Seeing that it was Josh, the two hounds stopped barking and wagged their tails at him. Josh was often around the Soxes’ residence in the name of hanging out with Drake. His frequent visits gave Mrs. Sox the wrong idea that Josh took a fancy to Drake, but it also drew him closer to the two hounds. Drake came to open the door. “Are you here for me?” Josh answered with a smile, “You wish. I’m here for your sister.” Drake grinned. “I found out yesterday that my mom thought you had a crush on me. Haha! That was hilarious.” “I’m surprised Mrs. Sox took it the wrong way.” “Well, you always came looking for me. Anyway, my sister’s getting dressed upstairs. She said she doesn’t care if you come, but she hasn’t decided what to wear since getting up. Oh, women. It’s one of those no-means-yes moments.” Josh told him off, “Don’t speak ill of your sister in front of me.” Drake commented, “Are you on her side already?” “Drake, is that Josh? Oh, it is Josh. Come on in.” Mrs. Sox
Josh said with a smile, “I better work on it so I can get the bigger gift from you soon.” “I heard that no gossip slips past your family,” Mr. Sox chimed in. Josh replied, “That’s true. Are you into gossip?” Mr. Sox uttered with a straight face, “Gossip doesn’t appeal to someone of my age, but you can share a little with me when we have nothing to do. I’m fine with it.” Squealing at her husband, Mrs. Sox remarked, “Jasmine takes after him.” Jasmine’s love for the buzz and gossip came from her father. Josh happened to be the same type. He and Jasmine seemed destined together. God knew what embarrassing moments Jasmine’s parents would share with Josh while she was not around. Hence, Jasmine finally decided on a dress after standing in front of her wardrobe all day. Jasmine wore a dress, grabbing her phone on the way out. “Get it together, Jas. Josh is downstairs.” Drake called her sister’s attention to her bearing. She should walk like a lady. Now that an eligible
Zachary had no idea his commitment to work had caused distress to the entire office. It was Monday after he took seven days to cool off. He invited Serenity out at the start of a new week. The injury on Serenity’s hand healed up well after seven days of rest. At least, she could now drive. Zachary asked to meet her at the presidential suite on the top floor of Wiltspoon Hotel. Serenity brought Sonny along. The little man was with her today because the facelift for Liberty’s restaurant was nearing completion. Since Liberty would be busy in the coming days, she did not have time to look after Sonny. The responsibility of caring for Sonny fell on Serenity’s shoulders. “Mrs. York.” Standing at the hotel entrance, Jim and his colleague watched as Serenity carried Sonny out of the car. Jim went ahead and respectfully said hello. “Where’s your boss?” “Mr. Zachary is waiting for you on the top floor. Please come with us.” Remaining deferential throughout, Jim and his colleagu
Paperwork for the transfer of Zachary’s personal assets, including York Corporation shares, bank accounts, and all title deeds of residential and commercial properties had been sorted and packed in one envelope for Serenity. “You will own the company’s equity, but I’ll manage York Corporation for you. The profit will be yours to keep. I’m only working for you. If you have a financial target in mind, I will do my best to help you reach that goal. “We can proceed with the paperwork to transfer everything to your name if you’re okay with it. I won’t keep anything. You can decide how much you want to give me for allowance.“I kept my guard against you, thinking you were out to get my money. Now, I’m handing over everything I have to you to prove my confidence in you and apologize through my actions. I promise all the hiding and lies won’t happen again.” Without looking at the deeds, Serenity stuffed the document back into the envelope and stared at him in silence. “Say something,
Pre-empting that Serenity would reject his gesture, Zachary put forth a threat before that could happen. “I’ll throw these papers out of the window if you don’t accept the envelope. You’re the head of the household. Why should I care if you don’t give a sh*t about our family asset? All that matters to me is you.” Serenity was lost for words. After going a week without seeing each other, Serenity thought he understood where she was coming from and was ready to change his tyrannical attitude when he asked to meet. Nevertheless, Serenity was left to sigh at his threat. A leopard could not possibly change its spots. He was born this way. She should not have counted on herself to be special and be able to change him. Zachary would not change, and she did not want to change. The only option left was to work their problems out one by one. Serenity locked eyes with Zachary for a long time before picking up the envelope. She pulled out a black card from the envelope and gave it to
“Um… Can I take you to see our properties?” Zachary was referring to the houses he bought before they got married. The properties he bought were mostly villas with front and back gardens. Zachary only purchased properties in catchment areas that were highly sought after. He was single back then, but he knew his family would not stop bugging him about getting married. There would be a time when he would have a family of his own. For his children’s education, he bought houses in a few areas with great schools. His future children would have the freedom to study wherever they wanted to. “Aren’t you busy with your work?” “Work comes second when I’m with you.” Serenity replied disagreeably, “It should at least be sometime during the weekend when you and I don’t have to work.” She did not want to pull him out of his busy schedule. Zachary was only testing the waters. Now that he got an answer, he could breathe a sigh of relief. For Serenity to be fine with looking at the
It then dawned on Zachary the difference in various levels. Serenity would end up like Liberty before the divorce if she did not have a job. She would have to rely on Zachary’s handouts, which he might start to moan about at some time. Unlike his mother, Serenity did not go from one wealthy family to another. Even without working, his mother received profits from her family trust fund and inheritance to be financially independent. Tania once mentioned that her parents were worried she might have a rough time with her in-laws after marrying Zachary’s father, the heir of the York family. To counter that, her parents named Tania as one of the bigger beneficiaries of the family inheritance. There was a company under Zachary’s mother’s name that grew into a listed corporation through the decades. His mother now managed a company that brought in billions in revenue. Suddenly, it made sense to Zachary why Serenity asked for independence and to have time to blend into his circle. S
Serenity carried Sonny all the way to the car. She unlocked and opened the door to place Sonny in his child’s seat. She then turned around to face Zachary who was standing behind her. “I got to go.” Zachary looked into her eyes for a while before finding his voice. “Okay.” He looked at her front bumper and commented, “You should use another car.” Serenity had gotten into the car and started the engine by then. Winding down the window, she said, “This is the first car you gave me.” Zachary’s eyes darkened. She drove off. Standing there, Zachary watched as her car disappeared. Jim, together with the other bodyguards, stood on duty a distance away. They dared not come close. Although Mr. Zachary and his wife did not get into another fight, the couple was distant from each other. The prior lovingness was no more. Once Serenity’s car was out of sight, Zachary put his hand up and waved. His security detail approached. “To the office,” Zachary uttered gruffly. With Ji