Serenity said, “Okay. We’ll do as the doctor said. We’ll keep him in the hospital for a few days until he’s well enough to be discharged. His work… His salary…” With Zachary in the hospital, Serenity was hoping to get him to rest for a few days. His boss owned the company. The company was not Zachary’s, so why must he devote his everything when he was sick? The manager jumped in. “Don’t worry, Ms. Hunt. We’ll take over Mr. York’s work. We promise that we won’t bother him about work while he’s in the hospital. Mr. York is on a business trip, so his salary is not affected.” York Corporation belonged to Mr. York. Yet, the CEO’s wife was asking about Mr. York’s salary. She was worried whether his salary would be cut since he had to remain in the hospital.“Thank you.” Serenity expressed her gratitude, under the impression that she got her man a few days of paid leave. “Ms. Hunt, do you need us here to look after Mr. York?” Serenity asked, “How many bags of IV fluid does he n
With the messages sent out, Serenity stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Everybody must be asleep since it was late at night. She did not count on receiving an immediate reply. Zachary gradually came around. Opening his eyes, Zachary deliberately made a bewildered face as if he could not believe Serenity was here. He lifted his free hand and rubbed his eyes while mumbling to himself, “Is the fever getting to me? Are my eyes deceiving me? Why is my Seren here?” Serenity pulled his arm away from his face and gave him a hard pinch on the hand. “Ow!” “Does it hurt?” Serenity asked him. Zachary pulled those cute puppy dog eyes. “It hurts. It hurts so bad.” “It’s good that you felt the pain. You’re not dreaming. This is reality. I told you I’ll make my way here if you don’t get a doctor’s appointment.” Zachary was about to sit up. “Lie down. You’re in a hospital. You’re still burning up. I don’t know why you want to tough it out.” Serenity pressed him down. “Now lie
Zachary retorted in his mind, ‘The company does belong to me.’ Serenity went on saying, “Is Mr. Tank the manager here at the subsidiary company? That’s how he introduced himself. “He said you’ll need to remain in the hospital for a few days. You don’t need to do anything but rest. You might appear healthy, but all the work and tiredness finally caught up to you. Your immune system went down, and now you got one nasty cold. “You’re on paid medical leave. Mr. Tank asked me to look after you and will be paying me on the clock. At least, they had everything thought out for you.” Serenity was impressed by the subsidiary company of a huge corporation. Every aspect was considered thoroughly as family members were offered some form of remuneration without needing to ask for it. Zachary enjoyed his chicken soup while thinking to himself, ‘It’s my money nonetheless.’ However, it was not something he had the guts to blurt out. “How long do I have to be in the hospital? It’s only a c
Serenity immediately put her arms up in surrender as she exclaimed, “Zachary, don’t talk that way. It doesn’t sound good when you elongate your creaky voice. You’re trying to act cute, but it’s not working. You sound like you’re going through puberty. Fine, I’ll kiss you, okay? Stop the cute act. It’s giving me the creeps.” Zachary stared at Serenity begrudgingly. It was not like he wanted to do it. He did not know how to act cute anyway. Thankfully, his voice had turned hoarse. Without the raspy voice, Serenity would call him out for using the high pitch tone. Never mind. He could forget the moé act. Serenity gave Zachary what he wanted and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. She asked, “Happy now?” During the kiss, Zachary closed his eyes and felt the affectionate tingle on his cheek. Although he could not feel the warmth as she had a mask on, Zachary could feel the love she had for him. That was right—love. Zachary was content. It left him more satisfied than when
Seeing that Zachary was still staring at her, Serenity put her phone aside and got up. She drew close and kissed him on the cheek. Tenderly she uttered, “Go on to bed now.” Serenity then touched his head. “Is there a thermometer here? I’ll check on your temperature. You still feel hot. You’re on IV drips and the pills already, but the fever hasn’t really gone down.” Zachary replied in all honesty, “I don’t know if there’s a thermometer here too.” “I’ll ask for one at the nurse’s station.” Serenity grabbed her phone and took off. Zachary’s phone happened to ring when she left the room. It was Josh. Zachary took the call. “Why aren’t you asleep this late in the night?” “I have the habit of checking my phone when I wake up. I saw the message from your wife that she made it there safe and sound. Since I was awake, I thought I might as well call to check on you. Has your fever gone down?” Zachary faintly said, “Not completely. The doctor said I had to stay in the hos
“Do you want some water?” “I don’t feel like drinking any. I don’t want to rush to the loo so often. It’s not very convenient for me to go to the loo right now.” Serenity had no words. Since Zachary did not want to sleep, Serenity stopped watching videos on her phone and chatted with him. She did most of the talking while he listened intently. As she blabbered on, Zachary’s eyes grew heavy until he finally drifted into slumberland. Once the bag of IV fluid hooked to Zachary was empty, Serenity rang the nurse to change a new bag before returning to the dependent’s bed and getting on her phone. However, her eyes began to grow heavy as well. She could barely stay awake. In case she fell asleep, Serenity put down her phone and got out of bed to head to the loo. She removed her mask and splashed her face with cold water to freshen up. Serenity waited until the last bag of IV fluid was emptied before waking Zachary up for his medicine. It was only then she caught up on sleep
After the doctor made his rounds, the nurse came by to put Zachary on IV drips. Serenity stared at Zachary while Mr. Tank went to check with the doctor on the type of shot to be administered to Zachary.Zachary looked at the bag of IV fluid, pondering on ways to escape the injection. “What’s the matter, Zachary?” With Zachary staring blankly at the IV fluid without blinking, Serenity asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?” “Seren.” Holding onto her hands, Zachary uttered pitifully, “Can I get the pills instead? I don’t like jabs. They hurt.”“It’s all for your own good. Besides, you talked about the side effects of medicine, so taking the shot should do the trick.” Serenity withdrew her arm and amusedly pinched his cheek. “So there is something you’re afraid of.” Zachary grabbed her hands once more and looked deeply and affectionately into her eyes. “The thing I’m most afraid of is you leaving me.” “Alright now. Quit the act. Your attempt to be affectionate and
Serenity uttered with joy in her eyes. “Hang in there then. You’re thirty years old, Zachary. How can a thirty-year-old manly man be afraid of a shot?” It turned out Zachary was afraid of needles. Zachary had better prayed not to be sick if he ever crossed her again. She would get the doctor to administer shots to him for any illness he had. With Zachary tensing his facial muscles without a word, Serenity leaned into his ear and whispered, “Be a good boy and take the shot, Zachary. Then, I can go all the way with you and go back. Call it a reward since I rushed over to take care of you.” Zachary’s dark eyes were sparkling. He asked, “Can I?” Sitting straight, Serenity smiled through her eyes. “Once you get discharged from the hospital.“How about it? Are you going to take the shot?” Looking rather conflicted, Zachary rolled up his sleeve and put his hand out in the end. He closed his eyes and took the shot like a champ. While the injection was being administered, Zacha
Hank’s parents had always been biased toward his sister, Chelsea. It would be difficult to change them. Their father, Luke, was a slightly better case because he had felt regretful ever since knowing Serenity was the York family’s missus. He regretted letting Hank date Jessica. After going through so much, he was more convinced that Liberty suited Hank better. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Hank could no longer return to the past. On the day Serenity and Zachary brought Sonny to the Browns’ place for a meal, Chelsea also brought Lucas back to visit her family. When Chelsea entered the house, Olivia was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She said, “I heard Liberty and Duncan getting married soon, Mom. The Lewises are preparing for the wedding. The couple will most likely get their marriage license after she returns from Jensburg.”Olivia looked indifferent. “That’s bound to happen sooner or later. Why are we still talking about her?“Even if she gets a boost in her
Next, she posted the pictures on social media. Many of her followers were her students’ parents. Only a minority of them were her friends or ex-classmates. She was flooded with blessings from them as well. One of Zoey Crawford’s worries was finally resolved. Since her daughter had gotten married, she would continue urging her sons to do the same. Zoey had been anxious that Quinn could never find a suitable partner because of her easy-going personality and proficiency in martial arts. Although she was introduced to a few men through matchmaking services, the men usually refused to show up. They were scared of the potential domestic abuse they could face since Quinn was good at fighting. They had heard of her countless accomplishments as well. Therefore, no one was interested in Quinn despite her decent figure, looks, and family background. This was where Zoey’s constant urging for her to find a life partner came from. Quinn had felt frustrated about Zoey’s nagging. She did not
Julian said gently, “You can meet Serenity, Jasmine, and Elisa often in the future.“By the way, don’t trust anything Elisa says. Take her words with a grain of salt.”Quinn asked, “What will Ms. Stone say to me? Why are you specifically asking me not to listen to her?”Julian cleared his throat. As he drove, he said embarrassedly, “I pretended to pursue Elisa for some time to help Remy back then.”Quinn said, “I didn’t know I had a love rival.”“Elisa isn’t your love rival. She and her family don’t fancy me anyway. When they knew I was pursuing her, Mrs. Stone immediately changed her mind and agreed to Remy and Elisa’s marriage. To her, I’m like a fierce beast unsuited for her baby daughter.”Quinn got invested and asked, “Why did helping Remy involve pursuing Elisa?”Julian came clean and recounted everything to Quinn. He did not want her to misunderstand.“Even your parents fell for your acting. I didn’t think you’d do such a thing.”“Don’t misunderstand, honey.”Quinn smi
Fortunately, Quinn herself was strong, and her family was not pushovers either. She turned to look at Julian.Without asking, Julian knew exactly what she was thinking, and he quickly reassured her, “Quinn, you don’t have to worry. That kind of thing won’t happen to us. I’m your rock. As long as I’m around, no one can bully you. In my family, apart from my parents, everyone else has to accede to me, and you know how my parents feel about you. They’re so grateful to you that they practically worship you like a goddess.“You’re familiar with the York family now and have seen the way they operate, right? Well, my family and the Yorks are old family friends. Birds of a feather flock together. The reason our two families are so close is we have similar family values.“Setting aside the fact that your family is powerful enough and supportive of you—even if you were like Serenity in the beginning, my family would never look down on you or mistreat you. They would only love and cherish you.
Stacy was actually hoping that Julian and Quinn could get their marriage license today and hold the wedding right away. However, the date they had picked was after Christmas and they still had to wait over a month for the actual wedding. At least once they signed the papers, there was no need to worry about Quinn changing her mind. Stacy was afraid that Quinn and her family might have second thoughts, especially since her son was afflicted with a disorder.“Hey, sweetie.”When Stacy addressed Quinn, her tone was very gentle. Quinn thought that her future mother-in-law was even kinder and more considerate than her own mother. Her father had looked into the Buchams' character and knew that Stacy was actually quite formidable. To Quinn though, Stacy appeared so gentle and kind that she did not seem like the kind of person who would be overly strict or tough. Of course, anyone who could hold fast the position of the Buchams’ head missus and secure her husband’s love for decades as if
Quinn could not stop laughing when she saw him.Julian blushed a little in response. He asked, “What are you laughing at? Is my outfit ugly? Does it not look good?”He was used to wearing black clothes all the time. Although he had a white suit, he rarely wore it. Today, for the special occasion of legally getting married to Quinn, he had specifically chosen to wear white, a color symbolizing purity, to proclaim how his feelings were as pure as snow.“It’s not ugly, it looks great! You look even more handsome than usual. I’m just not used to seeing you in a white suit. Now, you look like a prince from a fairy tale—my prince.”Julian smiled indulgently. “That’s right. I’m your prince charming and yours alone. You look great in white, too, my dear wife.”It was Quinn’s turn to blush slightly. She was not used to being called his wife, especially since they had not even registered yet. Since they were about to go get their marriage license though, she might as well start getting used
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