“You barely ate at noon and are probably hungry now, so I brought you some freshly baked treats. It was made by the chef who applied for the job today. We’ve all tried it and think he isn’t bad.”Isabella turned around and walked back to her desk.Tati followed suit.“I’m sick of eating the same thing and didn’t have much of an appetite at noon, so I wasn’t full. I do feel hungry now.” Isabella leaned against her desk and reached for the bag Tati brought to retrieve a box. The treats were meticulously shaped into flowers, fruits, and animals.“These are quite delicate. Were they good? You said the chef who applied today made these, right?”Tati replied, “Yeah. He’s from out of state. He does look very young—not even in his thirties. Isa, I’m telling you, if you don’t hire him, I will. He’s as handsome as a celebrity.“But he’s much manlier than them. Oh, he hasn’t yet let us try his specialties though. He only made these treats for us. He said he would prepare his best for you on
Tati watched Isabella carefully.She actually felt relieved when Isabella did not immediately spit out the food.She was really worried Isabella would do that.The young chef stood no chance if so.Isabella ate the other half of the treat.“Isn’t it yummy, Isa?”Isabella hummed in acknowledgment.“It’s meticulously done. Not bad—it’s just a little dry.”Tati immediately poured a glass of water for Isabella and handed it to her, smiling. “It is. Maybe making treats isn’t his specialty, but it’s pretty good if you don’t mind eating them.“I asked him and he said that he started helping out in the kitchen ever since he was at the age of six or seven and started learning how to cook after. He might not be thirty yet, but he’s had over a decade of experience cooking.”“Does he come from a family of cooks?” Isabella had already finished the second treat and was moving on to the next.Perhaps she was truly hungry, or perhaps the treats really were good enough for a second helping.
Whether it was cooking—oh, right. Tati had not tried his cooking yet. After all, she had only tried the treats.The particular treats might have been his specialty and his cooking was just a little better than regular chefs. There might still be a huge difference between his cooking and the O’Connor chefs’.If he was not at the very least as good as their current chef, he was not going to get hired.Isabella said, “I’ll tell Dominic to arrange for the young applicant to come back for an interview tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be back for dinner tomorrow and I’ll try his cooking then. No one’s allowed to help him. He has to do it all by himself.”Anything edible had to be made with his own hands, not just the main dishes.Tati smiled. “We’ll all come back for dinner tomorrow to try his cooking then.”Although it was Isabella who wanted to hire a new chef, her cousins were all foodies too and often ate at her home. The new chef’s skills were directly related to their happiness and they
“You’re hiring a chef, not looking for a husband, so that doesn’t matter,” Tati tittered. “All that matters is that his cooking is delicious enough for you to eat them and not get bored.”Isabella did not think much of Austin. She had not even met him yet, anyway.She was only astonished that Austin was from Wiltspoon as it was very far from Satbury.“I wish I had a chef whose cooking I didn’t get bored of too, and didn’t have to change my chef so often.”Isabella tapped her own mouth mockingly. “I don’t know why I have such a picky mouth either.”“Do you want more?” Tati asked when she saw Isabella had stopped eating.“I’m not hungry anymore, so no.” Isabella took a look at the time and said, “I have a meeting that’s about to start. Come with me.”“Alright.” Tati took the box from Isabella. “If you’re not eating the rest, I’ll finish them. I think they’re pretty yummy. This Austin York probably has some skill. He says he’s not very good at making treats, but you ate quite a f
Then, Austin went and slumped himself on the sofa while wondering what he should make tomorrow to conquer Isabella O’Connor’s tastebuds and become her family’s private chef.Should he cook his best dish or something that he rarely made?As he savored his tea, he made up his mind to make some regular dishes. If he cooked his best dish right away, there would be nothing to show off later.Those signature dishes would be saved for the grand finale.However, it should be emphasized that his regular dishes were gourmet to ordinary people, stemming from his love of cooking and the vast experience that came with it. For example, the treats he had made today were not what he was best at, but Isabella could stomach them.That was his guess anyway.Otherwise, she would not have asked Dominic to call him back.He wondered if he had any competition for the role.Austin had just arrived in Satbury today and had no time to inquire about any competitors yet.He did not think Isabella would
Zachary laughed. “Then I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you’ll bring Ms. O’Connor back to meet us soon.”Austin grimaced. “It’s still too early to say that. Anyway, I’ll still be spending this holiday season single.”“Christmas is right around the corner. I definitely don’t expect you to get a girlfriend before the year ends. It’ll be great if you do next year though. Even Dylan and Peter haven’t gotten girlfriends this year either.”Dylan kept everything about his pursuit tightly under wraps. Even Zachary knew little about it.Of course, it was also because Zachary did not want to meddle in their private affairs.He said before that unless they needed something or shared with him of their own volition, he would not stick his nose into their personal lives.He was not Josh, whose entire job involved being nosy. Josh was the right person if you’re looking for the hottest tea.“I’m busy, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Call us if you need anything. By the way, have you let Mom
“Mr. York, I’m the person who went to the O’Connors residence for the interview with you.”Someone who went to the interview with him?Austin remembered that he had gone by taxi to the O’Connors alone. When he arrived, he registered his information and entered the manor in the car arranged by the butler. The manor was huge. Although it could not compare to Wildridge Manor, the time needed to travel from the entrance to the main house by foot was still pretty long.That was why the butler would arrange for cars to shuttle their guests.At that moment, Austin remembered something. It was not someone who traveled to the O’Connors’ manor with him but his competitor. It seemed like that person was pretty capable, seeing that he could obtain Austin’s information, probably determined to be the family’s private chef. Austin walked over and opened the door. A man and a woman were standing before his room. The man was middle-aged, most likely in his forties whereas the woman was yo
Austin did not want to invite the father and daughter into his room. He told them, “Please wait for a moment, Mr. Abbot. I’ll get my phone, and we can have a nice chat with a cup of coffee at the cafe on the first floor.”Weston smiled. “Sure.”Austin returned to his room and took his phone before heading out again. “Let’s go. The coffee’s on me.”After closing the door, Austin led the way with Weston and Jovanne behind him. Weston caught up to him and said apologetically, “Coffee should be on us. I’m the one intruding on your time, so I should be the one paying.”Austin smiled. “A cup of coffee doesn’t cost much. You don’t have to fight with me over this.”Weston smiled. His young competitor was pretty nice. He wondered how well Austin could cook. Weston had a strong desire to be the O’Connor family’s chef. It was for the money and fame. After graduating, he had been refining his cooking skills and worked in the industry for over twenty years. He thought of himsel
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
“If Mom said she would create an opportunity for you to get with the king, would you really believe her? It’s just talk—nothing actually happened.” Trenton could not resist poking Carrie’s forehead a few times. “Carrie, can you please come back to earth? In your current state, forget about finding a great guy like Callum—even a regular, decent guy would be turned off by you.”Carrie swatted away her brother’s fingers, irritated and embarrassed. “Am I really that bad? I’m young, beautiful, have a great figure, and a dignified heiress. If the monarchy still existed, I could marry the king and be his queen without a problem.”“Carrie, you have sky-high ambitions, but be careful, don’t fly too close to the sun and end up like Icarus.”As soon as he said that, Trenton was met with a smack from his sister.“Is there a brother who curses his own sister like that? What do you mean by that? I’m destined to have the princess life. I’ll be fine.”However, deep down, she was still worried bec
Camryn was right—he was just too soft-hearted. If he were as ruthless as her, Carrie would have found a job long ago after running out of money.To encourage Carrie to become independent, Trenton decided that after Christmas, he would stop giving her living expenses. He would also tell their parents during his visit to prison that Carrie was truly hopeless.“Trenton, you keep siding with her, and one day you'll regret it. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has deceived who knows how many people. Do you really think she cares about you? She just wants to win your complete trust to take everything that belongs to you for herself. By driving us out of our home, she’s not only seeking revenge on Mom and Dad but also on us—especially you. She’s just pretending to be nice to you to sow discord between us siblings.”“Carrie!” Trenton said seriously, “Don’t talk about Camryn like that. She’s not that kind of person. I believe in her, one hundred percent.”Carrie was so furious she wanted
“Alright, alright, I can't win with the two of you against one,” Carrie sulked. “Give me money to spend. I'm out of money.”She reached out her hand toward Camryn, wanting her to give her money. Camryn slapped her hand away. “Even Trenton knows to take advantage of the winter break to find a part-time job and earn some pocket money. You’re perfectly capable, yet you don’t look for a job.“To put it bluntly, if you’ve gone to sweep the streets, you'd still have a source of income. I have money, but I won’t give it to you. Don’t think that just because we’re sisters—estranged, too, at that—I have an obligation to support my adult sister. I’ve said it before: if you want money to spend, earn it yourself.” With that, Camryn walked away to tend to her plants.As Christmas approached, the flower market was bustling. Every day, many people came to buy flowers, and all her employees were out delivering flowers to clients. Sometimes, when it got too busy, she even had to ask her two bodyguar