Josh was talking to Julian. Although they were second cousins, it did not prevent them from being close-knit brothers.A bodyguard in a black uniform entered the room while walking in front of the two men, and said respectfully, “Mr. Julian, Mr. Josh. Mr. Zachary York is here.”“Let him in.”The bodyguard responded respectfully and turned to leave.Josh pointed to the yellow envelope on the table. “Zachary’s here to collect that.”“He came in person because he wants to meet me.”Julian instructed the butler to make tea and serve some fruit to the guest.Julian often used his family’s influence to help Josh. In fact, it was to help Zachary. Zachary knew that very well, so he came in person to thank Julian.“Zachary wanted to come and see you long ago, but you’ve been busy and you’re always away from home, so he hasn’t had the chance.”“Since he’s your friend, he’s also my friend. Friends help each other, so he doesn’t have to stand on ceremony. I’m glad that you’ve proven your
Ring ring ring…Julian’s cell phone rangAfter he answered the phone, he said apologetically, “Mr. York, I have something urgent to attend to. My apologies for not being able to host you.”Zachary quickly stood up.“Josh, please entertain Mr. York on my behalf.”Julian instructed his cousin and left.After Julian left, Josh took Zachary to his place. Zachary then listened to Josh’s mother complaining that if Josh did not get a girlfriend soon, he would be alone forever.Finally, Zachary managed to excuse himself. When they got out of Josh’s house, Zachary said, “Next time when your mother is at home, don’t ask me to come over.”Josh laughed. “Whatever she says just goes in one ear and out the other.”“How was your blind date with Ms. Sox? Didn’t you mention it to your family?”“Julian knows about it, but I didn’t tell anyone else lest they pester Ms. Sox and scare her away.”Zachary patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “If you like her, you just need to work harder to
Serenity was elated that he had the thoughtfulness to do so, but she still rejected the idea.Just as Zachary was about to anxiously say something, with one arm hugging the flowers, she hooked her other arm around his neck. She pulled his head lower, leaned in closer and said softly, “Don’t put too many flowers at home, or else the owner will be easily charmed.”After she said that, she even patted Zachary’s chest—she was telling him not to be easily charmed by others.Zachary was at a loss for words.Was there such a saying?He would have to ask Josh about this another day.Serenity got into his car.Zachary returned to his car and as he started it, he asked, “How’s Sonny?”“The swelling hasn’t gone away completely. Last night, he had a fever and cried the whole night. This morning, his fever finally went down but he was so tired from crying he only fell asleep in my sister’s arms then.”Serenity’s good mood deflated again once Sonny was mentioned.“Zachary.”Serenity looke
After Zachary parked the car, he remembered the evidence of Hank’s asset transfers and called out to Serenity who was about to get out of the car.“I asked a friend to help look into Hank’s asset transfers. My friend was very helpful and sent me the evidence last night. I put it in the backseat. It’s in that yellow folder.”“Your friend truly was very helpful. He managed to gather the evidence so quickly.”Serenity was not only grateful to that friend of his. She was curious about him and really wanted to meet him.She thought it would take a long time to gather the evidence, since Hank had not just started doing this recently.Yet, Zachary’s friend managed to gather all the evidence in just a day’s time.“Zachary, it’s such a waste if that friend of yours doesn’t open his own detective agency.”After Serenity got out of the car, she opened the door to the backseat and picked up the yellow folder that had been placed there.“He has a relative that specializes in information gat
“Mrs. Lane, it wasn’t easy for Sonny and my sister to fall asleep, so don’t wake them up yet. Just keep some porridge warm on the stove for them to eat when they wake up.”Mrs. Lane nodded. “Alright.”The three ate breakfast together. Serenity made herself a cup of instant coffee to wake herself up.Once Mrs. Lane finished eating, she left the little dining area. Zachary took advantage of this to reach out and hold Serenity’s hand.“Seren.”Zachary said warmly, “You should stay home and rest. I’ll go alone.”Serenity held her hand back and reassured him, “I’m fine. I’ll be able to hold up as long as I finish this cup of coffee. And anyway, you’re going to the Reptons’. You might have to continue arguing with them, and you’re not as good as I am in that department. Even if you brought all your cousins, you might not be able to win against Chelsea Repton in an argument.”All the Yorks were cultured people. Arguing was definitely not in their DNA.“I’m Sonny’s aunt. I definitely h
While Serenity was feeling uneasy, Elisa spoke. Her voice was abnormally calm when she asked Serenity, “Serenity, my mom will come home around noon. Can I go to your place to pick up Sonny?”Elisa did not have much of an impression of her aunt, and could not tell much from the photos of her. In Serenity’s words, children were all cute when they were young.If Sonny looked like her aunt, even if it was just a little, she could not just let it go. She had to let her mother see him.Elisa recalled the moment she first met Serenity. Something inexplicable had made her want to get closer to Serenity.The first time she met Sonny, she liked him right away too.If Sonny was her aunt’s grandson, that might explain why she liked Sonny from the moment she met him.It was not like she had never seen a kid of Sonny’s age before, but only Sonny made her like him from the very first moment. He made her want to kidnap him to be her own nephew and when she bought toys for him, she was not stingy
“Yeah, they’re a pretty big family. Thank you, Elisa.”Elisa felt relieved after hearing that Serenity’s husband had brought backup. “Serenity, you had a shotgun marriage with that husband of yours, right? It seems like he’s not that bad. At least he’s willing to help out when you run into trouble.”Unlike Liberty’s husband. So what if they had known each other for twelve years?He still could not match up to Serenity’s husband from a shotgun marriage.“Alright. I won’t go this time, but the next time, if you run into trouble again, you have to tell me, or else I’ll consider you’re no longer thinking of me as a friend. Send your sister’s address to me. I’ll visit Sonny there.”Serenity did not deny this request.After she ended the call, Serenity sent her sister’s address to Elisa Stone.Zachary had been partially paying attention to Serenity’s conversation with Elisa.When he heard Elisa wanted to bring people over, his hands that were placed on the steering wheel tightened.
It could also be that Elisa Stone could not envision how her aunt might appear as an adult.Serenity considered that once she returned from the Reptons', she would immediately work on sketching a portrayal of Elisa's aunt as an adult. Would there be a resemblance to her sister?“Does that mean your mother is Ms. Stone’s aunt?”Zachary could only sum it up in one word: melodrama!It was just too much melodrama!To top everything off, it had to happen to his wife.The worst part was, Elisa Stone had publicly confessed her love to him before and openly pursued him too. Serenity had even helped her pursue him before.If it were not for him putting on his ring and showing it off, Elisa Stone would still be coming to his office to make a fuss every day and annoy him.At first, he wanted to teach Elisa Stone a harsh lesson, but unexpectedly, she became good friends with Serenity, which stopped him from being able to do anything.He had to give special treatment to people who were sin
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