It was utterly embarrassing. “It’s okay. You’ll get more thick-skinned after each loss and eventually be able to brush it off.”After Zachary spoke, Serenity hit him lightly. He burst out laughing. Well, he was only speaking facts. Laurence was gifted. Not only did he have an extremely good memory, but he also had great teachers. Even if his teacher ignored him, his teacher’s mentor would train him. He also excelled in academics, martial arts, and medical skills. Great teachers would always produce brilliant students. While Sonny nevertheless had some advantages over Laurence, it was a fat chance for him to beat Laurence. Zachary was not trying to kill Sonny’s confidence. However, they sent Sonny to martial arts lessons primarily to strengthen his body and gain self-defense skills; not counting on him to become a master at it. “How could you say this to him? Sonny, don’t listen to him. You’re doing great. Although you can’t beat Laurence, you’re still much better than
Zachary’s expression told her that he had zero impression of Mrs. Torres.“I told you you wouldn’t know of her,” Serenity whispered. “Sonny’s coming. Let’s talk about it at home later. I have to give Liberty a heads-up later tonight too.”Liberty was currently stationed in Jensburg and Duncan still could not walk. They were not meeting as often as before. Even if they had eight hundred calls a day, it was still a long-distance relationship, and feelings could fade easily.It was hard to guarantee that Duncan would not have a change of heart if an attentive and considerate woman who could help him in his business appeared by his side at this time.Zachary spoke up for Duncan. “Duncan won’t have a change of heart. You don’t know him as well as I do. I’ve known him for over twenty years and he’s been a good buddy of mine for many years now. He’s very serious when it comes to relationships.“When he falls in love, it’s for life. He has never dared to fall for someone because of how se
Zachary was afraid of his wife—what of it then?At least he had a wife to be afraid of. There were so many sad single men out there who did not even have a girlfriend, let alone a chance to be a hen-pecked husband.Sonny gaped at him, speechless.It was impossible to expect Zachary to help him.“Uncle Zak, are you not coming home with us?” Sonny very naturally changed the subject.Zachary took his little backpack from him and then picked him up as he said, “I have a meeting later tonight, so I’ll get Uncle Bodyguard to send you guys home after I have dinner with you. I can only come home later.”Sonny pursed his lips and did not reply.The adults were so busy!“Are you unhappy?”Zachary pecked him on the cheek and said with a smile, “I’ll take you out to play this weekend, okay?”“I’m not unhappy. I know Uncle Zak’s busy because you need to earn money to buy milk powder for the baby. Okay! I want to go to the children’s amusement park this weekend.”Zachary said fondly, “Oka
“That’s right. Don’t listen to her, Sonny. Don’t take your Granddad or your Grandmom’s words to heart either. If your Dad says bad things about your Mom and Dunc, don’t listen to him either. They’re all just jealous.”“I know, Aunt Ser. They think I don’t know anything because I’m young, but I do.” Sonny was well aware of who was truly good to him and who was not.It was just that he was too young to express all of this clearly.Serenity patted Sonny’s head.She had to tell Liberty to limit Sonny’s contact with the Browns.That family would never change.She once saved Chelsea’s youngest son and thought that Chelsea would change because of it.Before Liberty started dating Duncan, Chelsea did treat the Hunt sisters much better and even turned around to pick on Jessica instead.Now, however, Chelsea had returned to her old habits.Zachary put Sonny down when they got into the elevator.Sonny held Serenity’s hand in one hand and Zachary’s in the other.Though his parents wer
If Grandma May knew what Zachary was thinking, she would say, “I’m only going to dote on my great-grandson!”Once the elevator reached the first floor, Zachary picked Sonny up again.“Let him walk on his own,” Serenity said. “You spoil him too much.”Sonny hugged Zachary around the neck as he said childishly, “Uncle Zak loves me the most. You’re just jealous, Aunt Ser.”Serenity could not help but laugh as she pinched his cheek lightly. “Yes, yes. Your Uncle Zak loves you the most. Who doesn’t?”From the York family elders to the Stones, even the Lewises, all of them doted on Sonny a lot.She and Liberty were stricter with Sonny so he would not be spoiled rotten.Zachary was cold by nature, but he doted on kids very much when he loved them.She wondered what Zachary would be like when their baby was born.Sonny said that it was a boy.Her in-laws hoped it was a baby girl, but they would love the baby all the same. After all, the baby would be the eldest in his or her generati
After dinner, Zachary sent Serenity and Sonny home with his bodyguard while he continued working.Once they got home, Sonny practiced the piano and then his drawing, while Serenity sat on the sofa flipping through a magazine about jewelry.She and her partners were planning to start a jewelry business.Jane had started one too, and it was already turning a profit. Her mother was helping her design most of it.Serenity did not know how to design jewelry, but Elisa did.Elisa mentioned that she wanted to design her own jewelry and open her own store.It was just that she was too busy chasing after Zachary and gave no thought to earning money. Her entire family doted on her so much that she was never short of money.Her monthly allowance alone was an amount regular people would never earn in their lifetimes.Later, when Serenity started her fresh produce company, Elisa temporarily set her jewelry business idea aside.Now that they had made some profit and were looking for somethi
Nevertheless, the blood relation between Caroline and Belinda could not be erased. If Belinda had indeed murdered Tiara, Caroline would be an enemy to Serenity and the rest. After a short silence, Liberty asked, “Where’s Sonny?”“He’s drawing now. He was practicing on the piano for a while just now when we got home.”“No homework?”Serenity smiled. “No. Even if he does, he can finish it within a minute. He simply needs to draw with a pencil. At his age, having fun at school is the main priority.”Learning how to write was a task they assigned to Sonny. Although most children were having fun in school, those enrolled in Wiltspoon’s most expensive and best preschool were from wealthy or influential families. They would succeed their families in the future, so tutors were hired by their families to educate them separately. Quite a number of Sonny’s classmates could recognize many words. Despite their young age, they were brimming with talent. Not wanting Sonny to lag behin
“I believe Duncan won’t fancy Mrs. Torres. He only has eyes for you.”Liberty smiled. “That’s why you don’t have to be worried about me. If there’s a love rival, then it’ll be a trial for Duncan and me.“You don’t have to keep an eye on Mrs. Torres for me, Seren. Let nature take its course. If she can secure Duncan’s heart, then I have nothing to say. If she fails, she might look for me instead.”Liberty had experience in facing love rivals. Before Liberty and Hank divorced, he cheated on her with Jessica. Even so, Liberty did not lose. She was the one who suggested they get a divorce. She could not accept any dishonesty. Hank did not treat Liberty well. He was generous with Jessica but not her. As such, Liberty granted their wish. Divorcing was not that bad after all. Liberty was living a better life now than before. She received help from Serenity, but she believed she could have pulled through those tough times after divorcing even without Serenity’s help. After exp
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