“Honey.”Once the door was opened, Serenity looked at Zachary’s handsome face. He instantly wore a flattering smile.However, on other typical days, he would pull a long face, showing a stern expression. He would hardly smile. At that moment, Serenity felt that the smile was fake.“Honey, I’ve brought over your changing clothes.”Zachary handed her two sets of clothes. One set was pajamas, whereas the other was her outfit for tomorrow.“Let me bring them inside for you, okay?”Serenity forbade him to enter the room. After taking her clothes, she retreated and slammed the door shut. Then, she locked the door from the inside once again.Zachary was speechless.He did not walk away and stood at the door instead. At the same time, he was wondering when Seren would open the door and look for him.Sure enough, he heard the sound of the door being unlocked in two minutes. He immediately straightened his body and wore a smile on his handsome face.The moment Serenity pulled open the
Zachary’s handsome face turned grim. “Serenity, I’m not lying at all. Some of my words are sincere. I love you, and this is definitely true.”“Yes. You love me. You love lying to me, right? Are you going to get out? If you’re not, I’ll crush your leg!”After speaking frostily, Serenity forcefully shut the door.Zachary dared not feign pity and obediently withdrew his leg. Then, he watched Serenity shut the door and lock it.Only after some time did Zachary return to his room. After taking a bath, he moved a single-seater couch and placed it outside Serenity’s room. Then, he brought over a blanket. He sat on the couch with the blanket wrapping him and slept at the door to block her way.He was worried Serenity would sneak out of the room and climb the wall to leave the house after he fell asleep. In fact, Serenity did have such an idea.In the dead of night, she secretly walked to the door and opened the door gently. She pulled the door slightly open, only to see Zachary sleepin
It was impossible Zachary would allow Clive to come over.Clive was unaware that Zachary had restricted Serenity’s freedom. Serenity did not think about asking for Clive’s help either. If Clive came over to look for Zachary, he was bound to learn it.Zachary had no regard for other people.However, he must not hold Clive and his mother with contempt.Furthermore, Mrs. Stone was Serenity’s aunt and elder.She had the right to stand up for Serenity.“Alright. I’ll let Clive know.”With that, Josh promptly ended the call. If he had ended it any later, Zachary might ask him for a solution again.Zachary rejected his suggestions, so what could he do?Zachary soon left the villa. He told Brandt to remind Serenity to have her breakfast.He had half the group of security guards to watch the villa in case Serenity escaped when he was away.Forty minutes later at the CEO’s office in York Corporation.Zachary and Clive entered the office practically one after another.Zachary walked
After a while, Clive asked, “How did Serenity react after she learned of your identity? Her phone has been off, so I can’t get through.”Zachary said sarcastically, “You’re not close with your cousin because you haven’t spent much time bonding with her, huh? I could already get through Seren’s phone last night. You claimed that her phone had been off, but how many times have you tried to call her?“Why should I tell you her reaction? That’s our business. It has nothing to do with you.”Even though Mrs. Stone was Serenity’s aunt, they had not spent much time bonding with each other. Their relationship was new.To him, only his sister-in-law had the right to tell him off.The Stones had no right to do so.Clive was at a loss for words.After being quiet for a while, Clive continued, “Zachary, sorry to bother you today. I might sound selfish for considering Elisa’s feelings and not Serenity’s.“You know Serenity better than I do. You should know her temper. After she learned of yo
“If this had happened two months ago, I believe she’d happily agree to get a divorce without any regrets. But now, I don’t think she’ll do so. After all, it’s not easy to get over a relationship.”After pausing for a moment, Josh asked curiously, “Have you gotten her pregnant?”Zachary replied, “Nope…”Zachary and Serenity did not use protection. They tried their best to make a baby, but nothing happened.Perhaps they were not fated to have a baby yet.“Since you don’t have a child to connect you and Serenity, you have only yourself to rely on. Zachary, you’re no fool. Since the incident took place, you’ve done a series of things based on instinct. Ask yourself. If you were Serenity, how would you feel after being deceived, imprisoned, and hit?“Now, we’re not talking about whether you lied to her. This isn’t a big deal. The main issue is that the things you did after you made a mistake have upset Serenity.“You fear she wants a divorce, but can you stop her by imprisoning her?
“It’s not a big deal now even though Serenity brought up the divorce because she hasn’t taken action. All she did was draft a divorce agreement. As long as you haven’t received the agreement, there’s still a chance to turn back. It depends on how you handle it.“Give it some thought. I’ll go out and get you some food. Look at yourself. After a night, you lost the vitality you used to have. You look spiritless, and I sympathize with you.“Alas, why aren’t you in love with me instead? If you are, I guarantee that you won’t be facing these troubles.”Zachary grabbed something from the desk and hurled it at Josh. He could not help but taunt, “I’m straight. Stop tricking me. If Ms. Sox finds out about it, you’ll have to forget about getting together with her.”After Josh saw him smile, he said, “Now that you can laugh, I’m relieved.”He left and bought his best friend some food.It warmed Zachary’s heart.He was extremely fortunate to have Josh as his buddy.When Zachary was alone i
Zachary glanced at the stack of documents held by Mr. Chaplin and said, “Send them to Callum and tell him to take care of it. If he doesn’t dare make a decision, then tell him to ask Nana.“Also, tell him that I might only come back to the company occasionally these days. He’s also a man from the York family, so he should help share the burden of the family business.”Mr. Chaplin nodded and agreed.Was the boss going to put aside his work and devote himself to coaxing his wife?Zachary took large strides to the elevator after instructing Mr. Chaplin.A few minutes later, he left York Corporation in his car.At the same time, Mr. Chaplin knocked on Callum’s office door and relayed what Zachary said to him.Callum’s face fell when he looked at the pile of documents that Mr. Chaplin was holding. Then, he said, “Leave them here. I’ll tell you to get them when I’m done.”“Thank you, Mr. Callum.“By the way, Mr. Zachary said he might only occasionally come to the office these days.
Zachary’s eyes flashed with hurt, but he did not react as fiercely as he did yesterday.He said gently, “Seren, do you really want to keep those little animals? If you do, I’ll tell Brandt to lead the way. Ms. Sox and you can go see our family orchard. If you think it’s suitable to rear chickens there, you can keep them there. You can take care of them yourself if you want or let the workers do it.”Serenity frowned. “I didn’t see an orchard at your house when you brought me over during the holidays.”“The hills planted with fruit trees next to Wildridge Manor is the orchard. It’s the York family’s ancestral manor.”Serenity was not surprised that her in-laws had a manor.They were rich.They were involved in all sorts of industries as long as there was money to be earned.“Are you willing to let me out of this villa?”Serenity captured the key points of Zachary’s remarks.Zachary looked at her, and she met his gaze. When the couple looked at each other, Serenity finally saw t
“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