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
Austin then asked Weston, “Don’t you think so, Mr. Abbot? Did you also apply for this job because it’s challenging and brings fame?”Weston was stunned momentarily. He then grinned and said, “That’s right. Becoming the O’Connor family’s chef does improve one’s reputation.“I’m also tempted by the salary and benefits they offer. I need the money.”The salary offered by the O’Connors was comparable to the amount received by a highly-ranked employee in a mega-corporation. Austin nodded in understanding. At that moment, the waiter served their coffee and desserts. Jovanne went for the desserts first. She chewed, wanting to taste every ingredient used. Austin guessed that the young Jovanne liked making desserts. Once she tasted a good dessert, she would try to guess the recipe via her tastebuds and experiment with the recipe herself. Austin often did that. As chefs, they all had an impressive sense of taste. “Dad, the desserts here are great. You should try them out.”Jova
“Mr. York, did you get a call back for another round of interview?” Weston asked Austin again.After a pause, Austin answered honestly, “The butler, Dominic, did call me back not long ago for a second interview tomorrow afternoon.”Weston immediately looked envious, but still said graciously, “Congratulations are due then, Mr. York. There aren’t many applicants this time around. They’re all staying in the hotels nearby and I’ve met them too. None of them have been called back. Some haven’t even gone for the first interview yet.”Austin chuckled. “You’ve already met them all? They’re your competition. How are you sure that they’ve told you the truth?”Weston was stunned for a moment before he said, “We can’t lie about coming for an interview and can’t play any underhanded tricks anyway. We might be competitors, but it doesn’t affect anyone else whether or not they tell the truth. There’s nothing to lose either.“Even if everyone makes the same dish, we won’t do it the same way. It
Austin told Dominic which hotel he was currently staying at.Dominic answered, “Please wait in the lobby momentarily. I will arrange for someone to pick you up.”Austin raised his eyebrows and asked, “Right now? Has the interview been brought forward?”Dominic explained, “No, the interview timing remains. Ms. Isabella instructed me to do this because she says that malicious people have made a big deal out of this hiring and countless people are watching. We’re worried that one of your competitors will get to you and make you unable to attend the interview tomorrow.“So, to make sure every single interviewee attends as scheduled, Ms. Isabella has instructed me to welcome you to stay the night in the estate.“You are the first to be called for a second interview, so naturally, you are the first to be invited for the stay. We’ll ensure that none of your food gets drugged or poisoned lest you get diarrhea or the sort.”Austin was struck speechless, but he went along with it.They were ju
Weston mused, “I feel like Mr. York isn’t an ordinary person.”“What is he, if not? He can’t be Superman, now can he?”Weston did not reply to that.He just felt that Austin had a dignified air, different from ordinary chefs like them.“Dad, are we going to visit someone else?”“They’ve got their guards up against us, so no. This time, I have a feeling that it’s Mr. York’s win.” Weston sighed. He was ultimately inferior.Jovanne comforted, “Dad, the O’Connors haven’t announced the results yet. No one knows who’ll have the last laugh. Mr. York’s nerves might get the better of him and he might make a mistake during his second interview.”“He won’t. He’s young, but he looks mature and steady, like someone who’s seen it all.” Weston had a very good impression of his competitor Austin.Meanwhile, his daughter felt that Austin only had his good looks to speak for him.However, it was true that he was a shrewd guy.Everyone was just headed for the same goal. They would meet once or
It was not cold in the whole of Georgia during winter and not just Wiltspoon. Though it was a little colder in the neighboring provinces.“It’s alright. It’s not that cold if I don’t go outside.”There was heating in the hotel, so he did not feel cold.In the hotel room, he only needed to wear a long-sleeve shirt and did not even need a jacket.Meanwhile, at Dunboy Manor, there would be heating everywhere apart from the yard, and would not be cold either.He was applying to be a chef, so he would naturally be working in the kitchen, which was indoors. Even if it were freezing outside, it would be warm inside.Once he got busy, he might even feel hot enough to sweat.“Is it truly not cold in Wiltspoon in the winter?” Dominic asked. “I’ve never been to Georgia. I just know that it’s a very wealthy province and Wiltspoon is a big city.”“It might not be cold for you guys, but to us, it feels cold if the temperature drops even a little. And there are wealthy and poor people everywh
“Remember to send me the menu you’re planning for tomorrow and the list of things you’ll need.” Dominic reminded Austin before leaving.“Okay.” Austin saw him off from the door and headed back in once he was out of sight.The accommodation provided was a one-bedroom apartment with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. It was around 750 square feet and did not seem big to Austin, who was used to living in a big house. For ordinary people though, these were top-tier accommodations.It was fully equipped with all-new daily necessities too.Austin dug out his phone to take a video of the apartment and sent it to his family group chat before captioning: [This is the apartment the O’Connors provide to their chefs. It’s a pretty nice place to live in.]It could even compare to the starred hotels outside.Tania immediately called Austin.Austin had just walked into his room and was placing his bag on the bed when his phone rang. He sat down before answering his mother’
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