“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
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
“It’s okay if you don’t want my bouquets. Can you feel my sincere love for you through these letters?“I fell in love with you at first sight, and I fell even harder the second time I saw you.”Manny’s gaze was affectionate as if he truly loved Tati. To be honest, Tati was outstanding in various aspects. She was good enough for him, a young master of the Longbottoms. They were also close in age and definitely had common topics to talk about. However, Tati refused to give him a chance and rejected his confession. That did not matter. After all, it had not been long since he started pursuing Tati. As the O’Connors had more daughters than sons, he could understand that their daughters would be especially cautious regarding romantic relationships. They did not want men dating them solely for the O’Connor family’s money. Although that had been Manny’s initial intention, he was satisfied with Tati after meeting her in person. He was willing to marry her. Besides, Tati was com
Meanwhile, in Satbury, Tati returned to the company but was forced to stop her car at the entrance. Some people were decorating the entrance with flowers. Security tried to chase them away, but they did not even budge. The security guards seemed wary of something and did not force those people to leave. A few cars were parked nearby, including a truck that still carried fresh flowers.Tati did not honk. There were people and flowers on the road before her and honking was useless anyway, or she could simply drive past without a care. She got out of the car to have a look. “Sweet Tati.”An unfamiliar voice rang. Tati looked toward the person who called her and frowned. She recognized that person. He was Manny Longbottom, the eldest son of the interim head of the family.Mr. Longbottom had come over several times for business negotiations. However, it was not yet his scheduled timing. Even if he were the Longbottom family’s interim head, there would be no special treatmen
First, Adrian poured himself a glass of water. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Jacob while sipping his water.When the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “We’re going ahead with the plan. Caroline will be heading to Fortress Hotel later to meet with a client. After the meeting, she’ll have dinner there.“The discussion and dinner will take a long time. By the time she leaves the hotel, it’ll already be nighttime. She probably won’t go anywhere else after that.“Wait for her on the route she usually takes home. Her license plate is CA 201. Got it?”Adrian made sure Jacob remembered Caroline’s license plate number. He had also sent the information via text, so unless the person had an exceptionally bad memory, they should be able to recall it.Jacob replied, “Got it. We’ll have to start preparing, then. Try to get Caroline to drink some alcohol. If she’s drunk, it’ll be easier to handle her.”After all, they could not guarantee that the