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-
Austin was not stupid. He caught on right away. He said, “Zachary hid my information. That was why Isabella couldn’t get much out of her two investigations on me.”Tania asked, “Do we have to keep a secret for you when we go over?”Austin rejected her offer without hesitation. He answered, “You don’t have to hide or reveal my identity purposely. If she finds out, then so be it. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t find out either. The cat will be out of the bag sooner or later anyway.”“Okay.”“You mentioned that there are important guests in the manor earlier.”Tania told Austin all about Doc and his fellow masters. Austin felt sad after Tania’s update. “It’s too bad I’m on a business trip with Isabella and can’t rush back. Please put in good words for me with the elders so they have a good impression of me.”Tania smiled. “They know my sons are outstanding. They know your grandparents too. Although they don’t have a close relationship with us and are old, they were willing to hav
“Let them be, then. They’ll only be able to enjoy themselves this much today.”The old-timers would be leaving Wiltspoon tomorrow. Doc would head to FC Manor to spend the holidays with his disciple, while Patrick would remain with the Stones. On the other hand, Silver and the rest would return to their homes. After being away from home for a few days, they still concluded that nothing could beat the comfort of home. They wanted to go back. Since the year was ending, their disciples would be rushing back from different places.Although the ancients were not as lucky as Grandma May, who had many children and grandchildren, they had many disciples. When all their disciples were gathered, the atmosphere in their house would get even livelier than it had been in Wildridge Manor. Tania got up and walked out of the house. She had to welcome Audrey. When she reached the door, she saw Audrey exiting the car. “Audrey,” Tania called out. Although they had not interacted much i
Audrey and Tania were seated in the living room. Audrey asked, “Is Sonny with Old Mrs. York now?”“Yes. He’s attached to her like an accessory now. She brings him along everywhere she goes.“Seren has gone back to the office today as well. She said she had some important matters to attend to. After everything is settled, she and Sonny will head to FC Manor with Doc tomorrow.”Suddenly, Tania looked around before whispering, “Did something happen in Jensburg, Audrey?”Audrey maintained her expression. “Where did that question come from?“What happened in Jensburg? I didn’t see anything in the news.”She tried acting clueless. Tania glared at her and said, “You can fool youngsters like Seren, Audrey, but you don’t have to hide anything from me. Although I’m not as capable as you are, I’m still in charge of the York family’s internal affairs. I have my connections.“I can obtain information on anything I want to know.“Although I didn’t look into it, I find it weird that Zack
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