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
“If Mom said she would create an opportunity for you to get with the king, would you really believe her? It’s just talk—nothing actually happened.” Trenton could not resist poking Carrie’s forehead a few times. “Carrie, can you please come back to earth? In your current state, forget about finding a great guy like Callum—even a regular, decent guy would be turned off by you.”Carrie swatted away her brother’s fingers, irritated and embarrassed. “Am I really that bad? I’m young, beautiful, have a great figure, and a dignified heiress. If the monarchy still existed, I could marry the king and be his queen without a problem.”“Carrie, you have sky-high ambitions, but be careful, don’t fly too close to the sun and end up like Icarus.”As soon as he said that, Trenton was met with a smack from his sister.“Is there a brother who curses his own sister like that? What do you mean by that? I’m destined to have the princess life. I’ll be fine.”However, deep down, she was still worried bec
Camryn was right—he was just too soft-hearted. If he were as ruthless as her, Carrie would have found a job long ago after running out of money.To encourage Carrie to become independent, Trenton decided that after Christmas, he would stop giving her living expenses. He would also tell their parents during his visit to prison that Carrie was truly hopeless.“Trenton, you keep siding with her, and one day you'll regret it. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has deceived who knows how many people. Do you really think she cares about you? She just wants to win your complete trust to take everything that belongs to you for herself. By driving us out of our home, she’s not only seeking revenge on Mom and Dad but also on us—especially you. She’s just pretending to be nice to you to sow discord between us siblings.”“Carrie!” Trenton said seriously, “Don’t talk about Camryn like that. She’s not that kind of person. I believe in her, one hundred percent.”Carrie was so furious she wanted
“Alright, alright, I can't win with the two of you against one,” Carrie sulked. “Give me money to spend. I'm out of money.”She reached out her hand toward Camryn, wanting her to give her money. Camryn slapped her hand away. “Even Trenton knows to take advantage of the winter break to find a part-time job and earn some pocket money. You’re perfectly capable, yet you don’t look for a job.“To put it bluntly, if you’ve gone to sweep the streets, you'd still have a source of income. I have money, but I won’t give it to you. Don’t think that just because we’re sisters—estranged, too, at that—I have an obligation to support my adult sister. I’ve said it before: if you want money to spend, earn it yourself.” With that, Camryn walked away to tend to her plants.As Christmas approached, the flower market was bustling. Every day, many people came to buy flowers, and all her employees were out delivering flowers to clients. Sometimes, when it got too busy, she even had to ask her two bodyguar
Trenton was relieved that Dalton was indebted to Camryn. That was why Dalton had been loyal to Newman Enterprise.If Newman Enterprise did not fall into Camryn’s hands, there was no doubt that Dalton would leave the company. If that happened, the company was doomed.When his parents went to prison, he was merely 18, and Carrie only knew how to spend money. Not only that, their relatives were hungry to get a share of the Newman family’s assets. He and Carrie could not have protected their family’s wealth alone.After Camryn regained her sight, she still could not strain her eyes for long hours. Therefore, Dalton remained in charge of the company.Luckily, they had Callum as well. Even if anything were to happen, Callum would not leave Newman Enterprise to fall because many of the Newman family’s assets belonged to Camryn.He would not let Camryn lose anything.“You’ve been brainwashed by Dalton after working with him. Our dad treated him well and trusted him, yet Dalton betrayed
Camryn said, “She’s just using her lack of money as an excuse to start a fight with me.“Do you really think she has no money?”Carrie had somehow become Mrs. Longbottom yet she was still hiding her identity. Camryn had not understood the entire situation yet.Nevertheless, she was certain that Carrie did not need money.After she spoke, a familiar car arrived.It was the car Carrie had always used in the past.When she returned to the Newman family’s villa after getting out of prison, she only drove that car. She could not take other cars. The cars were still parked in the garage. “Come out, Camryn.”Carrie had gotten out of the car and started shouting for Camryn.When the York family’s bodyguards saw her, they simply glanced at her and did not stop her from entering the store. They knew Camryn had always been lenient with her younger sister.Since Camryn did not give any orders to stop Carrie from entering, the bodyguards simply kept an eye on Carrie to ensure that sh
“I want to go to Spring Blossoms as Carrie,” she told the bodyguard who was driving. “Your sister’s people are keeping an eye on your apartment. She’ll get suspicious again if you head over in your outfit. Everything Mr. Longbottom arranged will go to waste,” the bodyguard reminded her.Carrie thought it over. “Okay. Let’s head home first. I’ll change my clothes and remove my makeup before heading over.”She would also check if her stand-in had damaged any of her stuff.If she did, Carrie would tell the stand-in to compensate her.The bodyguard remained silent.Once they arrived at Longbottom Villa, Carrie took off her hyper-realistic mask and removed her makeup. After changing her clothes, she returned to being Carrie and went out with her bag.Her two bodyguards did not stop her from leaving.She could do anything as long as it would not rouse Camryn and other people’s suspicions.Besides, Carrie had just gotten scolded by their boss on the phone. Although Mr. Longbottom
Mr. Longbottom thought he was not so inferior to men younger than him.More accurately, he was far superior. He had status, money, and power.Which of the younger men could be on par with him unless they came from a wealthy family?Many sons of wealthy families could not compete with him.“I can’t go over because I’m busy these days. But I do miss you too.“It’s more difficult because of the festive season. There are many events, and I have to accompany my family. My wife doesn't care about me, but her request is that I be with her during the holidays because we have to meet our friends and families. Do you understand?”Mr. Longbottom had a wife and children. Carrie knew about it. He had never hid that fact.Carrie did not know if he was close to his wife. Although he said they no longer had feelings for each other, Carrie dared not believe him because he had never let other women take his wife’s place.He also never allowed other women to become pregnant with his children.Mr
Carrie thought she had matured since she could figure out that much. In the past, she would not have understood a thing. Love was about accepting everything about someone. Most people could tolerate their partner’s shortcomings when they were deeply in love. However, without love, even a person’s strength would seem like a fault. Carrie smiled. “Mr. York is a workaholic. Serenity must’ve gotten the habit from him and turned into one herself. I can’t believe she’s working so hard even though she’s pregnant.”“She’s still in the early stages of pregnancy. Going to work is fine.”“Do you need anything else, Mrs. Longbottom?” Jasmine asked.“No. I shall take my leave now, Mrs. Bucham.”Jasmine was on guard and unwilling to reveal much about Serenity. Therefore, it would be better for Carrie to leave. She was not close to Serenity and her friends yet. “Bye, Mrs. Longbottom.”Jasmine saw Carrie out and watched as she got into her car.Once Carrie got far enough from the booksto
Mr. Longbottom had been surprised by her question. He told her coldly that she should refrain from asking unnecessary questions.One who knew too much would not live long. Carrie got intimidated and dared not ask another question. Although she got more curious, she did not try to gather more information for fear Mr. Longbottom would choke her again if he found out. “Nothing. I just asked because I haven’t seen her in a while.”Of course, Carrie could not reveal that she was looking for Serenity. Jasmine would get suspicious if she did. No one around Serenity was a fool. “Seren is busy with work. I rarely see her these days,” Jasmine said.Carrie knew it was a lie. She was aware that Serenity's closest friends did not trust her yet. It made her feel defeated. It had been months since Mr. Longbottom found her and asked her to approach Serenity. Despite her efforts, she still had not obtained Serenity’s trust, let alone become her friend.However, Jasmine and Serenity go