“Mm, you two can decide. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.” Jasmine felt she did not help much aside from contributing some money. She felt sorry. Serenity and Elisa said simultaneously, “You can just focus on caring for the baby.”Jasmine said, “I can work even if I’m pregnant. Many people still go to work even though they’re pregnant and only go on maternity leave closer to their due dates.”“That’s what other people do. You’re different from them. You should just stay at home and be a ‘national treasure’,” Serenity smiled and added, “With how nervous Mr. Bucham is, he probably won’t allow it if you want to visit the store.”Jasmine was speechless. After the three women chatted for some time, Josh knocked on the door. He entered the room while holding a drink placed on a tray. It was a supplement drink for Jasmine to replenish her nutrients. “Serenity, Zachary is here to pick you up. He’s downstairs.”Josh told Serenity as he walked over. He placed the
“No.“I just told Dad and Mom about the pregnancy. They’re elated too.” While Jasmine was chatting with her friends, Josh remembered that he had not informed his mother-in-law yet. He quickly called her to break the good news to her. The Sox family was happy after learning about the pregnancy. “Telling Dad and Mom is enough. Let’s not reveal it to the entire world for now. There’s a high risk of unexpected situations occurring during the early stages of pregnancy. It’s not suitable to spread the news too early. Revealing our pregnancy when it becomes stable after the first trimester isn’t too late anyway.”Josh nodded repeatedly. He also heard that families would rarely reveal pregnancies during the first three months because signs of miscarriage would occur easily in the early stages of pregnancy. If the pregnancy were announced too early, no one would feel good if a miscarriage were to happen. While Josh and Jasmine were discussing the baby’s matters in the room, Serenity a
“You guys were going to start an office in your hometown. How did it go? Did you guys manage to rent an office?”Zachary changed the topic. “We managed to rent an office and hired several managers. They’ll officially start working next Monday.”Zachary praised her, “You and Elisa are beginners in business, but you two are very efficient.”Serenity smiled and said, “It’s all Elisa’s work. She does things hurriedly, but she loves to push the responsibilities to me and let go after having a rough idea.”“I’ve said before that Elisa doesn’t have enough patience. That’s her personality. She’s lucky to have met such honest partners as you and Ms. Sox. Otherwise, she won’t even know if she’s being scammed.”Grandma May had a sharp eye for people. Back when Elisa liked Zachary, Grandma May had already told him that she was not suited to be the York family’s missus. However, he would not like Elisa even without Grandma May’s remarks. After all, he and Clive were like enemies. How c
After being husband and wife for so long, Serenity understood the meaning behind his gaze. She glanced at the driver and the bodyguard on the passenger seat quickly. She saw that they did not turn their heads. The driver was focused on driving while the bodyguard was on his phone. It was how the bodyguard protected himself.If he were watching videos or reading novels on his phone, he could divert his attention and not notice what his boss and the missus were talking about. Serenity gave Zachary a quick kiss. Only then did he let her off the hook. He stressed in a low voice, “I want to receive your love letter to me before I head to work tomorrow.”“Of course. Definitely.”Serenity promised him with a grin. “Remy came to pick Elisa up too. Actually, they do get along with each other well.”Zachary hummed. “Remy might leave Wiltspoon for some time.”“Why? Is he going on a business trip?”Serenity could not resist asking because Remy liked Elisa. “Did you forget? Mrs. Y
With a love rival present, Remy was even more reluctant to leave Wiltspoon. He feared Elisa would become Andrew’s girlfriend when he returned after leaving for some time. “You do have to go back and accompany your family,” Elisa said considerately. “Elisa, are you willing to go back with me?” Remy asked. He wished to bring her back to let his elders meet her. Although the elders knew he had someone he liked in Wiltspoon and had seen Elisa’s pictures, they had not met her in person yet. A person as carefree as Elisa blushed because of Remy’s words. She said, “We aren’t officially together yet. It’s still too early to meet our parents.”“As for my mom… I can go with you to meet your parents anytime if you manage to get past my mom.”Disappointment clouded Remy’s eyes, but his fighting spirit reignited quickly. With a gentle smile, he said, “I hope I don’t have to wait too long for that day to come. I’ll definitely clear Mrs. Stone’s hurdle.”If he could not get past Mrs. Sto
Mrs. Stone laughed and said, “This is good news. She got lucky right after her wedding.” “The entire Bucham family is excited. Mr. Bucham is super nervous. He’s even treating Jasmine like a national treasure.”Mrs. Stone smiled. “That’s natural. Josh is the first to marry in his generation, so the baby in Jasmine’s belly will be the first grandchild. It’s a given that the Buchams will treat this seriously.”The first child always brought a lot of anticipation and priority.“How’s Seren?” Mrs. Stone thought about her niece, who was not pregnant yet. Jasmine had gotten pregnant during her honeymoon. Mrs. Stone was worried her niece would be upset. Elisa recalled Serenity’s reaction. She said, “She looked normal. You don’t have to worry about her, Mom. She has an open mind now and is going with the flow. She’s no longer in a rush to get pregnant.“Besides, we’re so busy. She doesn’t have the time and effort to think about having a child.”In the past, Serenity only had to watch o
“Mom, I’m at our family’s hotel now. I’m in private room number 23.”Elisa had no choice but to tell her mother that she was at the hotel already.After a moment of silence, Mrs. Stone asked, “Are you eating with Mr. Johnson?”“Yes,” Elisa answered honestly. Her family disapproved of her being together with Remy, but she did not listen to them. She felt happy when she was with him. Happiness was the most important aspect of living.If being with Remy made her happy, why would she not date him?“We just arrived and haven’t ordered anything. Why don’t Remy and I go over to accompany you and Mr. Reading to have dinner?”Mrs. Stone pressed her lips together. She said, “I’ll go over to you.”She hung up right after.Elisa held her phone and looked toward Remy. She said, “My mom wants to treat Mr. Reading to a meal. She wants us to accompany them. She’ll be coming over soon, so let’s not order first.”Elisa knew what signature dishes her family’s hotel had. Remy smiled. “Okay.
Elisa had feelings for Remy. As she mentioned, she was not in a rush to agree to date him because she wanted to experience being pursued and cherished by someone. Elisa smiled and said, “Mr. Reading might not fancy me anyway. It’s all my mom’s doing. If I don’t cooperate, my mom’s actions will be useless. I can still decide who I love.”Andrew was Zachary’s cousin. Although she had never interacted with Andrew before, he must have known that she used to be obsessed with Zachary. Even if she had already given up on Zachary and let go of her feelings for him, could Andrew really not mind?Her mother was simply wasting efforts. She would not cooperate, and Andrew would not fall for it. Elisa’s words were like a tranquilizer. They put Remy’s mind at ease. He considered himself lucky that he had targeted Elisa early and deliberately approached her. He had made a strong first impression, occupied the most advantageous position, and developed feelings for her. If he had just mad
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