Austin then asked Weston, “Don’t you think so, Mr. Abbot? Did you also apply for this job because it’s challenging and brings fame?”Weston was stunned momentarily. He then grinned and said, “That’s right. Becoming the O’Connor family’s chef does improve one’s reputation.“I’m also tempted by the salary and benefits they offer. I need the money.”The salary offered by the O’Connors was comparable to the amount received by a highly-ranked employee in a mega-corporation. Austin nodded in understanding. At that moment, the waiter served their coffee and desserts. Jovanne went for the desserts first. She chewed, wanting to taste every ingredient used. Austin guessed that the young Jovanne liked making desserts. Once she tasted a good dessert, she would try to guess the recipe via her tastebuds and experiment with the recipe herself. Austin often did that. As chefs, they all had an impressive sense of taste. “Dad, the desserts here are great. You should try them out.”Jova
“Mr. York, did you get a call back for another round of interview?” Weston asked Austin again.After a pause, Austin answered honestly, “The butler, Dominic, did call me back not long ago for a second interview tomorrow afternoon.”Weston immediately looked envious, but still said graciously, “Congratulations are due then, Mr. York. There aren’t many applicants this time around. They’re all staying in the hotels nearby and I’ve met them too. None of them have been called back. Some haven’t even gone for the first interview yet.”Austin chuckled. “You’ve already met them all? They’re your competition. How are you sure that they’ve told you the truth?”Weston was stunned for a moment before he said, “We can’t lie about coming for an interview and can’t play any underhanded tricks anyway. We might be competitors, but it doesn’t affect anyone else whether or not they tell the truth. There’s nothing to lose either.“Even if everyone makes the same dish, we won’t do it the same way. It
Austin told Dominic which hotel he was currently staying at.Dominic answered, “Please wait in the lobby momentarily. I will arrange for someone to pick you up.”Austin raised his eyebrows and asked, “Right now? Has the interview been brought forward?”Dominic explained, “No, the interview timing remains. Ms. Isabella instructed me to do this because she says that malicious people have made a big deal out of this hiring and countless people are watching. We’re worried that one of your competitors will get to you and make you unable to attend the interview tomorrow.“So, to make sure every single interviewee attends as scheduled, Ms. Isabella has instructed me to welcome you to stay the night in the estate.“You are the first to be called for a second interview, so naturally, you are the first to be invited for the stay. We’ll ensure that none of your food gets drugged or poisoned lest you get diarrhea or the sort.”Austin was struck speechless, but he went along with it.They were ju
Weston mused, “I feel like Mr. York isn’t an ordinary person.”“What is he, if not? He can’t be Superman, now can he?”Weston did not reply to that.He just felt that Austin had a dignified air, different from ordinary chefs like them.“Dad, are we going to visit someone else?”“They’ve got their guards up against us, so no. This time, I have a feeling that it’s Mr. York’s win.” Weston sighed. He was ultimately inferior.Jovanne comforted, “Dad, the O’Connors haven’t announced the results yet. No one knows who’ll have the last laugh. Mr. York’s nerves might get the better of him and he might make a mistake during his second interview.”“He won’t. He’s young, but he looks mature and steady, like someone who’s seen it all.” Weston had a very good impression of his competitor Austin.Meanwhile, his daughter felt that Austin only had his good looks to speak for him.However, it was true that he was a shrewd guy.Everyone was just headed for the same goal. They would meet once or
It was not cold in the whole of Georgia during winter and not just Wiltspoon. Though it was a little colder in the neighboring provinces.“It’s alright. It’s not that cold if I don’t go outside.”There was heating in the hotel, so he did not feel cold.In the hotel room, he only needed to wear a long-sleeve shirt and did not even need a jacket.Meanwhile, at Dunboy Manor, there would be heating everywhere apart from the yard, and would not be cold either.He was applying to be a chef, so he would naturally be working in the kitchen, which was indoors. Even if it were freezing outside, it would be warm inside.Once he got busy, he might even feel hot enough to sweat.“Is it truly not cold in Wiltspoon in the winter?” Dominic asked. “I’ve never been to Georgia. I just know that it’s a very wealthy province and Wiltspoon is a big city.”“It might not be cold for you guys, but to us, it feels cold if the temperature drops even a little. And there are wealthy and poor people everywh
“Remember to send me the menu you’re planning for tomorrow and the list of things you’ll need.” Dominic reminded Austin before leaving.“Okay.” Austin saw him off from the door and headed back in once he was out of sight.The accommodation provided was a one-bedroom apartment with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and balcony. It was around 750 square feet and did not seem big to Austin, who was used to living in a big house. For ordinary people though, these were top-tier accommodations.It was fully equipped with all-new daily necessities too.Austin dug out his phone to take a video of the apartment and sent it to his family group chat before captioning: [This is the apartment the O’Connors provide to their chefs. It’s a pretty nice place to live in.]It could even compare to the starred hotels outside.Tania immediately called Austin.Austin had just walked into his room and was placing his bag on the bed when his phone rang. He sat down before answering his mother’
Serenity could stand up for herself too and was not ashamed of her ordinary family background.As the current head of York missus, Tania felt that Serenity would be qualified for the position in the future too. Of course, she did not want her successor under her wing right now to be bullied by her younger daughter-in-law.Tania could not count the number of times she had internally grumbled about Grandma May by now.Apart from Serenity, the other granddaughters-in-law were each more impressive than the other.This was a lot of pressure on Serenity.Who else besides her was going to dote on her own daughter-in-law? Of course she felt bad for Serenity.“Not yet. Tomorrow’s the second interview. Dominic was worried I’d get sabotaged if I stayed outside, so he picked me up ahead of time and let me stay at the manor for the night. If I pass the interview, this is exactly where I’ll be living.“Mom, it might be a little small, but these are amazing accommodations for any ordinary pers
After a moment of silence, Austin answered, “I can’t do anything about it. I’d just be an employee. I might not be able to spend Christmas at home this year.”Tania scowled fiercely.Her precious baby boy was someone’s employee instead of staying home as a pampered young master.“You’re telling Nana yourself about not coming home for Christmas,” Tania grumbled. “I don’t know what you’re thinking. Why did you go so far when Christmas is around the corner? You don’t even know when you’ll be back.”In Austin’s words, he was going to be an employee and he could not do anything about it.He could not come and go as he wished.“By the way, do the O’Connors only have one chef? If there are more than one, you could at least rotate your leaves for Christmastime. Employees do get personal time off, mind you. All our employees have to do is tell Sam in advance they’re taking leave and he’ll arrange for cover.“Work doesn’t interfere with them spending the holidays with their family at all.
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