Callum remembered that Kevin was six feet two and understood Grandma May’s arrangements.Callum was only five foot seven. If he were to get together with Hayden, she would be taller than him.Out of the nine brothers, Kevin was the tallest.“Even if a woman dresses up as a man, there’ll be signs. A woman’s Adam’s apple is less obvious.”Serenity stared at Hayden’s picture. Her interest was genuinely piqued. ‘Why did she pretend to be a man for more than twenty years?’“Seren, there are clothes to hide the Adam’s apple.”Serenity was speechless.She did not think of that.“Who is Casey Stoll?” she asked curiously.Zachary took the initiative to explain, “She’s the president of Stoll Corporation in Annenburg. She’s a little pitiful. She lost all her family members except for her little sister, so she had no choice but to take over the family business. Her life has been quite hard. She often dresses in unisex clothing, but she’s very powerful and influential, so people mistake he
Zachary and Callum said in their hearts, ‘Nana won’t do anything she’s uncertain about.’Zachary took Camryn’s photo from his beloved wife’s hand and handed it to Callum, then started to glare at the latter again.Callum was speechless… “I’ll go now, Zachary and Serenity. You guys continue chatting. Eat more, Zachary!”What a cheapskate!Serenity said there was enough food for them to eat together, but Zachary would not let him eat!He could only find an excuse to leave, but he could not let Serenity notice that it was because Zachary was being stingy and not letting him stay.Callum left, leaving the young couple in the office.“Have you eaten, Seren?”“I ate before I came here.”Serenity would not let herself go hungry.Zachary was just about to reach out for the food when his wife smacked his hand.“You’re an adult. Use a spoon.”She handed him the utensils. “Hurry up and eat. Cold food isn’t good for your stomach.”Zachary took the spoon and said to Serenity, “I’ll eat
Zachary casually raised the question as he pulled Serenity’s hand over to play with after he finished eating.The last time he met Clive, he even mentioned how Clive had not had a child despite several years of marriage. Now, Alice suddenly got pregnant.He wondered when his Seren would get pregnant too.Zachary was not in a hurry to have a baby. He just liked the process.After remaining chaste for so long, all the cells in his body were screaming at him, desiring Serenity.Unfortunately, he had to hold back for a while longer.He pulled her hand up to check her injured finger and make sure that it was recovering well. Lowering his head, he tenderly kissed the wounded finger.It was his fault that caused her to get hurt.“I talked to Liberty about it. She’ll go buy some supplements. She’s a mother, so she knows more than I do. Once she buys them, we’ll send them over together.”Serenity was genuinely happy about Alice’s pregnancy.“That’s fine. I’ll reimburse Liberty for the
Grandma May nagged Liberty. “Your sister and you don’t know how to use the York family name for your own benefit. If you agree to let me arrange for those boys to come over and support your restaurant, I guarantee that your business will be booming.”If all nine young masters of the York family came here for breakfast, they would be a walking advertisement.However, Liberty refused.“Nana, we want to rely on ourselves. My aunt is also always saying that she wants to help me. The pressure on Seren will be greater if I refuse.“Have you eaten yet? We can eat together if you don’t mind.”Liberty fed her son first and had yet to eat.Grandma May said bluntly, “I’ve had all sorts of food before. Of course, I won’t mind eating with you. In fact, I’d love to.”She was used to eating extravagantly, but it would be nice to have a change of palate.Liberty brought out the plate of spaghetti she made and said sheepishly, “I only made spaghetti because I thought only Sonny and I would be e
Grandma May put down her fork. She was full.Duncan agreed. “Yes, Sonny is indeed smart.”“Then why are you buying windmills for him? If you want to buy toys, then buy him some educational toys. There’s no novelty if you only buy him windmills. Can’t you see how he’s more interested in his food?”Her grandson and his friend were two peas in a pod.Josh was the exception. His mouth was as crafty as Kevin’s.Grandma May was not sure if Duncan was interested in Liberty, but she could tell that he was trying to appeal to Sonny. It looked like he was trying to make Sonny call him “Dad”.Duncan would have thought to himself, ‘I just like Sonny…’He smiled sheepishly and said, “I’ve never had a child before, so I don’t know what toys children like. Sonny was very happy the last time I gave him a windmill and even let me hold him. I thought he liked windmills, so I bought another one for him.”Grandma May was speechless.Did Duncan not know what change meant?She wondered if her old
Grandma May was glad that Duncan was not her grandson.When she thought of Zachary, she sighed silently.Birds of a feather flock together.Duncan was a good friend of Zachary, and they shared many similarities between them.After Duncan checked the utility bill with the housekeeper, he hung up the phone and said, “The amount is just right.”He took out his wallet, stuffed the rent he had just received into it, and said to Liberty, “Just use Apple Pay to transfer the amount to my housekeeper or me in the future. I’ll tell him to keep a record.”Liberty hummed and explained, “I transferred the amount last month, but the card I linked to my account reached its limit this month, so I had to withdraw cash with my bankbook.”The bank card she tied to her Apple Pay account was for daily living expenses. She kept most of her money in another account.“Well, do you need help with anything else?”Liberty quickly said, “Everything is ready. We’re just waiting to open.”“Have you distri
“I’ll go now, Grandma May.”Duncan bent down to ruffle Sonny’s head and bid goodbye to Grandma May. When the old woman hummed, he quickly went away.Grandma May watched him drive away and looked at Liberty, who was back at the register. She had a small book out as well as a calculator, counting how much money she had spent on the store and its renovations.Grandma May thought, ‘Seems like I was overthinking it.’Liberty had no interest in Duncan.However, she sat in front of Liberty and asked tentatively, “Liberty, what plans do you have for the future?”“I hope that All You Can Eat can open countless branches all over the country.”“Business is important, but what about your private life? You’re still only thirty-one. You’re very young. Have you considered it? I meant what I said back then. If you’re willing, I’ll introduce to you a dedicated and capable young man.“I guarantee that your second marriage will be better than your first. You’ll live a hundred times better than yo
The possibility of Liberty and Duncan being together was rather slim. It had never been Liberty’s wish to marry into a wealthy family. The sisters were not ones with wishful ambitions. Grandma May gave up on the idea. After leaving Liberty’s restaurant, Duncan returned to Lewis & Co. and walked into the office to lie on the sofa. He pulled out his phone and gave Zachary a text message. It was quiet during lunchtime in the office. Duncan: [Can I bother you?]Zachary was having the sleep of his life since he managed to convince his wife to stay at the office for a nap. Duncan’s untimely message woke him up. He would probably travel through the radio wave to give Duncan a beating if the guy was not his best friend. Serenity was still asleep. Zachary gave her a peck on the lips before grabbing his phone. He tiptoed out of the private resting room and approached a sofa to lie down like Duncan was. “What do you want?” Duncan’s mind was still blank by the time his best fri
“He doesn’t even want kids and said having Sonny was enough.”Duncan did not care about blood relations. Liberty believed him. He only cared about her. If Liberty had not had to manage the Fisher family, she probably would have taken more time to consider whether she wanted a second child. However, Duncan's love for her ran deep. She decided to try for another child so that he could have a child of his own. Liberty did not want to be selfish. She could not prioritize only herself and Sonny. She had to be considerate of Duncan as well. “By the way, there’s something that I need your help with.”Serenity said, “Oh you, don’t sound like a stranger. We’re sisters. I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”“I have to go to Jensburg next year. I think I’ll leave Sonny here in Wiltspoon for his studies. I’ll ask for Sonny’s opinion again once my situation in Jensburg is stable. If he wants to move to Jensburg to live with me, I'll bring him over.“If he says no, I’ll need y
“Morning, Liberty. The housekeeper said you weren’t out yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”Serenity stood and smiled when she saw Liberty enter. “I woke up when you arrived.”Liberty whispered, “Sonny is still asleep. Let’s go downstairs. You can accompany me on a walk outside too.”“What time are you and Duncan meeting?”Serenity was worried that Liberty would be late. Liberty said, “We still have to wait until the City Hall opens. Duncan and I agreed to meet at nine. It’s still early.”The three adults exited the child’s bedroom and went downstairs. Zachary remained in the house while Liberty and Serenity went on a stroll in the garden. Liberty’s villa initially belonged to Zachary. Although he sold it to Liberty, it was also considered a gift. She was the one who insisted on paying and refused to accept it as a gift. Therefore, Zachary accepted some money from her so that she would take it. The villas Zachary owned were never small. They usually came with garden
“As expected of a child’s skin. It’s so smooth,” said Serenity. “Catch me if you can, Isaac…”Sonny spoke in his sleep and even giggled. He dreamt of him and Isaac playing tag. When Isaac started running after him, he quickly turned to escape while laughing. He did not realize that he was dreaming. “I have two dads, Isaac…”Sonny spoke again.Serenity laughed and told Zachary, “Sonny must’ve had a blast yesterday. Even his sleep talking is related to playing.”She pinched Sonny’s face lightly. “You do have two dads, Sonny. They love you a lot, so you have double the love.”Serenity spoke gently, regardless of whether he could hear her. She bent over and left a soft kiss on his cheek. “That’s why you must be happy. I wish you a carefree life ahead.”She hoped he would grow up healthily and be worry-free. Sonny was in a deep sleep and did not reply to her. Liberty watched them from the door with an affectionate gaze. She felt content. Zachary and Serenity had a st
The night went by peacefully. The next morning, Liberty could hear her gates opening when she stirred in her bed. Soon, she heard her housekeeper talking. “You’re early, Mrs. York.”“Mm. My sister is getting married today. I couldn’t go back to sleep after I woke up, so I decided to come over.”While Serenity could not help Liberty and Zachary out with anything, she was excited to the point she could not sleep. It took Zachary a lot of effort to persuade her to sleep. However, she woke up at dawn after having a dream about her parents. She could not go back to sleep afterward and insisted on going to her sister’s place. Zachary thought he could sleep in since he was on break, but his wife just could not fall asleep. There was no helping it. The doting husband accompanied his wife to her sister’s house early in the morning. The housekeeper smiled. “Ms. Hunt isn’t awake yet.”“It’s okay. I won’t wake my sister.”Serenity finally felt at ease when she was at Liberty’s ho
After a pause, she said, “Let’s meet at nine in the morning. Seren and Zachary will come over to my place. They’ll be looking after Sonny for me. I’ll head out after they arrive. You can wait for me at the City Hall’s entrance.”“No. I want to go to the City Hall with you.”Duncan did not want to wait for her at the City Hall. He wanted to go together.“Bring Sonny along.“We’ll be a family of three from tomorrow onward. We should bring him along.”He would officially become Sonny’s father tomorrow. It did not matter that he was a stepfather. It was Duncan’s first time adoring a child that much, and he did not expect that he would later become that child’s father.After giving it some thought, Liberty said, “Okay. Let’s take Sonny with us.“By the way, Sonny won’t change his surname after we get married. That was Hank’s condition when we got divorced. Since I promised him, I’ll keep to my word.”Sonny would still be the grandson of the Browns. He would not become a Lewis.
Although Sonny was backed by a few wealthy families and would be well-supported even if he was incompetent, they still hoped he would turn out to be an outstanding individual. That way, he could be independent and achieve his goals without much help. Duncan had not thought about Sonny’s education plan. However, he knew Liberty had high hopes for Sonny. Even Serenity had never neglected Sonny’s nurturing. Despite only being in preschool, Sonny had started various hobby classes. It was to build a solid foundation and develop his interest in certain hobbies while still young. The only time he could fully enjoy playing was during winter and summer vacations. Liberty and Serenity had similar philosophies when it came to children’s education. They believed children had to study hard and play hard. Liberty nodded and said, “Sonny can have all the fun he wants when he’s young. Once the situation in Jensburg is stable, he’ll have to study and live there.“I wonder if he’ll be willing
Although Corey’s daughters-in-law were not her biological children, she would love them as if they were. After all, they had married into the family and gave birth to the family’s future generation. The jewelry she gave them would be passed down to her grandchildren anyway. Her daughters-in-law came from wealthy families themselves and had many assets to their names. They had more than enough jewelry. Nevertheless, they still happily accepted their mother-in-law’s gift and promised to pass it down to their future daughters-in-law.Of course, they would also gather sufficient wealth and jewelry to be given to their daughters. Anyway, the Lewises treated boys and girls equally in the family. There was no gender discrimination. However, Corey preferred having granddaughters. She had only given birth to four sons and no daughters. After her sons got married, their first children were all sons. She had been afraid that men would outnumber the women in the Lewis family, just like how it
After Corey scolded Ezra, she looked toward Duncan and Liberty. She said gently, “When are you two planning to get your marriage license? Tomorrow?“The City Hall will be closed at the end of the year. It’s best to get the procedure done within these few days.”Getting their marriage license soon would also reassure Duncan. The wedding could be held later. Once they got their marriage license and became legitimate husband and wife, Duncan would no longer have to be alone. He and Liberty could love each other as a married couple. There was also a chance that Liberty might already be pregnant with Corey’s grandchild by the time the wedding was held. Corey wished Liberty could give birth to a child for Duncan. The gender did not matter so long as the baby was Duncan’s biological child. If Liberty truly did not want to get pregnant again, Sonny would probably take care of Duncan in his old age. Duncan had always treated Sonny well, and Sonny was a reasonable child. Sonny would no
Liberty looked at him again. To be honest, she had not known that Duncan had already arranged for a tailor to custom-make a wedding dress for her. As for her size, well, Duncan probably knew.He had sharp eyes and could probably estimate her measurements just by looking at her, not to mention how many times he had hugged her. He could also have asked her sister for her clothing size and preference.As for her preference, he probably had not needed to ask. They had known each other for two years, and Duncan knew very well what she liked and did not like. Serenity had not mentioned anything about the dress to her, so it seemed like they were keeping it from her as a surprise.Duncan met her gaze and softly explained, “After you agreed to register our marriage before Christmas, I immediately contacted the fashion designer Zachary and Josh recommended me. I asked Serenity about your clothing size, and I also secretly took your measurements myself to make sure there wouldn’t be mistakes