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’
The two had breakfast together before leaving the suite.The hotel butler would tidy the place and put things back in their original places for Zachary’s next visit.Imogen went back to her room to catch up on sleep.Meanwhile, Dylan called Grandma May. When she picked up, he asked, “Where are you, Nana?”“I’m at Wildridge Manor. What’s up? Do you miss me? If you do, come back and have lunch with me,” she said. “My fish is done grilling! It smells so good.”Dylan was speechless for a moment. “It’s early in the morning and you’re grilling fish to eat?”“I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to my friends. And what’s wrong with eating grilled fish in the morning? It’s not that early anyway—it’s past nine. Can’t you see the sun is so high up in the sky?“It’s warmer out today, too, so I went fishing with a few old friends and we are grilling our catches. It feels like we’re having a picnic and it’s pretty nice.”Dylan could imagine the scene. There was a stream at the foot of the hi
“No, Nana. I’m not smart at all. I’m really dumb. You’re the smartest.” Dylan buttered Nana up. It was not empty flattery either because she was amazing.The public thought they were amazing people in their own right, but they still could not escape their nana’s grasp. She was like an immovable mountain while they were like tigers—they could be kings of the mountain but still could not touch her.“I didn’t play any tricks, Nana.”“That’s your business. You can do whatever you like. I’ve already helped you pick a candidate. It’s your choice whether or not you pursue her. A year should be enough time for you to think about it. But let me remind you that Yorks don’t cheat and are loyal. Don’t ruin our good name.”Dylan said sheepishly, “I know, Nana. I’m about to start driving, so I’ll talk to you when I get back.”“Drive carefully,” Nana admonished before hanging up and handing the phone off to Sam. “My fish!” She was worried someone else had eaten her fish.Sam said with a smile