“Duncan asked us out for lunch tomorrow at our usual spot. That guy always goes back to the same place with us every time! I know the food at Grace’s Diner is delicious, but I wouldn’t bother to go if it wasn’t for Grandma May’s Beans and Cream next door. At least we can hang out at the cafe.”“We used to go there often. Duncan is such a nostalgic guy,” Zachary chimed in.Before they got to their current positions in the company, Zachary was not yet a manager and was still in training. Even then, he also did not like to reveal his identity, so he would often eat at regular diners with his friends.Beans and Cream was the largest and fanciest cafe in Wiltspoon. The clothing stores and restaurants nearby were not exactly low-end either.That was because low-end stores would not be able to receive the flow of customers coming from Beans and Cream.The patrons of Beans and Cream were mostly working professionals who liked to treat themselves. They would often try out other restaurants
After some thought, Zachary finally sat down at the dining table. He opened the lid of the disposable box and silently ate the breakfast burrito that he was not a fan of.Zachary had to admit that living with Serenity made him more like an ordinary person.He ate a lot of street food that he had never tried before.After breakfast, Zachary went to the balcony. He sat down on the swing and admired Serenity’s flowers and plants.He sat there until eleven o’clock when he received a phone call from Josh reminding him of their lunch appointment. Zachary then went back to his room, got dressed, and went out.Knowing that Serenity was at her sister’s house, Zachary thought they would not cross paths, so instead of driving the national MPV, he sat in his luxurious Rolls-Royce. As usual, he was ostentatiously escorted to Grace’s Diner by a convoy of bodyguards.The convoy parked in front of Grandma May’s cafe, and Zachary walked to the diner so it would not cause much of a commotion.Whe
Zachary went back to his table with a calm face. After the dishes were served, he ate quietly without joining in on his friends’ conversation.All he kept thinking about was Serenity smiling and putting food on Shawn’s plate.“Zachary, you’re acting a little weird today.”Duncan picked up a vegetable with a fork and ate it. He looked at Zachary, who was sitting across from him, and said, “Why are you so quiet today? You just kept shoving food into your mouth.”Josh nodded in agreement.Zachary said blankly, “I’m hungry.”He only ate a breakfast burrito that he did not like in the morning. It was not filling, and he was famished.Of course, Zachary was also in a bad mood.When he was in a bad mood, he would just eat non-stop.Zachary thought, ‘So what if she serves Shawn food? I don’t care. Did she think I’ll get jealous?’As he said before, he did not know what jealousy was and would never experience it!They were just husband and wife in name and had signed an agreement tha
Duncan would not be happy even if it was just a nominal marriage that was kept hidden.Zachary listened to his two friends joking around and kept silent while continuing to eat his meal.Soon, he was full.“I’m going to my nana’s cafe. You two can take your time eating here.”Zachary put down his cutlery and wiped the oil stains around his mouth with a tissue before getting up to leave.“We’re done eating. We’ll go with you!”Duncan and Josh also put down their cutlery and went to Beans and Cream next door with Zachary.The bodyguards had gotten their fill too. Seeing that their boss was leaving, they silently got up and walked out quietly to protect their boss.They were afraid of disturbing the boss’s wife.Serenity was eating with Shawn, who had seen Zachary before, so the bodyguards could not alert Serenity. Otherwise, Zachary’s identity would be compromised.Duncan went to pay the bill.Josh waited for Duncan to settle the bill and walked out with him. He whispered, “Du
Serenity did not know that Zachary was having lunch at Grace’s Diner with his friends.Serenity, Jasmine, and Shawn chatted while they ate and spent quite some time there.Shawn received a call and had to excuse himself by leaving early, so Serenity said, “Jas and I are done eating. I’ll get the bill soon. Shawn, you can go ahead and deal with whatever you need to. Jas and I will go to the cafe next door.”Serenity fell in love with Beans and Cream’s tranquility the last time she accompanied Jasmine on a blind date there.This street was busy, so surrounding businesses were booming. The owner of the cafe was willing to spend money on sound insulation, so when customers walked into the cafe, the noise outside would be filtered out.Shawn thought that his cousin drove, so she could take Serenity home later. He said, “Jas, Serenity, I’ll get going then.”“Go ahead! Drive carefully on the road,” Jasmine urged her cousin.“Jas, please send Serenity home later.”Serenity had a car, b
Josh was a little dumbfounded when he saw this.Was Zachary merely acting all this while when he showed off about his wife?However, Grandma May no longer cared about the company affairs and rarely went to the office, so there was no need for Zachary to act in front of Josh.Josh was confused.Forget it. That was Zachary’s private affairs, so Zachary could manage it himself. They were just Zachary’s friends and would just wait to watch the drama unfold with some popcorn in hand.If there was no drama to watch, Josh would just go home and sleep.Two hours later, Serenity looked at the time and saw that it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. She said to her friend, “Jas, let’s go back. I have to go to my sister’s house.”“Alright.”Jasmine also looked at the time and did not object to Serenity wanting to go home. “Let’s drop by the supermarket later to buy some fruit and toys for your sister and Sonny. I want to visit your sister’s house with you. I don’t want to go home
Jasmine asked in surprise, “Really? Brynfield is a high-end neighborhood, but I didn’t expect someone who drives a Rolls-Royce would live there. If they’re so rich, why not live in a villa?”“Mr. York said that perhaps some rich kid went to a nearby school, so the parents bought an apartment for the kid in Brynfield. That way, it’s more convenient for the kid to travel to school. That family might have countless villas.”Jasmine smiled. “True. Let’s go to the supermarket. By the way, didn’t Grandma May say that she’s coming over?”“Not anymore.”“Why now?”“The owner of the house disagreed.”Jasmine was speechless.The owner of the house was Zachary, Grandma May’s grandson. Grandma May wanted to come over for the weekend, but her grandson did not allow it. What an unfilial child!The two got into Jasmine’s car and left Beans and Cream.Shortly after, Jasmine parked the car in a large shopping mall.After strolling around the mall, the two of them came out with many bags of go
Jasmine and Serenity went to Liberty’s apartment.Serenity got out of Jasmine’s car. Her face stiffened when she saw a familiar car parked there.“What’s wrong?”“That car belongs to Liberty’s sister-in-law. She must’ve come to trouble my sister again. Liberty’s sister-in-law is definitely one of the worst people I know. She’s comparable to the relatives from my hometown.”Jasmine said, “Let’s hurry up, then. If she bullies Liberty, we’ll kick her out together!”Serenity had already grabbed her things to head inside.Jasmine quickly followed.The Browns visited again. As usual, it was just Chelsea and Mrs. Brown.They came to persuade Liberty to take Hank back from their house.Hank went to live at his parents’ house but ate his meals at his sister’s house because his parents took care of Chelsea’s children and cooked at her place.Fortunately, both his parents’ and sister’s houses were close by. They were in the same neighborhood but opposite blocks.Chelsea watched as her
Audrey and the rest had returned to Wiltspoon before Liberty. Patrick was resting at the Stones’ residence. Liberty wanted to meet him too. Corey said, “Right, she should do that. What about your and Liberty’s marriage?”Duncan looked toward Liberty. He replied, “We can probably make some time to finish the procedures at City Hall tomorrow. Liberty hasn’t said anything yet, but I think we can do it tomorrow.”“Try doing it tomorrow. City Hall will be closed for the holidays too. When you’re back, I’ll let you have a look at the list of wedding gifts we prepared. We can deliver them to Liberty’s house if you're okay with it. As for the wedding date, I’ve asked someone to choose a few dates. We have to discuss this with Audrey and Serenity. “You and Liberty can choose a convenient date for you two. I think we’ll have to look at Liberty’s availability.”Corey knew Liberty was extremely busy. She had a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. Indeed, Liberty had always shouldered
“You can call my mom if you miss me, Great-Nana. Mom and I will visit you. However, I think we’ll come over every day. Aunt Ser is here. We’ll miss her.”Since the new year was approaching, Serenity and Zachary stayed in Wildridge Manor. Other members of the York family were also heading back here. It was a rule set by Grandma May. The others disliked living in the manor because it was far from the city and inconvenient for them to travel to work. Therefore, they bought houses in the city center and lived there. Grandma May did not mind that. However, they had to return to the manor for a family gathering during special occasions, especially Christmas and New Year's Day. Grandma May did not care where the youngsters wanted to be on other days. There was a tradition whereby the daughters-in-law of the Yorks would visit their families the day after the New Year’s. Since Grandma May did not have daughters or granddaughters, she would follow and visit her daughters-in-law’s hous
With the escort of security vehicles, the two luxury cars left the airport parking lot and drove toward the city center. Liberty dropped off her luggage at her home and had a brief rest before going to Wildridge Manor with Serenity and Zachary. She had a meal and talked to Yorks about what happened in Jensburg. With that, half a day had passed. Since Liberty was back, Sonny would be returning home to live with her. After having lunch, he ran to his room and started packing his clothes and toys. While the adults were talking, the boy dragged his luggage downstairs with two stuffed animals in hand. “Are you leaving, Sonny?” Tania asked sadly upon seeing him coming down with all his stuff packed. “Can’t you stay here for a few more days?”She went over to Sonny and asked softly, “Can’t you stay longer? We’ll miss you if you leave.”Having a child in the house had brightened the atmosphere. The York family adored Sonny. Tania took Sonny’s luggage from him and used her oth
“I’ve informed Mrs. Lewis that there was no need to arrange for someone to pick you two up. Zachary and I will do it.”After speaking, she smiled at Duncan and greeted him. Duncan usually gave off a rough demeanor, but he looked gentler after experiencing love. Serenity was glad that her sister was finally back. Liberty put Sonny down but he continued clinging to her after crying. Even Duncan did not get to carry Sonny and could only touch his little face. Sonny was still pouting. With a sulking face, he complained, “You didn’t wait for me to come back before going to look for Mom.”Duncan replied, “You said you’d be away for a long time, so I went ahead. Aren’t your mom and I back now? I’ll invite you before heading out next time, okay? Don’t be angry. I bought many new toys for you.”“Come and give me a hug. I missed you.”“I don’t believe you. You didn’t miss me at all. You only think about Mom. I missed Mom too. I want to be with her.”Sonny had not missed his mother
Everything would be done according to their divorce agreement. The money would be given to his children anyway. Hunter was the one who said to leave the children to Emma. A mother would always love her children. Without his children by his side, it would be more convenient for Adrian to remarry. Adrian’s flirtatious heart was already tempted. He was divorced, and his mother had passed away. No one could control him anymore. He was a free man who could flirt with any woman openly. If he happened to meet someone he liked, he could be a groom again and marry that woman. He could have more children as well. He was rich anyway. Emma stood up. “I’ve told you everything Caroline said. You can make your decision. From now on, don’t disturb me unless you need to. If you want to meet the children, call them and obtain their permission first. Then, you can meet them anytime.”She would not stop the children from meeting Adrian. Adrian nodded and did not ask Emma to stay. Hu
“There’s a cafe outside the hospital. Fancy a cup of coffee, Emma? We can sit and chat.”Emma quickly replied, “No, thank you. I need to return and ensure my kids are doing their homework. They have plenty to finish this winter. They’ll be on their phones or gaming if I don't watch them.”“It’s best if you can keep an eye on them to prevent them from getting addicted to games and doom scrolling. Supervise them if you have the time to do so. Don’t expect them to be disciplined enough because even we adults can’t control ourselves from using our phones.”Children getting addicted to their phones was a bad habit the adults allowed them to develop. Some adults were focused on using their phones instead of spending time with their children. When the kids threw tantrums, their parents would hand them mobile devices to pacify them. That way, they would focus on their screens instead of making noise. However, that would lead to the children getting addicted to these devices. It would
Caroline had witnessed Belinda’s downfall and did not want to experience the same thing. She was still young and very much valued her life. “I’ll section out the money Mom left for my nieces and nephews. Those who’ve come of age can manage it themselves. For those who are underage, their parents will manage the money for them. When they become adults, the parents should hand the money over to them. “As parents, you guys won’t keep your children’s money for yourselves, right?”Even if they truly did such a thing, it would have nothing to do with her. After a moment of silence, Emma defended herself, saying, “I’m not here to ask for my children’s inheritance, Caroline. It should be distributed according to Mom’s will, and I think no better person can handle it than you.”Caroline was not Celine. If Celine were in charge, Emma would be worried that her children’s share would be embezzled. However, Caroline was trustworthy. She treated her nieces and nephews equally. While
After a pause, Emma continued, “But what did I get in the end? Your brother almost killed me for someone else. I lost hope at that point. I realized that a good marriage can make a woman happy, whereas a bad one will only hurt endlessly.“With my children's age, I have no plans to marry again. Remaining single isn’t too bad. If I meet someone with similar interests, I might date him, but I won’t get married.”Caroline said, “Although Adrian’s my brother, as a woman, I must say he’s a terrible man who isn’t worth entrusting yourself to. Since he cheated on you before, he’ll definitely do it again. I support you getting a divorce.“Live your own life from here on and ignore what others say. I believe your children will come to understand the divorce when they grow older.”Emma nodded. “They’re supportive of me too. Although there was a nanny, I took care of them most of the time after they were born. They’re closer to me. None of them are willing to stay with Adrian after the divorce
“Why are you here, Emma? To visit Dad? Or do you have relatives who are hospitalized?” Caroline asked. She used to feel neutral about her sisters-in-law. When she returned to the Fisher family, they did not treat her well and curried favor with Celine instead. They even joined Celine in bullying her. Later, Caroline discovered her brothers were having affairs. Her sisters-in-law made a huge fuss about it upon finding out. From a woman’s perspective, she naturally supported and spoke for her sisters-in-law. Although she had also warned her brothers, they did not take her seriously. They were punished and only broke things off with their lovers when Belinda caught Hunter cheating on her. Since then, Caroline’s sisters-in-law started treating her better. Many events happened thereafter, which brought them closer. Emma said, “Your brother and I are divorced, Caroline. I’m no longer your sister-in-law. You can call me Em from now on.“I’m here to look for you. I went to your c