The ones Phillip bought for Isabella and Tati would also be in the correct sizes. Austin rarely met the other O’Connor sisters or had not seen them before, so he would not know their clothing sizes. Therefore, the two boys were in charge of buying their clothes. The other O’Connor young ladies could probably get an exchange in the store if their clothes were of the wrong sizes. “Mr. Louis is clever. He has a good memory too.”Isabella said, “Louis is smart but too playful.”After a pause, she added, “However, he’s still young. Kids that age love to have fun.”“Playing is a child’s nature. There’s no need for him to take up heavy family responsibilities yet. He should enjoy his playtime to the fullest and study hard when needed. Studying shouldn’t take up his entire childhood. It’s okay to have fun when he’s young.”Isabella agreed. She taught Louis the same thing. She told him to have all the fun he wanted when he could. However, he also needed to work hard when it was
Isabella smiled. “I can give a set of jewelry to you if you want it. The jewelry Louis got me is made of gold. They aren’t that expensive, just tens of thousands of dollars. They’re still not as expensive as yours.”A set of her mother’s jewelry could cost up to hundreds of millions. Delphine took the jewelry box from Isabella and opened it. She smiled. “Maybe Louis bought these for you because they're gold and shiny. He’s still young.”“I never said I didn’t like what he bought.”Isabella loved Louis’s gift. “Since this is Louis’s present to you, I shall not take it. Seeing you two having a close relationship is the best thing I can ever ask for.”Delphine did not say that out of jealousy. She was glad to see that her children were getting along well. “Louis said they used Austin’s money to buy everything. He asked us to return the money to Austin.”Isabella said, “I’ll have Dominic transfer the money to Austin tomorrow.”“Louis and Phillip must’ve spent a few months’ wo
Delphine would get a headache whenever she thought of her daughter being picky about food. She was worried that no one would apply to be their private chef in the future. What would they do if Isabella got bored of Austin’s cooking?After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “Let’s not think too far into the future. For now, I’m satisfied with Austin. I haven’t gotten bored of the dishes he makes.”“He has only been here for a month. You might get bored as time passes.“Why don’t you extend Austin’s contract, Isa?”Isabella thought about it and said, “Austin is ambitious and capable, Mom. He shouldn’t be restricted to our kitchen. He hopes more people can taste the food he makes.“It’s good enough if he works an entire year. There’s no need to extend his contract.“If one year has passed and I have no intentions of hiring someone else, I’ll have to seek his opinion about extending his contract. I won’t force him to stay if he wants to leave and continue running his businesses.”
Austin waited till Isabella finished eating and he cleaned up before returning to his room. Dominic had already gotten off work. If any of the O’Connors required the staff members’ assistance, they simply had to speak into the intercom. The summoned staff would have to work overtime, but they would be paid accordingly.Isabella sat in the house for a while before heading to the garden for a walk. She had not strolled in the garden of her house for a long time.She was too busy. Even during some weekends, she would have to work to handle a few matters. Her mother often nagged at her for not resting during weekends and told her not to bring any work home. However, Isabella’s responsibility was heavy. She had too many things to deal with. She would usually bring urgent documents back home. Nevertheless, she was used to her busy life to the point she would feel bored and not know what to do whenever she had free weekends. Isabella preferred having busy yet fulfilling
The adults were just bullying him for being young. Sonny was determined to eat more and grow up fast. Once he became an adult, he would be able to understand Uncle Zak’s words. “Didn’t you fly here in your plane, Uncle Zak?” Sonny asked. Zachary put him in the car and helped Serenity get inside as well. Serenity smiled. “Do you think flying a private plane is that easy? You have to file a flight plan first.”Besides, picking her and Sonny up was not an urgent matter. There was no need to use a private plane. “Are we going back by car?”“Your Uncle Ben arranged a car to drive us to the airport. Taking an airplane will be faster. We’ll arrive in about an hour.”Serenity was heavily pregnant. Long car rides would make her uncomfortable. Therefore, Zachary bought plane tickets. Heading to the airport from FC Manor would take less than an hour. Therefore, it was a quicker way to get back to Wiltspoon. Sonny asked happily, “That’s awesome. I like traveling in airplanes. Ca
The elders at home did not restrict Rowan. His mother, well, really had never monitored him, because he had eight older brothers and cousins looking after him, and he bore a lot of academic pressure on himself. Many of his teachers had also taught the eight of them, so whenever he scored a little lower, his teachers would compare him to them. He was under tremendous pressure.Among his classmates, he ranked at the top. Even in the city rankings, he was among the top ten. Compared to his brothers and cousins, however, he still fell short. They had skipped grades in both elementary and middle schools, but by the time Rowan reached middle school, he could only take things one step at a time. Having one outstanding older brother was already a lot of pressure for a younger sibling, let alone having eight particularly excellent older brothers.“Nana said you would be back today, so she arranged for the driver to pick you up. I came home yesterday for the holidays, so I tagged along.”Rowa
Rowan was speechless.Serenity chuckled, “It’ll be the same no matter when you see him. Affection is something that’s cultivated. After the baby is born, you’ll have time to hold him, play with him, and the bond will grow—then it’ll feel like you’re close to him.”She could already foresee that after her baby was born, he would become the family’s little darling. The members of the York family were numerous but hers would be the only baby, so everyone would dote on him immensely.Rowan pitifully said, “Nothing good ever makes its way to me because I’m the youngest.”Zachary responded, “Once you get married and have your own kids, you’ll be able to make sure that your child sees you first when he’s born, but you can forget about that for your nephew.”Rowan said, “I’m still so young—it’ll be at least another eleven or twelve years before I get married and have kids. In fact, it might take a little longer, like fourteen or fifteen years. Aren’t you only just becoming a father at thi
Serenity replied mildly, “Nana’s arranged for a driver to pick us up, so we didn’t need to call a cab. Sonny fell asleep on the plane. Are you here to pick up a customer?”She glanced at the car Hank had parked not far away.“Yes, my customer is returning from out of town for Christmas. They pre-booked a cab, and I picked up the order. I’ve been waiting here for quite a while to meet them.”“Sonny, Sonny,” Hank softly called out to his son.After the winter break started, Sonny went with Serenity to stay with the Johnsons. Hank had originally wanted to bring his son home to stay for a while so that his parents could enjoy some family time, but in the end, Sonny went with Serenity instead.Unable to bring his son back for a visit, his parents complained about it, saying that he did not visit Sonny and did not bring him home to stay often enough. Then, Sonny would forget all about his real father and paternal grandparents if he did not spend more time with them. After all, Liberty a
Hank pulled Sonny’s luggage over. Luke and Olivia had many bags in their hands too. They were presents they had prepared for Sonny and Liberty. Although the stuff they prepared was not as expensive as the supplements Sonny had brought back, it still contained their sincerity. “Liberty,” Hank called and handed the luggage over. “Sonny’s belongings are all inside. He can’t take that many toys, so there’s some left at my place. He said he can play them the next time he comes.“We bought him a few sets of clothes. They can’t fit into the luggage, so we put them in bags.”After speaking, Hank took the bags from his parents’ hands.Aside from the clothes and toys they had bought for Sonny, the rest were presents for Liberty. “My parents prepared some snacks for you. You can have them while celebrating the new year. It’s nothing expensive, just a token of our sincerity.“Although we aren’t husband and wife anymore, we’re still Sonny’s parents. We can still be friends or relative
Liberty and Duncan had only gotten their marriage license for a few days. They were newlyweds. Even with Liberty by his side, Duncan still wanted to have video calls with Sonny several times a day. He missed Sonny more than she did. He would worry about whether Sonny was eating and sleeping well at the Browns’ place.He also worried whether Chelsea’s son would bully Sonny.While Sonny had learned martial arts, he was not exactly skilled yet. Besides, he was taught well and would not fight under normal circumstances. Therefore, Duncan was worried that Sonny would be at a disadvantage. Liberty thought Duncan was acting more like Sonny’s biological father than Hank. “Sonny’s here,” said Duncan. He got up and walked toward Sonny, leaving his wheelchair behind. He could walk short distances. Liberty was anxious that he might fall. She quickly left her neighbors behind and followed him. She reminded him, “Walk slowly. Be careful.”They did not have their bodyguards with them
“Dunc is nice, Dad. He treats me well. He’s not a bad guy.”Sonny tried his best to clear Hank’s misunderstanding toward Dunc.Hank felt bitter, but he kept a smile on his face. He replied, “Mm. Duncan isn’t a bad person. He treats you and your mom well. I feel at ease knowing you and your mom are living with him.”No matter how jealous he was, he had to admit that Duncan had dedicated his heart and energy to Liberty and Sonny. Duncan was better than him, Sonny’s biological dad. Liberty had made a great choice marrying Duncan.Although Duncan was still in a wheelchair, he would eventually recover. Once he recovered, he could take on any challenge and be the pillar Liberty and Sonny needed. “Sonny, Sonny,” Olivia called out from the living area. Hank told Sonny, “Your grandmom is calling you. Go out and have a look.”Sonny hummed in agreement and left the room. “Grandmom.”Hank smiled when he heard Sonny saying that. He liked being with his son and parents. He truly
“I packed and checked everything, Dad. Nothing is missing,” said Sonny. He did not know that Hank was stalling. Hank did not want to take Sonny downstairs that quickly. “It’s okay even if I leave something behind. I’ll still come over to visit in the future, Dad. Didn’t you say this will always be my home?”Sonny thought he could simply take anything he left behind the next time he came. There was no need to ensure everything was packed.Wherever his mom and dad were would always be his home. Hank replied softly, “Yes. This is always your home. The doors will be open for you for as long as I’m here.“Go watch the TV with your grandparents first, Sonny. I’ll finish packing up soon. Your grandparents bought snacks for you. Remember to bring them with you.”Sonny did not lack anything when he lived with Duncan and Liberty. However, the things his grandparents bought for him held their sincerity. Hank hoped his son could get along with his parents and forget the fact that the
Dylan took a flight back to Wiltspoon on that day. It was the day when Liberty and Duncan went to pick Sonny up from the Brown family’s place. Sonny was only visiting for two days, yet Duncan had mentioned him almost every moment. He even had to be on a video call with Sonny every few hours. For the video calls to happen, Duncan even became shameless and connected with Hank on social media. It was so that he could call Sonny conveniently. Not only that, he even uploaded many lovey-dovey pictures of him and Liberty to make Hank see them and get jealous. Meanwhile, in the Brown family’s house, Hank was packing Sonny’s clothes. He slowly folded his son's clothes to stall for time. Duncan could wait downstairs, who had insisted on coming along with Liberty to pick Sonny up but did not want to head upstairs. Therefore, he had been waiting downstairs. Liberty did not want to enter the Browns’ house either. She waited downstairs and chatted with her old neighbors. Through them
After a moment of silence, Imogen said, “I didn’t know either. If Dylan didn’t mention anything, I wouldn’t have known about this.“I met and talked to Old Mrs. York when I visited the Yorks with my teacher. She’s a nice old lady. It was a pleasure talking to her and not stressful at all. I wouldn’t have guessed that she was that formidable just by looking at her.“As expected of someone whom the Buchams respect. Even my teacher was humble before her and dared not be arrogant. He said Old Mrs. York used to be a badass when she was young. She has contributed greatly to the York family’s achievements.“Her capability is also evident through the eight grandsons she had raised with her deceased husband.”Leticia said, “Doesn’t the York family have nine young masters?”“Rowan York is the youngest. He was mainly educated by his parents as well as his elder brothers and cousins. Although Old Mrs. York did give him some guidance, we can’t say that he was raised by Old Mr. and Mrs. York.”
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k