“Andrew drove your aunt home, and Remy caught Elisa seeing Andrew out. Remy overreacted by seeing Andrew as a potential love rival. He called to get information on Andrew.” Serenity asked, “Did my aunt hurt her ankle badly?” “It’s a sprain. She’s wrapped up and doing okay. They have a family doctor. Remy mentioned that Mrs. Stone didn’t summon the family doctor, so I guess it’s not a bad sprain. Don’t worry too much about it.” Serenity sent a text message to ask Elisa before giving Aunt Audrey a call. Serenity could only let go of the matter when she was sure it was merely a sprain. Aunt Audrey should be better in a few days. “Remy seems to care a lot about Elisa. It explains the extreme lengths he goes to.” Showing understanding, Zachary said, “In fact, he’s not the only one to act that way. Anyone would be on high alert if their crush interacted with someone of the opposite sex, even if it was just a brief encounter.” Zachary kept his eye on Shawn back then. It turned
On the other end, Remy continued watching the builders work after the phone call with Zachary. Remy also called the florist for a delivery of a bouquet of roses in the evening. Time passed quickly. The sun went over the horizon. The florist delivered the large bouquet of roses as Remy had ordered. After paying for the flowers, Remy carried the bouquet and took strides to the Stones’ residence. Since the two houses were close by, it only took less than two minutes on foot for Remy to get to the front gate of the Stones’ residence. Remy was about to ring the doorbell when Clive walked out of the house. Ditching the idea of pressing the doorbell, Remy waited for Clive to come over. Two minutes later, Clive stood before Remy. Both were around the same height and imposing in presence. They engaged in a stare-down. “These flowers are… blinding.” Clive broke the silence. Sure, he admired Remy for the man he was, but Clive took a protective stance for Elisa now that Rem
Clive fell silent for a bit before answering, “It’s not far, but…” “Mr. Stone.”Putting on a serious face, Remy earnestly said, “I like Elisa. I’m after a serious relationship with the intention of marrying her. I won’t give up on her.“I understand your family’s concern. That was why I bought this villa. My main responsibility is FC & Co.’s business in Wiltspoon, so I’m a permanent resident here. I rarely return to Annenburg. We’ll be staying in Wiltspoon and living in this house if Elisa chooses to marry me.” Remy believed he had done enough to provide the assurance. “No one can say what will happen in the future. My mom will only consider you as Elisa’s husband candidate if you marry into the family.” “I can do that if that is Mrs. Stone’s wish. My brother can fulfill his duty as a son to our parents.” Clive was speechless. His mother had never said such a thing. She would not budge on giving Remy the stamp of approval though. The last thing his mother wanted was f
Remy fell silent for a moment before giving his two cents. “Our parents want what’s best for us, but we may not approve of their methods. We might take it the wrong way and think they’re making our lives difficult.” “That’s right. Do your parents do the same too?” Elisa asked. “My parents stay out of my business once I reach adulthood. Then again, they don’t really get involved because my eldest brother is the boss of me. The seniors in my family don’t interfere with the younger generation’s business. Though, they might say something if we haven’t settled down.” Elisa smiled. “That’s right. I heard the elders of the Johnsons are pretty liberal like the Yorks. No wonder you guys are the 1% of the population. Everything seems to be going well for your lives.” “Elisa, is your mom forbidding you to date me?” Elisa gave an honest answer. “That’s right. My mom said you’re from out of town. She doesn’t want me to marry off to a faraway place. She is forceful and determined to separa
After dinner, Serenity returned to her room to take a shower before heading to the guest bedroom where her sister was. Liberty was carrying her son out of the bathroom. “Sonny is just done with his shower.“He had a blast today, and now he’s sleepy. I quickly gave him a wash, and he was nodding off in the showers.” Liberty lay her son down on the bed as the little man was asleep. Serenity pinched Sonny’s cheek with a smile. Sleeping like a log, Sonny had no reaction to his aunt getting a good squeeze of his face. “He and Rowan were really running around the place today. It’s a good thing. The pressure to do well in his studies is real even though he’s only in tenth grade. His cousins and brothers performed well academically, so he will be lagging behind if he doesn’t put in the work. His cousins and brothers won’t be pleased about that.“All that fun is a good stress reliever.” Serenity’s heart went out to the youngest member of the York family. The kid was a sweet talk
“I understand, Grandma May.” Duncan was down in the dumps. Still, the frustration only lasted for two minutes, and he regained his fighting spirit. Duncan had not begun the pursuit yet, and for him to lose the will now, he might as well move on. “It’s late. You should go home.” Grandma May showed Duncan the door. Duncan said with a kill, “Are you kicking me out, Grandma May? I was going to have a drink or two with Zachary.” “I’m not drinking tonight.” Zachary was quick to say no.Duncan chucked. “I heard that you don’t really drink at business parties anymore. Apparently, you quit alcohol because your wife doesn’t like you drinking. You don’t smoke, drink, gamble, or solicit. Our Mr. York has become a model husband.” The grandmother and grandson blurted in unison, “Watch and learn.” Duncan was speechless, to say the least. In the end, Duncan left Wildridge Manor. Once he was gone, Zachary stayed to chat with his nana for a while. Since the grandmother and grandso
It took less than two minutes for Zachary to take a more active role rather than being passive. He carried his wife to the bed and demanded more. No words were needed for the rest of the night. The following day was when Jasmine would drop by her family home for a visit as Mrs. Bucham. Serenity and her sister were having lunch at the Soxes’ residence. Zachary would, of course, be with his wife. After the visit, Jasmine and Josh would travel for their honeymoon the next day. It would also mark the end of the brief public holidays. Then came the time to get back to work, back to school, and back to business as usual. For the mass public, they were to resume the normal routine. Apart from watching the shop, Serenity would find the time to return to her hometown with Elisa to check on agriculture progress. The seasonal vegetables had been planted as planned. Looking at the greens all around, Elisa told Serenity, “The administrator said that the vegetables will be read
Sam was snickering to himself.Zachary had completely become a slave to his wife.Serenity laughed on the other side of the line. “I’ll be home soon. Are you home?”“Yeah, I just got home. Where are you now? Let me pick you up.”“It’s okay, don’t trouble yourself. I can drive myself home. Besides, it’s too much of a hassle for you to come all the way from home just to bring me home. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Just wait for me at home, babe.”“Sure. Drive safe. Remember that you’re driving a car, not flying a jet.”Serenity chuckled. “I don’t even know how to fly a plane.”During late nights when there was less traffic, Serenity would sometimes speed on the way home and would soon be dissuaded by her two bodyguards.When Zachary knew of it, he gave her an ear-lashing. He then told Liberty about it too, which resulted in Serenity being reprimanded by Liberty.Serenity realized Zachary loved complaining to her sister.He would turn to Liberty whenever his advice for Serenity f
Lilian often messed with the medicinal herbs her master cultivated, which led to her being chased and scolded by him.It seemed her son had inherited her restless nature.“How’s Sonny been lately?”Liberty had been on edge these past few days because Caroline had been preparing to lure her three brothers into a trap and had not had time to call her son.“Same as usual, but it seems like things have soured again with the Browns.”Serenity added, “Sonny still answers when Hank calls him, but he doesn’t seem happy when his grandparents visit. He doesn’t like going to the Browns’ place, and he doesn’t want to take their calls either.“Hank’s mother and sister are truly incorrigible. They must have been badmouthing you and Duncan in front of Sonny again, which is why he’s upset with them.”During the holidays, Sonny had stayed with the Browns for a few days and started to warm up to them.However, who would have thought that the mother and daughter would start spouting nonsense in f
Once the baby was born, he would apply the knowledge he had learned over the past few months to care for the baby. He was determined to be a competent and responsible father.Serenity released her arms from around him and shifted to her side.Zachary let go, too, allowing her to turn.Then, she planted countless gentle kisses on his face.“Babe, with you here, the baby and I will be just fine. Don’t worry too much,” Serenity comforted softly after kissing him.“You are my rock. If even you are nervous, I’ll start feeling anxious too, and that won’t be good.”Hearing this, Zachary immediately said, “Seren, don’t worry. I’ll protect both of you. Alright, I won’t be so nervous anymore.”He gently touched her rounded belly again. “Lil’ Bun should be a calm kid. He’s not that mischievous.”He felt that the baby’s movements were not too intense.Serenity wanted to tell him that there were times when the baby kicked more vigorously, but she decided against it, knowing it would only m
“Just hit the gym a few more times. Lately, you’ve been spending less time there.”Every day after work, he would come home and orbit around her. As a result, he had less time to work out.It was normal to gain a few pounds eating well and exercising less. Did he really think he could eat anything without gaining weight?The reason he could maintain a model-like physique before was that he exercised daily.“Ow.” Serenity suddenly cried out in pain.This startled Zachary so much that he nearly jumped up, asking anxiously, “Is it stomach pain? Are you going into labor? Let’s go to the hospital right away.”He was about to pick her up, but Serenity stopped him by pressing his hand.“Don’t be so nervous, Zachary. It's not time yet. It’s not happening so soon. It’s just the baby kicking again. His kicks are getting stronger.”As she entered the later stages of pregnancy, the little one inside her was growing stronger. Sometimes, a couple of kicks from the baby could actually hurt.
Zachary, afraid that his wife might refuse to spend time with him at his office in the future, emphasized that he was not busy today.He had already cleared his morning schedule because he needed to accompany his beloved wife for her prenatal checkup.His secretary was well aware of Serenity’s checkup dates. Whenever he saw Serenity turn up at the office with his boss, his secretary would quietly adjust his schedule.Sometimes, on the day of the Serenity’s checkup, his secretary would not schedule any appointments for Zachary at all.Even if appointments were scheduled, Zachary would request they be canceled or rescheduled.Now, in Zachary’s eyes, his wife’s matters were the most important.With Alex now able to share the workload, Zachary felt that he, as the eldest of his generation who had shouldered the bulk of the burden for so many years, deserved a break.Plus, there was the elite team the company had trained; if not now, then when would they be put to use?Everyone was
Tony turned around and left.Only after hearing the door close did Carrie dare to open her eyes.She had woken up while Tony and his son were on the phone, but she did not dare move, fearing that Tony might suspect her of eavesdropping.Just now, when that old lecher stood by the bed looking at her, there was definitely a murderous glint in his eyes. She could feel it.Sooner or later, he would kill her.Carrie was filled with panic. She wanted to escape but was afraid she would not succeed. No one was there to help her.For a moment, Carrie even considered running to Camryn to confess everything, but she quickly dismissed the thought. The reason she ended up in this situation was entirely due to Camryn.She and Camryn were sworn enemies. Their conflict would not end until one of them was dead. However, even if she died, she would drag Camryn down with her.-Meanwhile, in the CEO's office at York Corporation, Zachary, seated at his desk, kept glancing up at his pregnant wife.
“You should have gotten rid of them all back then and cultivated a network of people loyal only to you.” Manny felt that his father should not have spared those people in the first place.Tony said, “There were too many of them, all relatives and friends with the same goal as us. We couldn’t eliminate them all at once.”Back then, he had incited everyone to join him in wiping out the entire main family, sparing neither the elderly nor the children.It was because they were all from the collateral branches, jealous of the main family’s long-standing control, and shared a common goal that his conspiracy succeeded.He had also spent over a decade waiting for the right opportunity.Who would have thought that even after wiping out the main family, he still could not obtain the family seal, token, or totem? Without these, he could not become the true head of the family and could only act as a proxy. Many of the connections loyal to the head remained inaccessible.Moreover, much of the
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