Zachary opened the lid of the insulated lunch box as he said, “If you join my company and work here, you’ll realize that everyone addresses each other this way regardless of position. Our company culture places respect as a priority. Anyway, I’m just an average existence here.”Serenity stuck her tongue out at him. “Luckily, I don’t have the capability to join your company and work here, or else there’d be too many names to remember.”Zachary looked at her meaningfully. “You’re in a pretty good position right now. You have freedom, and you earn quite a bit too. You don’t know how many people would envy a self-employed person with freedom like you.”“I couldn’t get used to being managed by someone, so I opened my shop with Jasmine right after graduation. Jasmine’s family helped a lot, or else we wouldn’t have been able to get the operating rights to our shop.” It was not easy to open a shop right at the entrance of a school.“Was that copper wire tree bought from my online shop?”
“It won’t make Nana any happier if it’s just her and me. Nana moans that I’m not much of a talker. She prefers you.” Serenity nonchalantly said, “We can take Nana for a vacation together.” Having gotten what he wanted, Zachary responded, “Sure.” “There’s a resort in the western suburb. I’ll take you and Nana there tomorrow for some fresh air,” he added.Liberty and Hank would begin the divorce proceedings the day after tomorrow, so as Liberty’s side of the family, they must be there to have her back. Hence why Zachary only had a day to have a date with his wife. The resort was one of the Yorks’ many estates, but it was a profit-making business that was open to the public. There was always a high influx of vacationers, there for a getaway every year. “I heard the place is beautiful and fun.” “I’ve never been there. I wonder what it’s like.” Serenity whipped out her phone to search for pictures of the resort. After looking at the pictures, she began to look forward to to
Nevertheless, the piece of paper was not on her dressing table anymore. She seemed… to have drawn something on the back of the contract… Yikes!Serenity glared at the sleeping man. Zachary did not just unwittingly destroy her drawing but also the agreement between them. No, hers may be gone, but the contract in his hand must be locked away somewhere safe. Zachary was unresponsive when Serenity poked him in the face, so she jabbed him again and said, “It’s unfair that you accidentally destroyed mine while you still have yours. It puts me in a precarious situation.”Maybe she should steal his contract and get rid of it. It would put them on a level playing field. No one had the contract to restrict anyone. Serenity would feel much more at ease. The thought that she did not have access to his bedroom was a hurdle though. How could she steal the contract to destroy it? Should she get him drunk? Knock him unconscious? Or seduce him? Serenity ran through many scenarios in h
Forget the eight younger brothers and cousins after Zachary, Zachary himself was a source of Grandma May’s distress. Grandma May’s husband once broke down to her about the grandsons’ characters. He said Zachary would be the world’s greatest grandson to Grandma May, but also the one she could not take her mind off. Grandma May’s husband even predicted that with Zachary’s personality, the boy would be single all his life if Grandma May did not meddle in his marriage. Now it appeared her old man was right on the money. “Old Mrs. York, you can’t rush relationships. Marriage is a lifelong milestone. Serenity doesn’t want to end up with the wrong man like Liberty. Although divorce is common nowadays, it’s a high price to pay to waste all the years in a relationship for nothing.” The sound of the door unlocking was heard. “Mr. Zachary and the missus are back.” The old lady reminded Mrs. Lane, “Be careful how you address me.” Mrs. Lane nodded her head. Zachary and Serenity wal
Back in Serenity’s room, Serenity was unpacking for Grandma May. The old lady even brought along her mug for drinking water. “Did something happen, Nana? Why did you move out of your place?”“Sigh. Let’s not go there. My children and grandchildren put me under stress. It’s a thankless job just worrying about them. I’m going to leave them alone and stay with you for a while. At least, they’ll be out of my hair.” Serenity put away Grandma May’s things before going into the bathroom to draw her a bath. “Nana, I ran the bath for you. You can have a nice hot bath.” “Okay.” The old lady quickly grabbed a set of pajamas and went into the bathroom. “That’s why I want a daughter or granddaughter. Girls are so thoughtful. See, Zachary didn’t even show me any concern since I arrived at the house. Seren, you always have my best interest at heart.” Serenity replied with a smile, “Nana, you told me Zachary was attentive and caring when you first fixed us up. Your kids and grandchildren need
Serenity took a few steps forward when the bedroom door swung open. It was not her room but Zachary’s. He walked out with his water glass in his warm pajamas. It appeared he wanted to pour himself a glass of water. The couple ran into each other. They came face-to-face. Zachary flicked the light switch and asked Serenity, “Why aren’t you in bed?” Serenity embarrassedly murmured, “Your nana is snoring loudly, Zachary. I can’t catch a wink.” Zachary approached her room and opened the door to pop his head in. Sure enough, he heard the loud snores coming from his nana. It was obvious that Nana was faking it. Quietly closing the door, Zachary turned back to face Serenity and said, “How do you plan to sleep?” “I was going to sleep with Mrs. Lane, but she’s fast asleep. I couldn’t wake her, and her door is locked from the inside. I can’t get in. I guess my only choice is the sofa.” Zachary went to pour himself a glass of water. He saw the pillow and coat on the sofa. “I
Zachary knew Serenity was not the type to scream when a man stripped in front of her. Serenity would watch with great gusto, even going as far as getting handsy. Straightening his back, Zachary stopped trapping her between his arms in a suggestive way. It would not work on her. “Can you sleep by stuffing cotton in your ears?” Serenity shook her head. “It doesn’t feel comfortable.” She had nothing to cover her if she slept on the sofa. Zachary could not possibly tell her to sleep on the floor of the guest bedroom. The temperature really dropped tonight too. After a brief silence, Zachary picked up his glass and headed to his room. “You can sleep in my room.” His husky voice echoed along the breeze. Serenity was dumbstruck. Somehow her lashing out at him did the trick. Zachary only stopped and looked back once he was at the front of his door. Seeing that Serenity stood still, Zachary’s face fell as he callously uttered, “You can sleep on the sofa if you mind that m
Sighing inwardly, Zachary lay down next to Serenity. Even if he were to take her, it should not be in such circumstances. Serenity had to be at least willing and conscious. Otherwise, everything would be a blur to her, and she would not know who she got in bed with. Serenity slept like a log despite the change of environment, but Zachary was a different story. He had never shared a bed with anyone before, let alone a gorgeous and hot young woman. This woman happened to be his legal wife too. He was a fish out of water. Amid deep slumber, Serenity even curled up against him like he was a heater. Feeling frustrated, Zachary reached out to unbutton her pajamas, but he gave up after the first button. He looked at the sleeping beauty before leaning over for a kiss on her lips. In the end, he defeatedly let her snuggle up against him while meditating in his mind, ‘I am in control of my body. I can do without!’ Once he got the green light from her, Zachary was not going to h
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
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