공유

Chapter 11

작가: Gu Lingfei
“Let’s go.”

Despite tearing into Serenity in his mind, Zachary had no intention to say or do anything about it.

Serenity was his wife on paper, but they were no different than strangers.

Too scared to say anything, the driver started the car.

Serenity had no idea she nearly ran into her man’s car. She sped off on her e-bike and made it to the shop in no time. Jasmine always arrived earlier than Serenity since the former lived nearby.

“Seren.”

Jasmine ordered breakfast after she was done setting up the shop. She was enjoying breakfast when her best friend entered the scene. Jasmine asked with a smile, “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Jasmine went on to finish the most important meal of the day.

“I brought you some desserts. They’re delicious. Try them,” Jasmine told her best friend while putting down her bag by the cash register.

Serenity placed her bike keys by the cash register and sat down before pulling over the bag containing the dessert. “You can’t go wrong with desserts. I saw a Rolls-Royce on my way to work, Jasmine.”

Jasmine replied, “I see. It’s not strange to spot a Rolls-Royce in Wiltspoon, but it’s not a common sight. Did you see who’s in the car? Is it just like in the books—a hot and single CEO?”

Serenity stared at Jasmine without a word.

Jasmine chuckled. “That’s what it’s like in the books. Why are the young, hot, and rich CEOs eluding us?”

“The storylines are made up to cater to the market. Would anyone read a book if it’s about your average wage earner? The leading man has to be society’s elite even if he isn’t a CEO.”

Jasmine burst into another bout of laughter.

“That reminds me. Are you free tonight, Seren?”

“You know I’m either at home or at the shop, right? What’s the matter?”

Life was simple to Serenity as it only revolved around managing the shop and caring for her sister’s son.

“There’s a dinner party tonight. It’s a gathering of high society. I got an invitation. Do you want to come along and have a peek into their world?”

Serenity turned down the offer. “I don’t run in the same circle as them. I’m not interested.”

Although she earned quite a bit, the upper crust was beyond her reach. She had no intention to elbow her way into the community, nor did she have the means to.

To be frank, Serenity might be mistaken as the server if someone of her social status were to attend such a refined dinner party.

“I don’t want to go either, but my mom begged my aunt for an invite. I can bring a plus one, so I thought of taking you. Seren, oh Seren. Please come with me to see what it’s like. Wait, no. I need you there to be my rock. I don’t want my mom to nag at me.”

The Soxes were wealthy and locals of Wiltspoon. They owned several properties and half a block of stores, making their tens of millions through rent. However, wealth could not buy social standing.

Mrs. Sox took pride in her daughter’s pretty face as marrying her off could be the ticket to a higher social class. Jasmine’s aunt happened to marry into a rich and powerful family. It had been a few tough decades, but it finally worked out for the aunt as she was now rubbing shoulders with the upper class.

The aunt doted on Jasmine and believed her niece had just only what it took to bag a wealthy and influential bachelor. Since Jasmine’s mom asked, the aunt was happy to make it happen for Jasmine.

“Is Mrs. Sox pressuring you to get married again?”

“All mothers are the same. They can’t wait to kick their daughters out and make them another man’s problem once their daughters turn eighteen. I can make my own money and be financially independent. I don’t need a man to enjoy a good life.

“I think you shouldn’t marry out of your social class. I don’t want to marry up. Although my aunt is mingling well with the circle, it took her decades to get there. She faced a lot of difficulties when she first married her husband. She used to cry to my mom when she visited back then. She knows what it’s like.”

Jasmine was all for freedom and not being bound by the upper crust’s unwritten rules.

“Come on, Seren. Just tonight. We’ll be in this together. We get to see how the top 1% live. My aunt said there will be a lot of young eligible bachelors attending tonight. They’re all Wiltspoon’s finest and richest. We can check the scene out even if we’re not there to snag a man. It’s a dinner party, so there’s going to be lots of good food.”

Serenity was not one to say no to food.

So was Jasmine.

It was that common interest that brought the pair together.

It took an hour of convincing before Serenity gave in to her best friend’s request. They closed the store early to attend the event.

Serenity called Liberty and asked about Sonny. He had seen a doctor, and the fever was only a case of the sniffles.

It put Serenity’s mind at ease.

She then told Liberty about attending a dinner party with Jasmine.

“It’s nice even if it’s just for the experience. Of course, you could make some friends from that circle.”

Liberty was in favor of Serenity attending the party.

It was not for any other reason than to witness the other side of the world.

The shop was closed right after lunch just to attend tonight’s party. Jasmine dragged her best friend home to put on some fancy dress and slap some makeup on.

Since the Soxes adored Serenity, they had no problem with Jasmine bringing Serenity along to the dinner party. Serenity was married anyway, so there was no concern that Serenity would steal the limelight from Jasmine.

Just after six in the evening, a sedan arranged by Jasmine’s aunt rolled into the Soxes’ driveway.

“Have fun.”

Seeing the girls off at the door, Mrs. Sox said to Serenity, “Help me keep an eye on Jasmine, Seren. Don’t let her stuff her face. Get her to socialize with the young bachelors.”

She told her daughter, “Jasmine, your aunt has done a lot for you. Don’t let her down.”

Serenity replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Sox. I’ll help you keep an eye on Jasmine so she doesn’t wander off to the buffet.”

They would hang out at the buffet together.

“I feel relieved with you around.”

Mrs. Sox was fond of Serenity because the girl was sensible and independent. Had it not been because her son was a lot younger than Serenity, Mrs. Sox would have played matchmaker for them.

It was regrettable that Serenity was taken. There were a lot of youngsters in the Sox family. Serenity could have picked any one of them if she wanted to walk down the aisle.

It was what it was. There was no point talking about it since it was not like Mrs. Sox’s regret could change anything.

With Mrs. Sox urging them to hurry up, Jasmine, dolled up in glamorous makeup, white gown, and jewelry, dragged her best friend into the sedan arranged by the aunt.

Seeing that Serenity was married and acting as a plus-one, she did not bother to dress up. She wore her usual clothes and put on natural makeup. Nevertheless, her natural beauty still shone through despite her plain attire.

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관련 챕터

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 12

    The dinner party was held at Wiltspoon Hotel, a place Serenity never had a chance to step into. The Wiltspoon Hotel was one of the finest hotels in the city. Some said it was a seven-star hotel, but Serenity had no idea if that was true because it was not the type of news she would follow. Jasmine’s aunt arrived at the hotel before the girls and exchanged greetings with her friends. The aunt then told her children to enter the hotel while she stayed at the door to wait for Jasmine and Serenity to arrive. As the car she arranged cruised over behind other cars, the aunt curled her lips to smile. A few minutes later, Jasmine, with Serenity in tow, approached the aunt. “Aunt Rachel.” “Mrs. Lowe.” Serenity and her best friend said hello to Rachel. Rachel was not entirely okay with Jasmine bringing Serenity along as she had met the girl before. Rachel had to admit that the girl, who lost her parents at a young age, was better looking than her niece. Despite coming from a mid

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 13

    Zachary was the center of attention as he walked into the room, completely oblivious to his new bride in a corner. Serenity’s gaze could not get past the crowd and onto her man’s face. After failing to catch a glimpse of the leading man despite standing on her toes to look for a long time, Serenity soon lost interest and sat back down. She tugged on her best friend and said, “I won’t bother. There are too many people around to get a good look. Let’s eat.” To Serenity, the mission tonight was to pig out! “Wait for me here, Seren. I’ll ask my aunt who came. All that commotion is as if the king has graced us with his presence.” The curiosity was eating Jasmine up inside. “Sure,” Serenity casually replied. Jasmine went off on her own. Since Serenity had cleared her plates, she picked up her empty plates and got up. While everybody was fussing over the VIP, Serenity could grab the food at ease without enduring the stares and dirty looks. Zachary walked into the room and firs

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 14

    Jasmine brought a glass of red wine to her lips and took a sip. “You read too many chick lits. There are so many people with the same first and last names under the sun, much less a surname. Bill Gates is one of the richest men, but do you think everybody with that last name is his family?” Jasmine smiled. “You have a point.” “My husband is a white-collar worker. He drives a national car that’s worth about a hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Do you think the heir of the Yorks would drive that sort of car? You have a wild imagination, don’t you?” Serenity never dreamed about becoming Cinderella. It was fine to daydream but not to the extent of being out of touch with reality. “Come to think of it, can the head of the York family swing the other way since he doesn’t want young females approaching him? Is he married?” Serenity was the least bit interested in the young heir’s appearance. Nevertheless, it was questionable that he shunned away from young women. Either he was c

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 15

    Having eaten to her heart’s content, Jasmine gleefully said, “Shawn, I’m not interested in the eligible bachelors. Serenity and I are only here to check out the scene and taste the food. The place lives up to its name as a seven-star hotel. The food is amazing. It was a hearty meal.” Shawn was speechless.“We’re stuffed now. It’s getting late, Shawn. Serenity and I got to go. Please let my aunt know on my behalf.” Anxious, Shawn did a double take on Serenity and answered, “Leaving so soon? Jas, the party is only halfway through. It’s still early. The earliest would be eleven o’clock tonight before the party’s over.” Serenity chimed in. “We have a business to run tomorrow, so we can’t stay out that late.” With the pair getting up, Shawn followed behind them. “You know you can delay the opening time by a few hours.” Shawn hovered around Serenity, hoping to keep the girls around for a little longer. “That won’t do. Our busiest times are in the morning, afternoon, and evenin

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 16

    Within the business community in Wiltspoon, anyone who had won Zachary’s favor would go places like the world was theirs to take. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe brought their son along to the dinner party so he could meet people and make friends. It was to lay the groundwork for their son’s future. “Mr. Lowe, you were…” “I was just returning from walking my family to get a ride.” Before Zachary could finish his sentence, Shawn jumped in to explain what he was doing in case Zachary might take it the wrong way that Shawn did not care for these social settings or was unhappy with the hotel service.The Wiltspoon Hotel was one of the many hotels under the Yorks’ flagship. “Oh.” Zachary then walked past Shawn, looking like he only greeted Shawn out of politeness. Shawn had no time to get over the situation as a crowd around Zachary walked right past him. Shawn became a nobody in an instant. Everybody was used to Zachary making a brief appearance at an event before taking off. The CEOs w

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 17

    “Yeah.” Zachary answered in a deep voice. Serenity drew close, holding a carrier bag in hand. “I bought cranberries. Do you want some?” Black in the face, Zachary gave her a dirty look. All she did was eat at the dinner party. Yet, she still had room for more. She was such a glutton! “Cranberries can taste bitter when eaten raw, but there’s a sweet aftertaste that comes through. It was once the favorite of my most cherished man.” Taking the seat next to Zachary, Serenity opened the container of cranberries. Zachary discreetly scooted to the side to pull away from her. He did not want his clothes stained. “Your most cherished man?” “The man on the hundred-dollar bill.” Zachary was speechless. Money to him was a series of numbers in his account. “Do you want to try a bite? It’s tasty. For real. It’s delicious. I can’t get enough of it.” “No. Knock yourself out. One more thing. Can you take it to the dining hall? I can’t stand to see the furniture stained.” Seein

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 18

    “I wasn’t at the shop tonight. My friend wanted to attend a dinner party and asked me to tag along. Oh, right. Mr. York, I want to ask you about something, but I’m not sure if it’s something you’re comfortable answering.” Taking the seat opposite Zachary, Serenity stared at the man with her big bright eyes. The man was aloof, distant, and nasty toward her. She knew he built a wall around him to keep nobody out but her. However, he was blessed with good looks. His face was aesthetically pleasing as if she was looking at a beautiful scenery. “The party was held at the Wiltspoon Hotel. I heard the hotel belongs to the wealthiest family in the city. Guess what? The heir of the family attended tonight too. His last name is York, but I think you’re unrelated to that family, right?” Without batting an eye, Zachary blasély replied, “We just so happen to share the same last name.” Serenity heaved a sigh of relief and responded with a smile, “I knew you have no relations to the wealthi

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 19

    “I’m taking a trip back to my hometown after meeting your parents this weekend. I want to chop down a few bamboos to make the rails.” Zachary replied faintly, “No need, I’ll get someone to install the rails tomorrow.” The lady of the York house wanted to go all the way to her hometown to chop down some bamboo and haul them back for laundry-airing purposes. The only person who could come up with this is Serenity. “Sure. Thanks.” “This is also my home.” “Yeah,” Serenity answered before carrying her laundry to her bedroom. She pushed open her bedroom door before turning around to look at Zachary, “If you want, you can leave your dirty clothes out after shower. I’ll wash your clothes when I’m doing my laundry.” “It’s fine. Thank you. I’ll get someone to deliver two washing machines tomorrow. It’d be easy to have a washing machine in each of our bathrooms.” “Alright. Tell me how much you pay for the washing machines. I’ll split with you.” Serenity could not let him foot the

최신 챕터

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4211

    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,

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4210

    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

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4209

    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

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4208

    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

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4207

    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

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4206

    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

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4205

    When Austin reached the door, he stopped and turned to say, “Ms. Isabella, I only care about my future wife. Other young women are simply strangers to me.“I’m polite to other women when I need to be. If they’re unimportant, I’ll ignore them. Even if that woman is my boss, I won’t cross any lines. If I do, there must be a reason behind it.“Get some rest, Ms. Isabella. You might have a headache when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll prepare a warm honey drink for you in the morning.”After speaking, Austin left. Isabella turned to look at where he last stood. What did his words mean?He said he only cared about his future wife.Aside from this lady, he would not step out of line with any other young woman, even if she were his boss. What did he mean by crossing lines?Was it showing concern? Did he mean that if his boss was a young woman but not his fiancée, he would simply do what was required of him without any personal feelings involved? Was that what he meant?If so, was

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4204

    Isabella was cold sometimes, but that was not her true personality. She was a reasonable person. Austin was not worried that he would be mistreated as a live-in son-in-law. “Ms. Isabella.”Isabella looked toward him and waited for him to speak. He asked, “This may be abrupt, but may I ask what your ideal type is?”Isabella was stunned. Why did the question come to her? What was the type of man she liked?‘Someone like Austin,’ she thought. After a moment of silence, she said, “I like men who are capable, responsible, and have correct values. Even if his family isn’t as financially well-off as mine, I don’t mind so long as he’s honest, competent, and sincere about his feelings for me.“Of course, it’ll be great if we have the same social status. That way, we’ll have similar perspectives and more common topics. If we get married, we’ll be joining forces instead of it being a one-way financial aid.”“Although you can accept someone who isn’t from a similar family backgrou

  • Married at First Sight   Chapter 4203

    After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “It’s okay. I know I was forcing it.”There was no point in asking Austin if he did not want to reveal anything. If he wanted to tell her, he would do so without her asking. However, her curiosity spiked with his silence. She was eager to know who his fiancée was. He was already so protective of his fiancée even though he had not met her before. It made Isabella jealous. It was her first time feeling that kind of emotion throughout her life. Although it was not a strong feeling, she still felt it. “You weren’t forcing me to tell you. You were simply curious. Most people have a curious side. It’s only natural for you to be inquisitive as well.”Austin said gently, “It’s not just you. Those who knew that my nana had chosen fiancées for my brothers and me were also curious about who the ladies were.“To be honest, we didn’t even know Nana had been choosing fiancées for us since a few years ago until she handed their pictures to us

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