Going down to the first floor, Serenity walked extra carefully because she was worried the floor was slippery.Clive and Alice just came in from the outside. Alice was pregnant, so she went back to her maiden home for dinner, and Clive went to pick her up after work.The couple was stunned when they saw Serenity’s cautious look.“What’s wrong, Seren? Are your legs uncomfortable?” Alice asked with concern as she approached.Elisa laughed. “Look at her shoes, Alice. She’s not used to wearing high heels, so Mom told her to walk outside in these shoes for a while so she can walk more naturally before we go.”Alice looked at the pair of stilettos on Serenity’s feet, then at her face. She patted Serenity’s shoulder with a smile and said, “It’s tough, but if you think of Mr. York, you can overcome everything.”Serenity had a long way to go. If she wanted to join Zachary’s social circle, she had to work hard for it.Clive also walked over and glanced at his cousin’s legs but said nothin
All the villas in this area were large units. They were most likely built by wealthy people who seized the chance to get a good section of land in Wiltspoon when it had just started developing.Rich people who could not buy a good section of the land but wanted to live in larger villas usually bought a few small villas, then connected and renovated them into one large villa.Elisa was silent, then said, “That’s true. That’s why many people wanted to buy that villa when word got out that my neighbor wanted to sell it.”A group of people came out of the villa.“It’s him!”Elisa was sharp-eyed and recognized at a glance that the person who came out while being flanked by several men in black was Remy.Serenity looked over again before finally remembering. “Isn’t that Mr. Johnson from Annenburg?”“He already has a house in Wiltspoon. Why did he buy another? He even spent so much money to buy my neighbor’s villa. Most importantly, he was quicker than us and bought the villa before we
Remy’s eyes looked deeply at Elisa, and he said, “Buying a house is an important matter and has to be taken seriously. I spent a lot of money buying the villa, so of course I have to change it to fit my tastes. I’ll only be able to live comfortably here if I like the design.”Elisa remembered that her family also hired a famous interior designer to come over and tailor the villa according to their tastes. Thus, her family lived here happily over the years.She said in understanding, “You’re right. Since we’ll be neighbors in the future, why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”Remy did not refuse Elisa’s offer and followed her and Serenity into the house.Clive and his wife were still sitting on the sofa in the living hall. Audrey was there too, concernedly asking her daughter-in-law about something. When she heard the sound of her daughter talking with an unfamiliar man, she looked at the door and saw her daughter and niece inviting a young man inside.Clive saw Remy and stood up
“Mom, Clive, do you feel that Elisa and Mr. Johnson are familiar with each other?”Alice spoke a little earlier. She was just listening and observing.Her little sister-in-law was proud and arrogant, and very few men were able to catch her attention.She was infatuated with Zachary for many years to the point where her eyes and heart were filled with him. It was Alice’s first time seeing Elisa treat a man who was not Zachary so well.Serenity explained, “Elisa and Mr. Johnson met several times. She said that the first time they met was on the road. She blocked his way, but he gave way out of courtesy.”Audrey said faintly, “Mr. Johnson is an exceptional man. The men from his family are as good as the men from the York family. They just live too far away.”Everyone fell silent.Serenity also thought about whether Elisa and Remy would become a couple. Then, she remembered that Remy lived in Annenburg. Audrey only had one daughter and could not bear to let Elisa marry somewhere far
It was fine for Old Mr. Hunt and his wife to live in Serenity’s house, but they wanted to give John the house left behind to the sisters by their parents. That was why Serenity and her sister decided to go to court.The house was built by their parents, and the name on the land deed was their father’s name. According to inheritance law, John had no right to inherit the house.The two sisters were still alive!“Do you know where to buy bricks and gravel?” Audrey asked with concern.“I got in touch with Ms. Deli the last time I went back. I called her to ask. Her family just rebuilt their house last year, so I got the number of a contractor who transports bricks for her. I can get a truckload of bricks sent to me this weekend itself.”Serenity always thought of getting her parents’ house back.In the past, her sister and she did not have the ability.Now that they did, they naturally wanted to take action. At first, the sisters thought that if their grandparents wanted to live in
Zachary: [So late? Did you manage to walk in the stilettos?]Serenity was stunned and asked: [How did you know I was wearing stilettos?]She was wearing flats when she left the bookstore.Zachary replied honestly: [Elisa took a video of you walking and sent it to me. Thank you, Seren. You’re really working hard.][Thank you for willing to try to fit into my circle for my sake.]Serenity was a laid-back person and usually dressed for comfort. However, she was changing for him. The hardships she had to face broke his heart, yet he was grateful for it. He vowed to spoil her for the rest of his life.Serenity: [So Elisa betrayed me. I must have looked funny walking in heels. I keep wanting to throw them away. Sandals are way more comfortable.]The people in Wiltspoon usually walked around in sandals.[We met Mr. Johnson and invited him to sit down, so we left a little later.]Serenity answered her husband’s earlier question.Zachary was a little surprised and asked: [How did you
When they arrived at the Dowlings’ home, the entrance of the villa was open. The large lawn in front of the house was beautifully decorated, and there were many guests holding tall glasses and chitchatting in groups.With Audrey’s status, the Dowling family was notified the moment her car appeared in front of the villa.Mr. and Mrs. Dowling immediately brought their children over to give their greetings.When the car was parked at a spot designated by the servant, Mr. Dowling approached with his wife and children. He personally opened the car door for Audrey and said with a smile, “Mrs. Stone.”Audrey got out of the car with grace.“Mr. Dowling,” she responded with a smile.Mrs. Dowling greeted Audrey with her son and daughters.The Dowling family had two daughters and one son. The youngest was their son, who was only eight years old this year. He was chubby and fair but was courteous and greeted Audrey politely according to how his mother taught him.Elisa and Serenity got out
“Sorry for imposing, Mr. Dowling.”After all, Mrs. Dowling did not send her an invitation. She came here because her aunt brought her.Mrs. Dowling smiled. “Nonsense, you’re not imposing. It’s our honor to have you here, Mrs. York.”Serenity was holding the birthday gift that Audrey had prepared for Maya. She handed the gift to Audrey, who took it and then passed it to Maya. She said with a smile, “Happy birthday, Ms. Dowling.”Mrs. Dowling quickly said, “Just call her Maya, Mrs. Stone. We’re very happy that you came to Maya’s birthday party. You didn’t have to get her a gift.”She gestured for her daughter to accept the present.The gift was a set of jewelry.Maya took the birthday present and thanked Audrey.Since Audrey only brought her daughter and niece and did not bring her husband, Mr. Dowling asked his wife to accompany them with her two daughters while he went to entertain the other guests.Mrs. Dowling warmly welcomed Audrey and the two cousins into the house. As the
Fortunately, Quinn herself was strong, and her family was not pushovers either. She turned to look at Julian.Without asking, Julian knew exactly what she was thinking, and he quickly reassured her, “Quinn, you don’t have to worry. That kind of thing won’t happen to us. I’m your rock. As long as I’m around, no one can bully you. In my family, apart from my parents, everyone else has to accede to me, and you know how my parents feel about you. They’re so grateful to you that they practically worship you like a goddess.“You’re familiar with the York family now and have seen the way they operate, right? Well, my family and the Yorks are old family friends. Birds of a feather flock together. The reason our two families are so close is we have similar family values.“Setting aside the fact that your family is powerful enough and supportive of you—even if you were like Serenity in the beginning, my family would never look down on you or mistreat you. They would only love and cherish you.
Stacy was actually hoping that Julian and Quinn could get their marriage license today and hold the wedding right away. However, the date they had picked was after Christmas and they still had to wait over a month for the actual wedding. At least once they signed the papers, there was no need to worry about Quinn changing her mind. Stacy was afraid that Quinn and her family might have second thoughts, especially since her son was afflicted with a disorder.“Hey, sweetie.”When Stacy addressed Quinn, her tone was very gentle. Quinn thought that her future mother-in-law was even kinder and more considerate than her own mother. Her father had looked into the Buchams' character and knew that Stacy was actually quite formidable. To Quinn though, Stacy appeared so gentle and kind that she did not seem like the kind of person who would be overly strict or tough. Of course, anyone who could hold fast the position of the Buchams’ head missus and secure her husband’s love for decades as if
Quinn could not stop laughing when she saw him.Julian blushed a little in response. He asked, “What are you laughing at? Is my outfit ugly? Does it not look good?”He was used to wearing black clothes all the time. Although he had a white suit, he rarely wore it. Today, for the special occasion of legally getting married to Quinn, he had specifically chosen to wear white, a color symbolizing purity, to proclaim how his feelings were as pure as snow.“It’s not ugly, it looks great! You look even more handsome than usual. I’m just not used to seeing you in a white suit. Now, you look like a prince from a fairy tale—my prince.”Julian smiled indulgently. “That’s right. I’m your prince charming and yours alone. You look great in white, too, my dear wife.”It was Quinn’s turn to blush slightly. She was not used to being called his wife, especially since they had not even registered yet. Since they were about to go get their marriage license though, she might as well start getting used
Serenity laughed and said, “I hope I’ll be toasting at your wedding soon.”Peter replied, “I think I'll get married before Dylan does.”Dylan’s romantic path had been much more complicated because he had not wanted to follow the smooth, well-paved road that Grandma May had arranged for him.“We have lots of happy occasions lined up after Christmas, then,” Camryn remarked.“Yes, lots,” Serenity agreed.The courtyard was lively, with the elders occasionally joining in on the fun. Meanwhile, inside the house, Dylan was thinking about what Serenity had told him. She had repeatedly said that the person Grandma May picked for him would definitely be the right one, someone who would suit him well.She also suggested that he look into Imogen and that there might be a pleasant surprise in store for him, but that he was not to let Imogen know. The implication in Serenity’s words was that Imogen might be Fox and that Fox’s real identity was Imogen Doyle herself.After understanding Serenit
Dylan frowned as he pondered deeply.“The scent from outside is wafting in. I think the food’s ready. I’m going out to have a couple of skewers to satisfy my cravings. You can stay here and think things through.”Seeing that Dylan had finally grasped the main point, Serenity stopped the conversation and went out to have some barbecue. It had been a long time since she had eaten barbecue.After getting pregnant, although she was not as strictly monitored as Jasmine was, she still paid close attention to her diet and would do her best to avoid things she could not eat or had to limit. Liberty called her every few days to remind her to be careful.When Zachary saw Serenity come out of the house, he immediately picked up a plate of freshly grilled skewers to his beloved wife, saying, “I deliberately used less seasoning on these for you, so you can eat them with peace of mind. Sonny’s asleep now, right?” “He fell asleep long ago, after playing so hard today,” Serenity replied, then gr
In that case, Grandma May would not even need to step in to teach him a lesson. His older brothers would beat him up multiple times for tarnishing the York family’s reputation and dragging their names in the mud with his own.“Dylan, I told you that if you didn’t trust Nana, you’d face the consequences. Look, you’re starting to suffer now, aren’t you?” Serenity said. Who was Grandma May? She was a kind-hearted but cunning old fox who could sell someone out and still make them feel grateful for it as they counted the money she made for her. How could she pick a bad match for her grandsons? There was no way they would be unsuitable. “Serenity, it’s not that I don’t trust Nana, it’s just that I really couldn’t fall in love with Imogen. I feel like if I couldn’t fall for her in almost three months then I just won’t. And I always thought about Fox when I was with Imogen. I’m not some naïve kid who doesn’t understand what that means.” Dylan smiled bitterly. His family always compla
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.