Of course, if anyone stepped on Duncan’s tail, he would bite.They were not that stupid.When they saw Duncan arrive, they greeted him.The cafeteria crew had Duncan’s lunch prepared and set it aside on one of the tables.Duncan ate with a few executives from the upper management. He chatted with them as they ate, without putting on the airs of a boss. It was lunchtime and none of them wanted to talk about work. Duncan said they had to relax when it was not work hours so they would not be overstressed.While Duncan was eating with his employees, Zachary was having lunch with his beloved wife at Wiltspoon Hotel.After lunch, they would nap in the presidential suite before heading back to work at their own offices.Serenity had just arrived at her company when the security guard on duty, Wilbur, walked up to her car and said, “Ms. Hunt, a certain Ms. Doyle is here to see you. Ms. Stone has already invited her in to wait for you.”Ms. Doyle?Once the car came to a stop, Serenit
“I know. Wilbur told me as soon as I got here.”Helen continued in a whisper, “That Ms. Doyle doesn’t look simple. We don’t know which company she works at. When Ms. Stone asked her, she didn’t answer. She kept mum when asked where she was from either. Ms. Stone thinks she might be your love rival. You have to be mentally prepared, Ms. Hunt.”Serenity could not help but laugh. “Don’t assume every young lady who comes looking for me is my love rival. If she was, why would Elisa let her in?”Helen replied, “That’s because she doesn’t know for sure, we just suspect so. Either way, be careful, Ms. Hunt.”Mr. Zachary was such an outstanding man that he could attract admirers at any moment. Ms. Hunt might have love rivals popping up from time to time.In Ms. Hunt’s own words, a love rival might pop up even in her old age.“Alright, I’ll be careful, though it doesn’t matter how careful I am if they really want to take Zachary from me. They’ll come looking for me even if I lock Zachary u
Elisa lingered and later excused herself to her office.She was not worried about Serenity getting bullied anyway. Even in the past, Serenity was not one to take things lying down, much less now, and she could defend herself on top of that.When Helen was done serving them each a cup of tea, Serenity dismissed her with a wave.Once Helen left, Serenity looked at Imogen and smiled. “You can tell me why you’re here now.”Imogen pursed her lips before saying, “I just want to meet and get to know you, Ms. Hunt.”Serenity raised an eyebrow. Meet her and get to know her? She was not a celebrity, and neither did she have fans.Imogen blushed a little and Serenity suddenly understood.Tentatively, she asked Imogen, “Are you here for one of the York brothers? Which one? Dylan, Peter, or Austin?”She only listed the eligible ones. Callum was already married and Kevin was on holiday with Hayden at the moment. They were both taken. As for the rest, she had no clue who their other halves
Did Imogen come to Serenity to obtain information on Dylan? “What’s going on between you and Dylan now?” Serenity asked. After a short silence, Imogen answered, “I don’t know either. I think he’s pursuing me after we got to know each other, but he seems distant and insincere at the same time.“Whenever I thought he wasn’t interested in me and when I was about to forget him, he would give me flowers and items I liked, treat me to meals, and even solve my work issues.“However, he would disappear the moment I tried to repay him. He wouldn’t answer his phone or reply to my messages. I don’t even know where he lives.“I only found out he was a young lad of the Yorks after getting someone to investigate his name.”Serenity was speechless. ‘What the hell was Dylan doing?’He did not want to pursue Imogen, yet he forced himself to do so to obey Grandma May’s wishes. Once Imogen started having hints of feelings for him, he would take a step back. Serenity guessed Dylan must have f
Dylan was filial to his nana and respectful of Zachary. Whenever he had a problem, he would consult Zachary instead of his biological brother most of the time. As Zachary was a doting husband, he would most likely share his brothers' concerns with Serenity. That was why Imogen took the risk of coming to Serenity abruptly. Serenity’s employees even suspected she was Serenity’s love rival. Even Serenity must have had her suspicions as well because she only asked her secretary to serve fruits to go with the tea after finding out Imogen’s purpose for visiting.Imogen was not mad about Serenity’s difference in treatment. She would have done the same if she were in Serenity’s shoes. If a love rival came to her, she would serve a cup of tea at most. There was no way she would serve desserts or fruits. After all, meeting a love rival would be infuriating. Therefore, Imogen found Serenity authentic for doing what she did. Imogen had tried to look into the York family. If she
Imogen gave Serenity her name card. She said, “This is my card. There’s my contact on it. Please give me a call if you have news of Dylan. I’ll be in Wiltspoon for a week.”Serenity accepted the card and asked out of concern, “Where are you staying now?”“Wiltspoon Hotel. Your family’s hotel.”Serenity smiled. “Wiltspoon Hotel is one of the best hotels here. You don’t have to worry about a thing throughout your stay. The security is great. “I’ll make a call later. All your expenses during your stay will be on me.”Imogen quickly replied, “Thank you, Ms. Hunt, but there’s no need to do that. I can afford a hotel room.”Having been born into a wealthy family, money was the least of her concerns. “I know, but you’re a guest. Please let me be your host. If you want to visit somewhere, just let me know. I’ll accompany you and be your tour guide if I’m free.“If I’m unavailable, I’ll assign someone to bring you around and taste the best food in Wiltspoon.“There aren’t many touris
Elisa asked, “Dylan? Grandma May’s fourth grandson?”Elisa knew all nine York brothers but was better acquainted with the first three than the rest.She could not even remember their faces if they were not standing before her and could only recognize them in real life. Serenity walked into her office while replying, “That’s right. Dylan flirted with Ms. Doyle but didn’t give her a clear answer. He was being ambiguous. Ms. Doyle came because she wanted an answer.“That rascal. He should’ve continued pursuing her if he liked her. He shouldn’t flirt with her when he has no feelings for her.”Serenity complained about Dylan. The York brothers were outstanding. If they were being serious, no woman could truly resist them. Elisa said playfully, “Maybe Dylan was playing hard to get.”Serenity replied, “If that’s the case, he succeeded. I think Ms. Doyle likes him.”Elisa pouted and said, “Which woman can resist the charm of the York men?”She had the same thought as Serenity. “
Serenity smiled. “Not everyone can be as decisive as you, Ms. Stone. Relationships are difficult to handle.”Even she was not as confident and cool as Elisa was. Back when she found out Zachary had been lying to her, she asked to get a divorce out of anger. However, she was agonized about the decision as well. Although Elisa had been hurt before, she was able to cut off her feelings cleanly. That was admirable. Many women would be unable to do the same. Elisa smiled. “You’re right. I never hesitate. I give up once I know there is no hope for me. It isn’t as if I can’t marry someone else. No need for me to fight someone over a man. There’s surely a man out there for me from all the nice guys in the world.“You should call Zachary and get him to contact Dylan as soon as possible. I want to know all the tea.”Elisa had been influenced by Serenity and Jasmine and became a gossip queen herself. Jasmine was the luckiest because she could get first-hand information. She would alway
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