Serenity hung up the video call.Zachary muttered, “She won’t even let me see Sonny.”If he had known, he would have kept teasing Sonny. That way, he could let Serenity hear his voice.Liberty looked at her sister but remained silent. She did not ask a single question since she brought her sister home. Serenity would naturally talk to her when she wanted to.When she saw her son’s mouth covered in gravy, she laughed and wiped the gravy from his face.Serenity wanted to go out after dinner.“Where are you going?” Liberty asked while washing the dishes.“I just want to go out for some air. I’ll use your e-bike.”“Stay close. The battery might not last. If you go too far and run out of battery, you’ll have to push the bike the rest of the way. Put on a jacket. It’s windy outside.”“Got it.”“Don’t ask Jasmine out for drinks. Zachary is worried about you, and I promised him I won’t let you drive recklessly or go drinking.”Serenity’s mood soured again at the mention of Zachary’s
Serenity and Sonny made two laps nearby and she ended up bringing Sonny to a nearby supermarket. They went home with a full load of snacks and a carton of milk.Serenity stopped the e-bike in front of Liberty’s block.She instinctively looked around but did not spot Zachary. She was relieved yet had mixed feelings.“Get down first, Sonny. I’ll push the bike into the garage and lock it up.”There was a public garage on the first floor for the tenants to park their vehicles.Serenity first lowered her nephew from the e-bike, then placed the snacks and the carton of milk she bought beside him.The little guy thought his aunt bought all these snacks for him, so he immediately squatted next to the bag and grabbed it with one hand while another was on the carton of milk. It was obvious he was trying to protect the food.“Sonny.”A familiar voice rang out.Sonny turned his head and saw Zachary standing behind him. He immediately stood up and called out happily, “Uncle Zack.”Then, h
After struggling to take his eyes off Serenity, Zachary quietly followed his sister-in-law out. Grabbing the paper and pen, Serenity wrote an apology and left her name and phone number so she could discuss repairs when the person got in touch. Seeing the anti-theft lock was unused, Serenity put the note on the pedal and clamped it down with the lock. Once she had done that, Serenity walked out of the parking garage. She saw her sister and nephew, but Zachary was nowhere to be found. “Liberty, is he gone?” “You bought a lot of stuff. Zachary volunteered to move them upstairs for you.” Pursing her lips, Serenity said nothing more. “You said you were just going out for a ride, but you ended up in a supermarket. I can’t leave you and Sonny in the supermarket. You shop until you drop.” With her son in her arms, Liberty chatted with her sister while climbing up the stairs. “Retail therapy is the best when you’re feeling down. You’ll come out of the store feeling new.” Lib
Since Serenity personally brought the piping hot glass of water out of the kitchen, Zachary assumed it was for him to warm himself up. Serenity was angry and gave him the snub, still refusing to forgive him. Nevertheless, her tiny gestures told Zachary that Serenity was not as heartless as she put herself out to be. With that in mind, Zachary felt a little better. As Sonny leaned forward, Zachary immediately moved the glass aside before hot water was knocked over. Sonny wanted to open the bag of snacks. Zachary pulled the bag over and opened it for him. “Thank you, Uncle Zack.” Grabbing a pack of chips from the grocery bag, Sonny gave it to Zachary and said, “This is for you, Uncle Zack. Aunt Ser said it’s tasty.” Aunt Ser rarely bought him chips, stating that too much junk food was not good for him. Yet, Aunt Ser always helped herself with a bag of chips. After Zachary took the bag of chips, Sonny dug out a few more snacks and gave them to Zachary. The little boy t
Struck by a thought, Zachary flipped the lights on and hurried to Serenity’s bedroom. He flung the door open and looked at the unchanged décor. Her things were still around. He examined her closet and found a few pieces of clothing missing. Her suitcase was still beside the wardrobe. She did not take all her things with her. Zachary sighed heavily with relief. He was so afraid of losing someone for the first time ever. Sitting on Serenity’s bed, Zachary brushed his fingers along her sheets as if he could feel her through her belongings. “Seren…” He murmured her name. “I’ll prove to you through my actions that you won’t hear another lie from me again!“You can ignore me for a year if I ever do anything to deceive or hurt you. Um… A year’s a bit long. Maybe three months.” After much thought, Zachary believed he would go crazy from three months of no interaction with Serenity. He mumbled to himself, “I think a week is fine. I lost my mind when you didn’t talk to me for a
Serenity said with a smile, “Of course, we’ll be open for business.” “They said you’ll sell the business and take it easy with life when we found out you were the missus of the York family. They also said they are willing to buy your business no matter the cost because of the good energy in your shop.” Mr. Charles added amid chuckles, “The place only has good energy because you’re there.” Did these people think they would marry up like Serenity just by taking over her shop? Nevertheless, it was not a bad idea to buy Serenity’s business. He could advertise saying that the shop once belonged to Mrs. York. “I’m still the same me, Mr. Charles. Jasmine and I put a lot of hard work into the shop. I can’t just give up on the shop after running it for so many years.” “I heard that the wives of wealthy families can’t work. Does Mr. York allow you to work?” Mr. Charles was in the mood for some gossip.Serenity kept quiet for a while before answering, “I’m a free person, Mr. Charle
Jasmine smiled. “Now this is the Serenity I know.” After parking her bike, Jasmine went to move the display racks out with Serenity. “Did Mr. York bother you afterward?” Jasmine asked with concern. While dusting off the racks, Serenity replied, “Do you think he would let me breathe and cool down for a few days?” “Nope.” Jasmine added, “Just turn a blind eye so long as he doesn’t cross the line by knocking you out and putting you under house arrest like last time. Mr. York is distressed and scared to lose you.” Serenity was without a word. Seeing that Serenity was not in the mood for a relationship chat, Jasmine took the hint and stopped diving into the topic.“Ah, the shop’s finally open. Serenity. Serenity.” The voice from the door was one to dig under Serenity’s skin. Old Mr. Hunt, leading his group of sons and grandsons, walked not the shop with big smiles. “Serenity.” Old Mr. Hunt beamed, looking at Serenity as if she was a goldmine. Man, he was blinded by the
Old Mr. Hunt said, “Fine, takeaway food it is. Serenity, don’t forget to pay the man later.” Serenity wanted to laugh. Leopards sure could not change their spots. These people were always trying to milk her in every way possible. She coldly blurted, “You order, you pay.” Serenity took a glance at the local produce John and Mike hoisted into the shop. Since the sacks were not sealed, she could see they were a bag of sweet potato and a sack of yam. Old Mr. Hunt thought he could handle the money of her business with two sacks of produce. She could not make this stuff up. Only her granddad would do such a thing. “Let bygones be bygones, Serenity. We have put the matter behind us. Don’t hold grudges. I’m your granddad no matter what. We’re more than willing to make it up to you and even make a public apology online. “I told John to draw up an apology, and it will soon be published online. “Now that all the misunderstandings are cleared up, we’re still one big happy famil
“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