Nevertheless, the blood relation between Caroline and Belinda could not be erased. If Belinda had indeed murdered Tiara, Caroline would be an enemy to Serenity and the rest. After a short silence, Liberty asked, âWhereâs Sonny?ââHeâs drawing now. He was practicing on the piano for a while just now when we got home.ââNo homework?âSerenity smiled. âNo. Even if he does, he can finish it within a minute. He simply needs to draw with a pencil. At his age, having fun at school is the main priority.âLearning how to write was a task they assigned to Sonny. Although most children were having fun in school, those enrolled in Wiltspoonâs most expensive and best preschool were from wealthy or influential families. They would succeed their families in the future, so tutors were hired by their families to educate them separately. Quite a number of Sonnyâs classmates could recognize many words. Despite their young age, they were brimming with talent. Not wanting Sonny to lag behin
âI believe Duncan wonât fancy Mrs. Torres. He only has eyes for you.âLiberty smiled. âThatâs why you donât have to be worried about me. If thereâs a love rival, then itâll be a trial for Duncan and me.âYou donât have to keep an eye on Mrs. Torres for me, Seren. Let nature take its course. If she can secure Duncanâs heart, then I have nothing to say. If she fails, she might look for me instead.âLiberty had experience in facing love rivals. Before Liberty and Hank divorced, he cheated on her with Jessica. Even so, Liberty did not lose. She was the one who suggested they get a divorce. She could not accept any dishonesty. Hank did not treat Liberty well. He was generous with Jessica but not her. As such, Liberty granted their wish. Divorcing was not that bad after all. Liberty was living a better life now than before. She received help from Serenity, but she believed she could have pulled through those tough times after divorcing even without Serenityâs help. After exp
Sonny nodded. âYour dog isnât as big as before, but Chunky is still fat.âAlthough Mrs. Lane had the petsâ meals under control, Chunky would still sneak some food. âLetâs go for a walk and have a look at the dog.âSerenity put the drawing down and brought Sonny out for a walk. Zacharyâs private villa was so huge that even a stroll in the garden could take a long time. Since Sonny visited often and Serenity was pregnant, Zachary had modified a part of the garden into a playground. It was smaller than the one in Wildridge Manor, but sufficient for one or two kids to play. The dog, Snowy, came running at Serenity and Sonny the moment they exited the house. Sonny released Serenityâs hand and ran toward Snowy. The child and the dog soon started playing together. Sonny even rode Snowy like a horse. Snowy allowed him to sit on it but stood still, afraid Sonny might fall. Therefore, it remained static while Sonny was on it. Serenity watched them with a smile. She could not he
After parking the car, Rhea changed out of her flats into high heels. She took her bag and got out of the car. âMom.âDean hugged her. âI missed you, Mom.âThey would only meet each other every morning and night. During the day, Rhea would not be home for lunch as she was busy with work. Her in-laws or housekeepers would take care of Dean. Although Dean was a sensible child, he was unhappy. He felt like he had lost his mother alongside his father because she had not been spending much time with him.Even during weekends when he did not have to go to school, she would still work. It was either eating or golfing with her clients or attending various banquets. Rheaâs heart ached. She hugged her son back. Her nine-year-old son had the body of a seven-year-old. She always thought Deanâs slim figure was a result of her disregard for him because she was preoccupied with her business. Unlike Liberty, Rhea did not have a kind sister who would look after Dean for her. Liberty coul
âIâll send you abroad after you graduate from middle school. Itâs too competitive here.âRhea could not bear being apart from Dean before he became a high schooler. Even if she did not have time to spend with him at the moment, they could still see each other every morning and night. Besides, her in-laws wanted their grandson around as well. If it were not for Dean, they would not have lived through the news of their sonâs death. Dean was their mental support. âGrandpa checked my homework after I was done. I got one wrong. That question was worth two marks in tests. I got everything else correct. Iâm improving, Mom. Iâll study hard and not let you down.âDean knew that his grandparents and mother had high expectations for him. Although Dean was not too bright, he was willing to learn and work harder than others. Therefore, his grades gradually improved. âThatâs a great improvement. You deserve a compliment. Have your grandparents slept?â Rhea asked. âNot yet. They were
Rhea entered the house. Her in-laws stood, and Old Mrs. Torres even went up to her. With a kind smile, she said, âYouâre back, Rhea.ââIâm home.âNo matter how tired Rhea was, she felt a sense of stability whenever she returned home and saw her in-laws and son. Everything was worth it as long as the people she cherished were healthy. âAre you hungry? I made some soup and kept some for you. Itâs still warm. Iâll bring it out for you.âThings must be really busy at the company lately. You look tired when you come home every night. Youâve even lost weight. Iâm worried. You have to do so much because Victor died young.âUpon mentioning her deceased son, Old Mrs. Torresâs eyes teared up. Although it had been seven years since Victorâs passing, she felt miserable whenever she thought of him. Rhea was also a mother who had a son. She would be anxious when Dean caught a cold or fever and wished she was the sick one instead. She could not imagine losing Dean early. She would g
Rhea had spent her money in moderation despite working tirelessly. On the other hand, her sister-in-law was wasteful and lived a far more comfortable life. How could her parents dote on their son and daughter-in-law but not her?They would rather take her money and give it all to their daughter-in-law⊠What a family she had. Dean hugged his mother and said softly, âYou didnât do anything wrong, Mom. I know youâre tired. Youâre doing this for me to live a better life. Iâll study hard and be a useful person when I grow up. Iâll become someone you can rely on and protect you. You wonât have to be tired ever again.âRhea embraced her sonâs thin figure. She said happily, âMy sonâs the best. Iâm content so long as youâre healthy and safe. As for your grades⊠Youâve improved a lot. Iâm happy.âNot every child was good at studying; some could be clever but simply did not perform well academically. However, not a single child would be deemed stupid. They perhaps excelled in areas other
After finishing the soup, Rhea put the bowl down and wiped her mouth. Then, she told Dean, âGo upstairs and rest. You still have school tomorrow.âDean was mature. He understood Rhea did not want him to hear what she had to say. He went upstairs after saying goodnight. Rhea watched as Dean walked up the stairs. When he was out of sight, she whispered to her in-laws, âI know you two are concerned about Dean and me, but there are only a few eligible bachelors in Wiltspoon, and theyâre younger than me.âAside from those men, there is one that seems suitable. Heâs older than me by a few years and is still unmarried. Heâs great, but he has a scar on his face. You might find him a little scary at first.âHe has a company and a net worth of tens of billions of dollars. Heâs richer than our family and has good character. He wonât think of taking our familyâs assets.âRheaâs in-laws exchanged glances. Old Mrs. Torres asked, âWho is it? Do I know him?ââYou two are familiar with him. He
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. Isabellaâs 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 Austinâs 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 Louisâs place with his bag. âAustin.âLouis suddenly asked, âDid 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 Austinâs 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 fiancĂ©es. 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 fiancĂ©e. 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, âMs. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.âIâm polite to other women when I need to be. If theyâre unimportant, Iâll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I wonât cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.âGet some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. Iâll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.âAfter 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 fiancĂ©e, 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. âMs. Isabella.âIsabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, âThis may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?âIsabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?âSomeone like Austin,â she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, âI like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isnât as financially well-off as mine, I donât mind so long as heâs honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.âOf course, itâll be great if we have the same social status. That way, weâll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, weâll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.ââAlthough you can accept someone who isnât from a similar family backgrou
After a moment of silence, Isabella said, âItâs okay. I know I was forcing it.âThere 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 fiancĂ©e was. He was already so protective of his fiancĂ©e 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. âYou werenât forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. Itâs only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.âAustin said gently, âItâs not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancĂ©es for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.âTo be honest, we didnât even know Nana had been choosing fiancĂ©es for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us
âYou can drink it now. Itâll turn cold if left aside for longer.âIsabella took the ginger ale and drank it with elegance. She put it down after drinking half of it. âIâm drunk, but only slightly. I can walk, and my brain is still alert. I know what Iâm doing and saying.âIâve had enough ginger ale.âShe did not want to consume too much liquid late at night. âWhich family is your fiancĂ©e from, Austin? Where is she? Do you mind telling me?âIsabella 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 fiancĂ©e that year, he did not mind waiting for a few more years. Isabella suddenly felt jealous of Austinâs fiancĂ©e, having had his heart without even doing anything. She wondered what Austinâs fiancĂ©e had done to cat
Austin stared into Isabellaâs 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. âYouâre the best and most outstanding lady in my heart, Ms. Isabella. I admire you more.âAustin added gently, âYou give off a strict and cold aura sometimes, but youâre always a nice person in my eyes.âIsabella 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. âEven my parents are scared and avoid me when Iâm in a serious mode. Louis and Phillip w
Austin responded, âDonât worry, Ms. Edith. Iâll take good care of Ms. Isabella.âEdith had come in a hurry and left just as quickly. The hidden meaning in her cousinâs 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 Austinâs 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, âMs. Isabella, would you like some ginger ale for a hangover remedy?âIsabella rubbed her temples and said, âYes, please. I donât want to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow.âAustin immediately went to prepare it for her.Isabella leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After some time, she heard Austinâs