”Serenity, what’s all this?”Callum had detected the smell of seafood.“It’s seafood. A friend of mine brought it back after holidaying by the beach. She gave me a lot. They’re all fresh, and your brother and I can’t eat that much, so I’m giving some to you guys to bring home and eat.”Callum stole a glance at his nana. Seeing that she was not declining it, he said, “This is a lot.”Seafood was something their family lacked the least.However, since it was given to him by his sister-in-law, he best helped bring them home.“Nana, don’t forget to give everyone a portion to try.”Serenity had meticulously prepared a portion for each family unit, contained in individual nets. After getting home, all Grandma May had to do was to hand it out portion by portion. They were equally divided.“Alright, I will.”Grandma May waited for Callum to put the seafood in the trunk before getting in the car. She then said to Serenity, “Serenity, I texted Zack earlier, telling him to come over and
Serenity got in her car and sped off.Zachary watched her go before walking into the bookshop. He took a look at the materials that she had not put away yet. He could not make sense of it, so he turned away and went into the kitchen.He washed the wok and put a little water in it before placing the leftovers from lunch into the wok, then turned on the gas to heat it up.Out of boredom, he casually opened the fridge and saw that it was stuffed full of seafood.They were all given by Elisa Stone.Elisa Stone was pretty generous to Serenity, even dragging a carful of seafood back for her.Thinking of how Serenity taught Elisa how to pursue him and that being the reason Elisa gave her so much seafood… and that he’d eaten quite a bit at lunch…“Serenity? Serenity!”Shawn Lowe’s cries came from outside.Zachary immediately turned the fire down to its lowest and speedily ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.There was no other reason than for the fact Shawn Lowe had me
Zachary only came out of the bathroom when he heard Shawn’s footsteps fade into the distance.He was thankful for two things right then and there. One for Nana calling him over, and two for himself resisting his pride and taking the out that Nana offered him. Otherwise, Shawn would have the chance to be alone with Serenity.Shawn walked out of the bookshop, got into his car, and drove away. However, just as he reached a junction, he stopped his car and called Serenity.Serenity quickly picked up his call.“What’s up, Shawn?”“Serenity, are you free later? Around 7:30 pm.”“Why?”Serenity did not say if she was free but instead straightforwardly asked him why.Shawn hesitated before saying, “I have to attend a business reception at Wiltspoon Hotel in a while. I need a female companion. You know me, I don’t have a girlfriend yet, so I wanted to ask for your help to accompany me to the reception.”“Get Jasmine to go with you. I’m not free. My husband’s still waiting in the booksh
Despite Zachary having said there was no need to get anything else to eat, Serenity still ordered two freshly cooked dishes and two portions of white rice to go.After paying for the food, she walked out of the restaurant carrying the packed food and got into her car.Ring, ring, ring…Her phone started ringing again.This time, the call was from Zachary.Shawn came and went, but Zachary was overly sensitive about it, so he could not resist making a call to Serenity.“I’m coming back now,” Serenity immediately said without waiting for Zachary to speak first, and promptly hung up. Zachary, who was almost immediately hung up on by his wife, looked at his phone in silence for a long while.He knew Serenity was still mad at him in her heart.The two of them had not actually made up. Their current situation was only due to Nana’s interference and out of respect for her.Serenity did indeed return to the bookshop in a jiffy.“Have the leftovers been heated up? We can eat now.”S
“If you want to, we can take a weekend trip to the seaside too and have seafood freshly caught from the sea.”This was Zachary’s first time suggesting that they take a weekend trip.“It’s already November.”“As long as the sun behaves normally, November in Wiltspoon is still hot, especially during the day. It’s even more suitable to go to the seaside for a holiday then. It won’t be too cold nor will it be too hot.” Serenity rubbed her stomach. “We can talk about this later. I can’t be sure now that I won’t have something else on that weekend.”Zachary gave a hum in response.As he cleared the table and brought the dishes into the kitchen to wash them, he heard his great and mighty wife remind him, “Don’t pour too much dishwashing liquid in and end up filling the sink with bubbles.”Zachary kept a straight face and did not respond.After ten minutes, Zachary was done with the dishes.Having looked in the fridge earlier, he knew there were some fruits in the fridge.He washed
Zachary saw that Serenity’s attention was entirely focused on her phone and had the impulse to snatch her phone away.The good thing was he had great self-control, so he did not actually do that, lest the relationship deteriorated again.He walked closer, stood in front of Serenity, and said in his deep voice, “Honey.”Bam!Serenity was so shocked by him calling her “honey” that she dropped her phone on the floor.She quickly bent over to pick her phone up. When she saw that her phone screen cracked really badly, she immediately said in dismay, “My phone case cost a hundred bucks.”Zachary took the phone from her and had a look at it. Yeah, it was broken pretty badly. When he heard her words of dismay about the phone case, he said, “I’ll buy you ten in compensation.”“You should buy a few more for me. I’m worried I’ll drop my phone case and break them multiple times when you lose your marbles and call me ‘honey’.”The corner of Zachary’s mouth spasmed. He looked at her in silen
Zachary was speechless for a moment. “Can’t you see the sincere emotions in my eyes? Shawn looks at you the same way I just looked at you. I’m a man so I understand how other men are. He has a crush on you, and he’s been crushing on you for a very long time.”It was just this silly woman who foolishly thought of him as a younger brother.Shawn did not want to be her younger brother, he wanted to be her man.As for her teasing, Zachary did not stop Serenity from teasing him again and taking advantage of him.“Are there emotions in your eyes? I can only feel killing intent.”Zachary’s expression darkened.His performance had been in vain.Serenity laughed embarrassedly. “Maybe your acting just wasn’t good enough. Any emotion in the eyes has to come from the heart. You don’t love me, so your gaze when you look at me naturally wouldn’t have any emotions then.”Zachary raised his hand.He finally smacked away her mischievous pair of hands.“Mr. York.”“Say it.”“I— Um, I think,
Zachary’s expression immediately returned to its usual ice-cold state.He walked out from behind the counter with a perfectly calm expression.Serenity stood up straight and smoothed her slightly messy hair. She cursed Zachary a hundred times over in her heart when she saw Zachary act like nothing just happened.Then, she sat down, waiting for the trash to roll in.The only people who would yell at her like that had to be her trashy relatives.Not even a minute had passed when David Hunt and his wife entered in a threatening manner.Following behind them were Serenity’s four aunts and uncles.The corners of Serenity’s mouth rose upward. It looked like they were all in attendance.David Hunt and his wife rushed in and were about to rush toward Serenity who was sitting behind the counter when Zachary blocked their way.Zachary was tall and handsome but was extremely cold and aloof. Just standing there, his body exuded a cold and noble aura that made others feel small in comparis
“She lost the child when she fell on her own. That was our family’s flesh and blood, too!”Since Sonny did not live with the Browns, and despite her many objections, Olivia did not voice her criticisms toward Jessica when she was pregnant, out of consideration that Jessica was carrying the Brown family’s child.It was Jessica’s bad luck that she fell and lost the child, which made Olivia lose a grandson. If she had just one more grandson, she would not be waiting so eagerly for Sonny to return. It was all karmic retribution! “Mom, that's all in the past. I'm doing fine now. If the child wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. They just didn't want to come into our lives. Anyway, Jessica is still my wife. I should go and see her. If I hadn’t corrupted her, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s my fault, I ruined her.”When Jessica first became his secretary, she was still innocent and never thought of seducing him. It was he who fell for Jessica, and it was also he wh
Unfortunately, their regret and realization came too late. “I heard from Sonny that you and Mr. Lewis are getting married soon. When will the marriage be?”Olivia tried to make herself sound calmer. “We’ll be heading to the City Hall to complete the procedures later.”Olivia went silent. After some time, she said, “Oh, today? Congratulations, Liberty. I wish you both a happy marriage.”“Thank you.”Olivia initially had a lot of things to say. However, upon discovering Liberty and Duncan were getting their marriage license that day, the words got stuck in her throat. Saying anything was meaningless.Soon, Olivia hung up. Once the call ended, Luke, who had been sitting beside his wife, asked, “How did it go? Did Liberty agree to Sonny staying with us for a few days?”Olivia was still stunned and did not immediately reply to her husband’s question. At that moment, Hank came out of his room in his pajamas. When he saw his parents sitting on the sofa, he yawned and asked, “Wha
Serenity asked, “Duncan has no comments about it, right?”“No. He said that Hank would always be Sonny’s biological father. Sonny’s surname won’t be changed to Lewis as well. He’ll remain a Brown. That’s part of Hank’s and my divorce agreement.”Since Liberty had signed the agreement, she would keep her promise. No matter Sonny’s surname, the fact that he was a member of the Brown family would not change. If so, there was no point in changing his surname. “Duncan is so easygoing.”At that moment, Liberty’s phone rang.It was Olivia. When Liberty recognized her voice through the phone, she whispered to Serenity, “Speak of the devil. Olivia is calling me.”“What did you say, Liberty?”Olivia heard Liberty whispering but could not hear her clearly. She asked Liberty to repeat herself.“I was talking to my sister, Olivia. Why did you call?”It was still early in the morning. “You’re back from Jensburg, right, Liberty?”“Yes.”“That was what I heard. Look. The year is almo
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing