“I brought all the gifts that Serenity and Zachary bought last time into my room because I was so angry about this going Dutch issue.”Liberty sat on a chair. Serenity went into the small kitchen, took some fruit from the refrigerator, washed them, and offered them to Liberty while Jasmine poured a glass of water for her.She took a few sips of water and decided to tell them about her family troubles. She came over today because she felt aggrieved and frustrated, seeking her sister to confide in.If Liberty did not find someone to talk to, she was afraid she would fall into depression. Moreover, Liberty had known Jasmine for many years and knew that she could keep a secret.Liberty continued, “When I woke up the next day, Hank sent his family away, which I was glad to see, but before they left, they took all the gifts that Seren and her husband gave me.“My sister-in-law even took some of Sonny’s toys. I was so angry when I found out, but Hank said that we don’t lack those things,
Serenity hummed in response.She kissed her nephew and asked him, “Do you want to go to the kindergarten?”“No.” The little guy liked to cling to his mother at this age.Serenity smiled and said to her sister, “Have you thought about which kindergarten to send Sonny to? If you have, we can take Sonny there to play on weekends so he can get acquainted with the environment. Once he’s familiar with the place, he won’t be resistant to attending kindergarten.”Many kindergartens allowed parents to bring their children to visit and play there during weekends.Liberty agreed and said, “There’s one more thing that exasperates me. Hank’s sister told him that she wants to transfer her two older children to the city for school, so her kids will live with us. She asked me to help with pick-ups, drop-offs, cooking, and tutoring. Does she think I’m a babysitter for free?“Hank even said that he was willing to give me an extra fifteen hundred dollars for food. He said since I was already raisin
Liberty said, “But not all men are like Hank. Jasmine, don’t shy away from marriage just because of my failed marriage. If you do, I’ll feel guilty forever.”She remembered that Serenity’s best friend was still single and was being pushed into marriage by her family.Jasmine smiled and said, “I know that there are scums everywhere. I just want to find someone I like whom I can entrust my life with when I get married. I won’t be influenced by you, Liberty. But I’ll be careful about the characters of my other half’s family before I marry someone in the future.”Jasmine’s mother often said that marriage was not just about marrying a man, but marrying into that man’s family and integrating into his circle of relatives and friends. There was a lot to consider.Jasmine glanced at her best friend and admired Serenity.Liberty clearly had a failed marriage.However, she could not be impulsive in getting a divorce because of Sonny. Liberty had to ensure she could make a living by herself
Zachary hummed and said, “They wouldn’t dare mess with you again after this ordeal.”The Hunts would only regret it.“Where do you usually go for lunch?” Serenity asked suddenly.“Outside.” Zachary replied, and then asked back, “Do you want to invite me over for lunch?”Serenity smiled and said, “I’ll invite you over if you’re free since you’ve helped me so much. I’m very grateful for your help and have nothing to give in return, so let me treat you to a meal. But don’t choose restaurants that are too fancy. I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford it.”Zachary wanted to laugh. Serenity wanted to treat him to a meal to thank him, but she was afraid that she would not be able to afford a meal at a high-end hotel. Was this sincerity genuine or what?“I don’t have much free time during lunch, and there are too many people in the nearby restaurant at that hour. If you really want to treat me to a meal, go home early in the evening and cook a feast for me. But don’t overdo it since we won
Serenity tucked her phone into her pants pocket and was about to go back into the store when she saw her sister coming out of the store.“Liberty, where are you going?”“I’m going to get some ingredients to cook for you girls. Don’t order takeout for lunch. It’s not good for your health to eat too much takeout.“Seren, keep an eye on Sonny.”Serenity did not stop her sister from getting ingredients and cooking for them. She just told Liberty to be careful on the road.Serenity did not drive her new car to work and rode her e-bike as usual because it was convenient and fast.She was afraid of being stuck on the road during rush hour.“Liberty, I’ll transfer some money to you.”Serenity did not want her sister to use the food expenses her husband gave on them, so she sent Liberty some money.Liberty rode the e-bike to the market. She still had money herself to buy food for her sister.After watching Liberty leave, Serenity returned to the store. It was not the first time Sonny
Nana heard that Serenity was inquiring about Zachary’s hobbies and saw hope in the couple’s future. She happily told Serenity about her eldest grandson’s preferences and even private things like his favorite color of underwear.Zachary’s clothes were all tailored and delivered to the door once they were finished. Grandma May saw them and therefore knew what color underwear Zachary liked to wear.“Seren, there aren’t many things that Zachary likes, so you don’t need to think too much about it. Just buy him some clothes. I’ll tell you his size.” “What if he doesn’t like what I buy?”The old lady smiled. “It’s the thought that counts. It’s his business whether he wears it or not, but I think he’ll definitely wear it.”That boy liked to hide his feelings.He might show his dislike for the clothes that his wife bought for him, but he would still wear them to the office and show them off.Even though Grandma May was no longer in charge of the company’s affairs, she still had ways to
“Hank, you want to go Dutch with my sister when she doesn’t have a job. She’s at home raising your kid, yet you have the nerve to go halves with her. What’s the point of my sister having a husband then?“You always say that my sister doesn’t do anything at home, so she fulfilled your wish and did nothing today. Oh, wait… My sister still did half of the work. At least, she bought the ingredients, measured the pasta, and prepared a pot of water for you. All you need to do is cook it yourself.”Hank opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Serenity did not give him a chance to speak. She continued, “Hank, do you think that your house cleans itself every day? Sonny is still young, so when he plays with his toys, he likes to put them all over the floor and he can’t pick up after himself.“You don’t think that those toys put themselves away, do you? Also, who do you think takes care of your meals every day? Isn’t my sister doing your dirty laundry too?“Didn’t my sister make thr
It was unpalatable and sweet.How was it sweet? Did he take sugar for salt?Hank immediately went into the kitchen and picked up the box of seasoning to see if it was sugar, salt, or monosodium glutamate. They were all placed in the same box, so he must have mistaken sugar for salt just now.Before Hank got married, his mother cooked for him at home. After marriage, the Hunt sisters cooked for him. He did not have to cook all his life. It was no wonder the dish he cooked was unpalatable because he mistook sugar for salt.Then, he looked at the pasta in the pot. Since Liberty had measured everything for him, the pasta was edible.However, the spoiled Hank could not swallow plain pasta without any seasoning or meat.Hank turned hot-tempered when he thought how hard he had worked for the first half of the day and came back without food on the table. He went into the room angrily and became more infuriated when he saw Liberty sitting on the bed, looking at her phone.He suddenly ste
It was his father. Manny composed himself and picked up Tony’s call as he walked toward his car.“Hey, Pops.”“How’s it going, Manny? Has there been any progress?”Tony was still in Carrie’s room at the moment, but had gotten up and walked to the balcony to call his son.Carrie was still fast asleep, though her face was set in a frown. She was obviously discomfited.Tony had pestered her for the majority of last night, so it would be weird if she did not feel any discomfort.Despite her begging, Tony would not let her go. He even forcefully drugged her to make her mess around with him while out of it. He was simply an old pervert.Before she passed out, she cursed him in her heart. However, she knew that Tony only treated her so roughly because she was just his mistress—a tool for him to vent his frustrations on.If she really was his wife, he definitely would not treat her like this.In the past, she had ambitions of taking Mrs. Longbottom’s place and becoming the real missus
Tati also finished her plate of pastries.She followed Isabella out.“Isa, you’re always so busy and exhausted. If you’re feeling even a little unwell, you should have a good rest. Stay home for the day. I can handle the work you have on hand. It’s the same either way.”Tati wanted Isabella to take the day off so Isabella could spend some time with Austin and nurture their relationship.However, Isabella still declined Tati’s kind offer.She said, “Not today. There’s an important meeting today, and I have two important clients to meet. I’m fine, really. Don’t worry. From now on, I won’t touch alcohol.”Given her current status and position, no one would dare to force her to drink during social engagements.Many people also knew that Isabella would not drink outside her home, fearing that she might fall victim to someone’s schemes.However, Isabella would occasionally make an exception. When she was in a good mood, she would have a couple of drinks.Hearing this, Tati stopped t
Austin still smiled gently and said, “It’s all thanks to Ms. Isabella’s guidance.”He felt that he had indeed improved a lot.Grandma May really understood him well. The wife she picked for him could actually help improve his culinary skills.“After eating the sweets, I feel much better.” Tati picked up another piece of pastry and ate it.Austin quietly retreated, not wanting to disturb their conversation and also to avoid overhearing their private matters.“Just ignore him. Are you really going to skip work because of him?”Isabella added calmly to Tati, “If you let him provoke you, he’ll only cling to you even more. If you act like he doesn’t exist and don’t respond no matter what he does, he’ll naturally give up once he sees that you’re completely unresponsive.”Tati said, “I’m afraid that he’ll go and bother Edith and Eleanor if he doesn’t get anywhere with me. They don’t have the same resolve as we do.”She, therefore, decided to bear the brunt of it.“Every time I see hi
Austin replied, “Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. It’s really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.”Sometimes, he himself felt like staying in bed a little longer, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his blankets.Even after the New Year, Satbury remained quite cold. In contrast, over in Wiltspoon, the temperatures had begun to reach a high of over seventy degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime, with nighttime lows around fifty degrees.The two provinces and cities were simply incomparable. The temperatures in Wiltspoon were just so very comfortable for Satbury locals.Isabella smiled and said, “Phillip is just afraid he’ll get here too late and that you’ll assume he’s not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.”The house was never short of snacks for the little ones. In fact, any goodies were always reserved for them first.Yet,
Even when she attended banquets, she would show up in formal clothing. Isabella did not remember the last time she wore a dress. Perhaps it was when she was in third grade. In fact, she liked wearing pretty princessy dresses when she was young. Her mother had told her that.As Isabella was the first child and extremely adorable, Delphine had dolled her up like a princess. Her pretty dresses filled the closet. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and relatives would always gift her many beautiful dresses. As she grew up, perhaps when she was in fourth grade, she stopped wearing dresses. Regardless of who gave her new pieces, she would refuse to wear them and give them to her cousins instead. After everyone realized she disliked dresses, they gradually stopped giving her them. Delphine had asked Isabella why she disliked wearing dresses. Isabella reasoned that she could not walk quickly enough while wearing one. She valued speed and efficiency. Delphine said she had alway
While the private chefs Ms. Isabella had hired in the past were respectful, they were leaning toward flattery instead of sincere dedication, like how Austin was toward Ms. Isabella.Dominic was experienced. He could sense that Ms. Isabella treated Austin differently. She was also a special existence to Austin. It was normal for young people to be attracted to each other. Initially, Dominic wanted to advise Austin not to even think about dating Ms. Isabella. However, upon discovering that Austin was a young master of a wealthy family, he decided not to interfere. Dominic was glad that he did nothing.Austin returned to the house. Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, he went upstairs. He stopped outside of Isabella’s room and knocked on the door lightly. No response came from within the room. Perhaps Austin was too soft when he knocked. He knocked on the door again with more force and asked, “Are you up yet, Ms. Isabella? It’s time to have breakfast.”Isabella w
Austin was extremely patient with the boys. Although they occasionally caused trouble, most of them were minor issues. They would never do something they were not allowed to do.After breakfast, Austin brought them their bags. With a boy in each hand, he left the house. It was to prevent the boys from saying he was playing favorites. Dominic was used to that scene. Initially, Austin was simply Ms. Isabella’s private chef. However, he gradually took on more responsibilities.He would take the two young masters to school. If he had time in the evening, he would also fetch them from school. Austin also made sure Louis and Phillip did their homework, supervised their hobby classes, and played with them. Sometimes, he would even teach them martial arts and train with them. Dominic felt Austin was an all-rounder. It seemed like there was nothing Austin could not do. No wonder Ms. Isabella thought highly of Austin. However, Austin was a young master of a wealthy family. He w
Louis and Phillip were downstairs having the breakfast Austin had prepared for them. The food was different every morning, and everything was delicious.Having gotten used to Austin’s cooking, Louis and Phillip could no longer stand the food provided in the school. They thought the food there was terrible. Louis was enrolled in an elementary school not far from home. As he was a first grader, he did not need to stay in the dormitories and could have his lunch and dinner at home. Phillip, who was a year younger than him, was still in preschool. He would have breakfast and dinner at home. Actually, the preschool did provide breakfast, but Phillip refused to eat in school and insisted on having breakfast at home. In order to eat the breakfast Austin made, he would get up early in the morning without the adults waking him. After putting on his clothes and washing up, he would head to Louis’s place with his bag. “Austin.”Louis suddenly asked, “Did my sister come back last n
Isabella had always thought Tati was teasing her. Therefore, she did not take her words seriously. She thought it was completely normal for Austin to treat her well as she was his boss. From Austin’s perspective, she was his source of income. Now that Isabella pondered about it deeper, she realized perhaps Austin did come to Satbury for her. It was not just to be her chef. He always said Grandma May only gave the York lads a year to pursue their fiancées. However, Austin had never left since he started working for Isabella. Even if he did, it was to accompany her on business trips. He was busy feeding and taking care of her every day and had never gone to pursue his so-called fiancée. He did not even try to gather information on her. Was he not anxious?A year would go by pretty quickly. Although it felt like it had not been long since Austin started working for Isabella, three months had passed. Time really flew. Three months had gone by in the blink of an eye. Neve