Donald had overdrunk. Kevin, who had good alcohol tolerance, indulged in drinking.Mrs. Queen scolded her husband, “Kevin is a generation younger than you. He could be our son, yet you called him ‘bro’. This form of address isn’t right. There’s an issue with seniority.” At first, it did not concern Kevin. At the thought that his nana wanted him to marry Hayden, Kevin felt there was indeed an issue with seniority if his future father-in-law called him “bro”.He laughed without saying a word. He left Mrs. Queen to scold her husband.Donald burst into laughter and said, “Kevin and I regret not having met earlier. Kevin, I treat you as my friend. We’re good friends despite the great difference in age. You can come over for a meal or drink whenever you’re available.”“Alright. No matter how busy I am, I’ll put my work aside and come over to drink with you as long as it’s your treat, Donnie.”Hayden’s mouth twitched.“Dad, Mr. Kevin is busy with work, unlike you who takes a hands-off
Hayden turned a blind eye to her parents’ act.She initially wanted her bodyguard to disguise himself as Kevin’s chauffeur to send Kevin back to the hotel.Donald said, “Hay, send Kevin home since he drank quite a lot. I’m worried that he’ll feel sick and have no one to look after him during the journey.”Hayden replied, “I got it.”She must be adopted. Her parents were not even this thoughtful and concerned about her and her brother.Under her parents’ request, Hayden had no choice but to let Kevin get into her exclusive car. One of the Queens’ bodyguards drove Kevin’s Maybach back to the Yorks’ hotel.After the car drove out of Queen Manor, Hayden tilted her head and looked at Kevin, who was resting with his eyes closed while leaning against the seat.“Are you drunk, Mr. Kevin?”“I’m not, but the after-effects of the wine are strong. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Even so, I’m still able to think clearly.”After keeping quiet for a moment, Hayden said, “My parents are very fond of
“Look at what industry Kevin is in charge of. F&B isn’t York Corporation’s main business. Ever since Kevin started to manage the business, it has emerged as a leader in the industry.“How wonderful it would be if this outstanding kid becomes our son-in-law.”Donald sighed. “Hay is already twenty-eight, yet she refuses to revert to her female identity and isn’t interested in anyone. She’s planning to be a man forever and, worse still, a single man.”Sophia said, “As I said, she has always enjoyed disguising herself as a man since she was young. I let her be when she chose to be a brother to Hugh. When they were young, they looked cute and so much alike. It was hard to distinguish their gender.“Now that she’s all grown up, I can’t leave her to continue disguising herself as a man, but you said it was up to her. You even said she has an aura of an elder brother, so it’s okay for her to act so. Look. She has been a man for over twenty years now and is reluctant to switch back to her r
When they were close to the hotel, Hayden woke Kevin up and said to him, “Mr. York, we’re almost reaching your hotel.” Kevin sat up and glanced outside the window. It was a familiar sight.He said apologetically to Hayden, “I’m sorry for sleeping throughout the journey.”“No worries.”Hayden thought it was good enough that he did not pass out completely. Otherwise, she would have had to look after him the entire journey.“Mr. Hayden, where do you usually stay?”Hayden kept quiet for a moment before she answered, “I bought a villa in Lake Edge, and I usually stay there since it’s close to the office. It’s about a ten-minute drive.”If she had stayed with her parents in the manor, it would have taken her one hour of drive to return to the office. She would not be able to sleep longer.Hayden had a disciplined lifestyle. She would never be late to work. By half-past eight in the morning, she would have arrived at the office, which was considered early among the senior management.
Kevin giggled and said, “I don’t mind if the house is expensive. I want it as long as it’s nice and suitable. Mr. Hayden, when are you free to take me to view the house?”“Since it’s quite late now, it’s not convenient to do so. Let me leave a number for you. When you’re free tomorrow, you can contact this number. Someone will take you there to look at the house.”“Alright. Thank you so much, Mr. Hayden.”Kevin thanked Hayden.Hayden gave Kevin her housekeeper’s number. “Mr. York, this is my housekeeper’s number. You can contact her, and she’ll help you contact the villa’s owner to take you on a house tour.“The house owner said that she wants to sell the house. She purposely left her contact number to her neighbors, saying that anyone who’s interested in buying the house can contact her.”“Alright. I’ll contact your housekeeper tomorrow. Thanks for your help, Mr. Hayden.”Hayden replied nonchalantly, “It’s no trouble at all. You’re most welcome, Mr. York.”He might not buy tha
After Kevin entered the hotel, he was not in a rush to head upstairs. Instead, he walked to the lounge on the ground floor. He then took out his phone to call his nana.Grandma May picked up his call and said, “Kevin, you still remember me, b*stard. I only told you off, and you ran away from home.”“Nana, I didn’t run away from home. I just came to Jensburg on a business trip. Now, I’m at Fortress Hotel.”Grandma May snorted. “Since you’ve gone to Jensburg, you should spend quality time with Hayden. That’s how you build relationships. Trust my taste. Both of you are suitable for each other.”One of them was talkative, whereas the other was silent. They could complement each other.Kevin looked around and saw no one. Only then did he whisper, “Nana, how did you find out that Hayden is a woman? From what I observed, she doesn’t portray feminine beauty and acts manlier than I do. Whenever I walk with her, it gives me the false impression that we’re buddies.”Grandma May giggled and
The York men would not commit such preposterous acts.“I believe I’ve raised you guys well. All of you are nice, capable, and responsible young men. You won’t do those things. It’s been a while since I practiced self-defense. I might not be as agile as before, but I can still summon my strength to deal with you if you ever do those things.Kevin said, “Nana… Can you at least wait for me to finish my sentence?”“Well, you didn’t say it all in one shot. How dare you blame me. It’s only because I’m your nana that I tolerate you.”“Nana, I’m going to take a look at a house tomorrow, and I need a psychicdiviner. He doesn’t need to be competent. Most importantly, he’s able to lie and twist things around.”Bewildered, Grandma May said, “I understand that you need a psychicdiviner to look at the house, given that buying a house is a big matter. If you buy a house with bad energy, your life will be negatively affected. The most dreadful thing is buying a house with the worst energy because
Grandma May was not at all worried. She merely faked her worry for Kevin.After Kevin hung up, Grandma May contacted a diviner and requested the diviner to fly over to Jensburg with his apprentice. Their flight ticket, meals, and accommodation would be covered. All they needed to do was contact Kevin and listen to his instructions.The diviner heartily agreed.After settling Kevin’s matters, Grandma May was in a cheerful mood. She headed to her eldest grandson’s house at night. When the butler heard the bell ring, he went to open the door, only to see Grandma May. Sam was dumbfounded. While opening the door for her, he asked, “Old Mrs. York, you should call us before you come over so we can pick you up. Did you come here by cab?”Although Grandma May could still drive, she was already old. Her grandchildren forbade her from driving even though she was physically strong. They wanted the chauffeur to drive her wherever she went.“My chauffeur sent me here. He left after I got out of
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