“Let me calm down, Zachary. I’ll call you back when I think of a solution, but you mustn’t do anything to hurt Serenity again. Otherwise, you really won’t be able to get her back.”Josh was so angry with Zachary that he wanted to hurry up and hang up the phone so he could calm down. He did not want to burst out in expletives in front of Jasmine since he was trying to maintain his good image as Mr. Bucham.After what happened to Zachary, Josh decided to be one hundred percent sincere when treating Jasmine. He would not lie or deceive her as Zachary did to Serenity.He ended the call before Zachary could respond.“Why did you hang up? I still wanted to persuade him. Judging by what he said, he’ll only make Serenity angrier. She might even start to hate him.”Josh said, “Didn’t you hear what he said? Even I’m speechless and getting angry too. I need to take a step back. How did I get a boss with a negative EQ like him?“Ugh, why is my life so hard?!” Josh sighed.He never once comp
“It’s not that he’s not afraid of losing her anymore, but decided to face the consequences of his deception. He has mustered the courage to face reality, but now, he’s going crazy from his fear and made another small mistake.”Jasmine sighed. “We can understand because it’s not happening to us, but we can’t experience Seren’s hurt and anger. In any case, I won’t advise her. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t do it now. She’s the one who was wronged, so why should I help Zachary? Wouldn’t it make her feel more aggrieved?“She was tricked so badly by the person she shares a bed with. Are we supposed to advise her to forgive Zachary instead of helping her vent her anger? I can’t do that. I would beat Zachary up on her behalf if I could.“I wonder if Mr. Stone knows. He can step in to beat Zachary up since he’s her cousin. I’ll be relieved if I see that.”Josh was speechless.Zachary had indeed managed to infuriate a lot of people.“Oh, Elisa. She told me she’d be back in two days. She’
Meanwhile, what was someone who locked herself in the guest room doing?Serenity found a pen and paper in the room. She sat down in front of the sofa, put the paper on the coffee table, and then plopped down to carefully write a divorce agreement.The couple did not buy another house after the marriage, so there was no property to divide.He once said that he would leave the house in Brynfield to her, as well as the national MPV, if they divorced.Serenity did not want them.She did not want the house he used to deceive her!She did not want his car either.The car she was driving now was bought with Zachary’s money. She would pay him the full amount after the divorce.She would not split his property or require him to compensate for her youth that sort of thing, or anything at all. They would each keep whatever assets under their names, and no one would owe the other anything. She just needed him to sign the paper.If he wanted her to compensate for the loss of his youth or t
Back then, she did not care because she was not in love with him.Now that she was, she cared after learning the truth. Her heart clenched in pain.When she thought about the recent time spent together and his affection toward her, her heart felt even more painful, and her fury was reignited too.Was his adoration fake? Was it part of his deception too?Her neck still hurt a little.That jerk!Zachary York was a jerk!Felicia and the others were silent.All of them were cognizant of Zachary’s web of lies to Serenity from the beginning.“Do any of you have an Apple charger? My phone is out of battery. Lend me a charger for a while.”Felicia was about to reply when her colleague next to her nudged her lightly. She snapped back to her senses and quickly said, “Mr. Zachary has a phone of the same brand. You can borrow a charger from him.”Their discreet movements did not go past Serenity’s eyes.She knew that without Zachary’s consent, she would not even have the chance to char
Serenity struggled and finally managed to push him away, but he wanted to continue. She was so angry that she swung her hand at him.The slap resounded across the room and shocked Brandt and the maids.Zachary was also stunned.He looked at Serenity’s face, which was red from the anger within. When she glared at him, her eyes gradually reddened, and he saw tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.He had again brought her more pain and further angered her.Zachary blamed himself.He thought his warmth could make her calm down...Brandt snapped back to his senses and hurriedly sent a message to Sam since the latter was the actual butler here. Brandt was only filling in for Sam since Sam was on leave, but he felt he could no longer handle the situation here. He had to call Sam back.It was frightening. The missus actually raised her hand against Mr. Zachary.This was a scene they had never witnessed in all the years they had worked for the Yorks.The men of the York family had
Brandt and the maids did not even dare to breathe.After a long time, Zachary raised his voice and ordered Brandt, “Go and bring my phone charger for the missus.”“Yes, sir.”Brandt quickly went to get the charger for Serenity.Was Zachary allowing her to charge her phone a sign that he would let her leave?In fact, Brandt also felt that Mr. Zachary should not keep Serenity under house arrest and that he should let her leave so that they could both calm down.However, he did not dare say such a thing.Serenity was too important to Zachary and he was afraid she would never come back if she left.That was why he forced her to stay with him. However, that would only aggravate the couple’s conflict.Brandt soon returned with the charger.He handed it to Zachary.When Zachary passed it to Serenity, he could not help but grab her hand when she took the charger, begging, “Seren, don’t bring up divorce again, okay?”Serenity drew her hand back and took the charger.She turned away
Zachary was also relieved.After a moment of silence, he walked over and sat across from Serenity.He used his fork to put food on her plate, but she picked up her plate to avoid the gesture, refusing his food.Zachary bitterly retracted his hand and placed the food his fork held on his own plate instead.“Seren, these are all your favorites. Have more,” he said tenderly.Serenity paid him no response, not even a glance. She simply ate by herself.“I’ll help you peel your favorite shrimps.”Zachary put on the disposable gloves to help her peel the shrimp, but Serenity simply took a shrimp and ate it whole, shell and all.Zachary was speechless.His wife did not even give him the chance to perform.Ding dong... Ding dong...The doorbell rang.It was already dark and chilly outside. Who would visit at this time of day?“I’ll get the door.”Brandt went to open the door.There was a car parked in front of the villa. However, Brandt did not recognize the vehicle, which meant
Serenity was surprised to see that the person who came in was her sister. She immediately put down her plate and walked toward Liberty.Zachary’s knee-jerk reaction was to grab her wrist.Serenity stared at him coldly.“Seren...”Zachary’s heart ached with such a glare from her. He felt like their relationship as husband and wife had returned to the way it was on their first night. No, it was even colder than the beginning of their marriage.He finally let go of her hand and let her walk toward her sister.“Seren.”Liberty jogged over.When the two sisters were face to face, Serenity plunged into her sister’s arms and wailed her heart out.“Seren...”Liberty hugged her sister tightly.“Cry if you want to. I’m here.”“Liberty...”The floodgates to Serenity’s suppressed emotions finally broke free when she fell into her sister’s embrace. She cried pitifully for a long time.Zachary stood not far away, watching his petite wife cry. His heart ached, but he could offer her com
Isabella could not find anyone who suited her tastes in Satbury. She knew the city was filled with talented young men, but none made her heart race. Their goal was usually the O’Connor family business. The men knew Louis was young and that Isabella was the head of the family. If they could win her heart, it would be equivalent to conquering the O’Connor family. From there, they could gradually swallow the family whole. Isabella dared not date anyone. She was scared of falling into someone’s trap. She would not let her feelings show, even if she had a crush on someone.“Many people are aiming for my family’s status and wealth. I dare not date or get married for fear that I’d destroy the family once and for all. Those people will go to great lengths for money and power.”Isabella was even wary of young masters of wealthy families, let alone ambitious men from inferior backgrounds. “I know Nana is doing this for us. She had chosen our wives. Our parents didn’t need to worry
Isabella knew it would not be that quick. By the time Louis could take over, which would be twenty years later, she would already be close to fifty years old. If she got married and had children within the next two years, her children could inherit her businesses a few years after Louis took over the family business. That way, she could finally retire for good. “Austin, you’re aware that I sent someone to Wiltspoon to investigate your background, right? There was no information about you being a young master of the Yorks. Was it because you didn’t want me to know about it?”“No.”Austin said honestly, “I wasn’t aware. Zachary was the one who told me that you investigated me twice. You couldn’t find the connection between me and York Corporation because Zachary covered it up for me.“He knew that I was here to cook and improve my skills. If you knew I was a young master of the wealthiest family in Wiltspoon, you might not have hired me as your private chef. If so, I wouldn’t be
Isabella smiled and said, “If the person taking over the family business doesn’t have true ability, they won’t be able to bear the responsibility. In this way, they can still prove themselves. Of course, starting a business from scratch and inheriting from a generation or two back is different.“For those who are supported by their family, no matter how many achievements they have, others will say they relied on their family’s support. If they fail, people will call them useless and a waste, and that family wealth will never last more than three generations. They’ll just wait for your family to go bankrupt.“So, without real ability, no one can take over the family business.”Austin was silent for a moment before responding, “What you say is true. My eldest brother, for example, is very capable. Although we could all take on the responsibility, none of us is as steady as he is. He’s the real anchor of our family. With him around, we don’t have to worry even if the sky falls.“Becau
Oh, right. Ruth mentioned that the York family elders were very open-minded.Open-minded elders and a good family culture were what cultivated outstanding children. It was little wonder that Austin was exceptional and bore such an impressive demeanor. It turned out that he was from a prestigious family.“Isa, what's wrong with Austin? Can we start eating now?”Louis and Phillip were completely confused. All they knew was Austin was not from a simple family, and that he was very capable. Even Ruth had shaken hands with him.The two boys were too young to understand anything besides that. They were just hungry and wanted to eat. It was cold, and the barbecue was very comforting to eat hot off the grill.Isabella smiled and said, “All you two think about is eating. Well, the meat and vegetables are all cooked, so we can start eating now.”As she spoke, she grabbed some meat, shrimp, and vegetables for her baby brothers. Then, she began eating, and everyone followed suit.Ruth too
After Austin left, Isabella asked her friend, "Ruth, do you know the Wiltspoon Yorks? Is Austin really one of them?"“You’ve never been to Wiltspoon, Isabella, and it's so far away. Plus your family doesn't have business there, so it's normal you don't know much about them. I was there for half a month for a trip, and my in-laws have business there.“Last time, when I went on a business trip with my husband, we heard a lot of gossip and rumors related to the York family.“In Wiltspoon, there are several prominent families, but the wealthiest and most powerful is the York family. York Corporation holds the same status in the business world of Wiltspoon as your family does here.”Ruth was introducing the York family to everyone, giving them a preliminary understanding of the family. After that explanation, Ruth added, “The York family has a great family culture to boot. The men in their family are all very loyal. Once they marry, they will remain loyal to their wife and family for
“Your family? As in, Wiltspoon’s York Corporation? Is that your family’s company?” Ruth asked in shock. She looked at Austin, disbelief written all over her face. The members of the O'Connor family were all watching the two of them.“Yeah, that’s my family's company. Our ancestors were good enough to build a strong foundation my elder brother now manages.”“Where do you fall in the order of your siblings and cousins?” Ruth had once traveled to Wiltspoon with her husband for a business trip and had spent half a month there, so she knew a bit about the most prominent family in Wiltspoon. She had also been deeply impressed by the good values the Yorks had. She had heard that the York sons were all exceptional, talented individuals, and indeed, Austin was exceptionally handsome—so much so that it could even incur a god’s jealousy. But how did a young master of the York family end up working as a chef for the O'Connor family?Though York Corporation was based in Wiltspoon, its fina
Austin slept for an hour and then got up. He had to prepare the barbecue ingredients for Isabella, and the marinade was very important. If the O'Connor family was having a barbecue, Austin would actually have it quite easy. He just needed to prepare the marinade whereas the actual ingredients would be prepared by someone else, so he did not need to do everything himself. Of course, if he wanted to take charge and do it all, that was fine too.While Austin was busy in the kitchen, he heard a crisp voice coming from the hall, laughing while asking, “Isabella, where’s that handsome chef of yours? Can I take a look at him? I made sure not to bring my husband along just to see him, so he wouldn’t get jealous.”Austin was speechless. Being handsome could be troublesome too; everyone treated him like a circus monkey. He was not even the most handsome among his brothers. Zachary was the most good-looking and charismatic. If these women saw him, would they go crazy?He heard Isabella sa
As for their future partners, they also had certain requirements. First, their family background should be comparable to the O’Connors, and secondly, they should be from this city or a nearby city—wherever it was, it could not be too far away.Austin had been working for Isabella for some time and had secretly figured out her requirements for a husband. He thought it would be easy when his nana had chosen Isabella for him, but he now understood that it was not as simple as he had assumed.Not only was it hard for Isabella to fall in love, but her refusal to move far from home would also be an obstacle in their relationship. Would he have to marry into her family?Hayden was also in charge of her family company, but she had a twin brother who was just as capable as her. After marrying into the York family, the company could be handed over to her brother to manage.Isabella’s brother had only just started elementary school, so it would take at least another twenty years before Loui
Soon, even Tati ran out and joined the others.Only Isabella remained seated in the gazebo, sipping her tea while watching the younger ones play joyfully. Her personality made it difficult for her to indulge in carefree fun like the rest. However, seeing them so happy lifted her own spirits, and she felt content.She found the tea Austin made to her liking. In the past, she rarely drank tea, as she mostly drank coffee. She would have two cups of coffee every day to keep herself going.After returning to his dorm, Austin lay on his bed but did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he picked up his phone and chatted with his cousins. He was closest to Peter and River, given their close age gap, and they often chatted the most. At this moment, he was on a call with River.He asked about the situation at home and whether their nana was mad at him for not coming home for Christmas.River replied, “Everything’s fine at home. Nana’s not mad that you’re not coming home. In fact, she’s