Zachary could not hide the embarrassment on his handsome face when he got a good look at the item. Clive gave Zachary hell. Zachary reacted by going all the way to the convenience store and clearing the shelves. He did not even look at what he grabbed, so he had no idea the sanitary pads were caught among the stuff. “You have a wife.” Zachary threw the pack of sanitary pads back to Clive. Clive burst into laughter. Clive laughed so hard that Zachary wanted to pounce on him and strangle him! In all the years of fighting, Zachary had never been so awkward before Clive. Clive could not stop guffawing for a long time. Rubbing his belly, he said, “Zachary, are you trying to make me laugh to my grave so you can inherit my family’s fortune? Man, you’re killing me.” “You better have a will written out to pass down your inheritance to me before you die laughing.” Clive’s laughter mellowed into a chuckle. “You probably won’t think much about my fortune. I’m not as wealthy as yo
Zachary fell silent for a while before gruffly uttering, “I believe you should be on top of keeping Elisa away.” He could not possibly be the one to get rid of Elisa. “We’ll make arrangements. You need to text me before coming, so I can distract her away from seeing you. I’ll keep my parents in the loop too.” Zachary had no problems with the plan. He did not want Elisa to know about him and Serenity for now. They were in the honeymoon period of their relationship. God knew what Elisa would do in a moment of madness when she found out. “I probably can’t make time before New Year, but I’ll find time to visit your family with Serenity after.” Serenity had lost her parents. There was no way she would visit her money-hungry relatives back in her hometown. Family to Serenity was Liberty and the Stones. Clive asked, “What are you doing before New Year? Isn’t your office closed by Christmas Eve?” Stone Group was giving its employees time off around that time. Major corpora
Clive’s and Zachary’s bodyguards trailed behind without a word. People would think they saw ghosts if this group of people did not make a sound while striding ahead. Clive stopped right before getting into the lift. “Zachary,” he said in a low voice. Zachary turned his head to look at him. Clive took a long pause before saying, “Stop stealing my business.” Zachary nonchalantly replied, “People have a choice to change their minds before they seal the deal. Some even back out after signing the contract. That’s how business is. You can’t say that I steal your business. You should recognize that Stone Group is not strong enough to convince clients from choosing York Corporation instead.“Business is business. Favor is another thing. Don’t mix personal with business.” Clive remarked, “Zachary, you have balls.” Zachary remained offhanded. “Of course, I have balls, but you… You’ve been married for years now. When are you going to have a baby? Are you unwell or something? Since
Who was here bright early in the morning? Serenity went downstairs and found the keys to open the main door. She then walked out of the house to find a figure standing at the gate. The person was carrying two bags. By the looks of it, he must be a food deliveryman. “Morning, Ms. Hunt.” Mr. Zen gleefully greeted her. “Oh, it’s you. Good morning.” It never occurred to Serenity that it was the lobby manager of Wiltspoon Hotel. Raising the bags in his hands, Mr. Zen uttered with a smile, “Mr. York called me last night to order two sets of breakfast. I’m here to deliver the food at the requested time. Sorry to bother you this early in the morning, Ms. Hunt.” Serenity wondered when Zachary found the time to order breakfast from Mr. Zen as she was with him the whole night. Zachary often got Wiltspoon Hotel to do the delivery too. Although Zachary enjoyed discounts at the hotel as an employee of York Corporation, he should not pour all his money into the place. Serenity kep
Since no children were in the picture yet, the couple could enjoy the finer things in life. The expenses would become costly when the family grew. It would take a lot of money to raise children. “I have an income, and I’m part of the family. I’ll pay for some of the household expenses. Save some money and clear the mortgage early if you can. At least then you’ll have spare cash once the house loan is out of the way.” Serenity did not propose chipping in on the mortgage. Zachary bought the villa before they were married, and he was still paying the mortgage like Hank. Even though Serenity and Zachary were no longer married in name and could not be in a better place in their marriage, Serenity did not want to end up on the same path as her sister. It was his house, and she would not covet it nor help with the mortgage. What if she and Zachary were not meant to be? The divorce would be ugly with the division of assets and quarrels. It was better to keep their assets apart ri
“It’s my company’s annual dinner in a few days. I’ll get an invitation for you. You need a gown for the event. I can come back and pick you up, or you can drive there.“Why should I go to your company’s annual dinner? I’m not an employee.” Serenity was not keen on attending social events. The only reason she would ever go was for the food. Nevertheless, as Jasmine said, Serenity would have to curb her eating if she was there as Zachary’s plus-one.Serenity would rather check out new eateries with Jasmine. “We can bring a family member to the company’s annual dinner. Others would bring theirs, so why can’t I?” Serenity had no words as she stared at Zachary. “I’ll be helping out a little at the dinner. It might be a little later if you want me to pick you up. I’ll come straight after I’m done.” “Alright. Let me know on that day itself. I’ll head over myself, so you don’t have to rush back. You can come out to bring me in when I reach your office. You can’t expect me to en
Duncan went and gave the pinwheel to Sonny. Sonny refused to take the pinwheel from him. “Mr. Lewis, Sonny has a lot of toys already.” “It’s not much. I was passing by a toy store and thought the pinwheel at the entrance was nice. I bought him one since the wind’s strong today, and he’d probably enjoy it.” He dropped by to give Sonny the pinwheel. Otherwise, Duncan would not have come in. Handing the pinwheel to Liberty, Duncan said, “Hold it for Sonny.” Since the pinwheel did not cost a lot, Liberty accepted the gift and thanked Duncan on behalf of Sonny before handing the pinwheel to her son. Sonny took the pinwheel. Duncan said hesitantly, “Sonny’s scared of me. I gave him the pinwheel, but he didn’t want it. He took it the moment you gave it to him.” Liberty replied amid chuckles, “I’m his mother. I have been with him since he was in my womb till today, so I’m his closest person.” Duncan laughed in delight. “Sorry, that came out wrong.” Looking around the shop
Even so, Mrs. Brown did not like it one bit. Duncan was the boss of a company. Although his face was ruined, the man was loaded. Mrs. Brown and her daughter stood in front of Lewis & Co.’s office building the whole morning while waiting for Liberty back then. She heard from her son that Lewis & Co. was one of the biggest corporations in Wiltspoon and a more influential company than the place her son was working at. Her son mentioned that he himself might not pass the interview and become a senior executive at Lewis & Co. It did not sit well with Hank that Liberty was employed by Lewis & Co. as he realized Liberty could get back on track to a successful career when she returned to the workplace. It was a good thing that the couple was divorced now. Hank did not have to worry about being overshadowed by his wife. Since Jessica was his secretary and she relied heavily on him, it fed his ego as a man. Having recognized Mrs. Brown, Duncan stopped in his tracks and shot a glare
“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