Delphine would get a headache whenever she thought of her daughter being picky about food. She was worried that no one would apply to be their private chef in the future. What would they do if Isabella got bored of Austin’s cooking?After a moment of silence, Isabella said, “Let’s not think too far into the future. For now, I’m satisfied with Austin. I haven’t gotten bored of the dishes he makes.”“He has only been here for a month. You might get bored as time passes.“Why don’t you extend Austin’s contract, Isa?”Isabella thought about it and said, “Austin is ambitious and capable, Mom. He shouldn’t be restricted to our kitchen. He hopes more people can taste the food he makes.“It’s good enough if he works an entire year. There’s no need to extend his contract.“If one year has passed and I have no intentions of hiring someone else, I’ll have to seek his opinion about extending his contract. I won’t force him to stay if he wants to leave and continue running his businesses.”
Austin waited till Isabella finished eating and he cleaned up before returning to his room. Dominic had already gotten off work. If any of the O’Connors required the staff members’ assistance, they simply had to speak into the intercom. The summoned staff would have to work overtime, but they would be paid accordingly.Isabella sat in the house for a while before heading to the garden for a walk. She had not strolled in the garden of her house for a long time.She was too busy. Even during some weekends, she would have to work to handle a few matters. Her mother often nagged at her for not resting during weekends and told her not to bring any work home. However, Isabella’s responsibility was heavy. She had too many things to deal with. She would usually bring urgent documents back home. Nevertheless, she was used to her busy life to the point she would feel bored and not know what to do whenever she had free weekends. Isabella preferred having busy yet fulfilling
The adults were just bullying him for being young. Sonny was determined to eat more and grow up fast. Once he became an adult, he would be able to understand Uncle Zak’s words. “Didn’t you fly here in your plane, Uncle Zak?” Sonny asked. Zachary put him in the car and helped Serenity get inside as well. Serenity smiled. “Do you think flying a private plane is that easy? You have to file a flight plan first.”Besides, picking her and Sonny up was not an urgent matter. There was no need to use a private plane. “Are we going back by car?”“Your Uncle Ben arranged a car to drive us to the airport. Taking an airplane will be faster. We’ll arrive in about an hour.”Serenity was heavily pregnant. Long car rides would make her uncomfortable. Therefore, Zachary bought plane tickets. Heading to the airport from FC Manor would take less than an hour. Therefore, it was a quicker way to get back to Wiltspoon. Sonny asked happily, “That’s awesome. I like traveling in airplanes. Ca
The elders at home did not restrict Rowan. His mother, well, really had never monitored him, because he had eight older brothers and cousins looking after him, and he bore a lot of academic pressure on himself. Many of his teachers had also taught the eight of them, so whenever he scored a little lower, his teachers would compare him to them. He was under tremendous pressure.Among his classmates, he ranked at the top. Even in the city rankings, he was among the top ten. Compared to his brothers and cousins, however, he still fell short. They had skipped grades in both elementary and middle schools, but by the time Rowan reached middle school, he could only take things one step at a time. Having one outstanding older brother was already a lot of pressure for a younger sibling, let alone having eight particularly excellent older brothers.“Nana said you would be back today, so she arranged for the driver to pick you up. I came home yesterday for the holidays, so I tagged along.”Rowa
Rowan was speechless.Serenity chuckled, “It’ll be the same no matter when you see him. Affection is something that’s cultivated. After the baby is born, you’ll have time to hold him, play with him, and the bond will grow—then it’ll feel like you’re close to him.”She could already foresee that after her baby was born, he would become the family’s little darling. The members of the York family were numerous but hers would be the only baby, so everyone would dote on him immensely.Rowan pitifully said, “Nothing good ever makes its way to me because I’m the youngest.”Zachary responded, “Once you get married and have your own kids, you’ll be able to make sure that your child sees you first when he’s born, but you can forget about that for your nephew.”Rowan said, “I’m still so young—it’ll be at least another eleven or twelve years before I get married and have kids. In fact, it might take a little longer, like fourteen or fifteen years. Aren’t you only just becoming a father at thi
Serenity replied mildly, “Nana’s arranged for a driver to pick us up, so we didn’t need to call a cab. Sonny fell asleep on the plane. Are you here to pick up a customer?”She glanced at the car Hank had parked not far away.“Yes, my customer is returning from out of town for Christmas. They pre-booked a cab, and I picked up the order. I’ve been waiting here for quite a while to meet them.”“Sonny, Sonny,” Hank softly called out to his son.After the winter break started, Sonny went with Serenity to stay with the Johnsons. Hank had originally wanted to bring his son home to stay for a while so that his parents could enjoy some family time, but in the end, Sonny went with Serenity instead.Unable to bring his son back for a visit, his parents complained about it, saying that he did not visit Sonny and did not bring him home to stay often enough. Then, Sonny would forget all about his real father and paternal grandparents if he did not spend more time with them. After all, Liberty a
After, he added, “Dunc went to see Mom. He didn’t wait for me to come back and went ahead, but luckily, they’re coming back soon. He said he bought me a lot of new clothes and toys. Dad, Mom and Dunc are getting married, I heard it from Aunt Ser. He’s going to be my new dad. Dad, I’ll have two dads from now on,” Sonny said with a happy smile. He even held up two fingers to Hank and added, “Other kids only have one dad, but I have two dads.”When Hank heard that Duncan had gone to visit Liberty and that the two were getting married soon, he felt bitterness in his heart, but he could not say anything.Back then, he was the one who let go of Liberty first. He was the one who had gone back on his vows and turned his back on their marriage first.No matter how bitter he felt, he could only wish Liberty and Duncan happiness and joy. Even though he did not want to admit it, Hank knew that Duncan was a much better man than he was, and not just career-wise because even in relationships, Du
Sonny nodded but still repeated, “Dunc won't stop liking me.”However, the part about Mom not having enough time for him was true, as was the case for the past few months. Since she had not had the time for him, he had been living with Aunt Ser and Uncle Zak.After a brief silence, Hank said softly, “If your mom and Duncan have another baby, they’ll favor their own child, and they might not love you as much.”“That won't happen, Dad, it won’t happen! Mom said that even if she has a baby with Dunc, she will still love me the most. Aunt Ser also said the same thing.” Sonny immediately refuted his father's words.“I’m just saying it might—it won’t necessarily end up that way. Anyway, remember to stay close to your Aunt Serenity, she won’t be biased.”Serenity was purely just an aunt, and all of Liberty’s children would be her nieces and nephews regardless. She would probably be able to treat everyone equally. However, if Liberty and Duncan had another child in the future, they might
Remy gave it some thought. If he were to become a father, he would also be extremely happy, to the point that he would forget about posting on social media.They were usually busy people and did not have the habit of posting regularly anyway. Josh only started sharing a lot on Facebook after he got married. He simply wanted to show off his life after marriage and irritate his friends who were still single. Even Zachary would post about his love life on Facebook occasionally. Remy suddenly felt he had to keep up with the trend and post something on Facebook during his free time. Remy and Elisa went to buy some supplements before heading to the hospital. There were still many people in Jasmine’s ward. Most of the men were sitting in the small living area while the women were chatting with Jasmine or looking at the baby in the room. The baby boy was already fed and in fresh diapers. He was sleeping soundly. “Jasmine.”Elisa walked over with the supplements she had brought.
The secretary wished she could skip work and visit Jasmine at the hospital with Elisa. However, that could never happen. She was simply an employee, while Elisa was her boss. The only alternative was if Elisa invited her along. Nevertheless, the employees could meet Jasmine during their break or visit her at her house. Elisa left excitedly. A Maybach was parked at the entrance of the company. When Remy spotted Elisa exiting, he stuck his head out and waved at her. Upon seeing him, she was no longer in a hurry to get to her car. She quickly walked over. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you go inside?”Elisa was beaming. As she had received good news, she had a smiling face regardless of who she met.“I just arrived. I didn’t drive inside when I saw you coming out. Where are you going?”Remy got out of the car.“Jasmine gave birth. I want to go to the hospital to visit her and her baby. You came at the right time. We can head over together, but let’s get some supplemen
“Yes. Health is the most important thing. Everything else is secondary. With the York family’s wealth and numbers, they won’t have to worry about not having a successor even if your child is slightly more ordinary.”Of course, Elisa personally hoped the next successor of the York family would be her nephew.The Stones and the Yorks could be considered relatives because Elisa and Serenity were cousins.The successor of the Stone family was most likely Clive’s son. If the York family’s heir was not Serenity’s child, would the two families’ relationship that was finally mended become strained again?After all, the head of the York family would no longer be a relative of the Stones if that were the case. However, Elisa did not voice her thoughts. She did not want Serenity to feel pressured. As an aunt, she also thought her nephew’s health was more important than anything else.“You must be busy, Elisa. You should go on with your work. I shall not disturb you. I appreciate your
“A baby’s face changes almost every day. We’ll only know who he takes after when he’s a little older.”Serenity agreed. “I should call Elisa and share this news with her.”Jasmine probably did not have time to tell her friends about her newborn. Serenity also forgot to inform Elisa because she was too worried about Jasmine. Zachary told her to call Elisa only after they were inside the car. There were too many people in the hospital. Serenity held back her excitement and immediately called Elisa when she got in the car. Elisa was extremely busy at the company. She was the only one who could manage their joint company at that moment because Serenity and Jasmine were pregnant. Even if they wanted to return to the company to work, Elisa would not allow them. Rest was of utmost importance for pregnant women. Elisa was unmarried and not pregnant. She did not mind being busier. She only picked up Serenity’s call after some time.“Seren.”Elisa held the phone in her left h
“All that matters is that you’re okay, honey. Let’s not have more children. We’ll just have this one son.”Josh spoke while holding Jasmine’s hand.Women had to experience immense pain when giving birth. It came with many risks as well. Josh had heard other people saying that a woman usually had one foot in the grave during childbirth.He was genuinely shocked after accompanying Jasmine through her labor. He had been terrified and worried that something would happen to Jasmine.Luckily, everything ended well. Jasmine and their son were safe. However, Josh did not want to experience something like that again. Having one child was enough. There was no need for a second or third child. The Buchams were a big family anyway. He did not have to bear the responsibility of expanding the family alone.“Okay. We shall not have another baby.”Although Jasmine was brimming with motherly love and recovery from a vaginal delivery was quicker, she still thought childbirth was too
It was not just Camila. The rest of the people there also had the same thought. Josh and Jasmine had a great relationship. If something happened to Jasmine, Josh would be devastated and lose all hope of living.“Congratulations. The mother has given birth to a boy safely. The baby boy is six pounds and three ounces.”The people who brought Josh out were the anesthetist and nurse.The nurse instinctively reported the good news when she saw the crowd.Then, she explained, “The father probably fainted from shock after the baby was born. Come over and help bring him to the side to rest. The mother won’t be out that quickly.”Upon hearing her words, everyone’s mood brightened up.Camila, whose legs felt weak just now, was immediately filled with strength and stood up. Without Drake's help, she went to the nurse and asked, “Does the baby need to be in the incubator since he was born prematurely?”The nurse replied, “We’ll put the baby in the incubator and observe him for a while. If
Zachary was also worried that Serenity would go into premature labor out of shock. He also persuaded her to go for her checkup in a gentle voice. They could not do anything but wait anyway.Serenity finally decided to conduct her prenatal checkup first. Zachary accompanied her. Just moments after they left, the door to the delivery suite opened. A nurse stood there and shouted, “Is Jasmine Sox’s husband here?”“Yes. I’m her husband,” replied Josh quickly. He dashed to the nurse. “You must save Jas, doctor. Save the mother no matter what.”His family members behind him also echoed, “That’s right. No matter what happens, you have to save Jasmine.”The nurse said, “The mother is fine. It’s just that she wants her husband to accompany her as she’s in a lot of pain.”Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Josh was about to rush inside but was stopped by the nurse.She asked him to change his clothes before taking him inside the delivery suite.Jasmine was wailing in pain. When
With advanced medical technology, a premature baby could still be healthy if taken good care of in the incubator. Serenity said, “Jasmine should be at thirty-five weeks. I just don’t understand why she would suddenly go into labor. Did she fall at home?“Or did she eat something that made her go into labor?”Zachary said, “That’s most likely not the case. Josh’s cousin is Jasmine’s dietician and keeps an eye on her food every day. There’s no way Jasmine would’ve eaten something bad unless she ate it secretly.”Serenity and Zachary suddenly went silent. Pregnant women had weird appetites. Once they had a craving, they could not go unsatisfied. Sometimes, they would even crave fruits that were not in season. Serenity herself was one of them. Once, she woke up in the middle of the night craving mac and cheese. Of course, Zachary, the ever-doting husband, had to satisfy her request. However, where could he find mac and cheese at that hour?Ultimately, he had to drive to the
People would reap what they had sown. They would have to bear the consequences of their actions. Sometimes, interfering in another person’s fate would backfire. After chatting for some time, Serenity said, “I have to go for my checkup now, Liberty. Let’s talk again when you’re free another day.“By the way, I’ll get someone to bring Sonny to you this weekend. He misses you.”“Okay,” said Liberty. After the call ended, Serenity put her phone into her bag and stood up. She told the man behind the office desk, “It’s almost time, babe. Let’s go.”“Okay. I’m almost done.”Zachary quickly signed and stamped a document before closing it. He walked over with the document in hand. Serenity and Zachary left the office together. He handed the document to his secretary. The secretary did not expect him to pass the document to him personally. He had thought of entering Zachary’s office to request it later. The secretary watched Zachary and Serenity leave. He could not believe