Julian stood up to go after her but was stopped by Will.He turned to see Will and had to suppress his temper. “Will, I’m going to check on her.”“Don’t go now. Let my sister calm down, and think about it. It’s not that she doesn’t like you, she just needs time to digest this news and accept that your feelings for her are romantic and not just platonic.”Julian said, “It’s very cold outside, and it’s snowing. I’m afraid she might feel cold.”“You might feel cold, but she won’t. We’re born and raised in Summervale, accustomed to this kind of winter since childhood. It’s different for you. You came from Wiltspoon, where there’s barely a winter. Quinn won’t get cold. Don’t worry. Let her go outside, get some fresh air, calm down, and think it over.”Will understood his sister very well.“Your sudden confession caught her off guard. She needs time to process it. It’s just temporary confusion, there’s no big problem. But you, can’t you wait for a more opportune time to confess? Sendin
“Will, what can I do now?”Knowing that Will acknowledged him, Julian regarded Will as an ally and could not help but ask for guidance.Will answered, “You can either stay here and watch, or you can go back and help my mom cook. Anyway, you don’t need to worry about what Quinn is doing. She’ll come back in the evening, and after she returns, the two of you can have a good talk.“You just need to make her believe that your feelings for her are sincere.”Julian said, “I understand. Thank you, Will. I’ll go back and help with the cooking.”Appealing to the future mother-in-law was the battle half won. Quinn was not frightened by Julian’s confession. She just found it hard to believe and heard a man say he loved her for the first time.She came out of the gym shivering, braving the cold wind, and her mind became clear.She did not spend much time outside and quickly ran back home.Fortunately, the gym was very close to her house.Zoey was still preparing the ingredients for toni
When she first met Julian, her heart beat faster and she would drift into daydreams upon seeing him. As time went by and they became closer, interactions with him were no different from those with her fellow coaches. When alone with Julian, everything felt natural; her heart did not race, and there were no more wandering thoughts.She thought the relationship with Julian was more of a camaraderie between brothers.She never expected Julian to express his love for her.Quinn felt her face heating up.She touched her face and even gave it a light pat, muttering to herself, “Quinn, are you feeling shy? Is it because a man said he likes you, and now you’re all fluttery? Stay calm, stay calm.”Julian would not worry about future domestic violence issues as her previous blind dates did. After all, he was a formidable martial artist himself, capable of defeating Will.She was no match for Will.If Julian could beat him, it meant his skills exceeded hers. What was there to worry about?
Quinn brought the hot chocolate back to the sofa in her room and sat down.“Quinn, do you have something on your mind?” Zoey sat beside her and asked with concern.“No, not at all.”Quinn dared not meet her mother’s eyes, fearing that her guilt would be exposed.She took a shallow sip and the excessive richness had her exclaiming, “Mom, did you put all the chocolate we have at home in this? It’s so thick, I can’t drink it. I don’t want it.”“Your cycle is irregular and you’ll be prone to cramps, so drinking this might help.” Quinn admitted, “Well, actually, Mom, I lied to you. I’m perfectly fine.”Zoey stared at her. “Lied to me? Child, how can you lie about your health? I was planning to buy you some hormone-balancing tea and even probiotics. I thought you could regulate your cycle with those.“You’re still young and unmarried. If your cycle isn’t regular, you should see a doctor to regulate it. Don’t be shy or avoid medical help.”Quinn replied, “Mom, do you think I’m the k
“Julian is undoubtedly a businessman, but he’s not a simple businessman. He surely has things hidden from us, things he hasn’t told us.”“Everyone has their secrets; it’s impossible to tell everything to others,” Quinn spoke on behalf of Julian.However, Zoey said, “Think about when you first met him. Didn’t he pretend not to know martial arts? You helped him once, and he kept calling you his lifesaver, insisting on repaying the favor, and then treating you so well.“Maybe it’s because I’ve watched too many TV shows, but I always feel like Julian has been orchestrating things from the beginning. Making you his lifesaver so he can approach you openly, treat you well, and you wouldn’t suspect anything.“Who knows, the biker gang you encountered the night you saved him from might have been arranged by him. Nowadays, public security is good, and it’s rare to see biker gangs, let alone a large group of them. Could the police in Wiltspoon let them out at night?”Quinn replied, “Mom… You
Quinn blushed.She whispered, “Just now, Julian brought us fried chicken. For the record, they’re for the kids, not me. Julian always spoils them, buying whatever they want to eat.“I just happened to be there. Then, while I was eating, Julian suddenly told me he liked me. He said it wasn’t the kind of affection between friends but the one between a man and a woman. He said it was love, and that he loves me, and wants to marry me.“Oh, he also gave me a bouquet of flowers. First, he asked me what I thought when I received that bouquet. At that moment, all I could think of was floral pancakes.”Being stared at by her mother, Quinn spoke softer as her innocence overflowed. “He gave me a bouquet of roses. With so many roses, all I could think of was rose pancakes. He asked me what I thought.“So I just answered truthfully.”Zoey, unimpressed, poked her daughter’s head again. “Why are you so clueless? Always thinking about food. If it weren’t for your love of fried chicken, would Jul
Zoey wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter. “You get along very well with Julian, and you can talk freely. He’s sincere about you. Just calmly think about it for a few days, and then you can give him a response.”Quinn nodded, but with a worried expression, she said, “Mom, do you think Julian might just be after something novel? His family is so wealthy, a scion of a prestigious family. He must have seen countless beauties, probably close to a hundred. I might be pretty, but I don’t think it’s my appearance that captivated him.“Could he just be playing around? Maybe he’s sincere now, but after marriage, he might change his mind, cheat, or have mistresses. I can’t accept that. By then, even if I beat him up, I won’t win. Being far away in Wiltspoon, it’s too difficult for you to rush over and support me. What should I do?”After contemplating for a moment, Zoey said, “This, it’s really hard to say. However, marriages depend on how you manage them. If both of you are
“If I’m dating Julian, we can still move out after marriage and maintain some distance from the in-laws, right?”After a moment of silence, Zoey said, “Even if you don’t live together, it will be easy for Mrs. Bucham to find faults with you and try to ruin your marital relationship if she doesn’t accept you. She’s his mother, and he can’t just cut ties with her for you, right?”Quinn remained silent.After a while, Quinn sighed and said, “Mom, are you suggesting that I shouldn’t accept Julian? I had just made up my mind, and now I’m confused again. I don’t know what to do. I feel it might be better to live alone and not deal with these complicated interpersonal relationships.“My temperament is not suitable for dealing with people who are scheming. They say it’s difficult to get along with mothers-in-law in wealthy families. Not many can be as reasonable as Serenity, Jasmine, and their mothers-in-law. I heard from Serenity that when she first got together with Zachary, his mother c
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