“Even if I give her more than a million dollars, she’ll probably end up spending all of it buying a house, but she still won’t be able to find a job. Unless her aunt keeps supporting her, she won’t be as happy as we are.”Sure enough, Jessica’s mood improved.“A million isn’t even enough for the down payment for a house in downtown Wiltspoon. A friend of mine bought a second-hand apartment in the busiest part of the city a while ago. It’s near a school district and is only seven hundred square feet, but it cost her five million. I was really shocked.”If she had not snatched Hank away, she could not have afforded to buy a house in downtown Wiltspoon with her income.Hank was cognizant that housing prices were exorbitant now.Fortunately, he struck early. If he only bought a house now, he would not be able to buy one in a good location, let alone a school district.“I asked around and heard that Mrs. Stone is a very strong woman. She dislikes weak and incompetent people the most.
Serenity first took out the small note.The note read: These two are recorder pens. Listen to the recordings when no one is around. Josh Bucham.It was sent to her by Josh.Recorder pen?What was on the recorder pens that could not be heard by other people?Serenity’s curiosity was killing her.Josh told her to listen to the recording alone, so she could only wait until she returned to her room after dinner.“What is that, Seren? Who sent it to you?” Audrey asked with concern.Serenity put the note back into the bag and said, “It’s a pen I want to use. Mrs. Lane had someone send it over to me.”Audrey hummed and did not ask more.Curiosity piqued, Serenity finished eating dinner and followed her sister upstairs, saying she was going to help her sister bathe Sonny.The sisters’ rooms were next to each other.Audrey made the arrangement so the two sisters could rely on each other even in an unfamiliar environment.Serenity went back to her room, closed the door behind her, t
Zachary forced a laugh and said, “Is my wife taking control of me now? I don’t have an appetite and don’t want to eat. I’m working so hard now because I want to finish work early and go back to you.”“Even if you want to come back soon, you have to take care of your health. Are you staying at a hotel now? If you don’t have an appetite, then just eat something light.“Pick up your phone, Zachary. I want to see you.”Zachary did not move.Serenity got angry. “Zachary York, I’ll give you till the count of three. If you don’t let me see you, I won’t talk to you for the rest of the year. I won’t answer your calls or reply to your texts either. One...”As soon as she started counting, Zachary’s face appeared on the screen.He looked miserable. His usually cold and indifferent face was flushed an abnormal red. Serenity was startled and asked, “Didn’t you go see a doctor? You must be running a high fever now. Are you trying to worry me to death?!”Zachary propped his head up with his ha
Josh looked solemn. “Zachary has always been as fit as a fiddle though. I don’t think he has the flu and fever. Take it easy. I’ll contact someone to drive him to the hospital and make travel arrangements for you to get there. Pack up. You can leave in half an hour.” Now that Zachary was ill and Serenity was worried sick, it was the perfect chance for the couple to bond. While feeling concerned about Zachary’s well-being, Josh secretly moaned about Zachary’s timing to be sick. “Thank you, Mr. Bucham.” Serenity was grateful for Josh’s help to get her to Zachary. Josh uttered in a gentle voice, “Zachary is my colleague. I’m worried that he’s sick, and he can be stubborn. He won’t say a word when he’s sick. The bosses and I will feel better if you head there and take care of him.“You might want to get ready now. I’ll give the colleagues there a call to send Zachary to the hospital.” “Sure.” After the phone call, Serenity got up and picked up the bag with two sets of fresh
Alice’s uncle was a doctor who specialized in alternative medicine. Whenever a family member was not feeling well, Alice would go to her uncle and ask for a remedy. Clive really could not stand the awful taste of alternative medicine. Hence, he looked after himself and tried not to get sick. He would hide from his wife if he had the occasional sniffles. Serenity’s worry for Zachary was like Alice’s worry for him. Clive soothed Serenity, “Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. You want to get to the Buchams’ residence? I’ll drive you there.” “Thank you, Clive.” Tilting his head, Clive told his wife, “Wait for me at home, Alice. I’ll drive Serenity to the Buchams’. I don’t feel good getting someone else to drive her.” Alice replied, “Sure. Go ahead.” “Clive, Alice, the chauffeur can drive me if you have something to do.” “What’s the matter?” Liberty had just gotten her son out of the shower when she heard her sister talking in the hallway. With Sonny in her arms,
“His boss made arrangements for me to get there. I need to rush there now,” Serenity replied. “You should hurry there then. His boss will probably have a private plane ready for you if he approves the arrangement. You’ll get there quicker. Clive, you should take Seren there.”Mrs. Stone thought the boss Serenity mentioned was Zachary. Knowing that the Yorks had a private jet, she felt assured enough to let Serenity go. Several minutes later, Clive drove Serenity out of the Stones’ residence. While on the way, Clive said to Serenity, “I have a somewhat unreasonable request to ask of you, Serenity.” “Do say, Clive.” While behind the wheel, Clive said, “You must know that Elisa was in love with Mr. York. Although she said she would let go of her feelings for him, you can’t stop loving someone after going at it for years. It would take some time before she could embrace reality wholeheartedly.” Serenity’s mind harked back to Shawn. This was the case with Shawn toward her as
The only person that Serenity was wrong about was Zachary. Then again, Serenity was fooled by Zachary’s whole family. The cousins shared a pleasant conversation along the way that the journey felt short to Serenity. Soon, they arrived at the Buchams’ residence. Josh was not back. He was still having dinner with Jasmine and her brother. Jasmine was concerned about her best friend, but her mind was at ease since Josh had everything sorted out. Serenity had just arrived at the Buchams’ residence when Jasmine gave her a call. Jasmine felt better after confirming Serenity was at the residence. “Thank goodness Mr. Bucham stepped in to help tonight, Jasmine. Please thank him for me. I’ll personally express my gratitude to him when I return.” Sure, Josh was Zachary’s colleague. He could simply do his due and inform a colleague there to send Zachary to the hospital. However, Josh went above and beyond at sorting everything out when Serenity said she wanted to be there. Josh even
The manager would be to blame if anything were to happen to Mr. York.The headquarters had full confidence in him and entrusted him with a managerial role at the subsidiary company. Yet, the subsidiary company went south fast to the point the CEO had to be here to deal with it. The CEO caught a bad cold and fever from tiring himself out. Thankfully, it was detected early. Otherwise, the CEO’s life would be at risk if the illness dragged on. The manager had lingering fears at the mere thought of it. “Where am I?” Zachary tried to sit up. “Don’t get up, Mr. York. Lie down, lie down. You still have a fever. You’re on IV drips.” Furrowing his brows, Zachary’s memory came back to him. He took a cold medicine from the pharmacy, but it did not work. His temperature kept rising until he passed out in the end. Zachary was on a video call with Serenity before he blacked out. He ended the call before Serenity could catch him passing out on her. Zachary wondered if Serenity was wo
“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