After witnessing her sister and Hank getting to know each other, falling in love, and then ending up in such an ugly divorce, Serenity felt that it was better to rely on herself than on others. Even if he was someone she shared a bed with, she could not be completely dependent on him.That was because the person who shared her bed might become a person who shared someone else’s bed at any time.“Are you calling me narrow-minded?”Zachary’s voice was low and chilly, like the weather in this cold winter month.He wanted to know everything about her because he cared about her.However, she did not take the initiative to tell him, saying that he was narrow-minded and that he got angry over trivial matters.Was this trivial? Even someone like Duncan knew about it, but Zachary only found out because Duncan told him.If Duncan did not tell him and he did not ask, she might have never told him.He cared about her, but she was not touched. Instead, she felt that it was useless to tell h
A few minutes later, Serenity sat up from the bed and pondered. She then slid out of bed, began to pack her household goods, and took them back to her room.She would not sleep in his bed anymore.She angrily moved back to her room to sleep.Zachary was likewise still sulking.He received the message from Serenity and read it, but he did not reply. Instead, he deleted it instantly.He only had one thought in his mind, and that was how Serenity accused him of being narrow-minded and did not treat him as a family.Putting the phone on the desk, Zachary got up and paced back and forth in the office, incredibly annoyed.In the end, he went and made himself a cup of coffee.After drinking the coffee, he forced himself to calm down and got back to work.He intended to work through the night.Serenity was so angry that she tossed and turned, failing to fall asleep, but after an hour or so, she stopped being angry. It was not the first time he acted like this. If she got mad at him e
“Don’t worry, Ms. Hunt. Take your time with breakfast. Your sister just called me and said that she sent Sonny to the store. Ms. Sox is already there. She told us to head directly to the store later. There’s no need to drop by her new place.”Serenity sighed in relief and sat down at the dining table.Mrs. Lane prepared sandwiches for her today with all kinds of fillings, as well as a pot of black coffee.Black coffee...Serenity took out her phone and photographed the pot of coffee, then sent it to the petty man.Unsurprisingly, Zachary did not reply to her.Serenity grumbled.“Are the sandwiches not good, Ms. Hunt?”Mrs. Lane heard Serenity grumble and thought the sandwiches she made were lousy. She asked, “What kind of sandwiches do you fancy? Tell me and I’ll make them for you tomorrow.”“I’m not a picky eater, Mrs. Lane. I like all kinds of sandwiches.“You sit down too. Let’s talk while we eat.”With Zachary not at home, Mrs. Lane was a lot more comfortable.Although
“Zachary doesn’t fully treat me as a family either. What right does he have to demand me to be completely open with him when he can’t do the same for me? He’s being hypocritical. He has to have the final say in everything. When things don’t go his way, he gets angry and says I don’t think of him as family.“I got mad too and said that he was self-centered and narrow-minded, so he hung up on me. When I sent him a message, he refused to reply to me. He’s always like this. He stops replying to my messages every time he’s angry, and he doesn’t pick up my calls either. He’s like a petty woman.”Mrs. Lane was speechless.Zachary was indeed like that. Serenity’s analysis was spot on.Zachary was raised as a successor since he was young. All his younger brothers revolved around him.When he took the helm of York Corporation, whether it was Old Mrs. York or his parents, they relented and let him in complete charge of the company. In York Corporation, his word was law.His brothers and eve
Seeing that Mrs. Lane was mopping the floor, Serenity did not think much of it and went off by herself.Mrs. Lane sent her off at the door and watched her enter the elevator before returning to the house. She hurriedly got her cell phone to call Zachary.At first, he did not answer.Mrs. Lane called him three more times, but he still did not pick up.She sent him a message.[Mr. Zachary, the missus took some medicine.]In less than a minute, Zachary called Mrs. Lane.“What medicine did Seren take?”Zachary spoke in a voice that still sounded the same as usual, low and cold, but Mrs. Lane was familiar with him and could hear the nervousness in his tone.“She said she didn’t sleep well and had a headache and sore eyes, so she took a painkiller.”Zachary suddenly stopped talking.He got the fright of his life!Mrs. Lane was vague.He thought Serenity took some pills and attempted suicide.Well, he was obviously far off the mark.Serenity had a cheerful personality. There wa
When Serenity arrived at the store, she just so happened to see Josh coming out.He turned his head and waved goodbye as he walked away. Serenity did not have to ask to know that he was speaking to Jasmine.He greeted Serenity politely when he saw her.Serenity smiled back. She was not familiar with Josh but was aware of his true identity, so she was a bit reserved.Josh and Serenity had nothing to talk about either, and she was his friend’s wife. It was inappropriate for him to interact much with her when his friend was not around.“I’ll head back to the office, Ms. Hunt.”“Bye, Mr. Bucham.”Josh smiled, got into the car, and quickly drove away.Only then did Serenity enter the store.As soon as she did, she saw a large bouquet of flowers placed on the cashier’s desk. At a glance, there seemed to be ninety-nine roses. In addition to the bouquet, there was a large bag beside it that was filled with a variety of snacks Jasmine ate regularly.There were also a few sets of Jasmi
Finally, Jasmine mustered the courage to shamelessly ask Elisa about Josh. She found out that if Josh truly wanted to mess with someone, that person’s fate would be worse than death.His play was to let that particular person lose everything bit by bit and taste despair one drop at a time. It was a slow torture to the mind.Therefore, Jasmine was a little worried she would offend him if she rejected him, and he would unleash his anger on Zachary instead.“I’ll give it a try. Don’t worry, I won’t force myself.”Although she was worried, she would not actually force herself when it came down to it.“Seren, did you not go to the Stone residence last night? I was shocked by your sister’s face when she brought Sonny over.”Serenity’s expression turned resentful at the mention of that incident. She cursed the entire Brown family in her heart.If not for Olivia and Chelsea picking a fight with Liberty, she would not have gotten into a fight with Zachary again.Well, with a character l
Turning around, Liberty went back into the office. That colleague was still chatting away happily with the others.Liberty went straight to that person’s desk and only then did the colleague realize that Liberty had come back.The woman was a bit overwhelmed by the embarrassment of being caught red-handed while speaking badly behind someone’s back.“Do you have a crush on Mr. Lewis?”Liberty’s words instantly made the girl’s face turn red.“Of course not.”She denied it.“Then is it fascinating for you to spread rumors that Mr. Lewis and I have a secret affair? I heard the bitterness in your tone, so it’s clear that you have a crush on Mr. Lewis. That’s why you’re always targeting me.“Whether you believe me or not, I don’t have any interest in Mr. Lewis. I’m indeed divorced, but that’s because my husband cheated on me. Was I supposed to keep him until the new year before divorcing him? Now that I’m divorced, do I have to be subjected to rumors by you saying that I’m seducing M
“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