“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
Zachary’s mother came over before his father followed suit.Then, Austin, thinking that he had caused trouble, followed after them.Zachary figured it out without asking.Austin was silent for a moment before he said, “Mom disagreed at first. She said I already have my own business and I’m running it well. And this year, I started to help out with the family business. She said that no matter how much I liked cooking, I could just tinker around at home or the hotel and that there was no need for me to become a private chef.“Dad was supportive though. He said that as long as I liked it, I could do whatever I wanted. Mom tried to argue her side with Dad but couldn’t get through to him, and in her anger, she went back to her room and locked herself in it, not allowing Dad to go in.“Dad knocked for a long time, but still wasn’t allowed entry, so, thinking that he should let Mom calm down first, he left. We didn’t expect Mom to take advantage of Dad’s departure to sneak out and come h
“Zack, it’s late and you’ve been working the whole day too. You should head to bed. I’ll head home too.”Austin prepared to leave after talking it out with Zachary.Zachary said, “It’s already so late. Why don’t you just stay the night? It’s not like I don’t have a room for you.”Austin politely declined. “It’s not far for me and you might have a room here, but I don’t have clothes to change into.“Plus, it’s hard for me to fall asleep anywhere other than on my own bed.”He needed time to adapt to new places whenever he moved.People who were used to their beds would toss and turn constantly when they were in an unfamiliar place.Zachary recalled that Austin’s private villa was not far away. Since Austin mentioned having sleeping difficulty on foreign beds and no fresh clothes, Zachary did not insist on him staying. Instead, he only reminded Austin to not drive too fast and to text him once he got home.“Good night, Zack.”Zachary did not get up to walk him out.Once Austin l