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 kept an eye on Ms. Newman and saw that the latter did not give the cup of drugged wine to anyone else, nor did she drink it herself. Serenity was a little curious. What was Ms. Newman planning?Soon, she got her answer.It was not that Ms. Newman did not want to give the glass of wine to anyone, but the person she wanted to give it to had just arrived.A motorcycle drove into the Dowling family villa. In the yard full of luxury cars, the motorcycle stood out like a sore thumb.The person who rode the motorcycle was a girl in her twenties, but she was not the center of attention here. The focus was on the woman sitting behind her while holding a bouquet of flowers. When she got off the motorcycle, she waved a white cane to feel about the road ahead and slowly walked forward.She was blind!Serenity put down her glass and sat upright, watching the blind girl slowly walk toward the large lawn with the bouquet in one hand and the white cane in the other.A photo came into h
Mrs. Newman was talking to a few ladies not far away. She was aware of what her two daughters were doing, but she did not move and continued to chat calmly with the others.Camryn was silent for a long time before asking her sister, “You’ll pay for the flowers after I drink this?”“There are so many people around to testify. As long as you drink the wine, I’ll give you one grand.”“Fine.”Camryn brought the glass close to her lips and was just about to drink it.Suddenly, a hand reached out and snatched the glass away.“Don’t drink it.”It was an unfamiliar voice.Camryn identified the other party’s location through her voice and turned her head to face the stranger with a puzzled expression.The person who snatched away her glass of wine was Serenity.Other people were just watching the show, but Serenity could not simply stand by because she knew that Carrie had spiked the wine. It was clear that Carrie had bad intentions. Who knew what would happen to Camryn if she drank i
Carrie was provoking Elisa and Serenity.They could help Camryn now, but could they help her forever?Carrie could wreck Camryn’s flower shop any time she wanted, and Camryn would not dare to do anything about it.Camryn was not stupid. She would not drink the glass of wine after Elisa said that it was drugged. “I’ll give these flowers to you as a gift. You don’t have to pay.”Then, she faced Elisa and Serenity and thanked them. There was a hint of gratitude in her normally indifferent tone.“Camryn Newman, I asked you to drink the wine!”Carrie felt that her plan was about to fail.When Camryn turned to leave, she reached out and grabbed Camryn, pulling her sister toward her. She grabbed Camryn’s chin with one hand, pinched it forcefully, and was just about to pour the glass of wine into her throat.Serenity and Elisa moved at the same time.Serenity easily reversed the situation with her kickboxing skills. She not only rescued Camryn from Carrie’s grip but also grasped Carri
“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
Quinn burst out laughing. “You’re right. There’s a higher chance of success with more people. However, having a daughter of your own is more satisfying.“Everyone will be fighting to dote on your daughter. That’s better than you cooing over someone else’s daughter.”Serenity looked at Quinn for a while before smiling. “You have a point there.“But I don’t know if Zachary and I are fated to have a daughter.”“Technology is advanced now. It’s definitely possible with IVF,” suggested Quinn. However, upon recalling what Grandma May mentioned earlier, she quickly added, “Never mind. I guess it’s better not to go for artificial methods in your family. If something were to happen… it’ll be devastating.”The Yorks could be destined to have sons only. Even if a daughter were to be born into the family, it would be painful if she could not survive till adulthood. Regret lingered in the absence of what the heart desired; yet to hold it briefly, only to lose it, birthed deeper despair.
“Does this mean you and Julian are getting your marriage license before the year ends?”Quinn nodded. “We’ll head to the City Hall at nine tomorrow morning.”Serenity immediately congratulated her. “Congratulations, Quinn. You’ll find happiness with Julian. You don’t have to worry about him having a change of heart because you’re the only woman for him.”Quinn blushed. “This may sound funny, but I’m glad that he can only get aroused when he’s with me. As you said, he won’t ever have a change of heart because his body won’t react to other women.”She was aware of Julian’s condition and found it acceptable. Besides, they had gotten along well ever since they met each other. She was satisfied with every aspect of him. He was the ideal husband candidate for her. Not only that, her family members had observed Julian. Her father even flew to Wiltspoon to ask around about the Bucham family. He agreed to her dating Julian because he had a positive impression of the Buchams’ personali
Before Rowan took Sonny away, he did not forget to inform Serenity about it. He even told Quinn, “Sonny and I are going to play, Quinn.”Serenity nodded with a smile. She told Quinn, “Let’s go over too.”Although she could not enjoy the facilities at the playground, she could watch them play. Quinn was more than happy to accompany her. She loved having fun. “When are you and Mr. Julian getting married?” Serenity asked Quinn. Quinn blushed. She said, “Julian wants it to be as soon as possible. I’m not in a rush because I think I’m still young.”After a short pause, she added, “I’ll go with his decision. My family likes him.”Serenity laughed. “I heard all about it. Mr. Julian has done a great job with your family. Mr. and Mrs. Bucham are nice people. They’ve been looking forward to having a daughter-in-law for the longest time.”Walter and Stacy were indeed friendly toward the people they knew. With the Buchams and the Yorks’ relationship, the Bucham couple treated Sereni