“I’m not getting any younger. I’m living on borrowed time. I hope they’ll have their own family before I kick the bucket.” Grandma May decided to go around Wiltspoon to find potential wives for her remaining grandsons. She would assign the boys to go after the girls she picked out for them. Anyone who was unable to complete the task could forget about attending her birthday celebration at the end of August. “Nana, you’ll live long.” “I hope to live long too, even better if I’m alive to see the birth of my great-granddaughter.” Following the mention of a great-granddaughter, Grandma May’s eyes were glued to Serenity’s belly. Serenity embarrassedly uttered, “Stop looking at my belly, Nana. Aunt Flo just came for a visit today.” Grandma May was speechless. Zachary had been working on it, but there were still no signs of her great-granddaughter. After Callum and the lot slipped back into the city, Zachary and Serenity did not stay long at the old residence. They soon retu
Zachary wore a tender expression. The press was stunned. Mr. York must love his wife very much. The mention of his wife’s name softened his facial muscles. The media captured Mr. York’s gentle side when he was out and about with his wife. In the past, Mr. York would usually be seen with a sour face, giving off the vibe for people to stay away. The power of love could turn an aloof man affectionate. “My wife isn’t some heiress, but she’s the missus of the York family and that makes her royalty. She’s Serenity Hunt and will be twenty-six this year. She hasn’t had her birthday yet. She thinks she’s old when she hits twenty-six.” The reporters wanted to scream. Mr. York turned into a chatterbox when talking about his wife. Hang on. Serenity Hunt? “Mr. York, your wife’s Serenity Hunt?” Shell-shocked, a female reporter sought Zachary for confirmation. Zachary turned to her with chilling eyes. Pulling his usual straight face, he fiercely refuted, “Do you have a problem wit
“I think I’m one lucky man too.” The harsh lines along Zachary’s face softened, replaced with a tender look. His lips curled into a happy smile. Serenity took the night flight to get to Zachary when he had the nasty flu. Although she made him take a daily shot, there was no question he could feel Serenity’s love for him. It was a sweet taste of happiness. “Mr. York, is it true that you married your wife at first sight?” Zachary openly admitted to it. “Yes. I’d never met her before signing the marriage papers, but I know who she was. She saved my nana’s life.” “So Old Mrs. York was the reason you married her?” “Yes, that’s right. We were in a rush to get married because of my nana, but I’m grateful to her now. I would’ve missed out on meeting a great woman like Seren if Nana didn’t push me to get married.” “Oh, wow, Mr. York.” It was hard to believe that a man like Mr. York would rush into marriage. The newfound information took the press by surprise. It was no wonder
“Why thirty jewelry sets, Mr. York? Is there a significance to the number?” Zachary replied, “Not really. I was thinking there are thirty days to a month. With thirty jewelry sets, Seren can wear a different set every day for a month. That’s all.” The world of the rich was not something ordinary people could ever comprehend. They would love to be in Serenity’s shoes; even the male reporters were green with envy. It was a good thing they were not in the same circle as Mr. York. Otherwise, they would play second fiddle to Mr. York and would never be able to find a girlfriend. They would feel under pressure to compete with Mr. York. “Mr. York, your wife is Mrs. Stone’s niece, but you’re at odds with Mr. Stone. Are you open to improving your relationship with Stone Group for your wife? Also, the heiress of Stone Group had once openly declared her love for you and pursued you. Now that she and your wife are cousins, how are you moving forward from there?” Zachary faintly respo
Zachary replied with a question, “Is it weird? The boys in my family can cook. One of my brothers can cook better than the chef at Wiltspoon Hotel.” The female reporters enviously lamented, “Your wife is so lucky.” “I think I’m luckier. My Seren is good to me. She’s a fabulous cook. She always makes my favorite food.” Jealousy would kill everybody before they could ask further questions. The young couple was not in the same room right now, but the way Mr. York talked and the expression on his face explained how happy he was with his married life. The media wrapped up the interview after asking a few more details about his life. “That reminds me. Don’t go hounding my wife. You can come to me with any questions. I’ll make time to take the interview. My wife prefers to live a quiet and mundane life. The people gave their word, “We won’t intrude on the missus without your permission.” The most they would do was snap photos of her in secret. They would not dare to mob Sere
Zachary was speechless. “I’m looking for encouragement and support here, Josh. I’m worried about what Seren’s going to think.” “I support you wholeheartedly and in spirit. No matter what you do, I’ll always support you. Zachary, I’m your No.1 fan! Keep it up, Zachary! Even if your world comes crumbling down, you’re a tall guy. Stand up and hold your world up. It’ll be fine. The worst that can happen is you getting crushed.” Zachary was at a loss for words. “But your wife might stumble upon the truth if you keep up with the secrets. She’ll be angrier than ever and might dump your sorry ass. Prepare to sign the divorce papers, man. “You should prepare for the storm instead of having the storm sneak up behind you and take you by surprise. We have each other if your wife is mad at you and gives you a snub. Haha. I don’t have to watch you act lovey-dovey with one another anymore.” The men could chase after their wives together. Zachary uttered, “I shouldn’t have called you. Yo
It would take a couple of days before their order could be processed. Serenity and Jasmine needed to get all the study materials the students needed for the new school term before the school reopened. They should at least know the materials needed in advance so they could place the order. Putting the mop back into the closet, Jasmine uttered, “I found out last night what we needed and made a list. The list is in my bag. You can check it and phone the supplier to make the delivery in the next few days.” Students would purchase the school materials assigned by the teachers or that were recommended in the first few days of school. It would be the busiest time in the shop. Serenity asked her sister and Mrs. Lane to help out at the shop on the first day of school. Liberty had gotten in touch with a contractor to remodel her restaurant. Now that the price had been agreed upon, the remodeling would begin in a few days. The students would be returning before the restaurant's reno
Jasmine was highly interested in the identity of Mrs. York. She was in awe of Mrs. York’s ability to turn a callous man like Mr. York into an uxorious husband. She had heard a lot about Mr. York adoring his wife lately. Jasmine had asked Josh before to pull some strings and introduce her to Mrs. York. Josh was Mr. York’s most trusted man, so he must be one of the first to know that Mr. York was married. Jasmine bet Josh had met Mrs. York in the flesh. Alas, Josh turned down her request, saying that he could not reveal who Mrs. York was until Mr. York was ready to make the public announcement himself. It got Jasmine down for days. Josh was trying to win her heart right now, but he could not even make her one wish happen. It showed how protective Mr. York was of his wife. Now that some news was finally out, she had to click on it and see what was going on. “What’s there to read? It’s only about his marriage.” Serenity laughed and added, “Why are you people dying to fi
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