“Don’t worry. I will promote your family gym after I learn from you. I won’t do anything to break the law.” Julian, who was a good fighter, pretended like he was a defenseless man. He showed his interest in joining the Crawfords’ gym. That way, he could be with Quinn every day and she was bound to fall in love with him. Only Quinn could make him feel like a man again. He was determined to keep her for himself, and not lose her to someone else.Quinn tilted her head and looked at Julian. While walking, she said with a smile, “You’re a little old, so training can take time. If you’re interested in building strength and nothing else, you can ask my dad or my brother if they would accept you as a student.” Julian asked, “You’re not going to teach me?” “I usually teach kids. My dad teaches the adults. As I’ve told you, late learners usually take up self-defense for fitness. My dad can teach you the basics. “The basics go a long way. You always work behind the desk. You will fee
By then, the kids had grabbed their favorites and sat down to eat at two tables. Quinn was a foodie, and the local cuisine was right up her alley. She grabbed two plates and loaded them with food. Since there was no vacant seat with the kids, she sat at a nearby table. She put her plates down and went to grab a plate for fruits and another for dessert. She also poured herself a cup of coffee.Julian had grabbed a lot of food too. Quinn would not enjoy her meal unless Julian did too. She might even try to be ladylike and stay hungry next time.Julian wanted to give his future wife everything even though they were not married yet. He could not possibly let her go hungry. After grabbing the food, Quinn sat down and realized that she might have taken too much to eat. However, she stopped feeling embarrassed when she saw the amount of food Julian took from the buffet. Quinn was not the only one who could eat. Her students were big eaters too. It must be due to all the exercis
Josh was the administrative executive to the CEO of York Corporation. He was well-known in Wiltspoon, appearing on TV more often than Julian. It was easy for the public to search for his photos and basic information on the web. Julian was a different story. He had always been elusive. Whenever Zachary wanted to meet with Julian, he would have to book an appointment through Josh. There were no pictures of Julian on the internet. People who had not met Julian in person would walk by him, unaware that he was the heir to the Buchams. Josh assumed that Julian was afraid of Quinn learning his identity and getting cold feet. “Did you see the group of men in suits? The man in the front looked awfully familiar,” Quinn said as she looked back at the hotel.Julian answered, “Those men were executives from York Corporation. They are probably here on business. Wiltspoon Hotel belongs to the same company. Zachary and his employees have meetings with clients at the hotel.” “Oh. That explai
“Mr. Bucham.” Julian had brought along two bodyguards to act as drivers. With Julian stepping out of the hotel, they immediately drew close. They were instructed not to tell Quinn that Julian was the heir to the Bucham family for fear of scaring her away. The bodyguards believed Julian was paranoid as his future wife feared nothing. Quinn would not be afraid to learn who Julian was. Julian gave a nod and told Quinn, “My car can’t fit everybody, so I hired two drivers. We can all travel comfortably in three cars instead of one.” “Thank you for going through all that trouble, Mr. Bucham. You have everything thought out.” Julian grinned. “It was no trouble at all. You weren’t afraid about getting into trouble when you saved me. You didn’t even know me then. All I did was help with the logistics and the pleasure’s all mine.” Quinn smiled. “Alright. We should stop thanking each other like we’re strangers. I’m not used to it.” She would rather cut to the chase. The pair w
Julian said to Quinn, “As far as I know, there’s a rose garden, sunflower garden, and another one with an assortment of flowers. But it’s October now, so there aren’t many flowers in bloom. Come spring, the gardens are a sight to behold.”Quinn rolled down the window and looked into the distance. She gasped in amazement and asked, “Is that the Yorks’ residence? Are those people from the family?” “The place there is the Yorks’ family home. The people you see are mostly their employees. They take care of the gardens and orchards. It takes a village to run the estate. “Some of them are distant relatives of the Yorks. “The family members stay in some of the houses there. The rest of the buildings are the workers’ lodging. The Yorks provide generous housing for their employees. Single employees get a unit with a separate kitchen and bathroom.“The employees with families get an apartment, which isn’t huge but spacious enough and well-equipped.” Quinn’s eyes widened in marvel. She
Julian said, “Ms. Crawford, you don’t have to be so polite. We’re friends now, and you also saved my life.”Quinn smiled. “Okay. Let’s not be too polite with each other. I find it awkward too. I prefer being casual, so being overly courteous makes me uncomfortable. You don’t have to keep mentioning that I’m your savior too, Mr. Bucham. I simply lent a hand by fighting while I was on a stroll after a meal.”Both of them laughed. Since Quinn had no intention of getting out of the car to admire the flowers, Julian drove straight up the hill. He guessed Quinn did not fancy flowers much. The car stopped midhill. Quinn spotted a security post that was meant to carry out car inspections. The security guards stationed at the post allowed Julian’s car to pass as soon as they saw him. Quinn was curious. “Why is there a roadblock?”“Well, Wildridge Manor belongs to the York family. Outsiders are prohibited from entering. There used to be only one security post at the manor’s gates. H
Julian grinned in return. He then introduced the butler to Quinn. “Ms. Crawford, this is Wildfridge Manor’s butler, Sam.“Sam, this is Ms. Crawford. Her family owns Power Fitness, and she saved my life.”Sam thought, ‘Are you kidding me, Mr. Bucham? Will a person like you require saving?’With Julian’s identity, who would dare to touch him? No one would be bold enough to offend him too. However, Zachary had specially instructed Sam to play along with whatever Julian said. “Hi, Ms. Crawford,” Sam greeted politely.Quinn replied embarrassedly, “Sorry for the sudden visit and all the trouble, Sam.”Sam smiled and said, “It’s a small matter. Mr. Bucham and Mr. Zachary are friends. Mr. Zachary had appointed me as your tour guide to show you around the manor today.”“Thank you, Sam.”Julian said, “I’ve been here twice, Sam. Although I don’t know this place well, I won’t lose my way. I think I can be Ms. Crawford’s tour guide. We shall not bother you since you’re busy.“Though w
“Grandma May.”Julian could not avoid her anymore. He greeted her happily. From Julian’s greetings, Quinn found out that the elderly woman walking over with a kind smile was Old Mrs. York. Based on her clothing, she looked plain and no different from an ordinary elderly woman. However, her natural classy aura was not something clothes could conceal. The old lady’s steps were steady, and she was in good health. She maintained her appearance well too, looking like a woman in her fifties or sixties, instead of her actual age. “Who’s this, Julian?”Grandma May’s gaze focused on Quinn. She pretended to be clueless and asked Julian. Julian dared not play tricks before an elder. He introduced Quinn to her earnestly. “Nice to meet you, Old Mrs. York,” Quinn greeted after Julian introduced them to each other. Grandma May smiled. “Hi, Ms. Crawford.”She eyed Quinn from head to toe. Her first impression of Quinn was great—young, beautiful, and down-to-earth. Grandma May was
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