Isabella said, “If he refuses to give up, then tell him he can work with the O’Connors, but only on the condition that the legitimate head of the family is present for the negotiations. Mr. Longbottom is just a stand-in. Before the true head returns, he doesn’t have the authority to make decisions.”Tati burst out laughing. “I think he’ll explode from anger when he hears those words, Isa. Everyone knows that he wants to be the official head of the family. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the totem, seal, or token.“No matter how many people he bribes, he’ll never become the true, legitimate head of family.”As for the Longbottom family members who wished to flatter Mr. Longbottom would acknowledge him as the head, while those who were righteous would disapprove of his position. The previous head of family and his family had been killed a few years ago. The identity of the culprit was a no-brainer. “Mr. Longbottom has done much over the years to look for the totem, seal, and toke
Isabella got up and sat on the sofa. Austin opened the door. He entered with her lunch in hand. “It’s time for lunch, Ms. Isabella.”Austin placed the dishes he had prepared on the table. Since Isabella was the only one eating, he made a main with three side dishes, all in a single portion.She had a fussy mouth. Since not many foods were to her liking, her appetite had always been small. Isabella looked at the dishes. The menu had changed from yesterday’s, but the food still looked amazing. Austin scooped half a bowl of soup for her to start with and warm herself up. Actually, Isabella did not feel cold as there was a heater in the room. She was also wearing her usual work outfit without any outerwear. Even if she needed to head out, putting on outerwear was unnecessary because she simply had to take the elevator to the parking lot and get into the air-conditioned car. She only put on a thick jacket when she had to inspect the manufacturing factory. “You can expl
Isabella smiled and said, “You bought local delicacies? I went sightseeing in my free time but never considered buying them.“Maybe because I’m picky and didn’t think they’d taste good.”There were rarely any local dishes or snacks Isabella enjoyed whenever she was in other places. “Every time I travel somewhere, I’ll buy some of the local specialties for my family to have a taste. If I got too much, I’d give them to my relatives and friends.”Austin always had a smile on his face as he spoke. Whenever he talked to someone with a smile, it would be easy for the other party to misunderstand that he had a crush on her. Even someone as calm as Isabella was always in a good mood whenever she talked to Austin. No wonder Tati had a good impression of Austin during their first meeting and often praised him. It had led Isabella to think that Tati had fallen in love with him. “Have you eaten?”Isabella averted her gaze to avoid looking at Austin directly.She enjoyed her lunch eleg
Austin replied, “Okay. I shall do as you ask so long as you don’t judge my table manners.”“You look cultivated and gentlemanly. Although I haven’t dined with you, I guess your table manners aren’t that terrible.”Austin smiled. He thought, ‘As expected of my wife. She has such keen eyes.’“By the way, there’s something I want to ask.”Austin looked toward Isabella and waited for her to continue. “Do you want to go home during the holidays? It’s a long journey back to Wiltspoon from Satbury. I heard the winters in Wiltspoon aren’t cold at all.”Austin replied, “Will someone else take care of your meals if I go home? If so, I do wish to go back. My nana is old. She hopes all her grandchildren will be home for the festive season.“All of us are usually scattered in different places due to work. It’s difficult for us to gather in one place at the same time.”Austin did not lie. Isabella had investigated Austin before. She knew he had a biological brother and many cousins. The
Austin said, “Even if Louis grows up, he might not be capable enough to take over. Although you’re a woman, you’re still in the O’Connor family. Why does gender matter when you’re already competent enough?”The York family never had such thoughts. His nana had said that if all of them were capable, the eldest would be chosen as the successor. If the eldest were incompetent, she would choose the most competent one to take over. The heir did not always have to be the eldest son or grandson. Competency was valued above anything else. If a daughter were capable enough to be the successor and willing to accept the responsibility, she would be more than welcome to do so. Of course, no one would force her if she did not want to take over. Based on how much the York elders yearned for a baby girl, Austin thought that even if he were to have a niece or daughter in the future, they would not let her be the heir. They knew being the head of the family was exhausting and would not bear to
Only a handful of people knew about the younger lads of the Yorks. For example, no one in Rowan’s school knew he came from the York family and hardly anyone in high society had met him either. Grandma May had always protected their privacy before they were of age to join the workforce. She would not let any external factors disturb their lives. She would only start taking them to banquets if they did not want to further their studies and wished to work. At those banquets, they would introduce themselves to everyone as young masters of the Yorks. Whether they could leave an impression on the masses depended on their capabilities and influence in Wiltspoon. If the York brothers wished to work their way up, Grandma May would not take them to banquets and allow them to climb the social ladder themselves. Upon hearing Austin’s words, Isabella was excited. “It seems like there are many business opportunities in Wiltspoon.”“It depends on the industry. Business has been slow for
“Admiration might be the young buds of love.”Tania encouraged her son, “Treat her well and cook good food for her. Once you capture her stomach, she won’t be able to leave you, and you’ll succeed in courting her. “I don’t know how your nana chose such a picky girl for you.“I think all the candidates your nana has chosen for you boys are food lovers because she’s a food lover herself,” said Tania resignedly. Serenity, Camryn, and Hayden were food connoisseurs. Since Dylan had given up on the girl Grandma May had chosen for him, they did not know whether the mysterious girl he liked would also be a food lover. If all the York brothers married women who enjoyed eating, it would be a food haven whenever they gathered for special occasions. Tania could not help but laugh upon imagining a scene where the gourmands were gathered together. The food lovers were skilled at cooking as well. Camryn was an exception because she was blind previously and could not cook. Although she h
After a moment of silence, Austin said, “How would you have your daughter-in-law if Isabella was born into our family? If you feel bad for her, you can shower her with love after she joins the family and treat her as your daughter, just like what you’re doing with Serenity.”Austin felt his parents loved Serenity as if she were their biological daughter. Even if they did not interact much or lived with Serenity, they still got along well with her whenever she and Zachary visited them at the manor. There had been no conflicts between Tania and Serenity at all.Austin thought his parents were great in-laws. They never interfered with their son and daughter-in-law’s lives, nor would they badmouth their daughter-in-law in front of their son. They were also good at keeping their distance when needed. That was a good thing. Tania said, “I only have you and Zachary. I have no hopes of getting a daughter, and I don’t even know if I’ll get a granddaughter. Since I have two daughters-in-
Serenity agreed empathetically, “You can offend anyone, but don't ever offend Nana. Luckily, she's my nana.”Out of all her in-laws, Grandma May was Serenity’s favorite because the old lady treated her the best. Whenever she had conflicts with Zachary, Grandma May would always stand by her side first. Only when she was ready to listen would Grandma May try to reason with her and speak up for Zachary. Even though Grandma May was Zachary’s grandmother, she treated Serenity like her own granddaughter; more so than Serenity's biological grandmother.“Are you going to help Dylan?” Jasmine asked.“How? He’s wooing his future wife. No one can help with that,” Serenity replied. “Zachary never meddles in his brothers' private matters. As long as they don’t ask him for help, he doesn’t care about anything.”In Zachary's words, he only wanted to take care of her. In his world, she was his priority.“True. Let’s just watch for now, unless Dylan comes to you asking you to speak well of him
“Now he's suddenly trying to pursue Imogen again? Did something happen to him? Or was it that his beloved turned him down, and then when he saw everyone else all coupled up, plus Grandma May’s pressuring him to get married, he decided to try to win Imogen back?“Who does he think Imogen is? Does he think he can just have her when he wants to, and throw her aside when he doesn't?”Even though Dylan was Serenity's cousin-in-law, Jasmine could not bring herself to take his side. Back then, when Imogen followed him from Huntington to Wiltspoon and even asked Serenity for help, all she ended up getting was an apology from Dylan that he could never love her. He even mentioned that he was in love with someone else, a woman he called Fox. How could a vixen be any good? Was she better than Imogen?Jasmine thought Dylan was out of his mind, but that was someone else's business. She was just a bystander. Even Serenity did not interfere much since she was only a cousin-in-law. After all,
Without a second thought, Leticia replied to her daughter.[Of course you should. As long as you can win that boy over, you'll be happy in the future. I’ve met so many young men, but I still think he’s the most suitable for you.]Despite her earlier anger, Leticia still hoped her daughter could win Dylan’s heart. She had always regarded him as a potential son-in-law, after all.Imogen smiled and left it at that. She had already made up her mind.In truth, when Dylan rejected her, she was not all that upset because the person he loved was still her. It was just that she had kept Dylan in the dark. One could say that he had been made to dance in her palm.However, when he realized that he could not love Imogen, he was honest with her and decisively left without bothering her further, not wanting her to fall even deeper when the situation was hopeless. In this aspect, she appreciated him.Now that she knew she was the one Dylan’s grandmother had chosen for him, Imogen was curious ab
When Dylan overheard Imogen’s phone conversation with Leticia, he realized that Leticia was trying to match her with someone named Kade. Now, he had a rival.Even though he was being asked to leave, Dylan did not get angry, nor did he shamelessly insist on staying. He stood up and said, “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Ms. Doyle. I know you’re Imogen Doyle. I also know what I’m doing, and I won’t make the same mistake again.“Ms. Doyle, you were on the nose earlier. Yes, I do want to pursue you again. Starting today, I will try to win your heart once more. No matter what your attitude is toward me, I’ll accept it.”The first time, she had offered her heart, but he did not accept it. That was his fault.This time, it was his turn to offer his heart. If it took more time to win her over, he was willing to be patient.“My nana isn’t forcing me.” He continued, “When it came to our generation, she only pushed Zachary to marry Serenity.”Zachary had been a special case. For the rest of
Imogen felt a surge of satisfaction when she saw Dylan was rendered speechless by what she said. She deliberately leaned closer to him, her beautiful face coming right up to his, and their gazes met.They were so close that Dylan could smell a faint, delicate fragrance on her. It was a little familiar, but it was not the same as Chameleon Fox’s scent, because she never used fragrance when she appeared—probably to avoid being recognized by scent.It was the scent he smelled on Imogen back when he was initially pursuing her—it was Sugar’s. Imogen smelled the same as Sugar, a scent he remembered when he was in close proximity to Sugar.Imogen was Sugar.Dylan was now sure of this, but he did not bring it up. Even if he asked, Imogen would not admit it anyway.Besides, he no longer needed her to confirm it. As Zachary had said, he only needed to trust his nana; she would not mislead him when it came to marriage. His nana knew very well that he loved Chameleon Fox, and yet still aske
Unexpectedly, Kade had to return to the country due to a work transfer and would be staying in Huntington long-term.Leticia’s best friend Jade immediately called her again to bring up the idea of a marriage match. Leticia then thought about it and decided to arrange for her daughter to fetch him from the airport.“Mrs. Doyle, the person Imogen likes is me, so please stop trying to match her with someone else.” Dylan boldly interjected.Imogen glanced at him but did not say anything.On the other side of the line, Leticia asked Imogen when she heard Dylan’s voice, “Jen, has that York scoundrel gone to look for you again? He came by once a few days ago, but you weren’t home. We didn’t even let him past the gate.“He didn’t show up again after that, so we thought he left, but he actually went to your office to look for you. Jen, what does he mean by this? Is he trying to pursue you once more? If that’s really the case, all the more you have to give Kade a chance—to make Dylan York
“Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. York?”Just as Dylan was about to respond, Imogen’s phone rang from her desk where she had left it. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was her mother calling, so she had no choice but to answer.“Hey, mom.” She was busy with work and usually would not answer personal calls during office hours unless it was from her family, which usually meant something urgent. If there was no urgency, her parents would not call her.“Are you free this weekend?” Leticia asked over the phone. “What’s going on?”“Tell me if you’re free first. I need you to do something for me.”Imogen replied, “Does it have to be me? If not, please ask someone else. I have a client meeting scheduled for the weekend.”“You're still meeting clients this weekend? Is Davidson Group really lacking business? Can’t you even rest on the weekend?” Leticia complained. Her daughter went out early and came home late every day. Sometimes, even though they lived under the same r
The one who was hurt was her. The one who would suffer was also her. When it came to love, the one who fell first was the one who lost. She had lost once and did not want to lose again.Even though she still had feelings for Dylan, Imogen did not want to be in a passive position anymore. She wanted to be the one in control, making Dylan the one who was passive. “Ms. Doyle, I’m here today to apologize.”“Apologize? Apologize for what?”Dylan then took out the set of jewelry and placed it in front of Imogen. “Ms. Doyle, months ago, I pursued you first. When you were moved, I withdrew and said that I didn’t love you. That was my fault, and I’m here to apologize for that. This bouquet and this set of jewelry are my way of offering an apology.”Imogen put down the bouquet and took the red velvet box. She opened it right in front of Dylan. Inside was a set of ruby jewelry.With trained eyes to recognize valuable items, she could immediately tell that they were very expensive when
Huntington was having another bout of snow.When Dylan arrived, he spent the first day at the hotel to rest. Afterward, he picked up the gifts that Sam had prepared for him, rented a luxury car, and drove to the Doyles’ residence with a car full of presents.However, Imogen and her older sister, along with several younger cousins, had gone on a trip. Dylan did not even get the chance to go past the Doyles’ gate and the gifts he brought were refused by Winston.Once Winston learned that the woman Dylan truly loved was actually his own daughter, he guessed that Dylan would soon return to pursue her again. To make sure Dylan left with nothing to show for it, he persuaded his daughter to go on a trip.Imogen also missed her master and her fellow disciples. So, she took her cousins and went to visit her master. All of them together enjoyed a lively reunion, and she completely forgot about Dylan.It was not until after Davidson Group resumed work after the holidays that Dylan would have