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
Mrs. Newman did not care what people thought of her and continued to say, “Mrs. Stone and Ms. Stone are really magnanimous. Their ideal son-in-law was stolen away by some niece, but Mrs. Stone is still able to bring Serenity out and introduce her to everyone.”If it were Mrs. Newman, she would not be able to do it.No matter how close a niece was, how could a niece compare to a daughter?Someone rebuked Mrs. Newman and said, “You should be careful with your words, Mrs. Newman. Mr. York never accepted Ms. Stone’s feelings or promised her anything. It was all Ms. Stone’s wishful thinking. However, it’s true that Ms. Stone is magnanimous. She was in love with Mr. York, but she could let go of him when she found out that he was married. Furthermore, she generously sent her blessings to the couple. It really changed my perception of her.“You can say all that in front of us, but don’t talk about Mrs. York’s identity elsewhere. Mr. York isn’t someone your family can afford to offend.”M
“After spending half an hour in the house, the most I gained was a name card.”Elisa laughed. “That sounds about right. Everyone is in it for profit. Who would want to care about you if there was nothing to gain? What do you want to eat? I’ll go get you some food.”“I saw some delicate pastries earlier. They look delicious. Bring some for me. I ate a little at the store, so I’m not that hungry.”Serenity had a sweet tooth and wanted to try some of the exquisite snacks.In the past, when she accompanied Jasmine and Aunt Rachel to parties, Jasmine and she would just hide in the corner to eat and drink. She liked the pastries the most. They were always much better than the ones she got from stores.“Sure.”Elisa placed her glass of red wine on the small table in front of her and got up to help Serenity get food.A while later, she returned empty-handed, but she was followed by two maids working for the Dowlings. The maids held trays with the food that Elisa had picked out for Seren
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.
“Well, Rowan can play for a couple of days, but he has to start working on his homework soon. The college entrance exam is around the corner, and we can't let him relax too much.”“Rowan's grades are very stable and good. It won’t be hard for him to get into college, so don't put too much pressure on him. It's not necessary for him to get into the same university you and the others went to.”Serenity still remembered the pressure she had felt in high school, though it was not as much as Rowan felt, and her sister's expectations for her were more relaxed; she was only expected to do her best. No matter what the results were, Liberty would accept it. Of course, if she could get into an Ivy League university, that would be great. Otherwise, getting into an Ivy Plus university would also be fine. If that did not work out, she could go to a public university or even take a gap year. Liberty would have been okay with any of it. Her sister always told her that as long as she was physica
Zachary would not do such a thing. Julian laughed. “It’s my first time getting married. I’m asking around because I’m inexperienced. That way, I can make a plan.”Zachary turned to look at him. He said, “How many more times do you intend to get married? I didn’t have any experience either back then. It was my first time going to City Hall. Besides, Seren and I got married in a rush and did not even know each other well. After getting our marriage license, I completely forgot that I was a married man.“You’re in a better situation than I was. At least you and Quinn have feelings for each other and a stable relationship.”Julian chuckled. He caught up to Zachary and placed his arm on his shoulder. He said, “We all know what we should avoid after you’ve set an example.”Zachary was speechless. “You and Serenity are an enviable couple now.“I want to learn from you and make people jealous of Quinn as well.”Zachary brushed Julian’s hand off. “I think you’ll do a better job than m
Zachary and Julian exited the house with two housekeepers behind them, holding a tray each with snacks and drinks. The two men had excellent eyesight and quickly spotted the love of their lives sitting at a bench some distance away. Zachary knew that it was because Serenity got tired from walking. In the past, some pregnant female employees would return to work despite being pretty far along in their pregnancies. Their workload was only slightly lighter. Since Zachary had seen those employees insisting on working even though they were pregnant, he used to think being pregnant and giving birth were not that difficult. He had never put himself in the shoes of the female employees. They insisted on working because they feared being replaced if they took an extended maternity leave. When they returned, they could be discriminated against and had to start all over again. While there were opportunities to be promoted in a megacorporation, one had to climb the corporate ladder ste