By then, the kids had grabbed their favorites and sat down to eat at two tables. Quinn was a foodie, and the local cuisine was right up her alley. She grabbed two plates and loaded them with food. Since there was no vacant seat with the kids, she sat at a nearby table. She put her plates down and went to grab a plate for fruits and another for dessert. She also poured herself a cup of coffee.Julian had grabbed a lot of food too. Quinn would not enjoy her meal unless Julian did too. She might even try to be ladylike and stay hungry next time.Julian wanted to give his future wife everything even though they were not married yet. He could not possibly let her go hungry. After grabbing the food, Quinn sat down and realized that she might have taken too much to eat. However, she stopped feeling embarrassed when she saw the amount of food Julian took from the buffet. Quinn was not the only one who could eat. Her students were big eaters too. It must be due to all the exercis
Josh was the administrative executive to the CEO of York Corporation. He was well-known in Wiltspoon, appearing on TV more often than Julian. It was easy for the public to search for his photos and basic information on the web. Julian was a different story. He had always been elusive. Whenever Zachary wanted to meet with Julian, he would have to book an appointment through Josh. There were no pictures of Julian on the internet. People who had not met Julian in person would walk by him, unaware that he was the heir to the Buchams. Josh assumed that Julian was afraid of Quinn learning his identity and getting cold feet. “Did you see the group of men in suits? The man in the front looked awfully familiar,” Quinn said as she looked back at the hotel.Julian answered, “Those men were executives from York Corporation. They are probably here on business. Wiltspoon Hotel belongs to the same company. Zachary and his employees have meetings with clients at the hotel.” “Oh. That explai
“Mr. Bucham.” Julian had brought along two bodyguards to act as drivers. With Julian stepping out of the hotel, they immediately drew close. They were instructed not to tell Quinn that Julian was the heir to the Bucham family for fear of scaring her away. The bodyguards believed Julian was paranoid as his future wife feared nothing. Quinn would not be afraid to learn who Julian was. Julian gave a nod and told Quinn, “My car can’t fit everybody, so I hired two drivers. We can all travel comfortably in three cars instead of one.” “Thank you for going through all that trouble, Mr. Bucham. You have everything thought out.” Julian grinned. “It was no trouble at all. You weren’t afraid about getting into trouble when you saved me. You didn’t even know me then. All I did was help with the logistics and the pleasure’s all mine.” Quinn smiled. “Alright. We should stop thanking each other like we’re strangers. I’m not used to it.” She would rather cut to the chase. The pair w
Julian said to Quinn, “As far as I know, there’s a rose garden, sunflower garden, and another one with an assortment of flowers. But it’s October now, so there aren’t many flowers in bloom. Come spring, the gardens are a sight to behold.”Quinn rolled down the window and looked into the distance. She gasped in amazement and asked, “Is that the Yorks’ residence? Are those people from the family?” “The place there is the Yorks’ family home. The people you see are mostly their employees. They take care of the gardens and orchards. It takes a village to run the estate. “Some of them are distant relatives of the Yorks. “The family members stay in some of the houses there. The rest of the buildings are the workers’ lodging. The Yorks provide generous housing for their employees. Single employees get a unit with a separate kitchen and bathroom.“The employees with families get an apartment, which isn’t huge but spacious enough and well-equipped.” Quinn’s eyes widened in marvel. She
Julian said, “Ms. Crawford, you don’t have to be so polite. We’re friends now, and you also saved my life.”Quinn smiled. “Okay. Let’s not be too polite with each other. I find it awkward too. I prefer being casual, so being overly courteous makes me uncomfortable. You don’t have to keep mentioning that I’m your savior too, Mr. Bucham. I simply lent a hand by fighting while I was on a stroll after a meal.”Both of them laughed. Since Quinn had no intention of getting out of the car to admire the flowers, Julian drove straight up the hill. He guessed Quinn did not fancy flowers much. The car stopped midhill. Quinn spotted a security post that was meant to carry out car inspections. The security guards stationed at the post allowed Julian’s car to pass as soon as they saw him. Quinn was curious. “Why is there a roadblock?”“Well, Wildridge Manor belongs to the York family. Outsiders are prohibited from entering. There used to be only one security post at the manor’s gates. H
Julian grinned in return. He then introduced the butler to Quinn. “Ms. Crawford, this is Wildfridge Manor’s butler, Sam.“Sam, this is Ms. Crawford. Her family owns Power Fitness, and she saved my life.”Sam thought, ‘Are you kidding me, Mr. Bucham? Will a person like you require saving?’With Julian’s identity, who would dare to touch him? No one would be bold enough to offend him too. However, Zachary had specially instructed Sam to play along with whatever Julian said. “Hi, Ms. Crawford,” Sam greeted politely.Quinn replied embarrassedly, “Sorry for the sudden visit and all the trouble, Sam.”Sam smiled and said, “It’s a small matter. Mr. Bucham and Mr. Zachary are friends. Mr. Zachary had appointed me as your tour guide to show you around the manor today.”“Thank you, Sam.”Julian said, “I’ve been here twice, Sam. Although I don’t know this place well, I won’t lose my way. I think I can be Ms. Crawford’s tour guide. We shall not bother you since you’re busy.“Though w
“Grandma May.”Julian could not avoid her anymore. He greeted her happily. From Julian’s greetings, Quinn found out that the elderly woman walking over with a kind smile was Old Mrs. York. Based on her clothing, she looked plain and no different from an ordinary elderly woman. However, her natural classy aura was not something clothes could conceal. The old lady’s steps were steady, and she was in good health. She maintained her appearance well too, looking like a woman in her fifties or sixties, instead of her actual age. “Who’s this, Julian?”Grandma May’s gaze focused on Quinn. She pretended to be clueless and asked Julian. Julian dared not play tricks before an elder. He introduced Quinn to her earnestly. “Nice to meet you, Old Mrs. York,” Quinn greeted after Julian introduced them to each other. Grandma May smiled. “Hi, Ms. Crawford.”She eyed Quinn from head to toe. Her first impression of Quinn was great—young, beautiful, and down-to-earth. Grandma May was
Grandma May said to Quinn, “We’re all easy-going people, Ms. Crawford. You don’t have to be too cautious or feel you’re intruding. Just enjoy yourself here at this manor and come often if you like.”Quinn smiled. “I’ll definitely visit you again if my students have competitions here in the future.”She had finally met Grandma May in person, someone she had heard a lot about. The old lady was friendlier than she had imagined; also enthusiastic and hospitable, much like her own grandmother.“You can visit us without having to bring your students to Wiltspoon for competitions. Julian can pick you up, and you can be our guest and even stay overnight. We have plenty of rooms. You won’t get bored even after staying here for half a month.”Quinn simply smiled and gave a courteous reply. However, she dared not come as she pleased. She knew she owed Julian a huge favor just by visiting the manor once. Julian always talked about repaying her for saving his life. He took her and the childre