On the way to the Italian restaurant, Serenity got a call from Jane. She heard Connor's voice the moment she picked up the call. “What’s Connor doing, Jane?” Serenity asked amid laughter. Jane was holding her son with one arm and her phone in the other hand. “He wants to snatch my phone when he sees me making a call. If I don’t give it to him, he’ll start screaming, demanding that I give him the phone.”Serenity smiled. “You can get a toy phone that can emit sounds for him.”“He has one, and he likes it a lot. He’s just playful and wants to snatch mine the moment he sees it. He probably mistook my phone for his.“Have you eaten, Seren?”After speaking, Jane spoke to someone else, “Take Connor out for a walk. He’s too noisy.”Connor was always crying or screaming. He was truly a crybaby like Tim’s son.A nanny carried Connor away. One of the elders had taken the obedient Chloe away early on. Everyone loved well-behaved babies. More importantly, the Johnson family did not
The legendary doctor missed Oliver a lot. Before he returned, he would get on a video call with his disciple, Dr. Carden, multiple times a day to look at Oliver. Dr. Carden was annoyed and said she could let him raise Oliver in the mountains. He was experienced in raising children anyway. After all, Dr. Carden was brought up by the legendary doctor himself. However, Tim refused to let him take Oliver away. Although Oliver was a crybaby and often caused Tim headaches from his crying, Tim still loved Oliver deeply. He said the place where Laurence and the legendary doctor lived was too cold and that the young Oliver could not stand such harsh weather. Tim was right. The legendary doctor’s home was far from civilization. It was cold in spring, fall, and winter. The weather would only turn slightly warm during summer. Now that it was still snowing, Laurence was forced to clear the snow in the garden every day after waking up. He would train while clearing the snow. Indeed, Oliv
Jane said, “Okay. We can get the present when we go shopping for clothes tomorrow.”She did not offer to pay for the present. She would let Laurence use his money. He had some savings and did not lack money. He managed his finances. Since he wanted to give Sonny a present, he would have to pay for it himself. “What present should I get for Sonny?”Laurence sounded as if he was asking Jane and muttering to himself simultaneously. Jane said gently, “Since it’s a gift for Sonny, you should get something he likes.”Laurence was in a dilemma. “Sonny loves food. He already has a lot of toys.”“You can get him some food then.”“Sonny isn’t picky. He eats everything as long as it doesn’t kill him. If so, won’t I have to prepare many presents?”Laurence was a little concerned about his money. He looked toward Jane, looking as if he wished Jane could sponsor him but was embarrassed to ask. He was the one who said he would pay for Sonny’s present himself. Sonny was his friend. H
Laurence would turn four years old soon, yet his learning progress was faster than others. As expected, a child taught by the masters was special. If one did not have natural talent and wit, he or she could never keep up with the masters’ teaching. Of course, the masters would refuse to teach someone who did not have talent. Laurence answered seriously, “The books in my bag are gifts from the grandpas and grandmas for the new year. I like them a lot.”He put a lot of emphasis on the last sentence. Jane dared bet that Laurence would have the urge to throw his bag away once he opened it and saw it filled with books. She knew he was under a lot of pressure. Keeping up with a group of masters was difficult. However, it was an opportunity that others could only dream of. “Since I’m Sonny’s age, he’ll definitely like whatever I do. That’s why I want to give Sonny some books as well. He likes too many types of food. I can’t buy that much food for him.”Jane said, “Are you su
Jane patted Laurence’s head. She said, “Admitting and correcting your mistakes is good.”He nodded vigorously. He would reflect on his mistake. As long as the adults pointed out his mistake, he would correct all of them. Jane stood and said gently, “You can go and play now.”“Where’s Chloe, Mommy Jane?”Laurence added, “I want to play with her.”He only had one younger sister. He preferred her over his younger brothers but they were also adorable. “Her nana might’ve brought her out to play. Connor is still with the nanny. Do you want to play with Connor?”After thinking about it, Laurence said, “I’ll look for Chloe. Since Connor has the nanny to play with, he doesn’t need me.”Connor was a crybaby like Oliver. Uncle Ethan’s sons were older than Connor by a few months and were more difficult to handle. Laurence only found his little brothers cute when they were asleep. On the other hand, Chloe was adorable regardless of whether she was awake or asleep. Laurence thought
“Was that Chelsea and her family?” Jasmine asked Serenity after they settled down. “It must be. She’s been living a comfortable life. She’s even dressed in expensive clothes and jewelry.”Before Liberty got a divorce, Chelsea and Mrs. Brown would go to the bookstore to complain to Serenity. Jasmine had met Chelsea several times before. Chelsea had left such an impression that Jasmine could not possibly forget her. “It is Chelsea.”Serenity replied, “Lucas called Sonny twice, but Chelsea covered his mouth. She’s scared of us joining her for dinner and making her pay.“In the past, she and her family would go to Liberty’s house to eat for free. They never helped out and even dared to order my sister around and pick on her.”The Browns were like leopards who would never change their spots. Serenity felt Wiltspoon was tiny. She would bump into people she disliked from time to time. Imogen did not know what happened in the past. She kept quiet and simply listened. Jasmine sa
Serenity agreed, “It’s reasonable, yes, but before Dylan makes up his mind, you can still give it a shot.”Imogen smiled and said, “Serenity, Jasmine, let’s eat and stop talking about men. Both your husbands are good men, so you’ll feel happy to talk about them, but the man I’m interested in isn’t interested in me. Talking about him will just ruin my appetite. Like Sonny said, eating is king. Let’s just eat.”Serenity and Jasmine stopped there. They had no way of influencing Dylan when it came to his feelings.“Well, it’s not like I didn’t get anything out of this visit—I got two new friends. Whether or not Dylan and I end up together, the three of us will still be friends. You guys mustn’t renounce me. Either way, I’m wrapped around both of your thick thighs, so you can forget about trying to kick me away.”Serenity could not help but laugh.Jasmine laughed too and said, “You’re speaking casually with us already. We can’t just abandon you now, can we?”Imogen was very good at co
Jasmine scoffed. “Don’t believe a single word of what she says. She’s a master at exploiting. Second to none.”Serenity heard Chelsea say to Mrs. Brown, “Mom, the kids said they hadn’t eaten something delicious in a very, very long time, so I took them out to eat. We’re done eating, but I don’t have enough money to pay the bill. Do you have money in your account? Transfer some money to me.” Chelsea walked off into the distance. Serenity and the rest could no longer hear what she said.Jasmine said to Imogen, “If I had a daughter like that who only knew how to leech off her family and take advantage of them, I’d strangle her at birth.”Imogen replied, “You wouldn’t know if she was that sort of person at birth, though.”Jasmine was silent for a moment before she decided, “I’d cut all contact with her and pretend I never had a daughter, then.“Imogen, that shameless nut is Sonny’s aunt. She just loves taking advantage of anything she can. She used to frequent her parents’ place to
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