husband and her in-laws had to be understanding and tolerant of the fact that she would be very, very busy.They had all heard th
Isabella wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. Tati had a point. She could push the boys too hard. They were still young, and they deserved a carefree and happy childhood. She had already put too much pressure on Louis and Phillip. “Austin accompanies the boys when he’s free. I think he’s great with kids. Maybe he has experience from babysitting in his family.”The York family had nine sons in their youngest generation and no daughters. Austin was the sixth in line with three younger brothers. Rowan was the youngest and still a minor. Thinking about it, he must have been raised by all his older cousins and brothers. No one understood how much pressure Rowan was under as he grew up. His older brothers were outstanding individuals. He would not have been that stressed if any of them were mediocre. He kept chasing after his brothers’ footsteps. He did not know when he could ever catch up to River and Austin. He would have to live with that pressure fo
“Isa, do you know many hotels and restaurants are waiting for you to switch Austin out? That way, they can snatch him away and make him their star chef.”With Austin’s culinary skills, he could be the head chef at any hotel.Isabella smiled. She said, “It depends on how much they can offer him. He already has his own hotels and restaurants. He’s already successful in the F&B industry.“How can they possibly hire him to be their chef? That’s unless Austin buys their hotel.“Besides, I haven’t gotten bored of Austin’s food. They’ll have to wait. “You can make a bet on whether Austin can last a full year as my private chef. I think you might win, but there’s always the possibility of losing.”There would always be wins and losses in a bet. Tati smiled. “Some people already made their bets. However, they betted on whether Austin could last for three months first. I guess those who put their money on him leaving before three months are up will lose.“For the second round, they’re
Knowledge of Mr. Longbottom’s philandering was not restricted to Havenmill. Even people in Annenburg knew about it. He switched lovers as quickly as he changed clothes. Many of his mistresses accidentally got pregnant and thought they could replace Mrs. Longbottom because of their children. However, Mr. Longbottom was a heartless man outside of bed. While most of his mistresses had gotten pregnant, only those who were honest and without ambitions were allowed to give birth. Even if those women gave birth, the child would not bear the Longbottom surname and only take their mother’s surname. However, Mr. Longbottom would buy that mistress and her children a townhouse and hire two nannies to look after them. There would also be a sum of money deposited into their account monthly to provide for the child. On the other hand, most of Mr. Longbottom’s mistresses who were not allowed to give birth were ordered to get an abortion. If they refused, Mrs. Longbottom would intervene and f
Tati did not care what Manny would do. She had no feelings for him. Not only did she know he was ambitious, but he also wanted her family’s wealth. Only a few men deserved Tati’s praise in her entire life. Austin was one of them. Even so, she simply admired him and did not view him as a romantic partner. Tati could sense that Austin’s eyes were always on Isabella. It had nothing to do with him being her private chef. He was dedicated to Isabella. When Isabella and Tati were unaware of Austin’s true identity, they admired him a lot. Isabella even teased Tati about it. Later, they discovered he was a young master of the wealthiest family in Wiltspoon.His family background and qualifications made Austin worthy of being the partner of an elite daughter of the O’Connors. Although Isabella refused to admit it, Tati knew Austin would eventually be her brother-in-law. However, he probably had to sacrifice a lot to be with Isabella. After all, Isabella was the head of the
Once Manny left, Costa Corporation entrance resumed its peace. Manny had bought a villa in Satbury. He was determined to woo Tati and would not leave until he succeeded. Besides, he would be doing business in Satbury and needed a place to live. He did not want to stay at a hotel every day. The villa he bought was only a ten-minute drive away from Dunboy Manor. On his way back, he received a call from his momma asking about his situation in Satbury. After speaking about business, his momma said, “Don’t be like your dad, Manny. If you really like Ms. Tati, you should treat her well.“Your dad is too flirty. Marrying him was the unluckiest thing in my life. I had no choice. I’ve been his wife for decades and even gave birth to you all. He got me involved in too many things.“He forced me to be in the same boat as him. I’m forced to stick with him for your sake and our family’s benefit. However, if I could turn back time, I’d rather stay single than get married to your dad.“Y
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s