Julian had fallen deeply in love with Quinn after getting to know her. He did not want to scare her. He had never been afraid of anything until Quinn. He became hesitant when it came to anything related to her. “When can your mom and I go over to meet the Crawfords? We’ve even shopped for gifts several times. Your mom and I added more gifts to the pile whenever she thought of something. I’m sure we’ve prepared every gift anyone can think of.”Walter was anxious. Julian was almost forty years old and one of the oldest bachelors in Wiltspoon alongside Duncan. How could he not be worried?“Dad, I haven’t confessed to Quinn… You can’t come over yet.”Walter scolded, “How long has it been? Why haven’t you confessed to her? Does she have someone she likes, or did you chicken out?”“It hasn’t been that long, Dad. I haven’t even been in Summervale for a full month yet. Quinn treats me like a brother, which makes it difficult for me to confess. I don’t dare to do it either. I feel lik
Walter was passing the phone to his wife. Stacy looked at the phone and said, “That rascal already hung up.”“How dare he end my call?”Walter was furious when he saw the ended call. He sighed. “This rascal is really making us worry. He didn’t like any of the blind dates we set up for him in the past. Now that there’s someone who can save him, he becomes hesitant and isn’t his usual decisive self.“How hard is it to confess, propose, get married, and have a child?” Walter muttered. They were truly more worried than Julian himself. Stacy said, “Julian doesn’t have any dating experience. He’s different from other people and is just exploring things now. Anyway, there won’t be other men around Quinn because Julian’s there in Summervale. Don’t worry.“Marriage is forever. It shouldn’t be rushed. It takes two to tango, especially in a marriage. We can’t force Quinn to marry Julian with our family’s influence. If that happens, we’ll become the Crawfords’ enemies instead of in-laws.
Quinn asked him while smiling. “As a matter of fact, I did. It’ll bring tens of millions of profit. I’ll treat everyone to a meal to celebrate tonight.”Quinn said, “Don’t do that. Cooking more dishes at home will do. Eating at a hotel is expensive. My mom won’t think it’s worth it. She’ll just nag at us youngsters wasting money. She often says that the money spent on a meal at a hotel can be used to buy enough ingredients for a banquet.”Julian knew Zoey did not really mean what she said. If he did treat her to a hotel meal, she would be more eager than anyone else. She would even dress up gorgeously and look like Quinn’s sister. He said, “It’s okay. I’m immune to Zoey’s nagging. Money earned should be spent. We should enjoy life and not mistreat ourselves.”When Julian first started staying with the Crawfords, they thought he would only be visiting for a couple of days. However, he had yet to leave. The Crawfords did not say anything because he was already treated as family. Z
Julian smiled. “What will my subordinates do if I take on everything myself? I have to give them chances. It’s good enough that I’m at the company during the day.”Back in Wiltspoon, he would be absent for as long as half a month. The senior executives handled every company matter. He would only return to the office if there were any urgent issues. How could a busy person like him go to the office every day? He was not just handling the business side of things but many other areas as well. Walter was the head of the family but had retired early, so Julian was in charge of most of his undertakings. “You sound like other people should be honored that you’re even going to work. The company is yours. The money earned will go into your pocket, not your employees. If you have a business engagement at night, let us know. You don’t have to worry about coming home to a locked door. Just call me, and I’ll open the door for you.”Zoey usually locked the door at eleven o’clock at night. Th
“She’s fine. I brought her to the hospital for a checkup this morning. The baby is growing well. I was beside her when the doctor did an ultrasound. The baby is moving, but Jasmine hasn’t felt any movements yet. She’s fourteen weeks along. The doctor said the fetal movement is usually felt in the sixteenth week.”Julian wanted to correct Josh that it would be weird if the baby did not move at all. It seemed like Josh’s speech was getting jumbled up. However, he understood that Josh was simply inexperienced as a first-time father. If Quinn had gotten pregnant after their marriage, he would probably have the same reaction as Josh. However, that would not be happening anytime soon. Julian had not even confessed yet. He did not know when he could finally have his girl and become a father himself. Hopefully, it would happen before he turned forty. Some people married at a young age and became grandfathers at the age of forty, whereas Julian’s wish was to be a father before that age
“How did you confess to Jasmine back then? Did she accept it right away? Or did she reject you before? Did you feel embarrassed after getting rejected? How did you adjust your mindset?“Don’t laugh at me, Josh. It’s the first time I've ever liked a girl in my life. I have zero experience. Although I’ve witnessed Zachary and Serenity’s journey, they’re different. They got married first.”Julian found it embarrassing to ask for Josh’s help in relationship matters. It was unbecoming of him as the next head of the Bucham family. However, he could not think of anyone else to pose his question to. He did not like letting others know about his private affairs. Usually, he would be the one prying instead. Josh said, “Oh shush. Aren’t you wooing Quinn right now? I can see that you’re treating her very well. She’s not a fool. She probably knows your feelings. Maybe she’s just waiting for your confession.“Jasmine and I just went with the flow. Zachary and Serenity introduced us. We fe
“Everything’s fine now. You should cherish your time with Jasmine since it’s your day off. I’ll get back to work and fetch Quinn from the gym later in the evening to have dinner at home together.”Josh knew Julian was living with the Crawfords. He said, “You should build a good relationship with the Crawfords while you’re there. That way, even if Quinn is hesitant, her family will persuade her to accept you.”Getting her parents on Julian’s side was of utmost importance. Josh was well-liked among the Soxes. Julian said confidently, “The Crawfords like me.”Zoey no longer treated Julian like a stranger. If he and Quinn ate something unhealthy, Zoey would also scold him while preparing him healthier meals for the following days. The initial awkwardness no longer existed between them. Zoey was probably treating Julian like a son-in-law already. That was why she told him off too whenever he did something she disapproved of. “I guessed so. I believe in you, Julian. All the best
Jasmine smiled. “Of course. I knew about you when Serenity said she wanted to introduce you to me. You’re Zachary’s right-hand man. Although we didn’t belong to the same social circle back then, I heard your name often.”Josh chuckled. “I thought you didn’t like me. Our blind date didn’t go that well.”“Did it not? Anyway, I liked you a lot.”“Me too. We’re two peas in a pod. We both love gossip. I even had the impression that you only started dating me because you wanted juicy scoops.”Jasmine gave him a side-eye. “Although I love gossip, marriage is a big thing. I won’t get married to you just to get first-hand gossip. I’d never get married if I didn’t love the person. I chose you because I loved you, and our attraction was mutual.”Their relationship had been smooth sailing. There were no problems, nor were there love rivals. Their families were supportive of their relationship when they knew they were together. Josh’s parents adored Jasmine. When they visited the Soxes to
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