“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
“Can I tell Zachary about this?”After some contemplation, Austin said, “I don’t mind. I’ll probably need his help in the future anyway. He won’t know how to help me if he doesn’t know anything.”Serenity chuckled. “Zachary can help you with work, but he’s useless in the relationship department. You can come to me instead. I’m better than Zachary at that.”Zachary was clueless about women. According to him, he had taken all his effort to understand Serenity and had none left for other women. Every woman’s personality was different. Therefore, asking Zachary about women was useless.Even if someone had a similar personality to Serenity, they were still different people.As his brother, Austin knew Zachary well. Since Serenity offered to help him, he would simply take her up on it.Having Serenity’s help was equivalent to having Zachary’s.It was common knowledge that Zachary was a doting husband.In the past, no one in Wiltspoon’s business world dared to displease Zachary.
“He’s right, Tania. Why didn’t you take me with you? We’re husband and wife. We shouldn’t be apart from each other. Have you ever thought how I’d feel when you left me at home?“You could’ve told me that you missed Zachary and Serenity. I would’ve come here with you.”Looking at Sonny sitting on Tania’s lap, he added, “I missed Sonny too.”Sonny looked toward Tania and Liam, then Austin and Serenity. He did not know how he got involved in the conversation.He just wanted Tania to watch cartoons with him.Grandpa Liam came after and he held Grandma Tania’s hand to say many things. Grandma Tania’s face turned red. In the end, she told little Sonny to watch the TV himself and went upstairs with Grandpa Liam.A few minutes after Grandma Tania and Grandpa Liam returned downstairs, Aunt Ser and Uncle Austin came inside. “I missed Grandma Tania too,” said Sonny. Everyone laughed. Sonny was confused but laughed along as well. Serenity told him, “You should go upstairs for a showe
After Serenity and Sonny went upstairs, Austin apologized to his mother again. Tania said, “I’m not angry anymore. Your dad and Serenity were right, Austin. You’re an adult. You know what you should do and be responsible for it. I don’t have to boss you around anymore.“You’re not Zachary. Since you don’t have to manage the family, you can do whatever you want. I’m fine as long as you don’t break any laws.”It would be great if he could bring with him her future daughter-in-law when he returned. However, Tania did not voice her thoughts. Since Austin never mentioned anything about wooing a girl, she pretended not to know. He would naturally let her know when his relationship was stable. No matter which girl it would be, Tania would accept her so long as Austin liked her. She had even accepted Serenity. Well, her future second daughter-in-law was someone who could afford to hire a private chef. It meant that she was well-off. What could Tania possibly dislike about her?
Sonny still wanted to play. “Seren, I’ll read him a story.”Tania was worried Serenity would tire herself. Before Serenity could say a word, she took a storybook from the bedside shelf and was about to start reading. Serenity did not reject her mother-in-law’s offer. She scooted over and said, “I’ll check on the luggage Sonny packed himself.”That was in case Sonny left anything out. While Tania read Sonny a story, Serenity checked the items in his luggage. Sonny had packed a set of thick pajamas. Through the adults’ conversations, he knew that Jensburg was cold. It would even snow heavily sometimes. Therefore, he took the thickest pajamas he had. Next, he packed two days’ worth of clothes and brought a thick jacket, a hat, a scarf, gloves, and some daily necessities. Aside from that, he also stuffed two of his favorite toys and snacks into the luggage. After checking Sonny’s luggage, Serenity opened his closet and added two more sweaters. It was filled to the brim.
True enough, Zachary arrived home at midnight. He drank a little alcohol but was not drunk. Austin, who had been waiting for Zachary’s return, walked out when he heard the sound of a car outside. Zachary’s car had stopped in front of the door. A bodyguard got out of the car. When he spotted Austin, he greeted him and quickly opened the door for Zachary. He wanted to help Zachary get out of the car but was refused. “I’m not drunk,” said Zachary. “Zachary.”Austin stepped forward and extended a hand to help him. However, he was pushed away as well. “Why are you here, Austin?”Zachary was surprised to see his brother. “I just had one glass. I’m not drunk, and I don’t need any help.”“I was waiting for you because I have something to tell you.”Austin still supported Zachary. When he smelled the alcohol, he said, “You must’ve drunk a strong one. You reek of alcohol.”“The talk was going well, so I had some.”Zachary sniffed himself as he walked into the house. He aske
Needless to ask, Zachary figured his little brother had been sitting and snacking while watching television, waiting for him to come home.Austin quickly poured a glass of water for Zachary.He placed the glass in front of Zachary and then stood to the side with a smile on his handsome face, as if on standby to act upon his brother’s next command at any second.Zachary looked up at him before saying in his low voice, “Sit down.”“Okay—thanks, Zack.”Austin hurriedly sat down.“You’re being so polite. And yet you say you haven’t caused any trouble? Tell me what you’ve done for our parents to argue.”“Zack, I really didn’t do anything. I just—I just want to go to Satbury in Windermere.”“What for? It’s so close to Christmas and you’re going so far away. Are you not planning to spend Christmas at home? If Nana finds out about this, she’ll be the first in line to skin you alive.”The old woman liked each and every child and grandchild to come home for Christmas.It was even merri
After a pause, Austin chuckled. “Well, Nana’s given me a mission. I have to act on it sooner or later.“I can’t be like Kevin who did nothing for six whole months and still isn’t married yet as a result.”Austin thought that it was not bad being one of the younger kids. They could at least learn from their older brothers’ mistakes and avoid making them themselves.“Nana usually picks the right person to suit your temperament.”Zachary then asked, “When are you leaving?”“Next Monday. I’ll use these two days to make the necessary arrangements for matters on hand. Please help me take care of those I don’t manage to cover in time.”“So soon?”Zachary frowned.Austin was a little embarrassed as he said, “The O’Connors are one of the most prestigious families in Satbury. They usually offer their employees a very attractive salary and excellent benefits, but the main thing is that Ms. O’Connor is a foodie. Many people would like to apply for the challenge.“It was rumored that if a