Jasmine said, “Do you believe that it doesn’t mean anything? Seren, if you both have feelings for each other, you two should seize the opportunity. I’m still waiting to attend your real wedding so I can be your bridesmaid!”Jasmine teased her friend.“You’re thinking a little too far ahead.”“I don’t think it’s too far ahead. Haha! Seren, I’m going to grab a cup of coffee with Shawn. What do you want? I’ll get a takeout for you later.”Serenity thought about it for a while and said, “Just get me a cup of milk tea, please.”“Okay,” Jasmine replied immediately. “You watch over the store. I’m going to have coffee.”“Go ahead!”The store was not busy at this time anyway. Serenity would either be napping at the cashier or making her handicrafts.Jasmine left.Shawn was waiting outside.When Jasmine came out, the smile on her face faded.“Let’s go.”She went straight to Shawn’s car.Shawn saw that his cousin’s expression was a little serious and he felt a little guilty for no re
Zachary said he wanted the Hunts to be poorer than beggars.Josh replied with a smile, “There won’t be a good show if you crush them with a single blow.”Zachary was speechless.“You must be patient dealing with these people. Take it slow and let them lose everything they have bit by bit. It’ll be tormenting for them to try their best to fix their situation, yet they can only watch as they lose everything.”Josh admitted he dropped the ball this time because he was in no hurry to crush the Hunts in one blow.“But don’t worry, boss! You’ll definitely be satisfied with the results.“John Hunt was fired by his company. The trending story was very popular back then, so John has a bad reputation in the industry. It’ll be very difficult for him to find a good job.”Zachary’s expression eased after he heard that John had completely lost his job.“You gotta thank Ms. Stone for this. Ms. Stone asked her brother to fire John. I have to say, Ms. Stone is especially nice to your wife.”Za
In a cafe, Jasmine picked a secluded corner and sat down.Shawn sat opposite her.“Shawn, what do you want to drink?”“Whatever. I’ll have whatever you have.”Jasmine said to the waiter, “Two cups of black coffee, please.”“Jas, black coffee is bitter.”Jasmine glanced at him. Shawn then said sheepishly, “Fine…”After the two cups of coffee were served, Jasmine asked bluntly, “Shawn, I have a question for you. Are you in love with Serenity?”Shawn was stunned.He stared blankly at Jasmine.“Jas…”“Tell me the truth!”Jasmine ordered.Shawn’s face slowly flushed red.Did he show it?“Jas, I… I like Serenity.”“When did it start?”Shawn said in a low voice, “I don’t know when it started. It might have been when I first learned about love when I was 14 years old, or maybe 17.”Jasmine said in a gloomy face, “You’ve had a crush on Serenity for so long.”Shawn hid it long enough.Jasmine and Serenity were not even aware of that and had treated Shawn as a younger brother.
Jasmine said, “I’m only telling you all these because I’m your cousin. Not to mention Serenity doesn’t like you. And even if she does like you back, I don’t approve of you two being together.”“Why not?”“Because of your family. I know my aunt very well. If she finds out that you like Serenity, do you think she’ll still smile at Serenity? She will only do everything possible to prevent you two from meeting each other. She may even do extreme things to Serenity.“My aunt has been in high society for more than 20 years, so she has very high standards. You’re her only son and hope. You’re also the default successor of Lowe Enterprise, so her expectations of you are very high. She wants you to marry someone from an affluent family.“Serenity’s a great girl, and her only flaw is her family background. If you’re not involved, my aunt will happily treat Serenity as her niece for my sake. But when it comes to you, she will be ruthless. Serenity is definitely not a good daughter-in-law cand
Jasmine looked at Shawn with a stern face and said seriously, “Shawn, don’t make me look down on you!Shawn was too hurt to speak.He felt like he could not let it go.However, he could not do anything to hurt Serenity either.Jasmine eased her expression because Shawn was her cousin after all. She sighed and said, “Shawn, I’ve already told you whatever I could. You should calm down first and force yourself to stay away from my store for a while. If you don’t see Serenity for some time, your feelings for her will fade.” As she finished speaking, she got up and said, “This coffee is my treat. I’m heading back to the store. You should hurry back to the office because you’re still a trainee. You should work harder than anyone else because you’re not the only successor in your family. If you don’t work hard, you’ll eventually lose what should belong to you.”With the last bit of advice spoken, Jasmine pulled out her chair, and turned to walk away.Shawn sat there with a blank mind.
Serenity smiled, “I’m flattered, Mr. York. Do you have something to say to me?”Zachary replied, “I don’t have to socialize tonight. I was wondering if you’d be interested in going shopping with me later?”Zachary fled after giving Serenity that bouquet. After some thought, he suddenly felt that taking the initiative was not so difficult after all.Thus, he mustered up the courage to ask his wife out that night.After giving it a thought, Serenity said, “I was thinking of bringing Sonny to pick Liberty up from work later. If you don’t mind, we can fetch my sister from work and go shopping after dinner.”“Is Liberty working overtime?”“She just sent me a message saying that she doesn’t have to work overtime on the first day of work, so she can get off work at half past five.”Zachary was silent for a moment before he said, “Okay, I’ll pick you up later and we can fetch Liberty from work together. I’ll buy you all dinner.”“Sure.”“See you.”“Okay.”Zachary did not hang up imm
Zachary was in a good mood after asking his wife out on a shopping date later that night. His work efficiency improved greatly.When he responded to a knock on his door, everyone outside could hear that he was in a good mood.Josh pushed the door open and came in.He was not alone. Remy followed Josh in.Remy’s bodyguards were waiting at the door of the office.“Boss, Mr. Johnson is here.”Zachary stopped working, got up, and walked around his desk. “Mr. Johnson.”The two men shook hands as Zachary motioned for Remy to have a seat on the sofa.Mr. Chaplin informed Zachary earlier that Remy was here, but Zachary did not expect Remy and Josh to come in together. Maybe those two met outside.Josh went to pour a glass of water for Remy.After Remy drank the water, Zachary asked in a deep voice, “Mr. Johnson, is there a problem with our cooperation?”An important partner like Remy could see Zachary at any time without an appointment. However, Remy was mostly in contact with Josh.
Zachary said, “I’ve always looked up to Mr. Young-Johnson and was hoping for a chance to meet him. You’ve given me this opportunity.”Remy smiled. “My eldest brother has also admired you for a while, Mr. York.”They exchanged pleasantries.Remy came over to Zachary’s office to deliver his brother’s wedding invitation. Since it had been delivered, Remy did not stay long because he was busy.He said, “Mr. York, Mr. Bucham, I have something else to attend to, so I’ll get going now. If you have time in the evening, we can have dinner together. My treat.”Josh smiled. “I’m fine anytime, but Mr. York might not be free.”Zachary interrupted. “I’ll buy you dinner some other day, Mr. Johnson.”Zachary had plans with his wife tonight.Remy smiled. “Okay, then. I’ll wait for your call.”He stood up.Zachary and Josh both got up and walked Remy out of the office together.“Mr. York, Mr. Bucham, you don’t have to send me off.”Remy stopped at the door of the office and asked the two men
Meanwhile, in a private room at Fortress Hotel in Jensburg, Caroline and Liberty stood up together and shook hands with their client, having successfully closed a business deal.The two of them escorted the client downstairs.After the client got into their car and left, Caroline turned to Liberty and said, “Liberty, it's getting late. Mr. Lewis is still waiting for you inside, so go get him and head home early to rest. The weather is really cold.“He still has trouble with his legs and isn’t used to the cold here, after all.”Duncan had caught a cold on his third day here.After seeing a doctor and taking medication, he was still coughing a little.Liberty did not move. Instead, she asked Caroline, “Are they making their move tonight?”“How would I know? They’ll act whenever they want. I’m just waiting. It’s likely to be soon, though. I’ve spread the word that Darren is on a business trip for half a month.”She did not want Liberty to worry, so she did not tell her that her fi
How long had it been since she last truly appreciated the night view of Satbury?Every day, she left home early and returned late, rushing from one place to another, with endless meetings, piles of documents to process, and countless business deals to negotiate.It always felt like there was not enough time.Before she knew it, time had flown by.It seemed just yesterday she had taken over the family business, but in the blink of an eye, several years had passed.Back when she first took over, many people had looked down on her, doubting her ability to manage the O'Connors’ vast empire. Many had wanted to devour the O'Connor family, to carve it up and take a share for themselves.Her parents’ generation was utterly mediocre, and after her grandparents passed away, they could not hold things together.As a result, the O'Connors’ family business declined and they lost a significant amount of money.On top of that, their extended relatives tried to exploit the situation, digging p
Isabella smiled, “Every time I hear you talk about your family, my heart gets restless, and I feel like going to meet them myself.”She even felt the urge to join their family, but she could not bring herself to say that out loud.Austin treated her very well. Tati said that when Austin looked at her, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and she kept saying that Austin had come here for her.Technically, Austin could indeed be considered to have come here for her, but it was really because of her picky palate and because she was hiring a private chef.To put it bluntly, Austin had come for the sake of culinary art.Sometimes, when Isabella locked eyes with Austin and saw him looking at her so intently, she could not help but wonder if he felt something for her.However, such thoughts were always quickly brushed aside.She and Austin were simply employer and employee.Austin treated her well because she was his employer. If there were any issues with the dishes he prepared, she coul
Austin smiled meaningfully, “My entire family will be very happy and warmly welcome you if you come with me to attend my nephew's sip-and-see shower.”In fact, his family would likely treat Isabella as his future wife, extending the kind of hospitality reserved for a daughter-in-law.However, Austin did not voice this thought.He and Isabella had not reached the stage where they could openly flirt like that.In any case, he was not in a hurry. Like a good stew, he would gradually win Isabella’s heart with time, and everything would fall into place naturally.“Your sister-in-law hasn’t given birth yet, so why are you already saying it’s a nephew?” Isabella teased belatedly. “Are you all hoping for a boy?“I heard from Ruth that your family elders are all hoping for a baby girl, though.”At the mention of that, Austin smiled wryly. “Ms. Fuller’s been to Wiltspoon and has heard about my family. She knows that our elders have always wanted a baby girl, so she must have also heard ot
Isabella asked, "When is your sister-in-law due?"She did not have a private chef who could fill in for Austin. If he took a leave of two or three days, she could manage, but if he requested a longer leave, she might not approve it.Zachary York’s wife was pregnant. Isabella had learned about the Yorks’ situation through a friend. Since she was Austin’s sister-in-law, it was natural for him, as the uncle, to want to go back and see his nephew.“I’m not sure. I asked my brother, and he said it might be in about two months. It could be earlier or later, it’s hard to say. I’ll go back when my sister-in-law is hospitalized. Once she’s discharged and returns home for postpartum recovery, it won’t be convenient to visit, so I’ll come back to work.“Then, when the baby is one month old, I’ll definitely go back for another couple of days. After all, he’ll be my first nephew and the eldest in the family’s new generation.”Isabella thought for a moment and said, “If it’s just two or three d
Austin knew she said that because she was afraid he would not agree, but how could he not? Rather, he wished for it.“Alright. If you don’t mind, I’ll eat with you from now on. Ms. Isabella, please go ahead and eat. I’ll quickly prepare some fruits for dessert.”Isabella glanced at him but said nothing and left.In the past, unless it was a social engagement, she would rarely have dessert.Usually, after finishing her meal, she would hurry back to her lounge to catch some rest, never bothering with fruits.Isabella realized belatedly that Austin had subtly influenced some of her small habits into changing.These small changes allowed her a bit more time to rest, which in turn improved her health.Soon, Austin came out.He had sliced some of the fruits and arranged them into the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings, while the smaller fruits were left whole to serve as the finishing touches.“In just this short time, you actually managed to create a phoenix,” Isabella praised.
“Isa has a networking event tonight, so she’ll be working overtime. You should bring her dinner.”“Sure.” Austin was here precisely to do that.Tati entered the elevator. When she turned around, she saw that Austin had already walked off.Tati chuckled to herself, “When will it be my turn to meet a good man who only has eyes for me?”Isabella had Austin now. Even though they had not officially started dating, they were clearly interested in each other. In the near future, they would definitely become a couple, and if both sides’ parents had no objection to it, they would eventually be a loving husband and wife.Though, at the thought of her family circumstances, Tati was still a little worried that Isabella and Austin might not get to that point.Isabella could not move far away after getting married as she still had to manage the family business. Her husband and her in-laws had to be understanding and tolerant of the fact that she would be very, very busy.They had all heard th
Isabella wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. Tati had a point. She could push the boys too hard. They were still young, and they deserved a carefree and happy childhood. She had already put too much pressure on Louis and Phillip. “Austin accompanies the boys when he’s free. I think he’s great with kids. Maybe he has experience from babysitting in his family.”The York family had nine sons in their youngest generation and no daughters. Austin was the sixth in line with three younger brothers. Rowan was the youngest and still a minor. Thinking about it, he must have been raised by all his older cousins and brothers. No one understood how much pressure Rowan was under as he grew up. His older brothers were outstanding individuals. He would not have been that stressed if any of them were mediocre. He kept chasing after his brothers’ footsteps. He did not know when he could ever catch up to River and Austin. He would have to live with that pressure fo
“Isa, do you know many hotels and restaurants are waiting for you to switch Austin out? That way, they can snatch him away and make him their star chef.”With Austin’s culinary skills, he could be the head chef at any hotel.Isabella smiled. She said, “It depends on how much they can offer him. He already has his own hotels and restaurants. He’s already successful in the F&B industry.“How can they possibly hire him to be their chef? That’s unless Austin buys their hotel.“Besides, I haven’t gotten bored of Austin’s food. They’ll have to wait. “You can make a bet on whether Austin can last a full year as my private chef. I think you might win, but there’s always the possibility of losing.”There would always be wins and losses in a bet. Tati smiled. “Some people already made their bets. However, they betted on whether Austin could last for three months first. I guess those who put their money on him leaving before three months are up will lose.“For the second round, they’re