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