Mrs. Torres, whose job was only to spend money, had transformed into a successful career woman within a few years.She smiled. “You’re the more impactful person, Mrs. York.”Serenity was the York family’s missus. She did not have an outstanding family background and only found Aunt Audrey after marrying Zachary. Although her aunt was Mrs. Stone, none of the Stone family’s assets belonged to Serenity. She simply gained a relative. To think that someone of Serenity’s background was able to be Zachary’s wife; she must have lucked out. Everyone remembered Serenity as she married Zachary and gained a foothold in the York family despite coming from a mediocre one herself. Before she got pregnant, the public criticized her for being infertile but the Yorks defended her. They would target anyone who dared to badmouth Serenity. Even though there were rumors that Tania disliked Serenity, Tania was willing to forego her image and fight those who criticized Serenity. Who would then not
Liberty was a divorced woman, while Mrs. Torres was a widow. They both had a son, but Mrs. Torres thought she was more capable than Liberty was. She felt she had to fight for what she wanted. She thought she had a greater chance of winning against Liberty. Besides, Liberty was not in Wiltspoon at the moment. Serenity remained silent. Duncan smiled and said, “If you’re not in a rush, we can meet another day. Sorry for your wasted trip.”Mrs. Torres returned the smile. “It’s okay. You should handle matters of higher priorities first.”Every business negotiation required several trips, or even over ten times going back and forth before it was finalized. Mrs. Torres’s secretary pressed the elevator button again while she walked toward the back of Duncan’s wheelchair, ready to push him into the elevator. Duncan refused her help, saying, “It’s fine, Mrs. Torres. This is an electric wheelchair. I can control it myself.”Mrs. Torres smiled and withdrew her hands. She watched a
Sonny said playfully, “I miss Jazz more.”He was close to Jasmine because of Serenity. Whenever Serenity brought him to the bookstore, Jasmine would take him out for good food and a shopping spree.Therefore, he liked Jasmine more as compared to Josh. “What a naughty kid.”Josh pinched Sonny’s cheek and put him down. He smiled and said, “I’m busy now. You can follow Serenity and play with Zachary first. Jasmine and I can take you to play when your winter vacation starts this weekend.”“Promise? You can’t lie to kids.”Every child loved playing outdoors, and Sonny was no exception. Josh laughed. “When have I ever lied to you?”Sonny thought about it. Indeed, Uncle Josh had never lied to him. After speaking to Duncan briefly, Josh led the senior managers out of the building. A few minutes later, Serenity and the rest showed up in the CEO’s office. Sonny acted like a spoiled child in front of Zachary for a while before being told to read and write on the sofa by Serenity.
Sonny hugged Zachary’s neck. He said, “I have something important to tell you, Uncle Zak.”Zachary asked in a curious tone, “What is it, Sonny?”“My winter vacation is coming soon.”Zachary hummed in agreement. Once winter vacation started, the new year would be arriving. The year flew by. “Can I play with Laurence during winter break?”Sonny looked toward Zachary in anticipation. His eyes were sparkling. “Who’s taking you there?”“I wanted Aunt Ser to go with me, but she said she couldn’t answer me. She told me to ask you for permission. Can I go, Uncle Zak? I miss Laurence. He said he’d be on vacation too.”Zachary looked toward Serenity. She smiled. “Sonny asked me about this right after school. I told him to ask you instead. I think it’s fine for me to accompany him because my bump won’t be too big yet.”She would be four or five months into her pregnancy by the time they were to go to FC Manor. It would not affect her traveling by flight. She would not dare to t
It was utterly embarrassing. “It’s okay. You’ll get more thick-skinned after each loss and eventually be able to brush it off.”After Zachary spoke, Serenity hit him lightly. He burst out laughing. Well, he was only speaking facts. Laurence was gifted. Not only did he have an extremely good memory, but he also had great teachers. Even if his teacher ignored him, his teacher’s mentor would train him. He also excelled in academics, martial arts, and medical skills. Great teachers would always produce brilliant students. While Sonny nevertheless had some advantages over Laurence, it was a fat chance for him to beat Laurence. Zachary was not trying to kill Sonny’s confidence. However, they sent Sonny to martial arts lessons primarily to strengthen his body and gain self-defense skills; not counting on him to become a master at it. “How could you say this to him? Sonny, don’t listen to him. You’re doing great. Although you can’t beat Laurence, you’re still much better than
Zachary’s expression told her that he had zero impression of Mrs. Torres.“I told you you wouldn’t know of her,” Serenity whispered. “Sonny’s coming. Let’s talk about it at home later. I have to give Liberty a heads-up later tonight too.”Liberty was currently stationed in Jensburg and Duncan still could not walk. They were not meeting as often as before. Even if they had eight hundred calls a day, it was still a long-distance relationship, and feelings could fade easily.It was hard to guarantee that Duncan would not have a change of heart if an attentive and considerate woman who could help him in his business appeared by his side at this time.Zachary spoke up for Duncan. “Duncan won’t have a change of heart. You don’t know him as well as I do. I’ve known him for over twenty years and he’s been a good buddy of mine for many years now. He’s very serious when it comes to relationships.“When he falls in love, it’s for life. He has never dared to fall for someone because of how se
Zachary was afraid of his wife—what of it then?At least he had a wife to be afraid of. There were so many sad single men out there who did not even have a girlfriend, let alone a chance to be a hen-pecked husband.Sonny gaped at him, speechless.It was impossible to expect Zachary to help him.“Uncle Zak, are you not coming home with us?” Sonny very naturally changed the subject.Zachary took his little backpack from him and then picked him up as he said, “I have a meeting later tonight, so I’ll get Uncle Bodyguard to send you guys home after I have dinner with you. I can only come home later.”Sonny pursed his lips and did not reply.The adults were so busy!“Are you unhappy?”Zachary pecked him on the cheek and said with a smile, “I’ll take you out to play this weekend, okay?”“I’m not unhappy. I know Uncle Zak’s busy because you need to earn money to buy milk powder for the baby. Okay! I want to go to the children’s amusement park this weekend.”Zachary said fondly, “Oka
“That’s right. Don’t listen to her, Sonny. Don’t take your Granddad or your Grandmom’s words to heart either. If your Dad says bad things about your Mom and Dunc, don’t listen to him either. They’re all just jealous.”“I know, Aunt Ser. They think I don’t know anything because I’m young, but I do.” Sonny was well aware of who was truly good to him and who was not.It was just that he was too young to express all of this clearly.Serenity patted Sonny’s head.She had to tell Liberty to limit Sonny’s contact with the Browns.That family would never change.She once saved Chelsea’s youngest son and thought that Chelsea would change because of it.Before Liberty started dating Duncan, Chelsea did treat the Hunt sisters much better and even turned around to pick on Jessica instead.Now, however, Chelsea had returned to her old habits.Zachary put Sonny down when they got into the elevator.Sonny held Serenity’s hand in one hand and Zachary’s in the other.Though his parents wer
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabella’s private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austin’s cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austin’s perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancées. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancée. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve
When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was
Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
“You can drink it now. It’ll turn cold if left aside for longer.”Isabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. “I’m drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what I’m doing and saying.“I’ve had enough ginger ale.”She did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. “Which family is your fiancée from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?”Isabella was insistent on getting answers. Austin had never told her when she had asked him about it before. He kept saying he would focus on working and that he was not in a rush to get married. After all, he was only in his twenties; Zachary only got married at thirty years old. If he was unsuccessful in wooing his fiancée that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austin’s fiancée, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austin’s fiancée had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabella’s eyes. He could detect some feelings in her gaze, but it was not obvious enough. What she felt for him was still mostly admiration. It was not the right time for him to confess yet. He would continue to wait. “You’re the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.”Austin added gently, “You give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but you’re always a nice person in my eyes.”Isabella had treated him well ever since he became her private chef. It only got better after she discovered he was a young master of the Yorks. Austin believed her when she said she viewed him as a friend because her actions reflected it as well. However, he was not content with being just friends. He wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to trust him and love him forever. He would also reciprocate her feelings and trust. Isabella smiled. “Even my parents are scared and avoid me when I’m in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, “Don’t worry, Ms. Edith. I’ll take good care of Ms. Isabella.”Edith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousin’s words was not lost on Isabella, but she did not comment on it.She allowed Austin to accompany her into the house. The lights were still on inside, but the first floor was empty. Everyone else had already gone to bed.Since Isabella had not returned yet, the housekeeper had left the lights on for her.The house was warm, so once inside, Isabella took off Austin’s coat and handed it back to him.Austin accepted the coat and followed her to the sofa. After she had sat down, he asked gently, “Ms. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?”Isabella rubbed her temples and said, “Yes, please. I don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.”Austin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austin’s