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
It explained why Zachary went away on business after Serenity did a DNA test with her aunt. Zachary was trying to get away from meeting Aunt Audrey in case the jig was up and his cover was blown! Serenity’s mind flashed back to the moments in their four-month-old marriage as color washed off her face. Jasmine noticed that Serenity’s hand over the mouse was shaking. “Seren. Seren. Are you okay? Are you alright?” Serenity’s reaction gave Jasmine a scare. Jasmine immediately smacked and shook her. Like a puppet, Serenity sat still and did not respond no matter how many times Jasmine tried to get her attention or smack her. Serenity simply stared at Zachary’s face blown up on the computer screen in a trance. It was him. It had to be him! He was her spouse. There was no way she could be wrong about that. They were a couple who shared the most intimate moments together. She was beginning to trust her spouse, but he turned out to be a big liar! He had her fooled from the sta
Duncan shot Liberty an angry look before getting out of the car. He went into the restaurant and picked up the keys to lock the place up. Back in the car, Duncan concentrated behind the wheel and asked, “What happened? You’re all over the place, and you look pale.” “Jasmine called me to say something happened to Seren.” Color washed off Liberty’s complexion further at the mention. Her sister went to the bookshop to tidy up the place today. What could have happened? Did a bookshelf topple over her sister? There were a lot of books on the shelf. The weight of the bookshelf with the help of gravity falling on a person… Liberty stopped herself from dwelling deeper into that scenario. She was terrified. What if something happened to her sister? What if her sister had an accident? Liberty had lost her parents and only had her sister, growing up. If her sister… Tears streamed down Liberty’s face. Duncan asked with concern, “What happened to your sister?” Since Sereni
Jasmine answered, “That’s him!“Mr. York accepted a press interview. I watched the interview, and it was about him and Seren. Seren turned white and stunned like a puppet when she saw the video. I pushed, hit, and yelled at her, but she hasn’t shown any reaction. She’s scaring the hell out of me. That’s why I’m calling you for help.” Liberty had the shock of her life. Her brother-in-law turned out to be the heir of the York family! How could that possibly be? Liberty had met the Yorks. They were no different from ordinary folks. They dressed in clothes without labels and drove mid-range priced cars. They did not seem wealthy to Liberty. The only thing that stood out was that the Yorks carried themselves with grace and culture. “I’ll be right there. Pour a glass of water for Seren and tell her to drink it. If that doesn’t help, splash her with a basin of cold water. That should do the trick.” Jasmine replied, “Won’t Seren catch a cold?” With her head clearer than before,
While Serenity and Jasmine took off from the shop, Liberty got a ride from Duncan and arrived at Wiltspoon School in no time. Since school was still out, it was dead quiet near the school grounds and the shops nearby the entrance were not open for business either. Liberty noticed the door to her sister’s bookshop was shut. “Why is it close?” Liberty got out of the room and approached the shop. She pounded on the door, but there was no response whatsoever from inside. Pulling out her phone, Liberty gave her sister a call. Serenity was bent on storming to York Corporation and getting answers from Zachary. Was he really the heir of the wealthiest York family? Too caught up in her clouded thoughts to hear her phone ring, Serenity did not pick up her sister’s call. Liberty had to call Jasmine. Jasmine was in mid-pursuit of Serenity on her e-bike, but her ride was losing speed. Jasmine had charged the battery of her e-bike a few days ago, and the battery was running out! Wi
Nevertheless, Zachary changed his mind after whipping his phone out. It was a decision he made. It was the path he chose. No matter what, he had to finish it himself.There was no doubt Serenity would be mad. All Zachary must do was apologize and explain. He was willing to do the grunt work of winning his wife’s heart again because it was his cross to bear. Zachary should not count on Nana’s help all the time. Frankly, he was not the only one lying to Serenity. His whole family had Serenity fooled… Nana probably would not be of much help to make the situation better because Seren might also hold a grudge against Nana. The first person to lie about who they were was Nana! If Serenity had watched Zachary’s interview, the others must have seen it too. The public was mostly unbothered by the interview, jealous of Serenity at best since she was so blessed to marry Mr. York and receive his love. However, the Hunts and the Browns took the news rather interestingly. John cam
Old Mr. and Mrs. Hunt could not give the family a moment of rest too. The old folks expected money from their kin for the holidays since their savings were spent on Old Mrs. Hunt’s hospital stay. The seniors did not feel comfortable without any money, so they tried to get money from the rest of the family for retirement. John said, “Dad, Serenity’s husband is the York guy. He’s Mr. York, the heir of the York family. I’m talking about the wealthiest family in Wiltspoon. He’s worth billions.” Baffled, Chris looked at his son as if he could not believe the words coming out of his son’s mouth. Was Serenity’s husband the heir of the wealthiest Yorks? A billionaire? That would mean a lot of money. “Is that true, John?” “Honest to God. His interview was on TV. We’ve met Zachary. The reporters called him Mr. York. It must be him. It is him.” Once Chris got the confirmation he needed, he smacked his lap and said, “I’ll go find your grandparents now. That’s their retirement fund
“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
Quinn burst out laughing. “You’re right. There’s a higher chance of success with more people. However, having a daughter of your own is more satisfying.“Everyone will be fighting to dote on your daughter. That’s better than you cooing over someone else’s daughter.”Serenity looked at Quinn for a while before smiling. “You have a point there.“But I don’t know if Zachary and I are fated to have a daughter.”“Technology is advanced now. It’s definitely possible with IVF,” suggested Quinn. However, upon recalling what Grandma May mentioned earlier, she quickly added, “Never mind. I guess it’s better not to go for artificial methods in your family. If something were to happen… it’ll be devastating.”The Yorks could be destined to have sons only. Even if a daughter were to be born into the family, it would be painful if she could not survive till adulthood. Regret lingered in the absence of what the heart desired; yet to hold it briefly, only to lose it, birthed deeper despair.
“Does this mean you and Julian are getting your marriage license before the year ends?”Quinn nodded. “We’ll head to the City Hall at nine tomorrow morning.”Serenity immediately congratulated her. “Congratulations, Quinn. You’ll find happiness with Julian. You don’t have to worry about him having a change of heart because you’re the only woman for him.”Quinn blushed. “This may sound funny, but I’m glad that he can only get aroused when he’s with me. As you said, he won’t ever have a change of heart because his body won’t react to other women.”She was aware of Julian’s condition and found it acceptable. Besides, they had gotten along well ever since they met each other. She was satisfied with every aspect of him. He was the ideal husband candidate for her. Not only that, her family members had observed Julian. Her father even flew to Wiltspoon to ask around about the Bucham family. He agreed to her dating Julian because he had a positive impression of the Buchams’ personali
Before Rowan took Sonny away, he did not forget to inform Serenity about it. He even told Quinn, “Sonny and I are going to play, Quinn.”Serenity nodded with a smile. She told Quinn, “Let’s go over too.”Although she could not enjoy the facilities at the playground, she could watch them play. Quinn was more than happy to accompany her. She loved having fun. “When are you and Mr. Julian getting married?” Serenity asked Quinn. Quinn blushed. She said, “Julian wants it to be as soon as possible. I’m not in a rush because I think I’m still young.”After a short pause, she added, “I’ll go with his decision. My family likes him.”Serenity laughed. “I heard all about it. Mr. Julian has done a great job with your family. Mr. and Mrs. Bucham are nice people. They’ve been looking forward to having a daughter-in-law for the longest time.”Walter and Stacy were indeed friendly toward the people they knew. With the Buchams and the Yorks’ relationship, the Bucham couple treated Sereni