Callum could finally spend some quality time with Camryn. He held the presents in one hand while holding Camryn’s hand in the other. He only dared to start complaining after they had walked a distance away. Camryn said, “I think you’re enjoying yourself though.”She took her phone out and withdrew her hand from Callum’s. “My phone kept ringing just now. I don’t know who’s been sending me so many messages. I didn’t look at them because I was talking to Mom.”She opened WhatsApp. The messages were from her butler. It was a bunch of pictures and videos. After scrolling through them, Camryn told Callum, “I knew Carrie would look for the Joyners and Chandlers to help her, but the new number doesn’t belong to my aunts.“After investigating, we found the number was registered to a certain last name Gordon. I can’t think of anyone I know with that name. I asked Dal about this. He said no one in Newman Enterprise has that surname. None of Uncle Cain’s previous connections went by Gor
Callum only did nothing because Dalton never confessed his love to Camryn and married someone else. The way Dalton looked at Camryn was calm too.“Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you still think Dal’s your rival?”Callum quickly denied it. “No. I was simply saying. He’s already married anyway. I trust that he treats you like a sister, but you should maintain a healthy distance since you two aren’t biological siblings and he has a wife.“Let me know if you face any difficulties. I’ll solve them for you. Let’s not trouble Dal unnecessarily, he’s already helping out at the company significantly.”Only when Camryn saw Callum’s unwavering gaze that she believed him. She said, “I was blind, and he has worked in the company for a long time. He was Uncle Cain’s right-hand man too. That’s why I’m heavily relying on him when it comes to the company.“Now that I’ve regained sight, I’ve familiarized myself with the business after six months. I handle whatever I can and refrain from going t
Hayden had feelings for Kevin, but it was not deep enough for her to marry him. Therefore, Kevin’s priority was to continue courting her. He could also supervise Fortress Hotel and the few factories York Corporation owned in Jensburg. Camryn recalled Hayden’s aloofness. “Hayden Queen looks manlier than a man. Her aura and working style are similar to a man’s, but her voice sounds clear and isn’t as husky.”Hayden would intentionally lower her pitch when speaking to others, but it was still distinguishable from a man’s. Nevertheless, there were men with slightly higher pitches, which created a public assumption that Hayden was one of those men. No one suspected that Hayden was a woman. Callum smiled. “With over twenty years of experience in disguising as a man, naturally she could pull it off excellently. Her attitude is as cold as Zachary’s past personality, stern and aloof.“I guess you have no idea how strict and cold Zachary used to be. He had already evolved into a doti
Before Callum could speak, Camryn continued, “But I can tolerate it because it’ll heal my eyes.”It was a prescription by Dr. Carden, something sought after by many but only few had the opportunity to receive. Camryn was fortunate to have been treated by Dr. Carden, all thanks to Callum. “It’ll get better, Camryn. Everything will get better. You won’t have to take those bitter medicines anymore in the future.”Callum was well aware her medicines tasted bitter. The strong smell would fill the room whenever he prepared it for her, so he could only imagine how it would taste.Every dose, though, would come with a candy for Camryn to neutralize the bitterness.“It’s always darkest before dawn.”Camryn’s words made Callum laugh. His precious girl exuded self-confidence and self-love. He could not love her more than he already had.“You’re here, Callum, Camryn. Why have you come bearing so many gifts again? We have everything. Don’t buy anything next time.”Sasha walked over with
Sasha laughed heartily. She was cheery and less rigid as compared to Tania with no hard and fast rule of appearing overly dignified all the time; that was the luxury of not being the head missus of the Yorks.Tania had to be mature and composed. Though in private settings, Tania was just like Sasha. Most importantly, both of them and Rosella got along well because their personalities were similar.“Were you satisfied with Callum when you first saw him, Camryn?”Camryn blushed. She smiled and said, “I touched his face countless times when I was blind and imagined what he would look like, but I was still surprised when I saw him. He looks different from what I envisioned by touch.“So, of course I’m satisfied. Aunt Evelyn kept telling me to treat Callum well. She said he must’ve been a blessing from my dad in heaven. “Nowadays Callum gets treated better than me by her when I used to be her favorite.”Despite complaining about Aunt Evelyn’s preferential treatment, Camryn was smilin
Callum helped himself and served everyone refreshments. He studied the chessboard and said, “I think this was a deliberate move by Aunt Sasha. With your current skills, you won’t figure out where to place that chess piece even after another day.”Simon was terrible at chess. His face fell. He glared at Callum. No matter how much he sucked at chess, it was no fun to be teased by his nephew as he had some dignity to preserve.Callum chuckled. He looked toward Sasha for help to escape Simon’s deadly stares. He was merely stating facts. Upon receiving Callum’s S.O.S., Sasha told her husband, “Keep it away. We can wrap this game up another day.”“I’d rather not play against you. Callum can do it in your stead. And Callum, stay at the manor this weekend and don’t make other plans. Let’s play a few games together. Otherwise, I’ll nag you to kingdom come.”Callum quickly begged, “Sorry, Uncle Simon. I was wrong. You’re exceptionally good at chess. You’re a chess maestro, the best
“I can’t believe Milky is letting you hold it. It’s an arrogant cat. It doesn’t like me holding it and will even scratch me,” Callum said in surprise when he saw Camryn holding the cat. Sasha said, “You kicked Milky before, so for sure it would hold a grudge against you. But it’s indeed a picky cat. It prefers people who are gentle.”“Am I fierce?”Callum did not find himself so. “Which one of you brothers is gentle? Milky is clever. It can sense if someone is pretending to be nice.”Callum was speechless. “Is the cat called Milky, Aunt Sasha? That’s adorable.”“I named it Milky because it has white fur. Cats are cute. You can ask Callum to get a cat if you like them. They’re very clingy. They’ll either sleep beside you or jump into your arms.”Camryn said happily, “Never mind. I don’t have the time to care for them now.“Zachary once gave Serenity a dog and two cats, but she didn’t have time to take care of them and handed them over to Mrs. Lane. So, they aren’t close to S
Camryn was not afraid of Carrie but the person hiding behind her. They still could not identify the person with the last name Gordon. “Let me know if you need any help.”“There’s no need to trouble all of you to deal with Carrie. I can handle this myself. I just can’t find out the identity of the person she contacted right after coming out of prison.“Callum said he’d ask Zachary to request Mr. Julian’s assistance to investigate that person. We’re just worried about being blindsided if they launch an ambush because we don’t know who they are.”Serenity said, “I’ll let Jasmine know, and she’ll relay the message to Josh. You don’t have to worry about this.”“Thank you.”“Small matter. I hope we all can live in peace.”Camryn smiled. She said, “No one’s life can always be smooth sailing. There are always bound to be challenges.”“You’re right.”Serenity stared at the sky and said softly, “I feel like a change is beckoning.”“Well, it’s late fall now. The seasons are changing.
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. Isabella’s 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 Austin’s 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 Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did 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 Austin’s 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 fiancées. 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 fiancée. 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, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After 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 fiancée, 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. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There 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 fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée 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. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella 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 fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s 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. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella 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. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s 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 Austin’s 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, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s