Zachary watched as Serenity picked the flowers and haggled with the florist. She lowered the price by half from fifty bucks for a potted plant. Not to mention, she made it seem like the florist would not get a better deal than what she was offering. It was intriguing, to say the least. He was not one to look at the price tag or bargain when shopping. Too bad for the florist though because his wife could drive a hard bargain. The look on the florist’s face was priceless. After paying up, Serenity carried the flowerpots one by one into Zachary’s car. At first, Zachary stood by the car and watched but later realized he was standing out for the wrong reasons as the girl was doing the heavy lifting herself. He then helped Serenity transport the flowers until his vehicle was filled to the brim. It was a good thing the florist gave them some flattened cardboard to lay on the seats. That was better than getting his seats soiled. “Do you need anything else?” Zachary asked his wife a
Serenity figured senior white collars like Zachary could enjoy a special privilege or two. Pulling out the debit card, Serenity gave it to Zachary and urged, “Don’t forget to bargain the price to half with the florist.” Zachary stuffed the debit card back into her hands. “I have money.” Serenity looked at him curiously and left the subject at that. Since she had to get to her sister’s place, Serenity reminded Zachary to get the best deals before grabbing her keys and rushed out. Unbeknownst to her, her man waited until she was gone before taking a short video of the balcony to send it to the Yorks’ estate’s head gardener, Henry. It did not take long for Henry to return the call. “Sir.” “You’ve seen the video, Henry. How many pots of flowers do you think I need to turn the balcony into a mini garden? Pick a few cheaper ones in your greenhouse. I’m looking for the fast-growing kind with huge and intricate petals. Deliver them to unit 808 on the eighth floor of block B at
“A bit of breakfast won’t hurt the bank. Liberty, I won’t overdo it.” Serenity had adequate income to help her sister, but she would not pour her entire paycheck into doing it as she had her mind set on becoming a homeowner. “Has Sonny eaten?” Serenity asked while feeling Sonny’s temperature. His body temperature was in the normal range. “He had milk. I have chicken soup simmering on the stove. I’ll feed him some later when it’s ready.” Liberty took excellent care of her son. “Zachary will be home in two days. His parents will be visiting this Saturday. Come to Brynfield with Hank on the same day for dinner with the family. Can you let him know about this?” Liberty asked happily, “Is your husband coming back from his business trip?” “He said he’ll be back Friday night.” “Alright. I’ll keep my husband in the loop.” Liberty had a clear idea of why her sister decided to get married. Although she went along with Serenity’s lie, Liberty had her concerns about Serenity’s
“I saw you made a transaction in a clothing store. Did you buy clothes? What did you get for it to amount to a thousand bucks? Can’t you cut down on your spending? Do you think I have it easy making money?“I have a house mortgage, car loan, and my parents’ living allowance to think about. Sonny needs milk powder and diapers too! It’s not like you’re contributing to the expenses. I’m on my own. Can’t you reduce the expenditure and be a little understanding of me?” Liberty stopped walking and waited until her husband was done playing the blame game before explaining to him, “Seren said her husband will be back on Friday. The families will meet and have dinner on Saturday. As Seren’s family, I hope the meeting will go well. The clothes I have don’t fit me anymore, so I bought two dresses.“I also bought you a new suit and tie. Hank, we’ll have to skip going to your mom’s this weekend.” Following her clarification, Hank murmured something under his breath. Unable to catch what he sa
Jessica took pleasure in her boss’s courtship and preferential treatment, accepting the flowers and gifts as they came. However, she refused to cross the line of making out with her boss. This was not a matter of protecting her chastity, but rather a means for Hank to yearn for something he so desired. Jessica’s eyes were not set on becoming a mistress, but rather the rightful woman next to Hank. Nevertheless, Hank had been in a relationship with his wife for many years since college. Liberty used to be the finance director of the company, but she quit her job to be a full-time housewife by the time Jessica joined the company. Jessica had never met Liberty, but through the mouths of old colleagues, she got to know that Liberty gave birth to a son a year into the marriage and became a stay-at-home mom since. It was said that Liberty became way out of shape after giving birth. Hank had whined about his obese wife more than once. Jessica thought to herself, ‘Liberty is such a
Meanwhile, a train of luxury sedans cruised along with one of them being a Rolls Royce. It was Zachary’s private ride. With the convoy stopping at the side of the road, Zachary rolled down his window and looked at the scar-faced man. He asked, “What are you doing here, Duncan?” “I went to get something, but I came back to a scratch on my car.” “Did you catch the perpetrator?” Out of impulse, Zachary asked, “Do you need my help to catch whoever vandalized your car?” “It’s fine. I got her number. I’ll claim the damages from her after I get my car fixed. Wiltspoon is my city. She can run but she can’t hide.” Returning to his car, Duncan Lewis started the engine and told Zachary, “I’m off.” Without another word, Zachary wound the windows back up. The Rolls Royce followed by its convoy quickly drove away.Time ticked away quickly. It was soon evening. Once the afterschool rush hour had calmed down, Serenity intended to make dinner for her and Jasmine in the kitchen when she
Zachary remained silent. The person who chipped the paint off Duncan’s car was his new sister-in-law. Zachary had not met his sister-in-law. “It’s late, Mr. York. I’m going to turn in for the night.” Despite having reassured her sister that everything would be fine, Serenity was feeling the blues as she did not know what to expect from the damages. She said goodnight to Zachary and went to her room. By the time Zachary opened his mouth to say something, Serenity had already disappeared into her room. The flowers on the balcony… Well, Serenity would sort out the floral arrangement when she saw them in the morning. However, Zachary was feeling weird about it. It was as though he was waiting to be praised after doing a good thing. “Mr. York.” With the door swung open, Serenity popped back out and asked, “I see you got the washing machines. How much were they?” “I spent seven thousand on two washing machines.” Serenity did a comparison to the washing machine at her si
“It’s only a minor issue, so I can’t be bothered to submit a claim. Why the sudden question, Zachary?” Zachary fell silent before uttering, “The woman who scratched your car this morning is the sister of my nana’s lifesaver. The sisters only have each other, and the woman is a housewife without an income. They’re worried they can’t pay for your car’s repairs.” Duncan replied, “… Talk about a coincidence. I can’t believe she was the sister of your grandma’s lifesaver. How did you find out?” Zachary lied. “My nana is fond of her lifesaver and often seeks companionship in her. Nana had to ask why she was looking blue today, so Hunt told her what happened.” “Hunt? Is that her last name? The woman who damaged my car is Liberty Hunt. What’s the name of your grandma’s lifesaver?” “Serenity Hunt.” “They must be sisters, judging by the name. I’ll drop the matter since she’s the sister of your grandma’s lifesaver. The money means nothing to me, but I’m the victim after all. I can’t b
Austin asked Isabella gently.She hummed mildly before saying, “It’s slightly better than the first time you made them, but there’s still room for improvement.”“Thank you, Ms. Isabella.”She did not mention the problem and instead said there was still room for improvement. It was clear she did not want him to get too proud of himself. In reality, she was quite satisfied with the pastries he made today.Isabella turned to the little ones. “Louis, Phillip, go back with Austin. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight. Just ask Austin to make you whatever you want to eat.”The little boys did not really want to go home, but in front of their serious big sister, they did not dare to insist on staying and obediently followed Austin out of the office. As soon as they left the office, the boys pulled their scarves tightly over their faces, hiding themselves completely, leaving only their big, bright eyes visible.The secretary had already guessed their identities. Although she could not se
“Phillip, if you want to eat anything, just tell me. I can have Austin make it for you.”Isabella opened the box of pastries and placed it in the center of the table so Tati could try some as well. She remembered that Tati loved the pastries Austin made. As for Louis calling Austin her personal chef, Isabella did not correct him, because it was the truth. The family benefited from her picky taste and had the privilege of enjoying all sorts of delicious food. She often changed chefs, and every chef she hired was a top expert in the industry. As others put it, even the simplest omelet prepared by a chef from the O'Connor family tasted better than those cooked by others.“I want to eat everything! I love all the dishes Austin makes, and I also love buns and pastries.”“Isa, I want ravioli. Can Austin make us ravioli this time?” Not wanting to be left out, Louis made a request of his own after Phillip made one.Austin laughed. “No problem. This Saturday, I’ll make ravioli for you. I’
Isabella looked at him, and the two of them locked eyes for a moment. Then Isabella asked, “You’re trained in self-defense?”“I am. I trained for more than ten years. My nana is a wise and capable matriarch. She’s the one who raised us to be well-rounded, both in academics and self-defense.”Isabella recalled that she had asked someone to investigate Austin’s background. She had only done a brief inquiry into his family situation, mainly to learn more about him as a person, so she did not know much about his family. She knew he had a large family with many members, and they all lived in the large ancestral home passed down through generations. Oh, right—these were things Austin had briefly mentioned himself. As for what his family was like, he had not said much, and she had not investigated further. After all, she was not looking to marry him, so there was no need to delve into his family tree like she was tracing a genealogy. As long as she knew he came from a respectable family
Isabella said, “If Louis wants to climb up to the roof to take off its tiles, my mom would even go as far as to give him a ladder to climb up there. You don’t know the situation, so I don’t blame you, but when we get back, I’ll have a good talk with my mom.”Louis and his brother exchanged glances, wondering if they had caused trouble.“Isa, since they’re already here, just let them play in your office. They’re probably going stir-crazy at home.” Seeing that her baby brother and cousin looked scared that they had caused trouble, Tati could not help but feel sorry for them and spoke up in their defense. “They’re kids, after all—they love to play.”Austin also added, “It’s winter break right now. Most other kids are out playing already, and they’re stuck at home. Even though the house is big, they’ll eventually get bored playing indoors.”Just like when he and his brothers were younger, they had a children’s playground at home too. In fact, they lived on a manor estate on the hill an
Austin immediately regretted bringing the boys with him. He tried his hardest to recall whether anyone had seen their faces when they left; at least, he did not think anyone had.The two boys were still young and had sat in the backseat of the car. He had driven a black Mercedes, and as long as the duo had not rolled down the windows, no one could see them as the car sped along. After entering the Costa Corporation building, there were no other people around from the moment they got out of the car to the time they entered the office building. It was only when Austin was sure that no one had caught a clear shot of them that he finally relaxed. He told himself that, no matter how much they begged him in the future, he would not thoughtlessly take them out again.Before his own brothers entered society, they had been carefully protected by the family, and it was very difficult for the outside world to capture clear photos of them too. When they were old enough to step into the busines
“Has your sister ever hit you?”Austin freed a hand to adjust Louis's hat and scarf. He also tugged at Phillip, gesturing for the little boy to follow in his older cousin’s footsteps. The cold wind was howling, and he feared these two little ones might be blown away by the strong gusts. The two little boys replied in unison, “She has hit us, but it’s really rare. She really loves and cares about us.” “She only hits us when we make a really big mistake,” Louis added, afraid that Austin might think Isabella was a bad person. He quickly said, “She does it for our own good.”Austin laughed. “I really didn’t expect that someone as well-mannered as your sister would actually raise a hand on you. It shows just how big a mess you two must have made.”Austin thought this was good. It was necessary for the two boys to have someone they feared. Otherwise, if they were spoiled too much, they would become unruly, and as they grew older, the messes they made would only get bigger, which wou
While Carrie was being scolded by Mr. Longbottom, Austin was delivering afternoon tea to Isabella.She had social engagements later that evening, so she would not be home for dinner. Given her picky eating habits, she likely would not have anything but drinks during the event, and Austin was worried that she would get drunk drinking on an empty stomach. He knew she could hold her liquor and no one would dare force her to drink, but even half a glass of wine on an empty stomach could upset it. Thus, he specially prepared some snacks to bring to her. They were freshly made and still warm.Also accompanying him were the O'Connor boys. After Austin parked the car, he got out holding the box of snacks. The boys unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car as well. Phillip had been sitting in the backseat, and when he closed the door, he did not push hard enough, leaving it slightly ajar. Austin reminded him to close it properly and Louis turned to help Phillip close the door. Then,
From then on, Mr. Longbottom no longer had to worry that his current efforts and sacrifices were all for someone else’s benefit. He could legitimately become the true head, gaining absolute authority in the Longbottom family and Longbottom Corporation, without being held back by others.“I wasn’t telling you to complete the task before Christmas. I was reminding you to step up your efforts and work harder. Stop constantly stirring up trouble for your sister,” Mr. Longbottom criticized. “Your current targets are Serenity Hunt and Sonny Brown, not Camryn Newman.”He added mercilessly, “No matter how you act out, you can’t compete with her. That’s a fact. Apart from being a few years younger than her, you really don’t have anything to compare. You can’t measure up to your younger brother, let alone your sister.”Among the three children of the Newman family, the most useless was Carrie. Of course, her being the most useless was exactly why he could use him. Camryn and Trenton were not
The O’Connor ladies were not like usual girls. Pestering them was useless. It would make Mr. Longbottom look cheap as well. After all, he was the temporary head of the Longbottom family. What woman could he not have for himself?Among his past lovers, there were also ice queens like Isabella. He still managed to charm them with some effort. Once they became his woman, they would soften and revere him. When he abandoned them, they would wail and cling to him, unwilling to leave. Of course, ten of those lovers could not even compare to Isabella. When Mr. Longbottom’s car was leaving, it passed by a black Mercedes-Benz in the opposite direction.Mr. Longbottom turned to look. He saw the security of Costa Corporation on duty opening the gates immediately upon spotting the black Benz. It only had to slow down before entering the compound.‘Maybe that’s one of Costa Corporation’s senior managers,’ he thought. He turned his head back and leaned against the seat. After some thin