While carrying Sonny with one hand, Mrs. Stone held Serenity’s hand and glanced at it. Distressed and helpless, she said, “Since Zachary confessed his identity, you’ve always stopped me from standing up for you. You didn’t come to me and pour out your feelings either. I’m so worried that my hair has turned gray. You and your sister are always this stubborn.“I remember that your mom has a good temper and isn’t stubborn at all. I wonder whom you take after with your stubbornness.Serenity laughed and asked, “Didn’t you say my sister and I take after you in temper?”Mrs. Stone choked. She recalled that she admired Serenity and her sister not just because of their kinship, but also because of the way the two of them conducted themselves.Indeed, Serenity took after Mrs. Stone in stubbornness.“Now that you came over today, what help do you need from me?”Ever since Zachary confessed his identity, all Elisa felt was anger. Even so, she did not fall out with Serenity. She took pity on
Deep down, Serenity wondered who else she could spend the rest of her life with apart from Zachary.That domineering man would panic if she mentioned that she wanted to break up.Since she could not split with him, she could only try to blend in with his circle.“Lately, I’ve received quite a number of invitations. I haven’t taken a look at them. They shouldn’t be of importance. The butler did not deliberately remind me.”Mrs. Stone added, “Since you want to tag along to accumulate your experience, I’ll let you join every social gathering with me.”As she was speaking, she ordered someone to hand her the invitation cards.After looking at all the invitations, she passed them to Serenity. “Seren, please sort these cards based on the dates, in ascending order. I’ll then describe to you the organizers of each social gathering, what businesses they are doing, how they became wealthy, their family members, and their personalities.“When you get along with other people, it’s crucial t
Mrs. Stone was at a loss for words.“Seren, since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll sacrifice myself to accompany you and Mom to play pretend with others. On that kind of occasion, everyone puts on an act.”Mrs. Stone was infuriated by her daughter.Serenity laughed and said, “In my opinion, we need to learn to tolerate a lot of things, considering that you’ve decided to learn to grow a business.”“How great it would be if Elisa is half as understanding as you are.”Mrs. Stone could not do anything to her daughter. Of course, her daughter had enough capital, so she could act however she wanted without having to make a false show of compliance.“Elisa is great. I like how straightforward Elisa is.”Elisa lifted her chin complacently and said to her mother, “Mom, look, you think Serenity is better than me, but she thinks that I’m great.”“Oh you, becoming so arrogant with just one compliment.”The three of them were chatting merrily. With Sonny’s baby talk in between, the house was
Mrs. Stone cast a glance at her niece and said, “From the day we know each other until now, this is Zachary’s first time paying a visit.”Serenity brought some dishes to Sonny and said indifferently, “He’s guilty.”“He’s indeed guilty. He definitely came over for your sake. I feel angry that he lied to you too, but it’s undeniable that he has fallen in love with you.“You’ve known him for several months, but I’ve truly known him for a decade, so I have a better understanding of him than you do.”The Yorks were very protective of their children. Before the children grew up and stepped into the business world, the public had no idea who they were. The children kept a low profile and were no different from any ordinary child.That was why Mrs. Stone said that she had truly known Zachary for a decade.At that time, Zachary was already under training at York Corporation. He officially showed his face when his grandparents took him to a grand business reception.Since he took over Yor
Elisa continued to eat. Seemingly, she was indifferent toward Zachary’s arrival.At that moment, her mother’s eyes were fixed on her. She looked up and said to her mother, “Mom, why are you staring at me? Your nephew-in-law is here, not your son-in-law. Your son-in-law isn’t found yet, so you still need to support me for several more years.”“If you don’t want to get married, I can support you forever.”“Please. I’m 27 this year. If I round it up, I’ll already be 30. My concern is that you’re not worried about it. You might act like Jasmine’s mother where you can’t wait to kick me out of the house if there’s a man pursuing me.”That was how Mrs. Sox treated Jasmine.Of course, Josh was outstanding and had a glib tongue. He managed to persuade the Soxes to take his side. The Soxes nearly made Josh marry Jasmine.“Mom, since you’re keen on meeting your nephew-in-law, hurry up and let him in. Now that we’ve just started eating, you can ask him to join us. If you’re not, then I’ll dr
“You chose such great timing. We’re just about to eat.”While speaking, Serenity opened the gate of the villa for Zachary.Zachary said shamelessly, “I’m here to sponge food off you.”Serenity replied with a friendly sneer, “I feel really sorry for you.”He shamelessly came to the Stones to sponge food off them for Serenity’s sake.It would be a lie to say that he was calm. Serenity knew that when she was angry at him for lying to her, he was silently changing his ways for her.Zachary stared at her deeply and said affectionately, “I’ll show respect for those you care about. I’ll be wherever you are without any fear.”“Don’t make it seem as though my aunt’s house is frightening. She’s very nice.“By the way, Elisa is at home too.”Serenity reminded Zachary.Undoubtedly, she would not misunderstand Zachary for having feelings for Elisa. As he said, he did not accept Elisa’s love or promise her anything. It was Elisa’s own decision to be interested in him and pursue him. This h
As usual, Sonny’s face was covered with rice. There was also a lot of rice on the table. Mrs. Stone and Elisa left him alone. Mrs. Stone felt that the kid needed to learn how to clean the mess on his own. Even if he failed to handle it well at first, the more he practiced it, the better he would get at it.A few months later, Sonny would turn three. It was about time to learn how to eat.Zachary touched Sonny’s head before turning his eyes to Mrs. Stone and calling her “Aunt Audrey” gently.Mrs. Stone replied in a soft tone, “Mm. I’m coming. You can start eating.”A servant had already prepared the cutlery for Zachary.After greeting Mrs. Stone, Zachary turned his gaze to Elisa. She was focused on eating and did not beam like how she used to when she saw him. After Zachary pursed his lips, he said, “Hi, cuz!”“Ha—”“Ahem—”Elisa spewed her food. Then, she choked and coughed.The person closest to Elisa was Mrs. Stone. She promptly lifted a glass of water and handed it to her d
Mrs. Stone grinned and said to her daughter, “Sonny dislikes the perfume you’re using, huh? It’s fine. Let’s eat. Don’t haggle over it with a three-year-old kid.”Elisa raised her arm and smelled herself. Indeed, she sensed the faint smell of perfume.She recalled how Sonny disliked her scent. Since the kid could not tell that it was perfume, other people might misunderstand that she stank. “I won’t wear perfume anymore. This way, I can save my money as well.”Serenity laughed and said, ”Sonny was just talking nonsense. Elisa, don’t blame him. He’s still young.”“It’s precisely because he’s young that he was telling the truth.”Regarding the remark Sonny made about her smell, Elisa took it to heart.She was particularly fond of Sonny, yet he disliked her because of her smell.“Let’s start eating,” Mrs. Stone said with a grin.Now that she was old, she did not wear any perfume. She found it best to be natural.However, her daughter was still young. It was natural for her to b
“Still not up yet?” Leticia smiled and said as she entered her daughter’s room after the door opened. Imogen’s room was decorated in a warm style, but the furniture was minimal. Aside from the bed, a computer desk, and a set of sofas, she preferred things to be simple. Her room was also the smallest. She said that if the room was too big, it felt empty and she could not sleep well. Leticia thought it was because when her daughter learned self-defense from her master, she lived in a small room with her fellow disciples, so she had gotten used to smaller spaces.Compared to the average person, Imogen's room was actually quite large, but against the rooms of the other family members, hers looked smaller.Leticia sat down on the sofa.“Mom, let me change first.” With her mother here, Imogen could no longer lie in bed. She went to change and wash up, then came out of the bathroom. She poured her mother a cup of water and placed it in front of her before sitting next to her. “Mom, a
Dylan was speechless.Leaving the warm indoors, he felt Huntington's winter was really cold. It was below freezing, and the temperature was as low as 14°F to 32°F. He had never experienced such low temperatures in Wiltspoon.In Wiltspoon, the moment the temperature dropped to 50°F, everyone would start saying it was freezing.Winston and Leticia headed back. Leticia whispered to her husband, “What if he really stands there for two hours without his coat and freezes to death?”They wanted to stand up for their daughter, but they did not want to kill Dylan. That would make them enemies of the Yorks. Even if they could not become in-laws, they definitely did not want to become enemies.Winston replied, “If he really does it, in half an hour, I’ll let Jen come out and call him inside. If he doesn't follow my request, he won’t freeze to death.”At most, he would just catch a cold. If he did not do it, nothing would happen.“I don’t think he’s here for love this time either. I’m not s
Leticia harrumphed as well. “Mr. York, why are you here?” Leticia asked coldly. “We don't welcome you here. Go back to wherever you came from.”Dylan smiled awkwardly, “Mrs. Doyle, I just want to see Ms. Imogen.”“Imogen doesn't want to see you. Hurry up and leave, or we'll let the guard dogs out.” Leticia rejected him outright. “And you’d better stay as far away as possible. Do you think our Imogen is someone you can just toy and flirt with just because you want to, then say you haven't fallen for her and play with her feelings?“What's the matter? Has the Mr. York, whose heart belongs to someone else, still not managed to win his lady love over?” Leticia mocked, though she was actually probing into the reason for Dylan's visit.Dylan just took the insults without getting angry. He knew he had hurt Imogen. Even though she was someone who could take things in stride, the fact remained he had flirted with her and turned to claim he did not like her, which had hurt her feelings.
Otherwise, the Old Mrs. York would not have taken a liking to her in the first place.“I'll go out and have a look.” Leticia could not sit still and stood up to leave. She wanted to mock that York boy. Winston replied, “I'll go with you.”He was worried that his wife might soften her heart because she was quite pleased with Dylan at first. Well, to be honest, he was too.It was mainly because everyone in Huntington knew of the Wiltspoon Yorks’ reputation. The men of the York family were devoted and loyal to their marriages, and once they married, it was for life.For women, the York family was an excellent family for marriage. Who would not want to marry into it? Families with daughters also hoped their daughters would marry York men, or those who were as devoted as them. Leticia hummed in assent and the couple hurried out.Dylan's car was parked in front of the Doyles’ residence. He had switched to a different car, afraid the security guards might recognize his vehicle, eve
“Goodnight, Mom,” Imogen said.As Leticia turned the doorknob to enter her room, Imogen suddenly asked, “Mom, if Dylan comes looking for me again, would you let him in?”“I'd set the guard dog on him.”Imogen chuckled softly, “Mom, you’re all talk. If he really does, you might just smile from ear to ear and think he’s realized he actually loves me.”Leticia was silent for a moment before she said, “Regardless, I have to make him sweat a little.” After saying that, Leticia quickly closed the door, feeling too embarrassed to face her daughter. She internally sighed. Dylan was the son-in-law she had hoped for. If Dylan really did realize that he actually loved Jen and came back for her, Leticia wondered if she should forgive him for the things he had done months ago. Dylan had hurt her daughter, but… never mind. It was between the two young ones. She should let them handle it themselves. There was no way Dylan would come back anyway.Leticia did not expect her daughter’s hypothet
Leticia then heard faint footsteps. When she went out to check, she saw it was her daughter. That was why she asked.“My friend invited me out for a late-night snack.” Imogen lied, not telling her mother that she had gone to meet that thief. She knew that Dylan wanted to break in by climbing the wall, but she kept to herself because she did not want her mother to have a bad impression of him.Leticia had met Dylan back when he was deliberately approaching her and knowing he was one of the Wiltspoon Yorks, she was very pleased with him. Since Leticia thought so highly of Dylan and said a lot of good things about the York family before her, Imogen took this into consideration and saw him as a potential partner. However, when she started to have feelings for him, he told her that after trying for two or three months, he still could not fall for her.“I thought you didn’t like eating late-night snacks? Anyway, you should just eat what you want at home. Why go out? It’s so cold,” Let
It was already two in the morning by the time she returned to the Doyle residence.Fox changed her clothes in the car, the one she frequently used that always carried several outfits, multiple hyper-realistic masks, and various makeup supplies.Sometimes, she would simply wear a mask and transform herself into someone else.Other times, she would change her outfit and use her exceptional makeup skills to alter her appearance.However, makeup would sometimes reveal small flaws, so wearing a mask was much safer.Imogen moved as quietly as possible when she went upstairs, not wanting to wake her family.Although it was the holidays, her mother was still exhausted from all the preparations.Imogen no longer felt the same anticipation for the holidays as she did in childhood.When she was little, she always looked forward to the holidays when she could take a break from homework. Receiving gifts was secondary.Children of the Doyle family, whether boy or girl, faced extreme pressur
“Sugar is a young and beautiful woman like you. She’s also skilled in self-defense.”Dylan walked toward her.“Little fox, are you Sugar? Silver once had ‘Fox’ as his nickname too. You’re one of Silver’s disciples, right?”Dylan did not know if Imogen was Fox, but he had long suspected Sugar was.That was because Sugar had small details that mirrored Fox’s.He was not able to confirm it because Sugar noticed that he suspected her and no longer gave him the chance to test her.That only made him more certain that Sugar was Fox.“Does he have to be my master just because his nickname used to be ‘Fox’? There are plenty of people with nicknames like that.“I’m not Sugar, so stop guessing. However, I’ve heard of Silver before. The York family is quite impressive to know of him even though he’s been in seclusion for decades. That means your family is quite close to him.”Dylan stared at her intently.Her expression was calm without a trace of guilt.The more she acted like that, t
“Dylan York, are you trying to pursue Ms. Doyle again?” Fox asked.Dylan denied it. “No. I made it clear to Ms. Doyle before. It’s my fault for not being able to love her. That was months ago, so she should’ve moved on from me. I won’t go looking for her again just to stir things up. Little fox, the person I like is you. You’re the only one I’ll marry in my lifetime.”Dylan declared that he would not marry anyone other than Fox.He had only set his eyes on Imogen because he suspected that she and Fox were the same person.Imogen never noticed, but Fox did.She was sharp as ever.Dylan did not mind that his future wife was better than him. He was confident in himself as a man. Besides, there was nothing embarrassing about being defeated by his wife.For example, Hayden was more capable than Kevin, but was Kevin embarrassed about it?Not at all. Kevin doted on his wife like she was the center of his world.Hayden was an amazing woman who lived more than two decades as a man, but