The video sent by Nana suddenly came to Zachary’s mind. Serenity was breathtaking when she was focused on making her crafts. Still denying that fact, Zachary watched the video multiple times nonetheless. He had to admit that he was captivated by the charm exuded by a confident woman at work. It was indeed eye-catching. It was said that women with confidence were the prettiest. All he saw was confidence in Serenity. She was a strong and independent woman. “I’ve never known and will never know what jealousy is… “Oh, you’re up?” Zachary was caught off guard by Serenity’s sudden presence in the living room as she emerged from the balcony. While still on the line, Callum replied, “I’m going to bed soon, but I thought of giving you a call before I turn in for the night.” Zachary terminated the call. Callum was speechless. “I dozed off on the swing. Your talking woke me up.” Wincing his face, Zachary told her off, “The night breeze can be freezing. Careful not to catch a
Serenity finished her breakfast and cleaned up in the kitchen before telling Zachary, “I’m going out. Don’t forget to lock the door on your way out.” Zachary glanced at her before turning his attention back to his toast. “That reminds me. Can I take some of the fruits to my sister’s?” She bought too much fruit the other day for the family event and they would be left to rot in the fridge since she and Zachary could not finish everything in time. Zachary answered, “Your sister is family. You can take whatever you want without asking me. You’re free to make decisions over household affairs unless it’s a matter that requires a discussion between us.” “We’re not that close, and I’m living in your house. I think it’s respectful to you as a husband to ask.“I’m not the type to hog all the good stuff for my own family. I bought a little too much fruit the other day and I think they’ll go to waste since we can’t eat that much. At least now my sister can have some before they turn ba
Zachary threatened the lady coldly. The apple of the Stones’ eye, Elisa was the princess of Stone Group’s chairman and the twin sister of the CEO, Clive Stone. Elisa was the most eligible bachelorette. “Hang on, Zachary.” Struck by a thought, Elisa turned around and ran back to the sports car to grab a huge bouquet of roses. She returned with the bouquet and shoved it through Zachary’s open window while saying, “These are for you, Zachary. I know you and my brother don’t get along, but I love you. I feel the need to confess my love to you, so you know I’m your one true love.” Stone Group and York Corporation might not be sworn enemies, but they were certainly business rivals due to clashing trades. Both groups were not on the best of terms, to say the least. Yet, it was love at first sight for Clive’s sister, Elisa, when she first laid her eyes on Zachary at an event many years ago. Due to the conflict of interest between both giants, Clive and her parents disapproved of El
“Don’t let the missus know about today.” Zachary told the people around him. The bodyguards heeded his instruction. Mr. Zachary was married. Yet, Ms. Stone openly professed her love to him. The missus should never find out about it. Elisa’s brazen stunt did not go unnoticed among those in York Corporation. The employees stole a few glances at their boss as Zachary walked into the building. Bearing a straight face with his lips pursed as always, Zachary took strides while being surrounded by his bodyguards. There was just a regal air about him. Such a man was a heartthrob to most young women. Many young female employees in the company would be swept off their feet after catching a glimpse of the young CEO. However, nobody had the guts to come clean about their feelings toward Zachary, let alone chase after him. The way ordinary people saw it was that the Yorks were far beyond reach. Even if the boys of the York family were known for their commitment to their partners, the
“Zachary isn’t someone she can handle. Try and get her to move on. You don’t see other young women hanging around Zachary other than his family. He’s a heartless man. Why can’t Elisa listen to reason?” Clive threw in the towel on his sister. “I’m too busy to deal with her now. Honey, I’ll leave Elisa in your hands.”“Carry on with your work. I’ll pick Elisa up now and take her to go shopping with Mom. Mom’s been feeling down lately.” Clive’s wife, Alice, had a great relationship with her mother-in-law. Seeing that her mother-in-law was feeling blue, Alice persuaded her to go out and get some sunshine. A bit of retail therapy might do her good. Clive fell silent. He knew the reason behind his mother’s melancholy. There had not been any news about his aunt. It was the one thing Mom could never stop talking about. Clive’s mother, Audrey, grew up in an orphanage. Her parents passed away when Audrey was young, survived by Audrey and her sister who was four years younger. The s
Elisa was picked up by her sister-in-law in the end while the smashed car was towed away. When Alice came by, Elisa even said, “Since Zachary wrecked my car, I have an excuse to cling to him. Alice, now that I made the first move, I need to keep going. I won’t forgive myself if I don’t put in the years to pursue Zachary.“Alice, you’re the best. Clive only listens to you. Please talk to him for me. I just need him off my back from my pursuit of happiness.” Elisa was envious of her brother and sister-in-law’s love story. Alice went after Clive, and it took a year before Alice won his heart. The roles were reversed after marriage as Clive spoiled Alice crazy. It was not the first time Alice mentioned that she would not have her happy ending if she did not bravely go after the love of her life. While driving, Alice uttered, “Elisa, I’m all for you pursuing your happiness, but it’s Zachary we’re talking about. Aren’t you aware of his reputation in Wiltspoon? He’s known for keeping
Shawn said with a smile, “I don’t know. I’ll get your bike fixed. I promise to return a fully functioning bike to you.” Since Shawn was Jasmine’s cousin and a friend for many years, Serenity knew she could trust him. “Thank you.” Happy to be of assistance to Serenity, Shawn dialed a number and made a call. Serenity heard him sharing their location. The only thing next was to wait for the tow truck. …“Sir.” The driver’s keen eyes picked up on the sight of a familiar woman opposite the traffic lights. It appeared to be the missus judging by the build. While waiting at the traffic lights, he turned around and said to Mr. Zachary who was resting his eyes. “Sir, the woman looks like the missus.” Zachary opened his eyes and turned toward the man and woman standing by the road. He could not recognize the man, probably due to the distance, but the woman did seem like his wife. After living under the same roof for a while, Zachary grew familiar with Serenity’s silhouette. “S
“Even if Mr. York's a normal man, he won’t engage with ordinary people like me.” Serenity might be nosy about the heir of the York family at the dinner party, but that was about it before she lost interest. As normal as Mr. York could be, he would not interact with regular people like her. Serenity was not the lowest class in society, nor was she that high up on the hierarchical pyramid. The richest people she knew were Jasmine and Shawn. Shawn qualified as an heir to a wealthy family. Since Serenity and the heir of the richest family did not belong in the same world, their paths would not cross. Shawn grinned without a word. Although he never looked down on Serenity, it did not mean other privileged men would not turn their noses up at her. Shawn knew wealth and social standing stood above the rest among the upper crust. Despite Shawn’s efforts to rub shoulders with the veterans in the business at the dinner party, he was met with lukewarm responses. “The truck’s he
“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
Knowledge of Mr. Longbottom’s philandering was not restricted to Havenmill. Even people in Annenburg knew about it. He switched lovers as quickly as he changed clothes. Many of his mistresses accidentally got pregnant and thought they could replace Mrs. Longbottom because of their children. However, Mr. Longbottom was a heartless man outside of bed. While most of his mistresses had gotten pregnant, only those who were honest and without ambitions were allowed to give birth. Even if those women gave birth, the child would not bear the Longbottom surname and only take their mother’s surname. However, Mr. Longbottom would buy that mistress and her children a townhouse and hire two nannies to look after them. There would also be a sum of money deposited into their account monthly to provide for the child. On the other hand, most of Mr. Longbottom’s mistresses who were not allowed to give birth were ordered to get an abortion. If they refused, Mrs. Longbottom would intervene and f
Tati did not care what Manny would do. She had no feelings for him. Not only did she know he was ambitious, but he also wanted her family’s wealth. Only a few men deserved Tati’s praise in her entire life. Austin was one of them. Even so, she simply admired him and did not view him as a romantic partner. Tati could sense that Austin’s eyes were always on Isabella. It had nothing to do with him being her private chef. He was dedicated to Isabella. When Isabella and Tati were unaware of Austin’s true identity, they admired him a lot. Isabella even teased Tati about it. Later, they discovered he was a young master of the wealthiest family in Wiltspoon.His family background and qualifications made Austin worthy of being the partner of an elite daughter of the O’Connors. Although Isabella refused to admit it, Tati knew Austin would eventually be her brother-in-law. However, he probably had to sacrifice a lot to be with Isabella. After all, Isabella was the head of the
Once Manny left, Costa Corporation entrance resumed its peace. Manny had bought a villa in Satbury. He was determined to woo Tati and would not leave until he succeeded. Besides, he would be doing business in Satbury and needed a place to live. He did not want to stay at a hotel every day. The villa he bought was only a ten-minute drive away from Dunboy Manor. On his way back, he received a call from his momma asking about his situation in Satbury. After speaking about business, his momma said, “Don’t be like your dad, Manny. If you really like Ms. Tati, you should treat her well.“Your dad is too flirty. Marrying him was the unluckiest thing in my life. I had no choice. I’ve been his wife for decades and even gave birth to you all. He got me involved in too many things.“He forced me to be in the same boat as him. I’m forced to stick with him for your sake and our family’s benefit. However, if I could turn back time, I’d rather stay single than get married to your dad.“Y
“I’m sorry. I have a business appointment tonight.”Tati rejected Manny’s invitation without hesitation. Manny had been pursuing her relentlessly. If she were to have a meal with him, the paparazzi stalking them would take pictures and she would be on the local entertainment headlines the next day. She would not give Manny any chances to advertise false information about their relationship. Manny looked disappointed. “Another day then.“By the way, you’ll be attending a banquet two days later, right? Can I be your escort?”Tati and Isabella would not attend just any banquet. Families who could invite them were wealthy and close to the O’Connors. Ordinary banquets could never have Tati and Isabella as guests. Manny had gathered information for two days. He heard that one of the wealthy families in Satbury would be holding a banquet to celebrate their old missus’s eightieth birthday, and many guests were invited to liven up the celebration. A missus of that family was clos
“My family isn’t inferior to yours, sweet Tati. The Longbottoms even surpass the O’Connors. As a young master of the Longbottoms, why will I go after your family’s money?“Money has never been a problem for the Longbottom family. In fact, you and I are the best match for each other. Our families are equally rich. If we get together, it’ll be a joining of two strong forces.”Tati wanted to say that while the Longbottom family surpassed the O’Connors, Manny was not the true person in power within his family. Even his father was not the legitimate head. The power and wealth of the Longbottom family belonged to the true head of the family. Tony and Manny Longbottom were simply managing the family in the interim. Did they think the family had become theirs?If the son of the previous Longbottom family head grew up and returned to take charge of the family, Tony and Manny would no longer have any influence. They would only receive some compensation for their hard work. Without the L
Tati looked toward Manny and said in a serious tone, “If you love someone, you’d be considerate of her and do what’s best for her.“Meanwhile, you’re disregarding any inconvenience this might cause me just to appear romantic. You know I’m busy, yet you put flowers here and blocked my way, wasting my time.“Do your actions truly reflect your love for me? Are you being considerate of me?”Tati would not have said a word if Manny had asked his people to place the flowers in an empty spot. However, he just had to do it at the entrance of the company, attracting many people. Her company security team could not even chase them away. They knew Manny’s identity and that he was pursuing her. If the security chased him away, the Longbottom and O’Connor families could end up enemies. Secondly, they were worried about getting fired if Tati were to accept Manny’s feelings one day and decide to punish them. Tati would not blame the security for failing to execute their duty. After Manny s