Julian chuckled and said, “It seems like elders are all like that, right? My parents are the same. They love to nag. My dad, even though he’s such a macho man, he’s no different. Not to mention my mom. Whenever I see my dad now, I’m like a mouse meeting a cat. I just want to hide in a hole to avoid his nagging.”They both got into the car.Julian, who initially thought he would be driving, saw Quinn go ahead and sit in the driver’s seat. He asked, “Are you driving?”“Yeah, I’ll drive. You’re not familiar with this place, and my car is pretty normal. I’m afraid you won’t be comfortable driving it. Don’t worry, I’m a good driver, and everything will be fine.”Julian walked around the car and took the passenger seat. He fastened his seatbelt and added, “I’ve driven all kinds of cars before. Back when I didn’t make much money, I rode bicycles, and e-bikes, and even took the bus.“Now I drive a slightly more expensive car when I go out, mainly to keep up appearances.”If Julian had no
Quinn said, “Your martial skills are so good that you don’t really need bodyguards. That night, I think I acted too quickly. Even if I hadn’t intervened, those thugs wouldn’t stand a chance against you. You would have surely handled them quite effectively with your skills.“I interfered and acted rashly, which actually robbed you of the chance to show your skills, and I missed the opportunity to witness your full capabilities.”Julian hurriedly responded, “I’m indeed skilled, but I’m not as formidable as you imagine. That night, there were too many of them. I wouldn’t have been able to handle them all on my own. I’m not as skilled as you.“I have bodyguards at home, but I rarely use them. Occasionally, I might go out with a couple of them. However, the bodyguards I’ve hired are typically just tall and imposing. They might know a few basic moves, enough to intimidate troublemakers, but they wouldn’t be effective against skilled fighters.“If we encountered martial artists like last
Julian smiled and said, “You’re welcome to visit me anytime.“Oh, by the way, I sent two large boxes to you by courier. Have you received them? I tracked the shipment, they should be arriving today.”Julian had purchased a variety of specialty products from Wiltspoon, as well as some supplements for middle-aged and elderly people. He had them all shipped to Summervale, with Quinn as the recipient. After all, Quinn was his destined girl, and he wanted to make a good impression on her family.Having come all the way here, Julian felt that he could not arrive empty-handed.Quinn replied, “I’m not sure about that. I came to the airport to fetch you this afternoon, and if there was a delivery, it would be sent to my house. My mom is usually at home, and she’d help me receive them. Julian, what did you buy for me? You don’t have to spend so much.”“It’s just some specialty products from Wiltspoon. Last time when you left in a hurry, I didn’t prepare much for you. This time, I bought a
When they arrived at the Crawford residence, it was a scene of warmth and festivity with many lights illuminating the surroundings.The Crawfords were eagerly awaiting their arrival. Hearing the sound of a car, Will came out to see, and upon recognizing his sister’s vehicle, a smile graced his face. He approached the car and opened the door for Julian.“Mr. Bucham.”“Mr. Will, you can just call me Julian.”Julian was actually older than Will, but he had been addressing Will with honorifics. Will was a candid person like Duncan, and he did not mind how Julian addressed him.“Everyone is waiting for your return to have dinner together.”As he spoke, Will walked toward the trunk to take out Julian’s luggage.Quinn said, “Will, Julian booked a hotel. After dinner, I’ll drop him off at the hotel, so there’s no need to take his luggage down.”“I see. Julian, if you don’t mind, you can cancel the booking. We have empty rooms. You can stay here, and in the future, if you come to Summ
Quinn said to Will, “If you dare to drink, Mom will sell all the fine wine we have at home.”Quinn enjoyed drinking as well, but her tolerance was rather low. Her mother did not allow her to drink, emphasizing that she was a girl and that her poor alcohol tolerance could lead to accidents.Will chuckled and whispered, “That’s why we need to keep Julian at home. He’s a guest and he brings us suppers. In return, we can share a drink or two without getting too drunk. This way, it won’t affect our work the next day, and Mom won’t complain.”It was an ordeal for an alcohol enthusiast to resist drinking.Will thought of the last incident with Julian. When Julian came over, everyone in the house drank with him except Quinn. They had to use Julian as an excuse to satisfy their craving for alcohol. After all, the Crawford men could not overrule the lady of the house, their mother Zoey.Julian laughed and said, “During my stay here, if you feel like having supper, just let me know and I’l
Zoey had a habit of nagging Dave for he had ruined their daughter—a twenty-four-year-old young lady, who had never been in a relationship and could not get along with the men they set up for her. Zoey complained that Quinn treated those men as buddies.Why buddies? Why could they not become lovers?Every time Zoey nagged, Dave would tease her, suggesting they should take good care of their health and have another daughter. Then, they could raise the younger one as a proper lady, which always makes Zoey blush. She would seize him and tickle him.They were old enough to be grandparents, how could they still have babies?If they wanted to, they could have done it when they were younger.“Time for dinner. It’s late and you’re making Julian drink tea, it affects sleep. The same goes for you, don’t stay up late chattering when you can’t sleep later,” reprimanded Zoey as she carried the dishes out of the kitchen.Dave chuckled, “Julian came from afar, he’s our guest. It’s only hospitalit
Regardless of how they dissuaded him, Julian was firm that he had no ability to stop his parents, leaving the Crawfords quite helpless.They thought that if Julian’s parents did come, they would treat them cordially.Ring, ring, ring.Zoey’s phone rang.She answered the call without checking who it was from.“Oh, it’s Felicia.”Hearing Zoey greeting the caller, Quinn and her brother immediately pricked their ears to listen to their mother’s conversation with Felicia.“You want to introduce a boyfriend to Quinn? What does he do for a living? You know about Quinn’s situation right? You won’t introduce someone afraid Quinn might be abusive like those previous ones, will you?“Felicia, let me clarify right away. If the prospective partner is worried that Quinn might be abusive, there’s no need for you to play the matchmaker. Quinn won’t marry anyone with such concerns. I’d rather raise her for life than let her marry someone with tendencies for domestic violence.”Felicia chuckled
Quinn calmly ate her food. When Zoey was not looking, she seized the window of opportunity and refilled her glass with wine before downing it. By the time her mother looked over, she had already put down the glass and was back to calmly eating her meal. There was no sign of her sneaky behavior.Julian found this amusing.However, he did not dare to fill Quinn’s glass with wine. His future mother-in-law had strict rules about not allowing the family to drink too much, and even though he was just having a couple of drinks together as their guest, he could not overindulge. He certainly did not want to break the good impression Zoey had of him.“Yes, it’s her colleague’s son. She wants our daughter to meet him tomorrow at the nicely decorated bubble tea shop near our gym.”Zoey handed the phone to Dave and asked quietly, “What do you think? Should we arrange for our daughter to meet him? He seems a bit overweight, and it’s clear that he seldom works out.Dave took the phone, and Will
Belinda still viewed tradition seriously. No matter how big of a fuss Adrian and his brothers made, the gates of Fisher Manor remained closed. Adrian spotted Audrey and Patrick strolling in the garden, but they ignored the Clark brothers. The brothers finally knew the feeling of losing their mother. When she was alive, they were still young masters of the Fishers despite being Clarks. They could live in the manor with their parents and lead a lavish lifestyle. They could also enter and leave the manor as they wished. Adrian had always thought Fisher Manor was their home. How was it not theirs when they had been born and bred there?Although their mother had bought them villas as a wedding gift after they got married, the brothers still preferred living at Fisher Manor. Their villas were inferior compared to the manor. They thought they could live there for their entire lives. Even if Belinda were to pass away, Caroline would have become the matriarch and continue livin
Serenity hummed in agreement but did not reply. She soon fell asleep. Since he did not hear her reply, Zachary looked toward her and saw she was asleep. He chuckled. “That was fast.”He was jealous of her being able to fall asleep so quickly.Although Zachary was sleepy, many thoughts would run through his head when he was on the bed. It was difficult for him to sleep once he started thinking. It usually took an hour or longer for him to be able to fall asleep. Drinking alcohol helped. He could fall asleep within an hour if his head were free of thoughts. Zachary caressed Serenity’s face. He could not get enough of looking at her. “I love you, Seren. I love you forever.”He whispered those sweet words in her ear. A moment later, he touched her stomach. The baby must have rested as well. It did not respond to his touch. Soon, Zachary would become a happy man with a wife and a child.He closed his eyes in satisfaction and fell asleep with his wife. …Meanwhil
“I want to go to Satbury.”Serenity was interested in traveling to Isabella’s hometown. “It’s too bad that I’m pregnant now. Even if I can handle the trip there, you won’t let me go. We can head there after the baby is born. I’m curious how my future sister-in-law looks.“By the way, we haven’t gone on our honeymoon, Zachary. You said you’d make it up to me and take me on a trip for a month or two after the baby is born.”Serenity remembered that Zachary owed her a honeymoon. He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten about it. We can go on our honeymoon a month after you give birth, but should we bring the baby along? Can you bear leaving the baby to the nanny for a month?”He bet she was not willing to leave their baby behind. Even he did not want to.The baby would be their first child. Zachary wished he could be by their child’s side every day and watch the baby grow. They also agreed that he would look after the baby so Serenity would not have to worry about a thi
Upon hearing Serenity’s words, Zachary knew she was not very satisfied with the name he had come up with. He said, “You’re right. There’s still time. We can think of a few better names.”After a pause, he added, “I think my parents and Nana will think of a name for the baby too. After all, it’s their first grandchild and great-grandchild, respectively.”The first child would always receive the most love. Since there was only one child, everyone would shower their love on the baby. Serenity smiled. “I’ll leave the naming of the baby to you. You can be the one worrying about it. I’ll stay out of it because I’m bad at coming up with names.”“Okay. Leave it to me.”After speaking, Zachary pecked her cheek. He said gently, “I just want you to be happy and not tire yourself out.”“I won’t ever have the chance to be tired with you around.“Do you want to have some rest, babe? You should rest. I’ll head downstairs to have a look at Sonny and Laurence.”Zachary said, “I’m not sleepy.
“There’s no rush. There’s still a month till the due date. We can take our time to think of a name.“We should think of a few names for a baby girl too. What if a miracle happens?”Zachary said, “Chloe has gotten more adorable over time. Connor also looks cute when he isn’t crying. Their eyes are huge and bright. I feel my heart melting whenever I look at them.“I’m so jealous of Ben for getting a son and a daughter in one go. His babies are so cute. I can finally understand why Nana’s eyes gleam whenever she sees Chloe. She’s always fighting to hold her.”Serenity leaned her head against Zachary’s shoulder. “Let’s not think that we’re having a daughter. I joined a new mothers’ support group when I went for a checkup last time and learned of some ways to determine the baby’s gender. Although they aren’t the most accurate, we can still use them as a reference. I’m 99 percent sure that we’re having a baby boy.“You should just stick to thinking of a boy’s name. You can still come
Soon, the baby did a kick again. Zachary grinned. “Lil’ Bun understands us, Seren. The baby gave a little kick as a reply.”Serenity said, “The baby must think you’re playing with it because your hands keep touching the bump.”“I think the baby understands what we say. I read in books that babies can hear in the womb. Otherwise, why do people bother talking, playing music, or reading to their unborn babies?”“Do you miss Dad, Lil’ Bun? I’ll be by your and Mom’s side from now on. I’ll watch you grow and wait till you’re ready to meet me.“You must be a good kid. Don’t kick your mom too hard. She’ll be in pain. If you like kicking, you can kick me after you’re born. I have thicker skin and a higher tolerance for pain.”Serenity beamed as she watched Zachary interact with the baby in her womb. She was happy. Having Zachary and the baby made her feel like she owned the entire world. It was surprising that a man as tough as Zachary had such a soft side to him. He had changed for
Jane suggested. Antonia added, “You guys can even leave for Wiltspoon tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. You must be tired after your business trip, Mr. York. You should rest at our manor. Besides, it’s the weekend tomorrow. You can meet Ben.”Zachary smiled. “I thought about that as well, but I didn’t want to intrude.”Antonia said, “Not at all. We would love to host you. Sonny probably doesn’t want to go home yet.”She waved at Sonny, who then walked to her. She pulled him into her arms and lifted him, asking, “Do you want to play for another day or two?”“I’m fine with anything. I’ll go back when Aunt Seren does. I’ll follow her.”His mother was not back yet. Sonny did not mind either arrangement. Zachary told him, “I bet you’re having so much fun that you don’t want to go home, but your mom will return soon. Duncan has already gone to Jensburg to bring her home.”Sonny replied with a grunt. He knew about that. He was unhappy that Duncan did not bring him along to
Zachary laughed. The kids were fighting to do something so trivial. Conflicts arose often between the two boys. In the past, he, Josh, and Duncan also got into fights. However, they always reconciled quickly. No one ever took their quarrels to heart. After the bodyguards took all the gifts, Zachary led them to the courtyard. At that moment, Serenity stepped out of the house. She and Zachary stopped at the same time and stared at each other.A day apart felt like three years to them. Since they had been apart for some time, it felt as if a lot of time had passed. During those days, Serenity had been extremely worried about her husband and sister. Luckily, everything was over. “Seren.”Zachary smiled and walked toward his wife. Serenity snapped back to her senses and went to him in quick steps. The couple hugged each other tight. “You’re finally back, Zachary.”“I said I’d come to take you and Sonny home. Of course, I’d be back.”Zachary pulled away from Ser
“Honey, you have me, and my parents treat you like their own. They care for you more than they do for me and I’m their son.”Camryn shook off the pain in her heart and smiled lightly, “Yes, God has been kind to me by giving me such an excellent husband and open-minded in-laws, and sisters-in-law who I get along with like real sisters.”This had somewhat compensated for her lack of familial affection. She was especially grateful to Grandma May. If the old lady had not chosen her, Callum would not have even known who she was, let alone pursue her. The Camryn of today would not exist, and she could not imagine how many more years she would have spent living in darkness if she had not married Callum. Even if Aunt Evelyn had heard of the legendary doctor, she had no way to contact him.Right then, a customer entered the store. The couple aptly stopped their conversation there and moved on from the heavy topic.Meanwhile, in Annenburg, Serenity knew her husband would be flying here tod