“After marriage, I was always guarded against you and suspected you. I even made you sign a six-month agreement which was full of restrictions for you... I admit that I’m a jerk. I’ve only ever cared about my own interests and never thought about you.“You called me a slimeball, and you’re right. Seren, I’m sorry!”Zachary kissed her gently on the lips, his handsome face filled with heartache. “Seren, I promise you that I won’t be like this again. I’ll learn to understand you. I’ll learn to communicate with you and to trust you.“It’s your first time being a wife, and it’s my first time being a husband. We’re both inexperienced, so let’s work hard and learn on this journey, and move forward together, alright?”Zachary muttered a lot in Serenity’s ear. As he spoke, he gradually fell asleep beside her.This time, both the husband and wife had it bad after the fight.Serenity went to a bar to get wasted while Zachary pulled all-nighters without eating and resting well. When he heard
Zachary looked at the drawing.His gaze deepened.Serenity had drawn him particularly well, but she deliberately drew his heart outside, and a super duper small one at that…Was she saying that he had a tiny heart? She meant to say he was petty and narrow-minded!There was also water behind his portrait. Was it a lake or a pond? Furthermore, what did the circles on the surface of the water mean? There were no fish under the water. If there were, he could say that the bubbles were from the fish.Zachary held the drawing and pondered while walking.What did Serenity mean by her artwork?The portrait was “Zachary”, but what did the water and balls mean?Jim was waiting for him downstairs.“Mr. Zachary.”“Mm.”Zachary hummed. When he saw Jim looking at the paper in his hand, he got into the car and said, “Serenity drew this for me.”Jim did not see clearly what was on the paper, but since the missus drew it, then it must be a good drawing.He thus complimented, “The missus’s d
Zachary snapped, “Were you looking forward to me being angry? Why would I be angry? Even if Serenity called me a slimeball, it’s a form of tough love. She scolded me because she loves me. If she doesn’t have feelings for me, she wouldn’t waste her time even looking at me, let alone waste her breath on me.“How can I tear the first drawing my wife has drawn for me? I’m going to frame it as a treasure. When I get older, I’ll take it out and reminisce about it fondly.”Josh was stunned. “Okay, you said it. If you don’t frame that drawing, then you’re a chicken!”Zachary said in a low voice, “Not only am I going to frame it, but I’m also going to hang it in our bedroom and look at it twice a day, morning and night, every day.”It would remind him to stop being narrow-minded and not to quarrel with her over trivial matters.It would remind him not to make her angry or bring sad tears to her.Josh curled his lips. “I dare you to hang it on your office wall.”“Why should I hang it ther
She also dreamed that he said a lot of things to her, but she did not hear them.In the dream, she told him to speak louder because she could not hear him, but his mouth simply continued to open and close. She was unable to hear a single word and had been incredibly anxious.Mrs. Lane turned to look at Serenity, then turned back to her work.“I sent your sister and Sonny home yesterday evening and stayed overnight at their place. I really have no clue if Mr. York came back or not.”Serenity smacked her own head. “Right, you didn’t come home. Ugh, my head hurts. Mrs. Lane, can you please make me a bowl of hangover soup? No, I’m going to take a painkiller. My head is killing me.”Serenity turned and slipped out of the kitchen.Acting completely naturally, she wandered into the guest room and found the medicine box to grab a bottle of painkillers.“Headache?”Her sister’s voice resounded.Serenity was startled that she almost dropped the bottle.“I have a headache from not sleep
Liberty gave her sister a look. “Are you saying his clothes ran outside by themselves? They’re still damp. They must’ve been washed last night or this morning.”Serenity muttered, “Did he really come back last night?”“What was that?”“Nothing. Look, don’t you think the flowers I have are pretty? You enjoy the little balcony garden while I finish eating.”When Serenity returned to the dining room with the bowl and sat down, she hurriedly took out her cell phone and sent a message to Jasmine.[Jasmine, when did I get drunk last night? Did your brother and you take me home after I got drunk?[Why did I have a dream last night about Zachary coming home? It’s not like I miss him.[He has clothes drying on my balcony, and his clothes are still damp... Could it be that I wasn’t dreaming? Was he actually back?[Text me instead of calling since my sister is here. I don’t want her to worry that I’m fighting with Zachary.]After Liberty divorced, what she feared most was that her sister
Ring ring ring...Serenity’s cell phone rang. It was a call from Elisa.She stopped talking to Jasmine and quickly answered the call.“Serenity, where do you live?”“Brynfield.”“Okay, I’m going over now. I’m in front of your store, but you’re not open today.”Serenity said, “Sure, I’ll send you the location. My sister and I are ready to leave.”Elisa hummed.After Serenity sent the location, Elisa opened the navigation app on her phone and headed for Brynfield.She had always been a fast driver. When she was about to merge into traffic on the expressway at an intersection, she almost crashed into a Maybach. Both the Maybach and her car were urgently halted.Elisa wound down her window and the other driver did the same.She instructed the driver of the other car to back up a little to make way for her to pull up before they discussed the incident.The driver did not immediately do as Elisa gestured. Instead, he turned his head to look at the person sitting in the back seat.
When the light turned green, Remy’s car went ahead of Elisa’s.Elisa saw Remy’s car plate number and wondered, ‘Whose car is that? Those black cars behind belong to a security detail, right?‘Who else in Wiltspoon besides Zachary likes to go around the city with an entourage?’Elisa had no clue.Her eldest brother did not like to bring bodyguards and would only occasionally bring two, unlike Zachary whose bodyguards were divided into two teams of eight each. Every time he showed up, it was always with the fanfare of an emperor’s arrival.Serenity had no idea that Elisa met Remy on the road. After she sent Elisa her address, she sent a text message to Jasmine to inform that she was going to her aunt’s house.She then pondered for a while before sending a message to Zachary.He was most likely still on the plane and did not reply to her message.Serenity’s heart sank at once.She muttered, “Fine, don’t reply. It’s not like I care or anything.”She placed the phone into her coat
“By the way, just for your information, Hank and I will be registering our marriage on the coming Valentine’s Day.”Liberty was still remarkably calm. “Congratulations, Ms. Yates.”Congratulations on jumping into the pit of mud that was the Brown family.“It’s the weekend today and I just woke up to a handmade breakfast by Hank. I heard you were married for more than three years, but you were always the one cooking for Hank. You had probably never tasted his cooking before.”Liberty had had enough of Jessica’s provocation so she cut the call off.“Liberty, was that the Yates woman?”“Yeah. She’s insane. I divorced Hank and let them be together, but she still called to brazenly ask me if she could add me as a friend on social media. She must’ve wanted to flaunt her daily dose of lovey-doveyness with Hank to piss me off.“What’s there to be upset about anyway? We’re already divorced, so what is Hank to me now? He’s just an ex-husband.”As for Hank prepping breakfast for Jessica,
Serenity laughed and said, “I hope I’ll be toasting at your wedding soon.”Peter replied, “I think I'll get married before Dylan does.”Dylan’s romantic path had been much more complicated because he had not wanted to follow the smooth, well-paved road that Grandma May had arranged for him.“We have lots of happy occasions lined up after Christmas, then,” Camryn remarked.“Yes, lots,” Serenity agreed.The courtyard was lively, with the elders occasionally joining in on the fun. Meanwhile, inside the house, Dylan was thinking about what Serenity had told him. She had repeatedly said that the person Grandma May picked for him would definitely be the right one, someone who would suit him well.She also suggested that he look into Imogen and that there might be a pleasant surprise in store for him, but that he was not to let Imogen know. The implication in Serenity’s words was that Imogen might be Fox and that Fox’s real identity was Imogen Doyle herself.After understanding Serenit
Dylan frowned as he pondered deeply.“The scent from outside is wafting in. I think the food’s ready. I’m going out to have a couple of skewers to satisfy my cravings. You can stay here and think things through.”Seeing that Dylan had finally grasped the main point, Serenity stopped the conversation and went out to have some barbecue. It had been a long time since she had eaten barbecue.After getting pregnant, although she was not as strictly monitored as Jasmine was, she still paid close attention to her diet and would do her best to avoid things she could not eat or had to limit. Liberty called her every few days to remind her to be careful.When Zachary saw Serenity come out of the house, he immediately picked up a plate of freshly grilled skewers to his beloved wife, saying, “I deliberately used less seasoning on these for you, so you can eat them with peace of mind. Sonny’s asleep now, right?” “He fell asleep long ago, after playing so hard today,” Serenity replied, then gr
In that case, Grandma May would not even need to step in to teach him a lesson. His older brothers would beat him up multiple times for tarnishing the York family’s reputation and dragging their names in the mud with his own.“Dylan, I told you that if you didn’t trust Nana, you’d face the consequences. Look, you’re starting to suffer now, aren’t you?” Serenity said. Who was Grandma May? She was a kind-hearted but cunning old fox who could sell someone out and still make them feel grateful for it as they counted the money she made for her. How could she pick a bad match for her grandsons? There was no way they would be unsuitable. “Serenity, it’s not that I don’t trust Nana, it’s just that I really couldn’t fall in love with Imogen. I feel like if I couldn’t fall for her in almost three months then I just won’t. And I always thought about Fox when I was with Imogen. I’m not some naïve kid who doesn’t understand what that means.” Dylan smiled bitterly. His family always compla
“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