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
Grandma May would always say that she did not have much time left to eat due to her old age. She wanted them to stop controlling her and leave her to eat whatever she wanted.Even Zachary would lose to the eloquent Old Mrs. York, let alone her younger grandsons. Sometimes, Grandma May would feel smug and say that she was the one who raised all her grandsons. They could never escape her grasp, so they should not even think of controlling her. Jovanne said, “I shall have some then. I don’t know how good the desserts here are.”She loved making desserts. She ran a dessert store, and business was booming. Austin’s attentiveness had left a good impression on Jovanne. She ordered a few desserts based on her preference. After the waiter took their orders, Weston explained, “I happened to see you when you went for the interview at the O’Connors’ as I was nearby. Actually, I came out before it was your turn to go in.”Weston did not know how he did in the interview.As he was an
Upon hearing Weston’s recount, Austin thought Weston’s mental fortitude was not strong enough. Austin himself had received many criticisms. Whenever his nana thought his food tasted terrible, she would tell him to redo it over and over again. There was once when he failed to satisfy her with her favorite dish even after ten attempts. In the end, Grandma May gave up on eating it. He did not find it traumatic but reflected on his shortcomings instead. It made him realize that the food he made was not as delicious as he had imagined. The constant experimentation and improvement had shaped him into who he was that day. Since Austin was not close to Weston, and they were competitors, he did not say much and remained a listener. He listened as Weston described how much time he took to recover from the shock Ms. O’Connor’s comment had caused. Weston said, “At my second interview, Ms. O’Connor had already become the head of the family. She’s truly an amazing young girl. She was
Serenity agreed empathetically, “You can offend anyone, but don't ever offend Nana. Luckily, she's my nana.”Out of all her in-laws, Grandma May was Serenity’s favorite because the old lady treated her the best. Whenever she had conflicts with Zachary, Grandma May would always stand by her side first. Only when she was ready to listen would Grandma May try to reason with her and speak up for Zachary. Even though Grandma May was Zachary’s grandmother, she treated Serenity like her own granddaughter; more so than Serenity's biological grandmother.“Are you going to help Dylan?” Jasmine asked.“How? He’s wooing his future wife. No one can help with that,” Serenity replied. “Zachary never meddles in his brothers' private matters. As long as they don’t ask him for help, he doesn’t care about anything.”In Zachary's words, he only wanted to take care of her. In his world, she was his priority.“True. Let’s just watch for now, unless Dylan comes to you asking you to speak well of him
“Now he's suddenly trying to pursue Imogen again? Did something happen to him? Or was it that his beloved turned him down, and then when he saw everyone else all coupled up, plus Grandma May’s pressuring him to get married, he decided to try to win Imogen back?“Who does he think Imogen is? Does he think he can just have her when he wants to, and throw her aside when he doesn't?”Even though Dylan was Serenity's cousin-in-law, Jasmine could not bring herself to take his side. Back then, when Imogen followed him from Huntington to Wiltspoon and even asked Serenity for help, all she ended up getting was an apology from Dylan that he could never love her. He even mentioned that he was in love with someone else, a woman he called Fox. How could a vixen be any good? Was she better than Imogen?Jasmine thought Dylan was out of his mind, but that was someone else's business. She was just a bystander. Even Serenity did not interfere much since she was only a cousin-in-law. After all,
Without a second thought, Leticia replied to her daughter.[Of course you should. As long as you can win that boy over, you'll be happy in the future. I’ve met so many young men, but I still think he’s the most suitable for you.]Despite her earlier anger, Leticia still hoped her daughter could win Dylan’s heart. She had always regarded him as a potential son-in-law, after all.Imogen smiled and left it at that. She had already made up her mind.In truth, when Dylan rejected her, she was not all that upset because the person he loved was still her. It was just that she had kept Dylan in the dark. One could say that he had been made to dance in her palm.However, when he realized that he could not love Imogen, he was honest with her and decisively left without bothering her further, not wanting her to fall even deeper when the situation was hopeless. In this aspect, she appreciated him.Now that she knew she was the one Dylan’s grandmother had chosen for him, Imogen was curious ab
When Dylan overheard Imogen’s phone conversation with Leticia, he realized that Leticia was trying to match her with someone named Kade. Now, he had a rival.Even though he was being asked to leave, Dylan did not get angry, nor did he shamelessly insist on staying. He stood up and said, “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Ms. Doyle. I know you’re Imogen Doyle. I also know what I’m doing, and I won’t make the same mistake again.“Ms. Doyle, you were on the nose earlier. Yes, I do want to pursue you again. Starting today, I will try to win your heart once more. No matter what your attitude is toward me, I’ll accept it.”The first time, she had offered her heart, but he did not accept it. That was his fault.This time, it was his turn to offer his heart. If it took more time to win her over, he was willing to be patient.“My nana isn’t forcing me.” He continued, “When it came to our generation, she only pushed Zachary to marry Serenity.”Zachary had been a special case. For the rest of
Imogen felt a surge of satisfaction when she saw Dylan was rendered speechless by what she said. She deliberately leaned closer to him, her beautiful face coming right up to his, and their gazes met.They were so close that Dylan could smell a faint, delicate fragrance on her. It was a little familiar, but it was not the same as Chameleon Fox’s scent, because she never used fragrance when she appeared—probably to avoid being recognized by scent.It was the scent he smelled on Imogen back when he was initially pursuing her—it was Sugar’s. Imogen smelled the same as Sugar, a scent he remembered when he was in close proximity to Sugar.Imogen was Sugar.Dylan was now sure of this, but he did not bring it up. Even if he asked, Imogen would not admit it anyway.Besides, he no longer needed her to confirm it. As Zachary had said, he only needed to trust his nana; she would not mislead him when it came to marriage. His nana knew very well that he loved Chameleon Fox, and yet still aske
Unexpectedly, Kade had to return to the country due to a work transfer and would be staying in Huntington long-term.Leticia’s best friend Jade immediately called her again to bring up the idea of a marriage match. Leticia then thought about it and decided to arrange for her daughter to fetch him from the airport.“Mrs. Doyle, the person Imogen likes is me, so please stop trying to match her with someone else.” Dylan boldly interjected.Imogen glanced at him but did not say anything.On the other side of the line, Leticia asked Imogen when she heard Dylan’s voice, “Jen, has that York scoundrel gone to look for you again? He came by once a few days ago, but you weren’t home. We didn’t even let him past the gate.“He didn’t show up again after that, so we thought he left, but he actually went to your office to look for you. Jen, what does he mean by this? Is he trying to pursue you once more? If that’s really the case, all the more you have to give Kade a chance—to make Dylan York
“Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. York?”Just as Dylan was about to respond, Imogen’s phone rang from her desk where she had left it. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was her mother calling, so she had no choice but to answer.“Hey, mom.” She was busy with work and usually would not answer personal calls during office hours unless it was from her family, which usually meant something urgent. If there was no urgency, her parents would not call her.“Are you free this weekend?” Leticia asked over the phone. “What’s going on?”“Tell me if you’re free first. I need you to do something for me.”Imogen replied, “Does it have to be me? If not, please ask someone else. I have a client meeting scheduled for the weekend.”“You're still meeting clients this weekend? Is Davidson Group really lacking business? Can’t you even rest on the weekend?” Leticia complained. Her daughter went out early and came home late every day. Sometimes, even though they lived under the same r
The one who was hurt was her. The one who would suffer was also her. When it came to love, the one who fell first was the one who lost. She had lost once and did not want to lose again.Even though she still had feelings for Dylan, Imogen did not want to be in a passive position anymore. She wanted to be the one in control, making Dylan the one who was passive. “Ms. Doyle, I’m here today to apologize.”“Apologize? Apologize for what?”Dylan then took out the set of jewelry and placed it in front of Imogen. “Ms. Doyle, months ago, I pursued you first. When you were moved, I withdrew and said that I didn’t love you. That was my fault, and I’m here to apologize for that. This bouquet and this set of jewelry are my way of offering an apology.”Imogen put down the bouquet and took the red velvet box. She opened it right in front of Dylan. Inside was a set of ruby jewelry.With trained eyes to recognize valuable items, she could immediately tell that they were very expensive when
Huntington was having another bout of snow.When Dylan arrived, he spent the first day at the hotel to rest. Afterward, he picked up the gifts that Sam had prepared for him, rented a luxury car, and drove to the Doyles’ residence with a car full of presents.However, Imogen and her older sister, along with several younger cousins, had gone on a trip. Dylan did not even get the chance to go past the Doyles’ gate and the gifts he brought were refused by Winston.Once Winston learned that the woman Dylan truly loved was actually his own daughter, he guessed that Dylan would soon return to pursue her again. To make sure Dylan left with nothing to show for it, he persuaded his daughter to go on a trip.Imogen also missed her master and her fellow disciples. So, she took her cousins and went to visit her master. All of them together enjoyed a lively reunion, and she completely forgot about Dylan.It was not until after Davidson Group resumed work after the holidays that Dylan would have