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
“This is the hotel, but of course, this isn’t the room you were staying in. I brought you back to your room after you got drunk, but not long after you lay down, you puked everywhere and even got it on the bed, so I had to move you.” Dylan sat back down and commented, “You’re really hard to handle when you’re drunk. I think you better refrain from drinking so much in the future.”Imogen was silent for a moment. “I don’t have any recollection of that at all. All I remember is I drank quite a lot with you and it was really delicious. When I return to Huntington, give me a case of the same whiskey. I want to have some on my own at home when I’m in a bad mood.”“You still need more?” Dylan did not believe she needed more. She definitely had lots of good alcohol at home too.“I don’t need more whiskey, but I don’t have whiskey from you.”After a pause, Dylan conceded again. “Fine. When you leave Wiltspoon, I’ll give you a case of the same whiskey we had last night and some of Wiltspoon’
Caroline stood at the entrance of the manor, dressed in a fully red outfit and draped in a red fox fur cloak. Darren, dressed in black, stood beside her, keeping her company.After a moment, several cars slowly approached and came to a stop at the entrance of Fisher Manor. The doors of the first car opened, and the bodyguards inside stepped out.Soon, Liberty emerged from the second car.“Liberty, you're here,” Caroline said with a smile as she walked forward.Seeing Caroline’s approach, Liberty also smiled and walked toward her. The two quickly stood face to face, both stopping in their tracks.Liberty looked Caroline up and down and praised with a smile, “Caroline, you look stunning today. The red outfit against the snowy white backdrop makes you especially beautiful.”Caroline laughed, “Am I not beautiful on other days?”“You are, but today you're particularly beautiful. Mr. Fletcher, don't you think Caroline looks especially beautiful today? Hasn’t she completely captivated
Imogen sighed softly and said in a low voice, “If that's the reason, I actually hope they cut ties completely, because the Butchers already look down on Maria. Even if Kade persists, once Maria marries into the Butcher family, she’ll be treated poorly by her in-laws.“A woman who isn’t liked by her in-laws will have a hard time, unless she doesn’t live with them and her husband supports her unconditionally no matter what happens.“Otherwise, it’s easy for conflicts to arise. If they argue every few days, even the strongest feelings will fade over time.”Dylan asked in confusion, “If you think that way, why are you still encouraging them to be together? Are you worried that your families will try to matchmake you two?”Imogen laughed at him, “You wish, don’t you? Stop flattering yourself. I used to love you, but you made it clear that I’m not the one you love, so we’re completely over.“Now, at most, we’re just friends. And the only reason I’m nice to you is out of respect for your
Kade had already done everything he could to help Maria’s family. It was his parents who were worried that Maria’s family business being in trouble would drag him down, so they no longer supported him being with Maria.His mother nagged him about it every day, and after hearing it so often, he became frustrated and did not know what to do. On top of that, he did not fully understand his own feelings. He was not sure whether what he felt for Maria was friendship or love.While he was struggling with this, his company arranged for him to return to Huntington to take over all their domestic business. He took this opportunity to give himself some time to think—was he truly in love with Maria, or was it just friendship?When he heard Imogen say she wanted to match Maria with her cousin, Kade felt a pang of panic and fear of losing her. This gave him a moment of clarity and he realized that he did have romantic feelings for Maria. He was in love with her. Dylan chimed in, “Mr. But
Once Maria hung up, Imogen glared at Kade.With an innocent look, Kade asked her obliviously, “Why are you glaring at me like that, Jen? Did I do something wrong?”“You didn’t do anything wrong. I just know now why Maria’s lost hope and said stuff like she’s entrusting you to me. You couldn’t even call or text her? You seriously only posted on your Story? If she had muted your Story, she wouldn’t have seen anything.”Kade replied without thinking, “She probably wouldn’t have muted my Story, would she? If she did…”He was suddenly at a loss for words.Listening to their conversation, Dylan was sure that Kade was an indecisive man when it came to his feelings. A man like that was probably not a very big threat to him.Still, he did not dare be careless and would continue viewing Kade as his rival in love, staying on guard against him.Imogen took up the thread of conversation and replied to Kade, “If Maria had muted your Story, that would mean she’s on the verge of blocking you an
Seeing that Imogen was protective of Dylan, Kade did not say anything else. The three of them chatted while eating, but it was mainly Kade and Imogen talking. Dylan rarely spoke. Only Imogen would talk to him from time to time. At that moment, Imogen’s phone rang.Looking at the caller ID, she told Kade, “It’s Maria. She must be calling to ask if you’ve arrived.”Kade’s smile faded. “I already posted on my Story once I landed. She must’ve known I’ve already arrived safely.”Imogen glared at him. She decided not to scold him and answered the call first.“I just picked Kade up, Maria. He arrived safely.”Imogen immediately told Maria not to worry as she had picked Kade up.“Oh. I wasn’t going to ask about him though. I just thought of talking to you since you’re free this weekend.”Maria denied that she was concerned about Kade. She had seen Kade’s Story on Instagram. She did not comment or like the post, but simply swiped upon seeing that he had arrived safely. Howev
Kade patted Imogen’s head again. “Thanks, Jen, but no one can help with relationship problems.”He had patted her twice. Whenever Dylan saw that intimate action, he desperately wanted to chop Kade’s hand off and feed it to the dogs.Dylan had not even touched Imogen’s head before. He had only held her hand. They had held hands many times and were near each other when she was Chameleon Fox, but they never did anything beyond that. Although Dylan was jealous, he did not rush forward to push Kade away. Kade’s and Imogen’s mothers were best friends who had known each other for a long time. Dylan was at a disadvantage, so he would not do anything rashly. Not only did he not push Kade away, he simply walked behind them quietly with Kade’s luggage in tow. He did not butt in their conversation either. Imogen brought the men to a restaurant. They sat down. Dylan placed Kade’s luggage beside him. He wanted Kade to look after his own luggage. The three of them ordered a se
She loved Dylan, not Kade. “You, Maria, and I are best friends. In my heart, you two will always be my older brother and sister.”Imogen emphasized the words “older brother and sister.”She truly viewed them as siblings. She had never had a crush on Kade, nor would she have feelings for him in the future. Their families were only thinking about their own benefits. However, her parents knew the man she truly loved was Dylan. The York family was better than the Butchers and more suited for her.To be honest, if Imogen and Kade were to be together, she would be used by the Butchers. The Doyles would also have to aid the Butchers financially. If she were with Dylan, she would not have to worry about being used or giving away money. York Corporation was slightly superior to Davidson Group. Even Leticia wanted Dylan as her son-in-law. Kade understood Imogen’s words. She did not want to follow her family’s arrangements. She liked another man, and that man was more capable
“It’s lunchtime, Kade. Let’s find a restaurant and have some food.“It’ll take an hour or two to return to the city center, and there’s also the weekend traffic. If we head back without eating, you might get very hungry.”Imogen was already hungry. Kade smiled. “Okay. Let’s go with that.”Imogen led the way. Kade pushed his luggage to Dylan and said, “Please help me with my luggage, Dylan.”Without giving Dylan a chance to refuse, Kade quickly went after Imogen with a small bag, probably a laptop bag.Dylan had the urge to kick the luggage away. However, he held it in to maintain a good image before Imogen.Imogen’s attitude toward Kade was likened to that between siblings and friends. There were no romantic feelings involved as her gaze was too calm. It made Dylan feel reassured. Although Kade and Imogen looked intimate, Dylan could sense their intimacy was due to them reuniting after a long time. After Kade caught up to Imogen, she turned back and saw Dylan pulling
Kade did not know if what he felt for Maria was love or friendship. There were two reasons behind his return to Huntington—his career and the time for himself to analyze his feelings. He had been friends with Maria for over two decades. They had a close relationship. In the past, when their families had similar social status, they wished Kade and Maria could get married. However, Kade and Maria seemed to be just friends and had no romantic feelings for each other. He had never even confessed to Maria. As Maria’s family business declined and they went bankrupt, the Butcher family’s attitude changed. They no longer allowed Kade and Maria to hang out because they were worried about Maria’s family dragging them down. Kade had helped the Sprearings a lot in private. Despite having a successful career, Kade was poor. Maria’s father had borrowed all of Kade’s money to salvage his company. If the company made a profit on the borrowed money, Kade could get his money back. The