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
Josh said, “I heard about it even though I wasn’t there. Mrs. Lowe was the one who brought Jasmine to the banquet that time, so she quickly dragged Jasmine away.”Zachary was speechless.He heard Serenity mention occasionally that Jasmine’s family kept urging her to get married. Last time, Serenity even accompanied Jasmine on a blind date at Beans and Cream.Did Jasmine do that at Mrs. Dawson’s birthday party on purpose for the sake of her peace and quiet? That way, her family would not urge her to marry.“Ms. Sox was a sensation for lying on the floor. Everyone in our circle heard about this girl.”Josh smiled. “The girls in our circle won’t just lie on the floor even if they’re drunk because etiquette is engraved in their bones. They will still look elegant when drunk.”After a moment of silence, Zachary asked his friend, “Then do you like an elegant drunk or a wild drunk?”“I haven’t thought about this. But if you really want to arrange a blind date for me, go for it. I’ll me
The people who Serenity cared about the most were her sister and nephew.Pleasing Sonny would earn Zachary some brownie points.Zachary bought the bag of snacks because Serenity was a foodie.Serenity might not be so happy if Zachary gave her a bunch of flowers, but she would definitely smile when she saw this big bag of snacks.Zachary walked into the bookstore with a bag of snacks in his left hand and an airplane model in his right. At that time, Serenity had just finished feeding her nephew a bowl of porridge.“Uncle Zak!”The little guy was overjoyed to see Zachary.Serenity saw the toys that her husband bought and said, “Mr. York, why did you buy toys for Sonny again? Jasmine already bought him new ones.”Zachary handed the bag of snacks to Serenity and gave the airplane toy to Sonny, then he carried the little guy.“Sonny’s our only nephew. Who else can I spoil if not him? What Ms. Sox bought for Sonny is her business. It doesn’t clash with me.”Serenity put the empty b
“Caroline wants to leave Jensburg, so she wants to finish the handover as soon as possible. She’ll leave once my sister is more familiar with everything. Since Fisher Enterprise resumes operations earlier than most, Liberty had to go to Jensburg earlier.“She’s about to be the Fisher’s matriarch, so she has to communicate with the family’s elders and show concern for them. There are just too many things to handle.”Serenity caressed her bump. “I could’ve helped Liberty if I wasn’t pregnant. She’s on her own now.”Audrey was getting older. While she would go over to Jensburg to see how things were going from time to time, she thought it was best for Liberty, the incoming matriarch, to handle everything herself. It was a test and a chance to establish her influence.Since Duncan was still in recovery, he could not go over with Liberty. It was to prevent her from being distracted. Liberty was truly single-handedly doing everything.Lilian said, “Even if you aren’t pregnant, you can
Serenity walked over and sat down. “I asked Duncan about it. He said Sonny’s grandparents brought him to eat fried chicken, fries, and chips when he was with them last Saturday. Eating too much of those makes the throat inflamed easily.”Before getting married, Serenity would eat some fried chicken occasionally. Her favorite was chicken wings. However, she would always drink lots of hot tea with honey and lemon afterward. Otherwise, she would get a sore throat within two days. That was why most people in Wiltspoon maintained a light diet; it could not be helped.“Is Camryn’s condition improving?”Serenity was concerned about Camryn. Camryn was nursing her body back to health. She had to do it so she could conceive and be a mother.Lilian lifted the cup of hot tea before her and took a few sips. She said, “It’s getting better. She can stop her medications at the end of this year and start trying for a baby six months after that.”By the time Camryn could get pregnant, she wou
After a moment of silence, Serenity said, “I’ll inform Mr. Brown and the rest not to let Sonny eat too much fried food the next time they pick Sonny up. Sonny can’t take it because he is susceptible to sore throats.”It would be better if she did it because she was Sonny’s aunt. She was also familiar with the Browns. Luke and Olivia would not feel offended because they would know she was simply concerned about Sonny. If it were to come from Duncan, the Browns would think he was trying to sour Sonny’s relationship with the Browns. Sonny joining the Lewis family, following Liberty’s marriage, had already become a thorn in the Browns’ hearts. However, they could not say anything for the sake of Sonny’s future. Olivia had talked to Hank about getting Sonny’s custody back.Hank rejected the idea. The Brown couple did not insist after Hank explained the pros and cons of Sonny living with either him or Serenity. Based on living conditions, Serenity was definitely the better choice
“He will get better soon now that he’s taken the medicine. Don’t worry too much. When you're taking care of him, make sure you wear a mask so you don’t catch it from him. You’re pregnant, and if you catch a cold, it’ll be more troublesome.” Liberty was relieved, but she then reminded Serenity to take extra care of herself, worried that her son’s cold might spread to her.Pregnant women had limited options for medication, and many pregnant women endured mild colds without taking medicine out of caution.“I'm fine, really,” Serenity reassured her.“When Sonny is sick, he's especially vulnerable and relies on me. If I don't take care of him, I won’t feel at ease, and neither will he.”Zachary was busier than she was, so Serenity did not want to trouble him with such minor matters.“Don’t you worry, Liberty. Once Sonny is better, I'll send you a message. Even if Sonny begs me, I won’t let him eat anything too greasy from now on, to avoid aggravating his condition.”“Children are bo
Sonny weakly protested, “The medicine will be really bitter.”“Yes, but good medicine tastes bitter because it helps cure the illness,” Serenity comforted him.Under her coaxing, Sonny took the medicine, drank a glass of water, and went to the bathroom. He came back and fell into a deep sleep in his aunt's arms.Serenity wanted to carry him upstairs.“Let me carry him—you’re pregnant,” Lilian said considerately.Sam immediately interjected, “Dr. Carden, Missus, allow me to carry Mr. Sonny upstairs.”Dr. Carden was a distinguished guest of the family. How could he allow her to carry Sonny upstairs? Sam stepped forward and carefully took Sonny from Serenity's arms before carrying him back to his room.Serenity followed them upstairs.Lilian did not follow.To her, Sonny's common cold was not serious. She only personally took care of him because she quite liked Sonny.Serenity sat down on the edge of the bed and told Sam, “I can’t do it myself right now, so please make sure to t
After New Year’s celebration, Liberty left for Jensburg and told the teachers that if anything happened to Sonny, they should contact Serenity, which explained the teacher's call coming through to Serenity.“I’ll go pick him up right away. Thank you, Ms. Penny.”Sonny’s teacher Ms. Penny replied, "Alright, please come and take him to see a doctor. Recently, a lot of kids have been catching colds."After hanging up, Serenity said, “Jas, I can't stay here and chat with you. I need to go fetch Sonny from preschool. He's got a fever. Lately, he keeps kicking his blanket off at night.” Though she and Zachary often helped cover Sonny back up, they could not always catch it every time he kicked off the blanket, so he had probably caught a cold.“The temperature has been rising these days, so it's a bit hot sometimes. Look, I don’t even need to wear a coat now.” The temperature was around 68°F during the day. When the sun was out, it was really warm, and there was no need for a coat.
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