Dominic smiled. “Based on my experience, you’ve definitely passed.“Go and meet Ms. O’Connor. Don’t be nervous. Although she’s stern, she’s a nice person.”“Thanks, Dominic. I’ll go to her now.”Austin was not afraid of stern people. No matter how scary Isabella was, she could never top Zachary. Austin was immune to stern people after having seen Zachary’s face all the time. He followed Dominic out of the kitchen. Based on Dominic’s observation, Austin did not look around and was not shocked by the extravagance of the house after stepping out of the kitchen. He was unlike other candidates, who were always surprised by the lavishness of the house and could not help gawking. Dominic thought, ‘Austin must be a sophisticated person.’Otherwise, he must be good at maintaining his composure.Anyway, Dominic had a good impression of Austin. They would most likely become colleagues tomorrow. Dominic brought Austin to a spot a few yards away from Isabella’s chair and stoppe
Instead of expanding his business or enjoying life, he chose to be a chef in a city far away from home. Isabella wanted to know the reason. Austin answered honestly, “Because it’s challenging. I’ve liked to cook since I was young and even learned from professionals. I’ve been studying various cuisines and have gained lots of knowledge and skills. Despite the success of my business, I believe there are always better chefs out there.“I want to polish myself continuously. To achieve that, I have to rely on my customers’ mouths.”As a chef, his customers’ feedback would reflect his cooking skills. If he made some changes according to their opinions, he could definitely improve. Getting comments from a customer as picky as Isabella would motivate him even more. Isabella knew that Austin must have applied to be the O’Connor family’s chef because of its challenging nature. After a moment, she said, “Being an employer and an employee is very different. Have you thought this thro
Austin said, “I’ll let my performance speak for itself.”Tati raised an eyebrow and laughed. “You’re brimming with confidence.”Isabella gave Tati a look and asked Austin, “When can you start?”“I came precisely for this position. I can start anytime.”Isabella smiled. “You can officially start tomorrow, then. Dominic must have already arranged your accommodations. Your salary will be counted starting tomorrow and you’ll be on probation for a month, during which your salary will be prorated. We won’t make you work for free.”Every employee got the same treatment.“Dominic had arranged my lodging yesterday. I’m fine with the salary. I came for the challenge, after all, not the pay.” He was short of a wife, not money.“Alright. You can head back and rest now. Dominic will let you know what time we have our meals. Apart from breakfast, they are the same every day.”Everyone woke up at different hours, so breakfast time was flexible.Austin replied, “Sure, I’ll ask Dominic.”He n
Isabella said, “If you really like him, he’s successful enough that your parents would have no objections. The only thing is that he’s a Wiltspoonian. They might not be able to bear letting you move so far away from us.”“Isa!” Tati said exasperatedly. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t like him like that? In fact, I think he’s a good match for you. You’re the oldest of the seven of us so you have to get married first, anyway. I can’t cut in line.”Unsure if it was just an illusion, she felt Austin look at Isabella with a different sparkle in his eyes. He had definitely come for Isabella.Or rather he had come for Isabella’s picky mouth, to be exact. His customers would definitely be satisfied if he could satisfy Isabella. Tati did not think there were many people out there as picky as Isabella was.Isabella lightly pinched Tati’s cheek as she could not help but laugh. “We’re not far apart in age and we’re just cousins. It doesn’t matter if you get married before
Isabella laughed when she saw Tati’s speechless expression. “Alright, you might not like him now, but you can’t say for sure in the future.“You can come over and eat at my place every day. Spend some time with him and get to know him. If he’s really a sincere, nice guy, it’s fine if he’s from a bit further away. I’m sure Uncle Harold and Aunt Margaret will approve, albeit reluctantly. Or we can get him to settle here.”Tati was well and truly speechless now. Since Isabella put it like that, she did not dare to freeload meals off her anymore, lest she was misunderstood for fancying Austin.All the little misunderstandings between his future wife and sister-in-law were unbeknownst to Austin as he followed Dominic back to his quarters.Dominic congratulated him with a smile. “We’ll be colleagues from now on, Austin. I hope we can work together for a long time.”All the O’Connors lived on the same estate but in different buildings with their own families.The turnover rate for chefs
“I’ll adjust my cooking to Ms. Isabella’s preferences. That way, I can improve. Once she’s satisfied with every dish I make, I’ll be ready to graduate.”Dominic laughed. “Ms. Isabella probably can’t do without you at that point.”Austin wanted to say he would be happy to cook for Isabella for the rest of his life, but he held back because it would easily give the wrong impression. Even if his secondary objective was to woo Isabella, he could not reveal any such inclination.Isabella was managing her family company and was obviously a sharp and capable woman. An iron lady like her was not easy to woo.It was evident from Kevin taking such a long time to finally win Hayden over despite taking a shortcut with Serenity’s help.Dominic belatedly realized his statement could easily give someone the wrong impression and hurriedly changed the subject.“Austin, you were busy the whole afternoon, so you should turn in early today. Tomorrow, you have to wake up early to prepare breakfast fo
Dylan, who was at the hotel taking care of Imogen, replied privately to Austin.He sent Austin a voice note asking, “You traveled so far just to become a chef?”Austin sat on the sofa as he replied, “Am I not allowed to? It’s a very challenging role to be the O’Connors’ private chef. I just wanted to see if I could pass the test. Luckily, I beat all my competitors. I’ve pretty much achieved the impossible.”Dylan was speechless for a moment before he replied, “It feels more like you ran for president than a chef. How long do you plan on staying there? Christmas is around the corner. Aren’t you coming home?”“I might not this year. I’ll go back when my boss gives me the boot.”“With your ability, I don’t think your boss can fire you. You firing her is more like it. I just don’t understand why you had to go that far. You have your restaurant and can cook anywhere, but you just had to go miles away. It’s cold there, no? Can you stand it?”Austin retorted, “It’s not like we’ve never
Dylan hurriedly supported her. An ache pounding in his head, he asked, “What’s up with you now?”“I… need to go…” Imogen slurred with her eyes closed.“You need to go to the bathroom?” Dylan was in a bad mood now.Imogen could not walk steadily and if she went to the bathroom alone, he was afraid she would fall. He could not help her into the bathroom though. He was a man!Imogen nodded and started walking again.Dylan asked as he supported her, “Can you go by yourself?”Imogen did not reply. She was so drunk she did not even know who was with her.Seeing the state she was in, Dylan could only help her to the bathroom, muttering under his breath all the while. Once he got her inside, he hurriedly retreated to let her handle her business.However, Imogen did not appear even after ten minutes. Dylan knocked on the door only to be answered with silence.Opening the door to just a crack, he peeked in but did not see Imogen. Where was she? He opened the door wider in confusion and
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