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
Zachary told Serenity what Josh shared about Jasmine wanting to bite his arm occasionally. Serenity was speechless. She would rather munch on a drumstick than an arm. Julian was envious of Josh and Jasmine’s lovey-dovey relationship. He hoped that he and Quinn could be as happy as they were. After the call with Josh, Julian was deep in thought. ‘Should I just confess? Or should I buy a bouquet for Quinn later?’He was worried that Quinn would think the bouquet was a waste of money because it was inedible. After a while of being torn over it, Julian finally called his secretary and said, “I want a bouquet of roses. Buy it for me now. I need it before I leave the office for the day.”The secretary was not surprised to receive such a request as Julian’s love for Quinn was pretty obvious. Quinn was the only person who had not realized it yet. The roses Julian bought were definitely meant for Ms. Crawford. “Okay. I’ll head to the florist now and get the bouquet. I promis
Julian stopped what he was doing and raised his head. The secretary brought the roses over. “Put it on the coffee table.”“Okay.”He walked over to place the bouquet on the coffee table. Then, he looked toward Julian and asked, “Is there anything else, Mr. Bucham?”“Nothing for now. You can go on with your work.”“Alright.”The secretary left the office when he saw Julian had resumed working. Julian completed his work as fast as he could. He shut his computer and grabbed his phone and car key. The car was newly bought to take Quinn on relaxing drives. He grabbed the bouquet. After looking at it for some time, he felt that the bouquet was prettier than the ones he had bought for Elisa half-heartedly before. He decided he would buy flowers personally next time. Would a bouquet be enough? Julian recalled Josh buying bouquets and jewelry for Jasmine frequently but it was not suitable for him to give Quinn jewelry. She would never accept it. He even wanted to give her a
The sky was already dark even though it was still early. Days were shorter and nights were longer during winter. Quinn’s class with the kids had just ended. “Julian is here.”A kid spotted Julian’s car and shouted. The children swarmed out of the gym. “Don’t come over. The wind is strong,” yelled Julian. However, everyone still rushed out. Julian passed a few bags of snacks to the older children to be brought into the gym while the younger ones took the fried chicken. Quinn walked out while putting on a thick jacket. When she saw Julian, she smiled and said, “I used to be the most popular person in the gym before you came, but it’s you now.”Will came out too. He said, “You’re just stingy. If you were as generous as Julian and bought everyone a meal every time you came, you would definitely become Ms. Popular again.”“I’m not stingy. How many times can I treat everyone with the little money I have? Julian is the CEO of a huge company. I’m not going to fight Julian for