โThatโs true, but you donโt look like one at all. There are lots of girls who still like you. Their hearts broke when they learned you were a woman but they still canโt get over you.โHayden was silent for a moment before she responded, โI never gave them a chance and never led them on. Thereโs nothing I can do about that.โShe had always been famous throughout Jensburg for being cold and indifferent to women. In the past, people speculated it was because she was gay or unable to get it up. Now, everybody knew she was a woman. Of course, she did not like women and was indifferent to womanly charmsโshe liked men.โThatโs true, it has nothing to do with you. Itโs us who canโt control our hearts, which keep falling for you. To tell you the truth, even I was particularly interested when I first met you. If you were a man, you would have been the first man I was interested in.โHayden smiled slightly. โIโm lucky Iโm not a man, then. Mr. Fletcher would hate me otherwise.โCaroline gave
Hayden smiled. โThereโll be plenty of opportunities in the coming days.โ After a pause, she continued, โIt would be better if you werenโt the heir to the Fisher family.โ The title of the Fisher family heir was an extremely heavy burden for Caroline to bear. It was suffocating. Caroline smiled too but did not reply. Instead, she accepted her motherโs call.โCaroline, come home. I need to talk to you about something.โโAlright.โ After Caroline agreed, Belinda hung up.Shoving her phone back into her pants pocket, Caroline finished the rest of her coffee and stood up. Apologetically, she said to Hayden, โIโll treat you to a meal some other day.โHayden got up to walk her out, all the way to the first floor. After watching Caroline get into her car, Hayden walked toward her own car. Her parents were waiting for her to have dinner at home together.Kevin had gone over earlier to do the cooking himself. Every time he went to her home, he would take her private chefโs job, but the chef
โYou might not have had much to drink, but you still had some, and it was hard liquor. It would already be considered driving under the influence. For your safety, I think youโd better get someone to drive you home. If you donโt want me to do it, itโs fine. This is your familyโs hotel. You could just get anyone to drive you home.โMost of the hotel employees knew how to drive.After a moment of thought, Hugh agreed. โAlright, Iโll get someone to drive me home. I wonโt drive. You havenโt eaten much and probably havenโt had your fill yet. You should go back.โSelena smiled. โI donโt have much of an appetite and Iโm pretty full. It doesnโt matter if I eat or not, I just like spending time with my friends. Are you only taking today off?โHugh nodded. โMy sister just got back, so I can have a short break. After this, itโll be back to the grind again.โBefore Hayden and Kevin started dating, Hugh lived a very relaxed life. After all, his sister bore the heavy burden. Now that Kevin had
Hugh did not think he was treating Selena any differently. He knew Selena had not eaten much because she had been sitting right opposite him and he could see every single thing she did.Likewise, Selena had been able to see every move he made too, so it was normal that she was concerned about him. After all, they had been friends for many years now. He had even watched Selena go through three boyfriends during their friendship. Every time they broke up, it seemed to have been triggered by minor issues that blew up into major fights.Whenever Selena got into a relationship, he would stop inviting her to meet up, so that her boyfriend would not misunderstand. He had been very sensible about it, but whenever her ex-boyfriends bumped into him, their expressions would grow dark and they would refuse to acknowledge him, as if he was the cause of the break-ups.โYouโre not that young anymore. You should settle down if youโve met a good girl. Donโt always be so cynical and make Mr. Queen wo
In Fisher Manor, Belinda sat down on the sofa, tired from pacing. The ashtray before her was already filled with cigarette butts.โMadam.โ Elaine entered the room and greeted Belinda respectfully after walking up to her.โWhat is it?โ Belinda asked coldly.โMr. Hunter is back. Should I let him in?โBelindaโs expression darkened. โI didnโt call him back. Who told him to come here?โElaine said carefully, โMr. Hunter might be able to take your mind off whateverโs causing your bad mood. He had always in the past kept you company whenever you were in a bad mood. Madam, regardless of what Mr. Hunter did wrong, he is your husband, after all. Youโve been married for decades and have children and grandchildren together. What canโt you forgive?โBelinda turned to glare at Elaine, who hung her head, not daring to meet her eyes.โHow much has he paid you to speak in his favor like this? He did the one thing I canโt forgive. He is where he is today because of his own choices. He chose not t
Right as Elaine was about to leave, Belinda suddenly stopped her and instructed, โLet him in.โShe was not in a good mood, so it would be helpful to have someone she could vent her anger on.โAlright, Iโll let him know.โ Elaine was elated when Belinda heeded her advice and hurried to open the door for Hunter.โHas she eaten yet?โ Hunter asked Elaine after getting out of the car.โNo, not at all. She only had water and cigarettes.โ Elaine sighed. โI donโt know whatโs troubling her so badly she doesnโt even want to eat.โShe had not been their butler for long, but she had been working at Fisher Manor for quite a long time now. Still, this was her first time seeing Belinda in such a state.Hunter was silent for a moment before he said, โBe careful doing things while sheโs in a bad mood. Donโt piss her off. Iโll go in and take a look.โAfter taking a few steps, Hunter turned back and retrieved a bouquet of flowers and a red paper bag from the car. Inside the paper bag was a set of j
โDad, Mom.โ Caroline walked in and greeted her parents.Hunter looked at Caroline as if she was his savior when he saw her walk in. He hurriedly said, โCaroline, hurry and persuade your mother. Sheโs refusing to eat anything. You have to eat to have the strength to deal with whatever the issue is.โ He wore a heartbroken expression.โThatโs right. Caroline, hurry up and persuade Mom. She doesnโt want to eat anything,โ Adrian and the rest echoed.However, Adrian did feel a little guilty upon seeing Caroline because of his scheme to get Liberty into an accident. He worried that she knew and would tattle on him to Belinda.Before Caroline could even sit down and speak, Belinda stood up and said seriously, โCaroline, come upstairs with me. The rest of you arenโt allowed to disturb us in the study without my permission.โThen, Belinda left her concerned husband and sons behind to go upstairs, with Caroline following her. Hunter looked at her hesitatingly, wanting to say something, but C
On the surface, they were on the same side. Belinda looked at her daughter silently. This was her biological daughter, the baby she had carried for nine months. She had four children in total. The first three were all sons. It could not be said that she did not love her sons. After all, they were all her babies. She had carried them in her womb for nine months eachโhow could she not love them?With the Fisher family rules as they were, however, they made it so that she preferred her daughter and doted on her more. When she was pregnant with Caroline, she just knew she was pregnant with a baby girl because the symptoms of her pregnancy were different compared to her three earlier pregnancies. Later on, her doctor did a scan and proved her right.By the time she gave birth to the daughter she wished for so dearly, she was considered to be of advanced maternal age. She planned to tie her tubes afterward, not wanting to have another child. One daughter was enough. That way, the same trag
It was his father. Manny composed himself and picked up Tonyโs call as he walked toward his car.โHey, Pops.โโHowโs it going, Manny? Has there been any progress?โTony was still in Carrieโs 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 mistressโa 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. Longbottomโs place and becoming the real missus
Tati also finished her plate of pastries.She followed Isabella out.โIsa, youโre always so busy and exhausted. If youโre 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. Itโs the same either way.โTati wanted Isabella to take the day off so Isabella could spend some time with Austin and nurture their relationship.However, Isabella still declined Tatiโs kind offer.She said, โNot today. Thereโs an important meeting today, and I have two important clients to meet. Iโm fine, really. Donโt worry. From now on, I wonโt touch alcohol.โGiven 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 someoneโs 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, โItโs all thanks to Ms. Isabellaโs guidance.โHe 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.โAfter eating the sweets, I feel much better.โ 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.โJust ignore him. Are you really going to skip work because of him?โIsabella added calmly to Tati, โIf you let him provoke you, heโll only cling to you even more. If you act like he doesnโt exist and donโt respond no matter what he does, heโll naturally give up once he sees that youโre completely unresponsive.โTati said, โIโm afraid that heโll go and bother Edith and Eleanor if he doesnโt get anywhere with me. They donโt have the same resolve as we do.โShe, therefore, decided to bear the brunt of it.โEvery time I see hi
Austin replied, โBoth Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip woke up very early, especially Mr. Phillip. He gets up earlier than Mr. Louis every morning. Itโs really hard on him, getting up so early in such cold weather.โSometimes, 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, โPhillip is just afraid heโll get here too late and that youโll assume heโs not coming over for breakfast, then not prepare any for him. He's such a little foodie.โThe 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 Isabellaโs 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, โAre you up yet, Ms. Isabella? Itโs time to have breakfast.โIsabella 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. Isabellaโs 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 Austinโs 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 Louisโs place with his bag. โAustin.โLouis suddenly asked, โDid 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 Austinโs 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 fiancรฉes. 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 fiancรฉe. 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