Tania did not close the door. She said, “I was in a bit of a funk, but I’m fine now.”“Did something happen?” Serenity asked in concern.Tania first asked, “Do you want some water?”“I’m fine, thank you.”Tania then walked over to her and pulled Serenity to sit down with her on the sofa as she said, “It’s nothing big. I just exchanged a few words with Liam about Austin and got so angry I just walked off in the heat of the moment.”Serenity paused for a moment and said, “Does that mean he doesn’t know that you’re here?”Tania was a little embarrassed as she said, “I haven’t told him yet. I told Sam not to tell him yet either because I wanted space to calm down.”“He must be super worried. What’s up with Austin though?” Serenity asked, worried too.Immediately, she continued, “You’d better text Dad first and tell him you’re with us so that he doesn’t go looking for you everywhere.”Tania pursed her lips before saying, “I’ve been here for a few hours now and he hasn’t come to loo
Austin was an adult. He definitely would have carefully considered it before deciding what he wanted. None of the York men had ever done something on impulse.Tania was not willing to let Austin go off and become a chef possibly because she thought it would embarrass her.Regardless, he was still a York.“Mom, where’s Austin thinking of working?”After Serenity advised her mother-in-law, she asked curiously.She wondered which restaurant or perhaps a hotel had managed to lure her brother-in-law into wanting to work for them.Tania said, “He isn’t going to work for a big hotel or anything like that. He wants to work as someone’s private chef and it’s not even in Wiltspoon—it’s in some other city.”Serenity’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Mom, is it possible that the family of the girl Nana’s looking to matchmake Austin with needs a chef, and he’s using this opportunity to get closer to her? Do you know who Nana picked out for him?”Tania was taken aback for a moment before she sai
Tania hurriedly said, “Seren, you have to stay cheerful. If Zachary dares to anger you, just let me know and I’ll teach him a lesson.“Right now, your mood comes first.”Her pregnant daughter-in-law was more important than her son.The child in Serenity’s belly was her much-anticipated grandchild. It did not matter if it was going to be a boy or a girl—she and Liam’s first grandchild would hold a special place in their hearts.Now, Tania could understand how her mother-in-law felt about Zachary.It was natural for Grandma May to favor Zachary the most, him being her first grandchild and the first of his generation.“Mom, Zachary and I haven’t argued in a long time. He doesn’t even say a single negative word to me now.”Serenity laughed. “So you don’t have to worry.”When they had just gotten married, they tended to fight often because there were no feelings between them to work off on, and because Zachary held some misconceptions about her, thinking that she held ulterior motiv
Tania had wholeheartedly accepted Serenity as her daughter-in-law. In the future, she would teach her the internal workings of the York family. Once she handed all the responsibilities to her, she could retire. Serenity was a willing and earnest learner, motivated and ambitious. In that sense, she was a good match for Zachary, who was also ambitious. More importantly, Tania felt Zachary was utterly smitten with Serenity. She had no choice but to accept Serenity for her son’s sake. As long as Zachary was happy, Serenity’s inferior background did not matter. Besides, they had found out that Serenity was a descendant of the Fisher family of Jensburg. That was good enough. Back in its prime, the Fisher family had been on par with the York family. Moreover, Serenity’s aunt was the Stone family’s missus. Liberty was also working hard to back Serenity up. Tania admired Serenity and Liberty’s mindset. The higher society could say whatever they wanted. Tania would simply ignor
Tania’s mood got better after chatting with Serenity. She would take Serenity’s advice. Her sons were adults. She would just let them do as they wished. Austin was taking on a legitimate job. Besides, his business was stable. Becoming a personal chef would not affect his business anyway. Considering that Austin could be cooking for his future wife, Tania no longer saw the need to stop him. “I’ve come round, Seren. I’m not angry anymore. Let’s go downstairs to check on Sonny.”Tania got up and Serenity went downstairs with her. Sam was watching an animation with Sonny, who was engrossed in the show. When Sam heard the sound of footsteps, he stood up. “Aunt Ser.”Sonny stopped watching the TV when he spotted Serenity. He immediately ran toward her and Tania. He greeted Tania enthusiastically too. Tania lifted him and asked if he was happy in preschool. Sonny answered every question. He even told her many interesting stories that occurred in preschool and made he
Serenity and Austin did not head inside right away. Austin stared at her and asked, “Can we have a few words, Serenity?”Serenity replied with a smile, “Of course. You can tell me anything.”“Mom and Dad fought because of me. I want to be a private chef. I’m confident I can juggle my business at the same time, but my mom objected. She thinks that I already have a career and that even if I like to cook, I can do it at home. There’s no need for me to be a private chef.“A chef is a professional job, but Mom doesn’t like it. She didn’t want me to become someone else’s chef because of my identity as a young master of the Yorks.”Austin sounded frustrated. Tania’s objection had also led to her and Liam fighting. Austin was different from Zachary. Zachary was raised by their grandparents, sharing the closest bond with them. Although Austin also received education from his grandparents, he spent more time with his parents. Hence, he cared about his parents’ approval a lot. Austi
Austin blushed. Upon seeing his reaction, Serenity understood everything. She asked curiously, “What’s her name? Where is she from?”Austin looked toward the house. After ensuring that his parents would not walk out, he answered, “She’s from Satbury, located within Windermere. Her last name is O’Connor.”“Windermere is so far.”Serenity was stunned that Grandma May would choose a granddaughter-in-law from such a far place. Windermere… “Is Satbury far from Havenmill?”“They’re neighboring cities located not too far from each other.”Austin was puzzled. “Why did you mention Havenmill? Do you have friends from there?”Serenity replied, “No. My best friend is Jasmine. I don’t have any friends in Havenmill. I just recalled someone saying that there’s a family in Havenmill that has a long history.”Austin said, “I’m not sure about that. I can look for information on that family from Havenmill after I arrive in Satbury.”“Have you met Ms. O’Connor before?” Serenity asked. Au
“Thanks, Serenity. I feel more confident after you said that. You’re right. Zachary’s food is excellent, but I cook more often and enjoy it more than he does. I guess I still stand a chance against other people.”Not only that, Austin had invested in the food and beverage industry. He often traveled to many places to try out local delicacies and learned various cuisines. Sometimes, he would repeat a dish several times to polish it to perfection. He was also skilled in making home-style dishes and all sorts of intricate desserts. The bottom line was he would dabble in anything related to food. That was probably enough to win over Ms. O’Connor’s palate.“That’s the spirit. A son of the Yorks must be confident. Believe in yourself and Nana. She must’ve chosen Ms. O’Connor for you because she knew you’d succeed in wooing her.“Think about it. She’s a foodie but picky. On the other hand, you love cooking and are able to cook a variety of dishes. It’s as if you two are made for ea
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
Camryn smiled, “You spoil me too much. You’ll turn me into an absolute sloth who only waits around for you to take care of me, and it might tire you out.”“That won’t happen. I enjoy taking care of you,” Callum assured as he reached to help her with the snacks, but she would not let him feed her anymore. Callum had no choice but to hand her the snacks.“Although Trenton is young, he has mettle. When we put his parents away, it was hard for him to accept, but in the end, he did. As long as he has the right values, even the hardest things can be accepted over time and he won’t resent anyone else for it either.”Camryn pushed the snack box closer to her husband, indicating that he should have some too. “If Trenton didn’t have the right values, I wouldn’t care for him so much. Given the hurt and pain I suffered during the twenty-odd years under his parents, if I hated them, they’d have nothing to say in defense.“Because Trenton has treated me well since he was little, respects me as
Just now, Carrie came here and made a scene, and he had given her fifty thousand dollars. Although he had not spent much time with her, they were siblings. He could at the very least still recognize her. However, when Camryn asked him that, Trenton's heart started to race, not daring to confidently say that the lady really was Carrie.As for the young lady beside her? He had watched the video a few times but had not paid much attention to her. All he could see was a beautiful, young woman dressed in luxurious attire. In the video, he heard Camryn refer to her as Mrs. Longbottom, so her husband’s family name had to be Longbottom.Mrs. Longbottom had a good attitude toward Camryn and even supported her. He was not familiar with Mrs. Longbottom at all, though. Why did Camryn ask him that? Should he know her? Trenton watched the video two more times but could not find anything unusual about her. It was just that he was not acquainted with Mrs. Longbottom. If he had not seen the video,
The young couple looked at Trenton, then exchanged smiles.“How much did you give Carrie?” Camryn asked her brother gently. Camryn could harden her heart to completely ignore Carrie and not give her a single cent, but Trenton could not be as ruthless as she was, mainly because while Carrie had not been particularly kind to Trenton, she also had not bullied him outright. She had treated Camryn very poorly though and had never shown her any respect at all, so their sisterly bond had deteriorated to the extreme. It was already generous of Camryn not to completely destroy Carrie after taking charge, which was probably out of consideration for the fact that they shared a mother.“I-I gave her fifty thousand. She said it was almost Christmas, and she wanted to buy gifts and new clothes, so I-I gave her fifty thousand.” Trenton looked down as he spoke, not daring to look at Camryn, afraid she would scold him.Camryn gave her brother a long look but did not scold him. Instead, she took o
Callum was silent for a moment before he said, “I wanted you to get familiar with the route to my office, which is why I asked you to deliver the flowers yourself.”“Did you ever think about how difficult it was for me as a blind person? It was so hard for me to walk all the way to deliver those flowers,” Camryn retorted.Callum pulled her into an embrace and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Camryn. It was my fault for not thinking it through, which put you through a lot.”Camryn pushed him away, “We have customers constantly coming in. Don’t just hug me out of nowhere. You’re as thick-skinned as a rhinoceros, but I’m not. At that time, I was angry and silently cursed you a hundred thousand times, but your insistence actually did help me learn the way to your office and now, I can find my way there even with my eyes closed.”At that moment, Trenton returned. After Carrie left, he felt a bit down and stayed outside for a while to compose himself before coming back in. He did not wan
Just then, a customer came in wanting to buy a bouquet. Camryn first brought over some sample pictures for the customer to choose from. “No need to choose, just help me arrange a bouquet of roses. I’m going to confess my feelings,” said the young boy, a hint of shyness on his face as he spoke.Camryn smiled gently. “Alright, please wait a moment while I prepare it for you.”Callum assisted by inviting the young boy to sit down and poured him a glass of water.The boy glanced between Camryn and Callum and quietly asked, “Are you and the boss married or dating?”“We’re married. She’s my wife.”The boy expressed his envy. “You both seem very happy.”“Yeah, we are very happy. I love my wife very much, and she loves me too.”Thinking about the girl he was pursuing, the boy’s face lit up with anticipation. “I also have someone I like, and I’m going to confess to her, though I just don’t know if she feels the same. I’m a bit nervous.”Callum, drawing from his own experience, advised
“She hasn’t paid. Stop her.” Camryn was not going to let her get away with it. With a command, her two bodyguards stopped Carrie.Carrie said furiously, “Camryn, I only took a few flowers from you! You have so many flowers here. What's the big deal if I take a few? You still want me to pay? I’m your sister! Don’t you know that blood is thicker than water?!”“Blood might be thicker than water, but business is business. Anyone who buys flowers from me has to pay, including you. Besides, you’ve never treated me like an older sister. You always bring up how we’re sisters when you want to take advantage of me, but that won’t work here. My roses are freshly transported, and since you’re my sister, I’ll let you have them for twenty bucks each. You took about five stems, so just give me a hundred. I won’t rip you off.”Carrie’s expression changed in an instant. “Camryn, why don’t you just rob a bank? You’re charging twenty bucks each? You’re just a thief! Here! I don’t want them! I’d rather