“It has nothing to do with Zachary. I cut myself by accident.” Acting like everything was okay, Serenity said to Elisa, “Elisa, the thing about me and Zachary…” “I don’t blame you, Seren. You don’t have to explain or apologize to me. It’s not like we just met. I’m only furious that Zachary lied to both of us. He made a monkey out of us cousins.” Moments ago, Jasmine had told Elisa the whole story about Serenity finding out Zachary’s identity. Elisa’s heart went out to her cousin who was fooled the whole time. “Seren, I gave up on Zachary a long time ago. I got over Zachary the moment I found out he was married. I feel more at peace after I backed off and stopped thinking about him for a while. Don’t let me come in the way of your decision. Lying aside, he’s someone you can spend the rest of your life with. “Of course, since he played you like a fiddle, I hope you take your time in forgiving him. At least, make him suffer for a bit.” Now that Elisa thought about it, she was
Zachary showed a sour face and held his tongue. Since there was no point talking sense into Zachary now, Josh suggested, “Why don’t you stay in the office while I do the snooping around for you? I think you need some distraction and what better way to get your mind off things than work? It will take more than a day or two before the conflict between you and your wife can be resolved. “It doesn’t help to hurry things along. You’re only making more room for mistakes if you rush into it.” It was true that Zachary needed to do something to distract himself. Helpless, he said, “You’ve just gotta let me know that you want to skip work. Don’t use spying for me as an excuse.” Josh chuckled. “I’ve been working my *ss for you for so many years. It’s time I get a couple of days off.” He and Jasmine had not made progress in their relationship. It was probably due to Zachary and Serenity that Jasmine remained on the sidelines. Josh could tell Jasmine was interested, but she held her fe
Judging by the timing of Josh’s arrival, Jasmine guessed that Zachary went to the office. “What did Elisa say or do when she found out that Zachary was Mr. York?” Josh did not send the photos to Zachary right away after taking them. Elisa had taken Serenity to the hospital to redress the injury anyway. Zachary would summon him back to the office while he himself would check on his wife at the hospital if Josh were to send him the photos right now. Josh selfishly thought to himself, ‘All I’m asking for is a half-day.’ He wanted to spend some alone time with Jasmine before going back to slaving himself at the office. Josh believed he must have owed Zachary tremendously in another life because he was ungrudgingly paying Zachary back by bending over backward now. “She blamed Mr. York for lying to Serenity. She didn’t do anything though. Mr. York didn’t defend himself, probably because he couldn’t talk his way out of the truth.” Jasmine looked at Josh. “You wealthy and power
Josh was not impressed, to say the least. He had asked Jasmine out many times, but her parents still had no clue that he was pursuing their daughter. Here Mrs. Sox thought Mr. Bucham was asking Drake out. Josh was lost for words. Jasmine took her mother’s call. “Mom.” Jasmine chirped, “What can I do for you, mother dearest?” “Don’t act smart with me. Come home early tonight. We’re going to your aunt’s for dinner.” Jasmine asked warily, “What’s the occasion since we’re having dinner at Aunt Rachel’s place?” Mrs. Sox fell silent for a while before asking in a hushed tone, “Is Serenity with you?” “No.” “Good. Shawn’s back but only for a couple of days. Your aunt has been missing him since he went to Havenmill. Mothers are all the same. We can’t stop worrying when our children are miles away. Now that Shawn’s back for a few days, your aunt wants to organize a get-together.” Scowling, Jasmine glanced at Josh and relayed the question that had been bugging her. “Mom, is
Mrs. Sox would not approve if Shawn continued to dwell on Serenity. What was the meaning of pestering a married woman? “Oh, that reminds me. Your aunt found another nice man for you. You can meet the guy at tonight’s dinner. Your aunt said the guy doesn’t come from a wealthy family. She gave up on that criteria since you hate it so much.” Truth be told, Mrs. Lowe knew her niece had kissed goodbye the notion of marrying a rich husband the moment Jasmine lay herself down on the floor at Mrs. Dawson’s birthday party. That was when Mrs. Lowe called it quits on playing the matchmaker. After staying out of her niece’s business for a while, Mrs. Lowe was once again back to find a man for her niece. Jasmine was twenty-six and single with no boyfriend in sight. Aunt Rachel was nervous for her niece who was not getting any younger. The anxiousness was getting to Mrs. Sox too. The two ladies would always think about setting Jasmine up on dates whenever they got together. “Your aunt
Nevertheless, Josh was a brilliant man. Mrs. Sox would sigh to herself every time Josh invited her son out for dinner. She would leap with delight if Josh asked her daughter out instead. In fact, Mrs. Sox would be laughing in her sleep. Josh earnestly replied, “Mrs. Sox, I’m not pretending to be Jasmine’s date. To put it accurately, I’m pursuing Jasmine. She hasn’t agreed to be my girlfriend.” Mrs. Sox put the phone away from her ear, making sure she had called the right number. She picked her ear before placing the phone back against it. She asked, “Are you really Mr. Bucham?” “It’s me, Mrs. Sox.” “Did you say you’re wooing Jasmine and not Drake?” Josh replied, “Mrs. Sox… I’m a straight guy. I only like women.” He moaned in his mind, ‘My future mother-in-law and Jasmine are the same to suspect I have a thing for Drake.’Amusingly, Mrs. Sox did not stop him from asking Drake out despite her suspicions. The old lady was quite open-minded. “But you’re so nice to Drake,
Unfortunately, those good days were coming to an end.Josh finally ended the call with Mrs. Sox.He returned the phone to Jasmine and looked at her with a smile and said, “Let’s go to your aunt’s house for dinner tonight. What should I prepare? What’s my status now?”Jasmine glanced at him as she continued to eat, and said, “Even if you’re a scumbag, my aunt and the others will still think that you’re the best.”He was Josh Bucham, the Mr. Bucham from York Corporation, and from the mysterious Bucham family. That status and identity were what her aunt wanted her niece to have.When they discovered that Serenity’s husband was the heir of the York family, Jasmine’s mother and aunt envied Serenity’s good fortune in front of Jasmine for having taken one of the most outstanding men in Wiltspoon.They always looked at Jasmine when they praised Serenity, and Jasmine knew very well what those expressions meant.Josh said confidently, “I’m not a scumbag. Not to blow my own trumpet, but th
Jasmine could not help but laugh. “You can be a landlord whenever you want.”“My family’s houses and stores belong to my parents, not me. My mom only told me to collect the rent because she’s too lazy to do it herself, and she gives me a few thousand as remuneration.”Her parents’ money belonged to themselves.Her capabilities could only be measured by the money she earned by herself.“Aunt Rachel said that Shawn came back and asked us to go over for dinner for a get-together.“He just came back for the weekend to see my aunt. He won’t try to bug Seren, so you and Mr. York should stop attacking him and Lowe Enterprise.”Jasmine was not dumb. She figured everything out after learning that Zachary was from the York family.Jasmine would not believe that Josh did not have a hand in Lowe Enterprise being attacked.Josh did not have a guilty conscience, so he said, “Zachary only told Mr. Lowe the reason he terminated their cooperation out of consideration for you and I. Otherwise, L
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k
Dylan said, “Go ahead.”He was a bit hungry too and wanted to eat.Imogen called for Wendy and instructed her to make a fresh pot of tea and serve some of the snacks she usually ate.Once Wendy finished preparing the tea, Imogen poured a cup for Dylan and said, “You can start your story now.”“Ms. Doyle, I’m not making up a story, I’m—Ms. Doyle, you are Fox, aren’t you?” Dylan asked again.“Mr. York, I’ve told you, I don’t know who Fox is. I only know a fox is an animal, like in the zoo. If you ask me again if I’m Fox, I’ll think you’re calling me a vixen.”“‘Fox’ is just a nickname, meaning she’s very cunning and deceptive. I call her Chameleon Fox for her ability to shape-shift into many different identities. She changes so much that people mistake her for many different people, but in reality, she’s only one person.”Imogen looked quite interested and said, “Oh, so you think I’m Chameleon Fox, who likes to deceive people? Do you have any evidence for this?”“No, I don’t.”“
Couples always talked about eternal love, but how many could truly last forever?Dylan stammered, unable to say anything. Could he say that he suspected she was Fox? It was just a guess, with no evidence.Under Imogen’s gaze, Dylan steeled himself and spoke honestly, “I came to apologize to you.”Imogen raised an eyebrow. “Apologize? You already apologized to me the last time we spoke. There’s no need to apologize again. I’m not angry at you. When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s all about reciprocation. You can’t force it.“Feelings can’t be pressured into existence, so I won’t pressure you to accept me.“Plus, it’s been so long, and I have no feelings for you anymore. For that, I should thank you for clearing things up for me early on. At that time, I had just started to like you and could give up so quickly because of that.”Dylan, embarrassed, said, “Ms. Doyle, it’s not about that. Recently, I… secretly followed you.”“You followed me? Why?” Imogen pretended to be clue
“Drink it while it’s hot. Only when it’s steaming will it have the best effect to ward off the cold.”Dylan nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. He threw the tissue into the trash bin, but when he saw that the bin was full of tissues, he felt even more embarrassed.He picked the steaming hot soup up carefully and took a big sip.It was so spicy!The spice almost made him spit it out. Remembering that Imogen was right next to him, he forced himself to swallow it. After just one sip, Dylan put the bowl down.“Ms. Doyle, the soup is too hot. I’ll drink it later,” he said.It was too spicy. He did not want to take a second sip.“I’ll take the medicine first,” he added.Compared to drinking the soup, Dylan would rather take the medicine. The medicine might be bitter, but he could handle it.Imogen immediately called him out. “You’re afraid of the spice and you don’t want to drink the soup, do you?”Dylan sneezed again and then poured himself some water to take the medicine.Hav
All he could do was hold it in. However, he soon sneezed again.Imogen commented, “My dad told you to stand in the cold without your coat, and you really did it, like an idiot. It’s not like you feel anything for me or you’re trying to win my affection, so there’s really no need for you to listen to my dad.”Luckily, she came out quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have turned into an icicle.“It was my fault before. I hurt you, so it's only natural that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are angry with me. They didn’t hit me or scold me, and they just made me stand out in the cold for a while; they’re already being very lenient,” said Dylan, sneezing again.He was usually in good health, but this time, he was afraid he might really catch a cold.Imogen glanced at him without saying anything. She led Dylan into the house and asked their housekeeper if the soup was ready.Wendy replied, “Almost.”Imogen nodded and asked Dylan to sit down. Then, she poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Have you ea
Dylan finally put his coat on after Imogen said that. He had only been standing there for half an hour but even in that short time, he had become so cold.Once he put his jacket on, Imogen turned around and began walking inside. “Come with me.”“Okay,” Dylan quickly bent down to grab the gifts before quickening his steps to catch up with Imogen. “Thank you, Ms. Doyle.”Imogen glanced at him for a moment before turning away. “I was just afraid you might freeze to death at my doorstep, and then your family would come after mine. Plus, since your sisters-in-law are my good friends, I couldn't just let you die at my gate.”After leaving Wiltspoon, Imogen had not gone back there under her real name, but she had stayed in touch with Serenity and the others and was still on very good terms with them.Dylan smiled and said, “Serenity will give birth in a few months, and Josh’s wife is also pregnant, but she's a month ahead of Serenity. Liberty and Duncan have already registered their marr
Her daughter’s excellence was all thanks to Silver’s influence.“What I wanted to tell you was that Dylan is standing at our doorstep. He said he wanted to see you. Your dad and I refused and told him to leave, but he’s not budging.”Imogen was not surprised by this, but she still pretended to be surprised, so as not to raise her mother’s suspicion.“Why’s he here?” Imogen asked, feigning ignorance.“Who knows? He didn’t say. He only said he wanted to see you. The way he treated you, playing with your feelings—your dad and I have been holding in a lot of anger for a long time. “But you didn’t want us to confront him, so we couldn’t vent it. Now he’s come knocking, wanting to see you? It won’t be that easy.”Imogen was not planning to meet Dylan either.“Your dad told him to stand outside for two hours with his coat off and that if he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll let him see you.”Imogen was speechless for a moment. “Mom, it’s freezing outside. Even wearing a thick coat, it’s