Hayden being a woman was not a secret in the York family.When Grandma May pointed out Hayden’s identity as a woman with no outsiders present, Hayden showed no signs of displeasure and remained composed.“Aunt Ser, Aunt Ser.”Sonny’s crying voice came from upstairs.It was then everyone in the room realized that they had forgotten about Sonny.“I completely forgot about Sonny.”Serenity got up and said, “I came downstairs right after I called Zachary. I forgot to wake Sonny up to eat.”Sonny had gone upstairs to get some shut-eye with Zachary.They slept together initially, but later, Zachary carried Sonny back to the children’s room. He was afraid that he might sleep too soundly and accidentally squash Sonny when he turned over.Zachary followed Serenity upstairs.Sonny was already out of his room, crying and calling for Serenity as he walked.“Sonny, Aunt Ser is right here.”Serenity quickly ran toward her nephew once she got upstairs.Sonny stopped crying when he saw hi
Serenity followed them out of the house. She shouted after Sonny’s shrinking silhouette, “Sonny, don’t run so fast. Be careful not to fall.”“Aunt Ser, I won’t fall. I’ll go now.”Carrying a large bag of toys, Sonny ran off with a group of kids. Their voices echoed back from a distance.Serenity turned to Zachary, who had followed her outside, and said, “This kid is so outgoing. He gets along with everyone.”“Isn’t that a good thing? If he couldn’t and clung to adults all the time, we’d all have headaches.”Zachary replied with a smile, “It’s quite challenging being human, and kids do not have it easy either. They get criticized as mischievous for being lively. If they are quiet and reserved, they are called dull. No matter what they do, adults can always find a reason to criticize them.”Serenity was silent.It seemed like it was true.Being human was quite challenging.“Do you still need to catch up on sleep?” Serenity questioned.As soon as Zachary held Serenity’s hand,
Her abilities are not too shabby either. At least before Alvin emerged, everyone within the Daniels family believed that Jenna would be the successor to the group.“Zachary, take a look at this news article.”Serenity handed her phone to Zachary.Zachary corrected her, “Call me ‘honey’. When you call me by my name, I always get nervous, fearing that you’re going to scold me for doing something wrong.” With that said, he took the phone from her and asked while looking at it, “What news?”After glancing at it for a moment, Zachary returned the phone to his wife. His expression lightened as he said, “What’s so interesting about her news? I’ve said it before, the one who can handle her is her father. We don’t need to intervene. Her father will take care of her.”If Mr. Daniels could not handle Jenna, letting Zachary step in would surely harm the Daniels Group.Zachary would not have mercy on those who tried to disrupt his marriage.As for that person living in the same residential
Zachary chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, my dear. I absolutely won’t engage in illegal activities like murder or arson. York Corporation conducts lawful and legitimate business. Even if someone is my adversary, I only compete with them through business and slowly lead them to defeat.“If the opponent is formidable, it might take me years to bring them down. Look at me and your cousin, we were arch-rivals for years, but I couldn’t take down Stone Group, and likewise, Stone Group couldn’t defeat York Corporation.“The ability to bankrupt someone within the blink of an eye? Well, I do not possess that kind of skill.”Zachary admitted he was not as formidable as the male protagonists in novels who could bankrupt companies in an instant. Dealing with his enemies required a long process.“If you decide to take matters into your own hands, I will not interfere. I don’t have the energy to deal with such matters right now, but I trust you!”With her head resting on Zachary’s shoulder for j
Kevin handed her the bouquet of flowers and grinned. “My nana always says I talk too much, that I’m quite the talker. Meanwhile, you’re quiet and reserved, a woman of few words. That’s why she thought we’d make a great match so you wouldn’t feel lonely.“We call this complementarity. If both of us were introverted, our little home would be completely silent in the future. It would then be too quiet.“I didn’t say much, I was just admiring the loving relationship between Zachary and Serenity. Haven’t you noticed how beautiful her dresses are? Would you like to try one on? I’ve bought several new dresses for you that I think would suit you well.”Hayden had dressed up once in women’s clothing for him. She also mentioned that she had only done it for him.He should be content with that.Humans tended to be greedy.He had already seen how stunning Hayden looked in women’s clothing and he wanted to see her in it more often.Kevin stayed by her side after leaving the main house, prais
Hayden pushed his hand away and said, “I don’t want anything, you don’t have to give me gifts.”The gifts he gave were all things that girls would like.Even though she was a woman, she did not care for girly gifts.“I won’t give you gifts then. How about you gift me something, Hay? I rarely receive gifts from you.”Kevin followed closely behind Hayden, walking with a big smile on his face. “If you give me a gift, no matter what it is, I’ll like it.”Hayden could not be bothered to respond to him.Zachary and Serenity watched from the pavilion as the two of them walked one after the other. Serenity smiled and said, “They’re quite lively.“Kevin talks a lot, while Hayden is more reserved. When they’re together, they really complement each other.”Grandma May had chosen their spouses based on their personalities. As long as they spent some time together, they would gradually fall in love with each other.Zachary embraced Serenity as she leaned on him. The couple gazed into the
“It’s already eight o’clock, and I noticed you haven’t come downstairs for breakfast. Alice, are you alright?”Alice habitually supported her protruding belly with one hand and smiled. “I’m fine, just been having some restless nights lately, so I decided to stay in bed. When Clive got up, I was already awake, but I didn’t feel like getting up. Haven’t you gone to the office yet?”“I'll go in a bit. There’s not much going on lately, so I’ll check in and then go to the bookstore. Jasmine is looking after the bookstore, and Seren is still on her honeymoon. She won’t be back at the company for this whole month.”After their wedding, although the newlyweds had not gone on a honeymoon or returned to work, they spent almost every day at Wildridge Manor, living a slow-paced and leisurely life, as happy as a pair of larks.Occasionally, Elisa visited the manor and saw the newlyweds enjoying their relaxed life, which made her envious.“Seren is still in her honeymoon period. Let her enjoy the ha
As they were talking, Alice furrowed her brows while cradling her stomach. She said to Elisa, “Elisa, I might actually be going into labor early. The pain is becoming more noticeable.”“I’ll take you to the hospital immediately.”Elisa started to get nervous.She helped Alice get up, but Alice stopped her and said, “First, go to my closet and get the pre-packed maternity bag I prepared a while ago. We need to take it with us to the hospital. Also, my prenatal checkup records are in the drawer of my dressing table, we should bring those too.”“Alright, you stay seated for now. I’ll go get them. Don't worry, don't be nervous, I won’t be long.”Elisa rushed out to get the maternity bag. She grabbed that along with the prenatal records, and in no time, she dashed down the stairs.Alice was still waiting for her, but to her surprise, once Elisa grabbed the maternity bag and her prenatal records, she dashed off without waiting for Alice or even asking her along.Alice was bewildered.
The security guard brought out a basket and handed it to Dylan.Dylan took the basket and poured the bag of chili peppers into it. Next, following the live broadcast team’s instructions, he walked in front of the camera and said, “Last year, I unintentionally hurt Imogen’s pride. It was my fault, and I apologize to her.“Imogen doesn’t have time to deal with me, but Ms. Layla Doyle said that as long as I eat chili peppers on this livestream, she’ll allow me to come here every day to wait for Imogen. I’m afraid of spicy food and usually don’t eat anything spicy at all.“But for the sake of seeing Imogen and having a chance to get her forgiveness, I’m willing to accept Ms. Layla’s challenge and eat these chili peppers.”The live broadcast team was at a loss for words.Layla had not prepared a script for Dylan, but he went ahead and explained the backstory. Was that okay?Someone secretly messaged Layla to ask for her opinion. Her reply was to allow Dylan to say whatever he wanted a
Isabella had invited him to sit at the dining table and eat with them, but Austin refused. He said he was the chef, so he could just have his breakfast in the kitchen.He always remembered his position as Isabella's personal chef and did not let the fact that the others saw him in a more favorable light now go to his head and cross the line. His adherence to his principles and awareness of his position only made Isabella respect him more.Though he was one of the extremely affluent Yorks, after accepting the job as her private chef, he completely discarded his identity as a rich heir and earnestly took on the role of her personal chef.By the time Austin finished his breakfast, Isabella and the two young boys had also finished eating. He came out to clear the table.Phillip slid off his chair and said to Louis, “Isa’s passing by my preschool today. She said she’ll take me there.”He was showing off. Sure enough, Louis looked enviously at his sister. Isabella did not even glance
Austin placed the two breakfast portions on the dining table and then walked over to Isabella, who was still reading the newspaper. “Ms. Isabella, breakfast is ready.”“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Louis’s voice came from the stairs. Then, they saw him quickly running down the stairs with his schoolbag in one hand.“Louis!” Isabella called out.Louis immediately stopped, then picked up his schoolbag to carry it on his back before slowly descending the stairs step-by-step, no longer daring to run.The two boys really did have very similar personalities.“Good morning, Isa. Good morning, Austin.”Louis walked over to Isabella’s side and respectfully greeted them.“If I ever see you running down the stairs again, I’ll punish you by making you miss a week of eating Austin’s meals.”“Isa, a week is too long!” Louis instinctively tried to negotiate.“You still dare to bargain with me, huh? That shows you don’t want to change. In that case, I’ll make it a whole month.”Louis was speec
“Isa, Austin promised me that he would make cartoon-shaped snacks for us this Saturday. You won’t mind, right? I’ve already told my classmates, and they’re all coming to our house!”The little boy was also concerned about his image. He was afraid his serious eldest cousin would refuse, and if that happened, he would be so embarrassed. After all, after Austin promised him, the other kids at preschool treated him so well. They all wanted to try the cartoon-shaped snacks Austin made. However, since Austin was Isabella’s private chef, if Isabella did not agree, there would be nothing even Austin could do about it.Isabella lightly pinched Phillip’s cheek. “Since Austin’s promised, he’ll keep his word. I’ll be resting at home this weekend and won’t stop you, but don’t make a racket here. Go do it at your own house. I need to rest.”“Thanks, Isa! I’ll tell my friends not to disturb your rest. Isa, has Louis not woken up yet?”With Isa’s promise, Phillip’s little face lit up with a smil
Upon hearing that Phillip might be coming, Louis moved much faster.Isabella did not wait for her brother. She said, “Head downstairs by yourself later, and make sure to check your schoolbag to see if you’ve packed your books and water bottle.”She would not help her brother check those things. Every day, she made sure her brother checked everything himself because it was his responsibility. If their parents or employees tried to help, she would scold them.Now, their parents no longer dared to help Louis with things he could do himself. They let her take charge of him. Her parents had Louis when they were in their forties, and he was their only son. If they were the ones raising him, Isabella was sure her brother would have been spoiled beyond reason.“I know, Isa,” Louis replied, already starting to brush his teeth.After leaving her brother’s room, Isabella headed downstairs. As soon as she reached the first floor, she saw Phillip running in with his little schoolbag on his
Isabella patiently said, “No, you can’t. If you sleep for ten more minutes, time will be too tight, and we’ll hit the worst of rush hour when everyone’s heading to school or work. There’ll be too much traffic and you’ll be late. You mustn’t be late.” If her brother was constantly late, he would get used to it and start liking to sleep in. Isabella would not let him develop such a bad habit.“Isa, I won’t be late. Every day when I arrive at school, there are still plenty of classmates who haven’t arrived. I can just tell the driver to speed up.”“Absolutely not! It’s not safe to drive too fast. It doesn’t matter if the other students are late, but you can’t be late. Get up now, or I’m going to get angry.”Louis pouted.Amused, Isabella pinched his lips, saying, “Come on, get up. In two more days, it will be the weekend, and you’ll get another two days off.”“This holiday was too short.”Under his sister’s urging, Louis reluctantly sat up. “It feels like we just got let out for w
The O'Connor family, due to a predominance of daughters rather than sons, was extremely cautious about their sons-in-law.Even though they did not have a son-in-law yet, it was clear from the way Isabella’s uncles were not allowed to interfere in the family business that they were worried about a son-in-law taking control of the O'Connor family’s wealth.Even Isabella’s aunts were forbidden from involving themselves in the family business. This was to protect their love-obsessed selves from being easily manipulated or influenced by their in-laws.At twenty-seven, Isabella had not even considered dating, as she knew once she had a partner, her elders would put their guard up against her and her partner.It was not just the elders who would be cautious, Isabella herself would be wary of her own husband.Too many men had used their wives’ family wealth to rise to power, only to later swap their wives out for younger and more beautiful women. Some even swallowed the entire family fort
“If the woman’s side minds her moving so far away and wants us to go to her family, except for Zack, who can’t move because he’s the head of the family, the elders in our family don’t really care. As long as we’re happy, they’re fine with it.”They had the powerful York Corporation backing them, and each of them was highly capable. Even if one of them married into another family, they would not be bullied by the woman’s family. If the woman wanted to push them around, she would have to think twice, with the York family’s influence behind them.However, so far, none of his brothers had done so.Austin thought to himself that he might just set a precedent.Isabella now bore a heavy burden. Her brother was too young, and it would take at least a decade before he could take over. Isabella would have to manage the family business for many more years.Isabella’s eyes sparkled. “Your family’s so open-minded. With your family’s wealth and standing, there’s really no need for you guys to l
“Zack is much more at ease now, but honestly, the person who was the biggest help to him wasn’t any of us—it was Josh. He and Zack are really good friends, and after graduation, Zack brought him into York Corporation.“He’s Zack’s right-hand man, and he’s really impressive.“Zack is incredibly efficient too. Back then, no one in the company could keep up with his work speed. He slowed down a bit after marrying my sister-in-law and starting a family. Now, he likes to stick close to her, and he’s not as crazy about work as he used to be.“He also goes to fewer networking events now. He used to attend these events and work late into the night, but now he’s home before ten at night. No one can stop him.“Those CEOs who work with our family know this too. If they have a business to discuss with him, they try to get it done during the day. They don’t want to drag it into the night.”Isabella laughed softly, her eyes showing a hint of envy. “Before, I didn’t know you were a York. But aft