It was a silent night. The following morning, Serenity got up and watered the plants on the balcony. Nothing beat the view of mother nature. Serenity had to say that spending a little bit of time in the mini garden had always put her in a good mood. At least, it cleared her mind and soul of the lingering annoyance she had for Zachary. The mini garden was only made possible by Zachary. After getting over last night, Serenity went into the kitchen to make breakfast. It did not take long before Zachary was up as well. He walked to the kitchen door and watched Serenity at work. His pursed lips moved slightly. “Morning, Serenity.” Serenity turned her head around to look at him. “Morning.” “Can I help you with anything?” “I’m good. You can put the laundry out and sweep the place if you have nothing to do.” Zachary was taken aback. Well, she was not shy to order him around. Yet, a word slipped past his lips. “Sure.”He turned on his heel and walked away. Zachary hung th
Zachary had his doubts about Serenity’s aesthetics. Sure, Shawn was good-looking, but Shawn had nothing on him; he was way more attractive than Shawn. Zachary wondered what name he was saved as in Serenity’s list of contacts. The curiosity was eating Zachary up inside. Serenity took Shawn’s call. “Morning, Serenity.” “That’s early. What’s up?” “Have you had breakfast, Serenity? I’ll pick you up for work, and we can have breakfast together. My treat or you can buy me breakfast if you want to.” Shawn’s voice reflected hopeful anticipation. Since he was a huge help to Serenity last night, Shawn now had an excuse to drive Serenity around and buy her breakfast. “That’s okay. I’m nearly finished with my breakfast. My husband will be taking me to work later, so you don’t have to make the long trip.” Oblivious to Shawn’s feelings for her, Serenity simply did not want Shawn to brace the long drive from his home to Brynfield while risking himself getting stuck in the morning
“Grandmom is sick. It’s liver cancer, but the good news is that it’s at an early stage,” Mike said on the phone.“The doctor recommended going for treatment in the city. You and your sister have settled down in the city and have a better idea of the hospitals there. Make a hospital appointment for Grandmom. We’ll set out in a bit and take Grandmom to the hospital. “This way, Grandmom can see a specialist right away when she arrives. I heard that you must pay some sort of deposit for a treatment, so don’t forget to make the payment. Although your parents are gone, you still have a responsibility to your grandparents. You girls have never contributed to Grandmom and Granddad’s living expenses. Now that Grandmom is sick, you should cover for her medical expenses to make up for the neglected family support.” Serenity grimaced as her cousin went on about the plan. She lost her parents at the age of ten. Serenity and Liberty then received their parents’ life insurance payout of 1.2 mi
After the couple finished breakfast, Zachary took his keys to send Serenity to work. As the couple walked down the stairs, the awaiting squad of bodyguards downstairs scattered and pretended to be passers-by. Taking notice of the luxury sedans parked downstairs, including a Rolls Royce, Serenity said to Zachary, “I know we’re living in a nice neighborhood, but I didn’t expect to see a Rolls Royce here.” Since the Rolls Royce owner could afford such an expensive car, they should be living in a huge mansion. Why did they live in an apartment building instead? Was it because the place was closer to work or their children’s school? Serenity could never understand the world of the wealthy. Zachary answered, “Yeah. Looks can be unassuming. There are many who are rich but keep a low profile.” Serenity thought to herself, ‘As if a Rolls Royce screams a low profile.’Playing it cool, Zachary took the wheel of his national MPV and drove his wife to work. Once he was gone, the b
Serenity responded to her sister, saying that she and Zachary would be there for dinner tonight. After Serenity hung up on Liberty, Zachary asked, “Do you get along with your extended family?” “No.” Serenity was frank and honest. She added, “My parents passed away in a car crash when I was ten. No one from my paternal or maternal sides of the family wanted to raise my sister and I.“However, all of them wanted a piece of the insurance payout. Since my uncles had no right to the money, they instructed my grandparents to get more out of us. My dad was the youngest son, so he didn’t get much attention in the family. My grandparents favored my uncles instead.“They said that we don’t have to pay for family support in exchange for a bigger chunk of the insurance payout. They took six hundred thousand dollars and signed the contract to relinquish care for us and our responsibility to them. My grandparents also moved into the two-story house my parents had built just before passing aw
Zachary believed Serenity should not fork out even a dime. Serenity would be labeled ungrateful whether she dished out the cash or not. She might as well save herself the pain and not pay for the medical fees at all. The sisters were underaged when they lost their parents. Yet, the relatives had the heart to abandon them, by not only taking a chunk out of the insurance payout but also occupying the sisters’ family home. Thank goodness Liberty was old enough to overcome any difficulties. Otherwise, the sisters would be living a miserable life. Seeing that Zachary had a point, Serenity thought about it and said, “You’re right, Mr. York. I’ll take your advice and give them nothing. I couldn’t care less what they say about me.” Those people were not ashamed of their own actions back then. Why should she now? For those coming at her about how Grandmom was old and that she was family, they would feel Serenity’s wrath. They should walk in Serenity’s shoes before they had any right t
Meanwhile, Zachary arrived at York Corporation and instructed his secretary as he was heading into his office, “Tell the administrative executive to see me.” The secretary made an internal call to the administrative executive, Josh Bucham. “Mr. Bucham, Mr. York wants to see you in his office.” Josh took the request without a question and hung up. A few minutes later, Josh knocked on the CEO’s office and entered the room. Zachary was knee-deep in his paperwork. With Josh stepping into the office, Zachary put down his pen and beckoned him to come over. “You need me for something?” Josh and Zachary graduated from the same college. Knowing well what Josh was capable of, Zachary signed him to the company. Josh proved his worth as an elite at York Corporation, paving his way up to the position as Zachary’s administrative executive. Josh had Zachary’s utmost trust. “Yeah, but it’s for something personal. I need a minute alone with you.” Josh took a seat and said with a smile,
“Josh!” Zachary was peeved. It was the truth when Zachary said it was all for his pride. Serenity was his wife. It would be a slap on his face if Serenity was harassed. He could not possibly let that happen. “Fine, fine. I let you be. It’s all for your pride and dignity. Alright, I’ll look into the matter. Your wife is Serenity Hunt, right? You could’ve asked Duncan to help you. As your administrative executive, I had a lot on my plate with the business side of things. I don’t even have time to get a drink of water.” Getting up, Zachary went to pour a glass of water. “Drink up. I don’t want you going around saying you don’t have time to even drink water.” “Well, that took you long enough.” “I thought you weren’t thirsty. You would’ve poured yourself a drink if you were. When have you ever asked for permission? Are we buddies or what?” Josh chuckled. “Duncan doesn’t know how to keep a tight lid.” “That’s true. He can be a blabbermouth.” Josh was smug. “Don’t forg
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.
“Well, Rowan can play for a couple of days, but he has to start working on his homework soon. The college entrance exam is around the corner, and we can't let him relax too much.”“Rowan's grades are very stable and good. It won’t be hard for him to get into college, so don't put too much pressure on him. It's not necessary for him to get into the same university you and the others went to.”Serenity still remembered the pressure she had felt in high school, though it was not as much as Rowan felt, and her sister's expectations for her were more relaxed; she was only expected to do her best. No matter what the results were, Liberty would accept it. Of course, if she could get into an Ivy League university, that would be great. Otherwise, getting into an Ivy Plus university would also be fine. If that did not work out, she could go to a public university or even take a gap year. Liberty would have been okay with any of it. Her sister always told her that as long as she was physica
Zachary would not do such a thing. Julian laughed. “It’s my first time getting married. I’m asking around because I’m inexperienced. That way, I can make a plan.”Zachary turned to look at him. He said, “How many more times do you intend to get married? I didn’t have any experience either back then. It was my first time going to City Hall. Besides, Seren and I got married in a rush and did not even know each other well. After getting our marriage license, I completely forgot that I was a married man.“You’re in a better situation than I was. At least you and Quinn have feelings for each other and a stable relationship.”Julian chuckled. He caught up to Zachary and placed his arm on his shoulder. He said, “We all know what we should avoid after you’ve set an example.”Zachary was speechless. “You and Serenity are an enviable couple now.“I want to learn from you and make people jealous of Quinn as well.”Zachary brushed Julian’s hand off. “I think you’ll do a better job than m
Zachary and Julian exited the house with two housekeepers behind them, holding a tray each with snacks and drinks. The two men had excellent eyesight and quickly spotted the love of their lives sitting at a bench some distance away. Zachary knew that it was because Serenity got tired from walking. In the past, some pregnant female employees would return to work despite being pretty far along in their pregnancies. Their workload was only slightly lighter. Since Zachary had seen those employees insisting on working even though they were pregnant, he used to think being pregnant and giving birth were not that difficult. He had never put himself in the shoes of the female employees. They insisted on working because they feared being replaced if they took an extended maternity leave. When they returned, they could be discriminated against and had to start all over again. While there were opportunities to be promoted in a megacorporation, one had to climb the corporate ladder ste
Quinn burst out laughing. “You’re right. There’s a higher chance of success with more people. However, having a daughter of your own is more satisfying.“Everyone will be fighting to dote on your daughter. That’s better than you cooing over someone else’s daughter.”Serenity looked at Quinn for a while before smiling. “You have a point there.“But I don’t know if Zachary and I are fated to have a daughter.”“Technology is advanced now. It’s definitely possible with IVF,” suggested Quinn. However, upon recalling what Grandma May mentioned earlier, she quickly added, “Never mind. I guess it’s better not to go for artificial methods in your family. If something were to happen… it’ll be devastating.”The Yorks could be destined to have sons only. Even if a daughter were to be born into the family, it would be painful if she could not survive till adulthood. Regret lingered in the absence of what the heart desired; yet to hold it briefly, only to lose it, birthed deeper despair.
“Does this mean you and Julian are getting your marriage license before the year ends?”Quinn nodded. “We’ll head to the City Hall at nine tomorrow morning.”Serenity immediately congratulated her. “Congratulations, Quinn. You’ll find happiness with Julian. You don’t have to worry about him having a change of heart because you’re the only woman for him.”Quinn blushed. “This may sound funny, but I’m glad that he can only get aroused when he’s with me. As you said, he won’t ever have a change of heart because his body won’t react to other women.”She was aware of Julian’s condition and found it acceptable. Besides, they had gotten along well ever since they met each other. She was satisfied with every aspect of him. He was the ideal husband candidate for her. Not only that, her family members had observed Julian. Her father even flew to Wiltspoon to ask around about the Bucham family. He agreed to her dating Julian because he had a positive impression of the Buchams’ personali
Before Rowan took Sonny away, he did not forget to inform Serenity about it. He even told Quinn, “Sonny and I are going to play, Quinn.”Serenity nodded with a smile. She told Quinn, “Let’s go over too.”Although she could not enjoy the facilities at the playground, she could watch them play. Quinn was more than happy to accompany her. She loved having fun. “When are you and Mr. Julian getting married?” Serenity asked Quinn. Quinn blushed. She said, “Julian wants it to be as soon as possible. I’m not in a rush because I think I’m still young.”After a short pause, she added, “I’ll go with his decision. My family likes him.”Serenity laughed. “I heard all about it. Mr. Julian has done a great job with your family. Mr. and Mrs. Bucham are nice people. They’ve been looking forward to having a daughter-in-law for the longest time.”Walter and Stacy were indeed friendly toward the people they knew. With the Buchams and the Yorks’ relationship, the Bucham couple treated Sereni