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
Much as Zachary wished to maintain his current relationship with Serenity so she could be happy and relaxed, he did not say anything else. She took pity on Serenity as she was changing her life for his sake.However, he could not bring himself to let her go.He would attend social gatherings occasionally to make an appearance, but he would soon leave. As for the women in his family, everyone would admire and flatter them ladies whenever they showed up. Hence, it would be impossible for them to get bullied.Nevertheless, there was one point Zachary would not overlook, namely that his mother and aunts grew up in wealthy families.His mother’s and aunts’ marriages with the Yorks were considered well-matched.At the thought of Serenity’s circumstances, Zachary gradually came to understand her persistence.Zachary held Serenity’s hand.To save his dignity in front of her aunt, Serenity did not shake his hand off.Zachary was just holding her hand tightly without saying a word.Afte
“I’m going to work now.”Zachary walked out of the Stones’ villa reluctantly and left under Serenity’s gaze.Sonny touched the part of his cheek where his uncle pinched, then he asked Serenity, “Aunt Ser, Uncle Zak just called me a third wheel. My name is Sonny, not a third wheel.”While carrying Sonny, Serenity returned to the house and said gently, “Your uncle was just joking with you. You’re not a third wheel but a peacemaker.”If she brought Sonny along to meet Zachary, the two of them would control their temper and avoid conflict. This would be helpful in improving their relationship and trust in each other.They were very concerned about the healthy environment in which the child grew up. Therefore, Sonny acted as a reconciler between the couple even though he was not their child.“I’m Sonny.”“Fine, fine. You’re Sonny.”Only then was Sonny satisfied.He had no idea what a third wheel or peacemaker was. All he knew was that his full name was Sonny Brown, and his nickname
“My boss suddenly showed mercy and attended the social function on his own. I’m quite relaxed, so I came over to pick you up after work. Let’s have a meal together. I made a reservation and even ordered the dishes at Wiltspoon Hotel. Once we arrive, we can straight away have the dishes served without waiting.“I’ve also bought two movie tickets. After dinner, we can watch a movie. It’s rare that I have so much leisure time.”Ever since Josh became Zachary’s administrative executive, he had been really busy.He barely had nights with no social functions to attend.Josh was busiest during the period when Zachary and Serenity’s relationship improved. It was because Zachary always assigned the company’s matters to Josh while he spent time with his wife. When Jasmine was about to speak, Josh suddenly swung around and ran out.Jasmine was dazed for a moment before she asked Mrs. Lane, “I haven’t said anything, have I? Why did he run out all of a sudden?”Mrs. Lane said, “Just now, I
Jasmine ordered food delivery for Mrs. Lane and passed the store key to her. She said, “Mrs. Lane, you can close the store and go home whenever you want after you have dinner. You can keep the key or pass it to your missus.”“Missus said that she won’t be available for the next few days. So I’ll come over to help out on her behalf. Let me keep the key.”Mrs. Lane added with a smile, “Ms. Sox and Mr. Bucham, both of you can go ahead and eat together. I can watch the store.”Mrs. Lane had helped in the store for quite a long period. She could remember the book prices. Even if she was alone, it would not affect the operation of the store.Jasmine felt at ease when she left with Josh. They headed to Wiltspoon Hotel for dinner.“How has Zachary been lately?” Jasmine asked concernedly.While driving, Josh said, “He’s busier than ever. He’s been working around the clock like Superman. I could hardly keep up with him. Those working under him have been grumbling, and many of them expect m