Chapter 5

With his game face on, Zachary said, “Back to the meeting.”

Sitting nearest to Zachary was his cousin, Callum. Among the cousins within the same age range as Zachary, Callum ranked second.

Callum drew close and whispered, “Zack, I overheard your conversation with Nana. Did you really marry that Ser- girl?”

Zachary shot him a glare.

Scratching his nose, Callum straightened his back and ended the probing.

Even so, Callum had nothing but sympathy for Zachary.

There was no need for the York boys to secure social and financial standing through marriage, but Zack and his new bride were not a match in every single way. Poor Zack. He merely married the girl because Nana took a liking to her.

Once again, Callum offered Zachary his deepest sympathy through his thoughts.

Thank goodness Callum was not the oldest in the family. Otherwise, he would have to step up to the plate and marry Nana’s lifesaver.

Unaware of all that, Serenity got the location details and was busy dragging her suitcase to get to her new home.

She opened the door only to step into a spacious house. The place was bigger and more decked out than her sister’s house.

Putting down her suitcase, Serenity started by looking around the place. This was her home from now on.

It had two living areas, four bedrooms, one kitchen, two bathrooms, and two balconies. Each space was broad and wide. Serenity estimated the entire house to be at least two thousand square feet.

The place was barely furnished as there was only a sofa set with a coffee table, and a wine chiller in the living room. Two out of four bedrooms were equipped with a bed and wardrobe while the other two were empty.

The master bedroom had en-suite facilities, complete with a walk-in closet, study, and bathroom. Despite the divided space, the master bedroom remained huge like the living hall.

This must be Zachary’s space.

Serenity chose to live in the other room with a bed. The sunlight that came from the balcony brightened up the room. There was a room in between the master bedroom and the bedroom Serenity chose. This way, the newlyweds could enjoy their personal space.

Although they were married in the eyes of the law, Serenity would not propose spending time as a married couple unless Zachary asked for it.

After dragging her suitcase to the bedroom, Serenity went into the kitchen.

The kitchen was squeaky clean without kitchenware in sight. Both balconies were also bare but gave a roomy feeling due to the vast space. Serenity intended to spruce up the balcony with some plants and a swing. Nothing beat reading a book and taking in the botanic view on a swing during her free time.

It appeared Zachary was rarely home for dinner.

Now that she was occupying the space, home-cooked meals were a must. Serenity started with the kitchen by purchasing kitchen utensils online. As for plants on the balcony and other furniture, she wanted to get Zachary’s take on it when he got home from work.

It was his house after all while she was simply crashing here.

After placing an order on kitchen tools, Serenity looked at the time and needed to return to the shop.

Picking up the keys, she grabbed her phone and rushed down the stairs.

Serenity made it back to the shop in time for the afterschool rush.

Her best friend, Jasmine, inquired out of concern. “What were you up to in the morning, Seren?”

“My sister and brother-in-law have been in constant argument because of me. I thought about it and decided to move out.” Serenity shrugged. “So I moved out this morning.”

Her best friend’s brother-in-law was something else. Jasmine sighed. “Men love to tell women that they would take care of them, but when it comes down to it, they’re the ones nagging and finding faults. After marriage, we, women, have to put family above all while grinning through misunderstandings. It’s so unfair. I think your sister should find a job! Women must always be financially independent so we have a say in the household.”

While speaking, Jasmine suddenly furrowed her brows and gave Serenity a confused look. “I can’t believe your sister let you move out.”

“I got married.”

“Oh… What? You got married? You don’t even have a boyfriend. Who did you marry?” Jasmine’s mindless nodding was ensued with shock as she stared at Serenity wide-eyed. Her voice went high-pitch too.

Knowing that she could not keep the news from Jasmine, Serenity came clean about the whole thing.

Jasmine glared at Serenity for a while before poking the latter’s forehead. “I don’t know where you find the guts to marry someone you met for the first time. You could’ve stayed with me if you couldn’t find a place. I have extra rooms at my place. You could’ve also picked my cousin if you were looking for a husband.”