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
It was morning when Serenity finally woke up. She thought the sun had not set before looking at the time only to realize that she slept through the night when she saw her phone screen.On the other hand, Zachary was already awake. She knew he was preparing breakfast for her downstairs. Serenity was hungry after having slept for so long but feeling recharged from the sufficient rest she had. When she was about to get up, she noticed someone lying at the end of the bed. It was Sonny. Serenity was dumbfounded. Why was the little guy in her room?He had changed out of his suit and was sleeping without a blanket on. She guessed he might have entered after Zachary woke up earlier and probably fell asleep while waiting for her.Serenity went to the edge of the bed to shift Sonny into a more comfortable sleeping position. However, he opened his eyes the moment she lifted her. When he saw Serenity, he said softly, “Aunt Ser.”Then, he hugged her with both hands. “Do you want t
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