As for Grandma May—Dylan had gone looking for her once before and she told him to handle it himself.When he asked her to let him choose someone else, she said she had only picked a candidate for him. If he really did not like her choice, he could find someone he fancied, but the person had to pass the character test.Dylan felt Chameleon Fox’s character was not bad. She might be a little hot-tempered, but she was still reasonable. He just did not know her family background.“Are you done with work?” Serenity asked Zachary warmly. Her warm voice pulled Dylan out of his reverie.Zachary hummed. “Yeah. We can go now.”Serenity stood up and called out, “Sonny, put your book back. We’re heading for dinner now.”Sonny made a sound in acknowledgment and immediately shoved his book back into his bag before carrying it on his back. Then, he spread his arms out at Zachary, begging his uncle to carry him.Zachary picked him up and tapped his nose fondly. “You still want me to carry you, h
Serenity hung up and said to Zachary, “Let’s order when Ms. Doyle gets here.”“Sure, honey.” Zachary was indifferent.Ms. Doyle was Grandma May’s bride candidate for Dylan. If nothing unexpected happened, she would be his sister-in-law in the future. It was not a big deal for them to meet in advance.The only thing was they had no clue who Dylan would choose in the end.That was his business, though. Dylan could worry about it all by himself. Zachary could not be bothered.Serenity took Sonny to wash his hands while Zachary sat on the sofa. Dylan stood waiting at the entrance, not knowing who Serenity had invited for dinner.He texted Peter, but Peter had stopped replying to him.“That damned Peter stopped replying after hearing I got into trouble. Are you scared I’ll drag you down with me or implicate you too?” Dylan cursed Peter softly.Soon, he heard the sound of high heels. It sounded a little familiar, like…After some thought, Dylan remembered now. It sounded like Imogen
Imogen looked steadily at Dylan, trying to find any sign of a guilty conscience on his face.Dylan remained calm, not a hint of guilt to be seen.After a moment, Imogen said, “Is that so? No wonder you didn’t pick up or reply to my texts. You didn’t bring your phone with you, right? It’s been over ten days and your phone still has enough battery to ring though. What brand are you using? The battery’s so durable.”Dylan’s expression remained unchanged as he answered, “It’s not that durable. I plugged it in to charge before I left, so it stays fully charged.”Imogen knew Dylan was making excuses but did not press further. If he were hellbent on lying, he would have an excuse for every doubt she had.“You can’t be the esteemed guest my sister-in-law asked me to receive, can you?” Dylan asked with a smile. “When did you get to know her?”Imogen asked in return, “Why can’t it be me? That’s between me and Ms. Hunt. What does it have to do with you?”“Your tongue has gotten sharper in
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. York.” Imogen greeted Zachary politely and offered her right hand to shake.Zachary shook her hand out of politeness and consideration for Dylan.The husband-and-wife pair led Imogen over to the sofa to sit down.Dylan sat to one side. To hide his inner thoughts, he sat Sonny on his lap, teasing him occasionally and glancing at the rest out of the corner of his eyes.After a few moments, Zachary asked the hotel butler to come in and they moved over to the dining table. Serenity took the menu from the butler and handed it to Imogen as she said warmly, “Please have your pick, Ms. Doyle. The food here is highly ranked in Wiltspoon.”Imogen did not take it, smiling in return. “You can order whatever you like to share. I’m not picky and since I’m staying here right now, I’ve eaten at the restaurant too, and the food is truly good. All the different cuisines taste authentic.”Wiltspoon Hotel saw guests from all over the world every day, which was why
Serenity pretended she could not see the battle between the two happening in front of her.She smiled. “If that’s the case, I’ll order a bottle of whiskey then. I can’t drink right now for the sake of my baby and Zachary doesn’t drink much in the first place, so I can only get Dylan to drink with you.“Dylan, be a good sport. You guys can drink however much you like. You don’t have to worry if you get drunk, Zachary and I are around.” She even winked at Imogen.Imogen secretly gave her an ‘OK’ gesture in return. Serenity was relieved. Imogen’s tolerance would not be bad. She recalled Imogen wanting to ask Dylan what he really wanted, and worried that Imogen would get drunk. Since her guest said it would be fine, Serenity was not going to supervise them.Once the dishes and the bottle of whiskey were served, Imogen poured Dylan a glass of whiskey.“Here, Mr. Dylan. Let’s toast.”Instead of clinking glasses with her, he took her glass and placed it on the table before saying, “Ms.
“You finished eating so quickly, Serenity.”Serenity smiled and said, “The both of us are fast eaters because we’re normally really busy with work, and every second counts.”Imogen smiled in understanding.Serenity took Sonny’s hand and signaled for her husband to follow. The trio slipped out of the presidential suite and closed the door behind them considerately.Zachary informed their bodyguards that they could take their dinner break instead of keeping watch.Dylan and Imogen both understood that Serenity was purposely giving them space.Once the two were alone in the room, Imogen picked up her glass of whiskey and elegantly sipped at it, though her gaze was fixed on Dylan.Dylan inwardly sighed. What was meant to come would come. He asked, “Is there something you’d like to say to me, Ms. Doyle?”Imogen silently drank her whiskey as she looked at him. Dylan was very good-looking. She had heard that the Yorks were all handsome, and now that she had met Zachary, she concurred;
Dylan did not run. It was too late anyway. He had no choice but to sit and stay calm. He turned to look at Imogen with an intense gaze. She could not guess what he was thinking through his eyes. Imogen leaned toward Dylan. They were so close that he could smell her faint fragrance. He wondered what perfume she used. It was not overpowering and had a light and pleasant smell. “Dylan,” Imogen uttered softly. “I’m listening,” he replied. “I have one question. What do you feel for me now? Are you pursuing me? If you are, why are you ignoring me?”After pressing his lips, Dylan answered, “That was more than one question.”He paused before adding, “Will you scold me if I tell you I don’t know? Will you think I’m a jerk?”Dylan did want to pursue Imogen. He thought she was great and Grandma May’s choice was never wrong. If it had not been for that girl, he could have accepted spending the rest of his life with Imogen, even if he did not love her. However, that girl was bo
It was Imogen’s first time hearing an elder doing that for their grandchildren. It was already an era where people could date and marry anyone they wished to. Why were there still elders who interfered with the marriages of the young ones?Imogen thought of her parents at that moment and took back her words. Parents and elders were behind most political marriages between wealthy families. Children of those families did not have much freedom to choose their significant others. Benefits were of utmost priority. It depended on how much of an advantage the marriage would provide to the companies of both families. “Why did your nana choose me? I’ve never met her before,” Imogen asked, puzzled. She had not met Grandma May and even if she did, she had no recollection.However, Grandma May must have observed and investigated her before choosing her as Dylan’s future wife. The old lady had passed a picture of Imogen to Dylan and told him to pursue her. “I don’t know. Although Nana
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