Hayden glared at Hugh and warned him, “Don’t try anything with her. She’s with Mr. Bucham. Quinn is the daughter of a gym owner. She learned self-defense as a child and can really pull a punch. She’s a coach at her family gym, Power Fitness. “She’s a straightforward girl. She doesn’t play any games. It’s been years since I’ve met such an honest person.” Hayden saw nothing but scheming people around her, except for children but even so, some kids were cunning.Perhaps people in her social circle wore masks. Hugh was not around when Julian brought Quinn over, so he did not know Quinn was with Julian. After hearing Hayden out, Hugh regrettably said, “Oh, she’s with Mr. Bucham. I wouldn’t approach her. It’s a shame because she’s my type… Doesn’t Mr. Bucham have an illness? I thought he’d swear off any men or women.“Medically, he has hypoactive sexual desire disorder, but he basically can’t perform in the bedroom.” Hugh would only talk about it with Hayden. He would not blatant
Hugh muttered, “Are you preparing to get married? Even if you do get married in the future, you can continue managing Queen Enterprise. Mom and Dad only have the both of us. We’ll definitely have to divide our family’s assets equally between us. Since half of Queen Enterprise belongs to you, I think it’s best if our positions remain unchanged.”Hayden said, “Can’t I take a back seat after working tirelessly for so many years? You’re a man. You should shoulder the responsibility given to you.”“I don’t think taking over the company is my responsibility alone. You have inheritance rights too. When will you get married? I can stand in while you’re on your honeymoon or when you’re pregnant.“Wait. Kevin should be the one stepping up. He’s the one who’s taking you away from me.”After speaking, Hugh had to endure another slap to the arm from Hayden. “Kevin doesn’t owe you anything. Stop finding excuses and return to Mom and Dad’s side. Even if you don’t want to get to know other busin
“Yeah. We’re back. We arrived with Serenity right when the rain stopped. No one expected it to pour because it was so sunny just before. The elders believe a rainy wedding day signifies cleansing and fertility.”Hayden smiled. “I didn’t know rain was meaningful on a wedding day.”“It’s an old saying anyway. I think it’s just a coincidence. The weather is unpredictable.”Kevin handed the bouquet to Hayden and said, “I caught the bouquet. I hope it’s true that whoever catches this bouquet will be the next to marry.“This is for you, Hayden. I hope we’ll be blessed like Zachary and Serenity.”Hayden hesitated before accepting the bouquet. She said, “The rumors about us will be a hot topic again if you were seen giving the bouquet to me.”“They can say whatever they want. It’s fine as long as you know I’m straight.”Hayden said instinctively, “Well, I can’t be sure. Who knows if you have a similar condition as Mr. Bucham?”“I can let you verify if I am healthy to ensure you’ll be s
Hayden looked at Kevin. “Are you still returning to Jensburg after Zachary’s wedding?”“Of course I have to be where you are unless you’re staying with me in Wiltspoon.”Hayden said, “You have so much free time.”“I’ve been helping Zachary manage the family business since I graduated. He put me in charge of the F&B industry because I’m picky and good at cooking. In his words, if Wiltspoon Hotel’s food couldn’t satisfy me, it wouldn’t satisfy our customers too.“It’s been about ten years since I’ve taken over York Corporation’s F&B businesses. I’m good at my job. Even if I’m not in Wiltspoon, all hotels can operate without a hitch. Besides, every hotel has a managing director and a few deputy directors. I only have to handle crucial matters.“I can choose to live in Jensburg long-term, and nothing will be affected. To me, not being kicked out by Nana is more important.”Hayden had heard him mentioning that Grandma May would chase him out of the house if he could not win her heart.
Hayden could never figure out Grandma May’s actions in arranging her grandsons’ marriages. It was not Kevin’s first time explaining it to her. She could understand his words, yet she did not resonate with the idea. It was probably because she was not part of the York family. She also realized that Grandma May’s children never worried about their children’s marriages. It was all handled by the old lady herself. They simply accepted the daughter-in-law Grandma May handpicked regardless of their looks or family background. Perhaps they were not pressing enough, which prompted the bored Grandma May to take on the responsibility of managing her grandsons’ marriages. “Nana’s reputation and popularity are second to none in Wiltspoon. Even when we were rivals with the Stone Group, they still respected Nana greatly.”Kevin looked proud. He added, “I hope Nana can live a long life to witness all of us build our family and the births of her great-grandchildren.“She always says that she
Serenity had no idea how the guests were doing. Upon her arrival, she met the York elders and family members with Zachary. As the groom and the host, Zachary drank with the guests on behalf of Serenity as well because she was pregnant. When the reception ended, he was worried she would overexert herself and took her to rest in a room.Serenity was indeed exhausted. She almost fell asleep right upon entering the room. Zachary held her up and said, “You should sleep after bathing and changing out of these clothes.”“Don’t I have to entertain the guests later tonight?”“I’ll be back by nighttime. We don’t have to entertain them all day. We should rest early after a long day.”Zachary encircled Serenity’s waist and pulled her into his arms. He said, “You must be worn out today.”She snuggled up to him. “I’m just very tired. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, and Liberty woke me up early in the morning. I’ve been up the whole day by sheer willpower. Now my eyelids feel heavy.”
“Jasmine thinks her baby is a boy. I think ours is a boy too. Maybe our children are fated to be brothers, just like you and Josh.”“That’s not bad.”As much as Zachary would love to have a daughter, he was happy enough to have a child at all with Serenity, regardless of the child’s gender as it was not easy for her to conceive.“You’re right, babe. Not bad at all. Anyway, I’m going to bathe now.”“Don’t fall asleep. I’ll wait for you for fifteen minutes and if you’re not out by then, I’ll go in.”Serenity was speechless. No matter how tired she was, she would never fall asleep in the tub.However, Zachary’s attentiveness and care was sweet. He had fulfilled his promise of planning the grandest wedding Wiltspoon had ever seen while she had also become the most stunning bride for him.Serenity wished their love would always burn brightly, to have children and to grow old together with him. Exactly fifteen minutes later, Serenity exited the bathroom. Zachary immediately lifted
Serenity quickly said, “I know. The pain I felt was when I hadn’t known I was pregnant and was out and about running errands. I was shocked when I found out about the baby.”She dared not tell Zachary about it at that time because he would be worried. Zachary had planned on taking her on a drive because her pregnancy prevented her from going overseas. Considering that a drive would also be tiring, she decided to inform him of her past discomfort. Zachary was relieved to hear that the pain was from before and not now.She had indeed reduced her workload after discovering she was pregnant and stopped making trips with Elisa. Working in the office would not tire Serenity out. After all, she was physically fit from the martial arts classes she had taken. She grew up in a harsh environment too. Zachary wanted to persuade her to stay home even after her marriage leave ended but knew she would not agree. Besides, her first trimester would almost be over by then, and the pregnancy wo
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