Zachary still had not come out when Serenity finished preparing breakfast.She entered the room and looked at the man lying on the bed for a long moment before reaching out to put her hand under his nostrils to check if he was breathing. She then felt his forehead. He was still alive and didn’t have a fever either.“He didn’t just come back this morning, did he? Why is he sleeping so much?”Serenity mumbled but did not shake Zachary awake. Instead, she began to pack their clothes. Once he woke up and had breakfast, they could leave.Ring, ring, ring…Liberty was calling.“Hey, Liberty.”“Have you and Zachary left yet?”“Not yet. He’s still sleeping. We’ll leave once he wakes up and has his breakfast. What’s up?”Liberty said, “Then wait for me at home. I’ll go over there right now. I prepared some gifts for you two but I forgot to pass them to you.”“Liberty, there’s no need. It’s raining outside and the wind is blowing hard. It’s freezing out there and you don’t have a car!
“Go and freshen up. Breakfast is ready. Once you’re done washing up and we’ve had breakfast, we can depart. You said it’s quite far, so we should leave a little earlier.”“Give me a kiss.”“Why should I give you a kiss? Can’t you give me a kiss?”Zachary laughed and turned her around, leaning down to kiss her red lips.Her pale hand, however, covered his lips.“Kiss me only after you’ve brushed your teeth,” Serenity said as she pushed him away, turning to zip up the luggage.Zachary was speechless.He had just been repelled by his wife.“While you’re at it, remember to shave your scruff off so you don’t poke people with it.”Serenity pulled the luggage with her as she left the room.Then, she watered the flowers and fed her three pets.The three pets would also have to be sent over to her sister’s to be taken care of for a while.“I’m coming, Honey.”After Zachary had brushed his teeth, shaved his face clean, and came out from the room, he called for his beloved wife, “Hur
Munching on a piece of chicken, Serenity said, “You threw a big tantrum and a fuss, saying that I didn’t see you as a family before I could tell you. Take a look in the mirror. You didn’t tell me that Mr. Bucham asked you out for drinks. It gave me nightmares.” Zachary fell silent before uttering, “It’s my fault. I’ll bring you along when Mr. Bucham asks me out next time. You can stop me from drinking, and they can’t make me drink then.” “They would think you’re a hen-pecked husband.” “Then so be it. They’re single, so they can’t be hen-pecked husbands even if they want to.” Amused, Serenity laughed. She stayed out of his business for the most part so long as Zachary did not do anything that could jeopardize his health. After filling her belly, Serenity did one last check on the things they were taking with them. The couple made sure nothing was left behind before heading out. First, they had to drop the three pets and the car keys at Liberty’s. Liberty took the opportu
“I’m not getting any younger. I’m living on borrowed time. I hope they’ll have their own family before I kick the bucket.” Grandma May decided to go around Wiltspoon to find potential wives for her remaining grandsons. She would assign the boys to go after the girls she picked out for them. Anyone who was unable to complete the task could forget about attending her birthday celebration at the end of August. “Nana, you’ll live long.” “I hope to live long too, even better if I’m alive to see the birth of my great-granddaughter.” Following the mention of a great-granddaughter, Grandma May’s eyes were glued to Serenity’s belly. Serenity embarrassedly uttered, “Stop looking at my belly, Nana. Aunt Flo just came for a visit today.” Grandma May was speechless. Zachary had been working on it, but there were still no signs of her great-granddaughter. After Callum and the lot slipped back into the city, Zachary and Serenity did not stay long at the old residence. They soon retu
Zachary wore a tender expression. The press was stunned. Mr. York must love his wife very much. The mention of his wife’s name softened his facial muscles. The media captured Mr. York’s gentle side when he was out and about with his wife. In the past, Mr. York would usually be seen with a sour face, giving off the vibe for people to stay away. The power of love could turn an aloof man affectionate. “My wife isn’t some heiress, but she’s the missus of the York family and that makes her royalty. She’s Serenity Hunt and will be twenty-six this year. She hasn’t had her birthday yet. She thinks she’s old when she hits twenty-six.” The reporters wanted to scream. Mr. York turned into a chatterbox when talking about his wife. Hang on. Serenity Hunt? “Mr. York, your wife’s Serenity Hunt?” Shell-shocked, a female reporter sought Zachary for confirmation. Zachary turned to her with chilling eyes. Pulling his usual straight face, he fiercely refuted, “Do you have a problem wit
“I think I’m one lucky man too.” The harsh lines along Zachary’s face softened, replaced with a tender look. His lips curled into a happy smile. Serenity took the night flight to get to Zachary when he had the nasty flu. Although she made him take a daily shot, there was no question he could feel Serenity’s love for him. It was a sweet taste of happiness. “Mr. York, is it true that you married your wife at first sight?” Zachary openly admitted to it. “Yes. I’d never met her before signing the marriage papers, but I know who she was. She saved my nana’s life.” “So Old Mrs. York was the reason you married her?” “Yes, that’s right. We were in a rush to get married because of my nana, but I’m grateful to her now. I would’ve missed out on meeting a great woman like Seren if Nana didn’t push me to get married.” “Oh, wow, Mr. York.” It was hard to believe that a man like Mr. York would rush into marriage. The newfound information took the press by surprise. It was no wonder
“Why thirty jewelry sets, Mr. York? Is there a significance to the number?” Zachary replied, “Not really. I was thinking there are thirty days to a month. With thirty jewelry sets, Seren can wear a different set every day for a month. That’s all.” The world of the rich was not something ordinary people could ever comprehend. They would love to be in Serenity’s shoes; even the male reporters were green with envy. It was a good thing they were not in the same circle as Mr. York. Otherwise, they would play second fiddle to Mr. York and would never be able to find a girlfriend. They would feel under pressure to compete with Mr. York. “Mr. York, your wife is Mrs. Stone’s niece, but you’re at odds with Mr. Stone. Are you open to improving your relationship with Stone Group for your wife? Also, the heiress of Stone Group had once openly declared her love for you and pursued you. Now that she and your wife are cousins, how are you moving forward from there?” Zachary faintly respo
Zachary replied with a question, “Is it weird? The boys in my family can cook. One of my brothers can cook better than the chef at Wiltspoon Hotel.” The female reporters enviously lamented, “Your wife is so lucky.” “I think I’m luckier. My Seren is good to me. She’s a fabulous cook. She always makes my favorite food.” Jealousy would kill everybody before they could ask further questions. The young couple was not in the same room right now, but the way Mr. York talked and the expression on his face explained how happy he was with his married life. The media wrapped up the interview after asking a few more details about his life. “That reminds me. Don’t go hounding my wife. You can come to me with any questions. I’ll make time to take the interview. My wife prefers to live a quiet and mundane life. The people gave their word, “We won’t intrude on the missus without your permission.” The most they would do was snap photos of her in secret. They would not dare to mob Sere
“Remy, Remy!” a voice called from outside. It sounded like Audrey. Remy came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron.“You keep at it, I’ll go out. My mom must have seen the lights and knew you were back, so she’s calling you over for dinner at our house.”At this time, her family was probably halfway through their meal.Elisa put down the remote control and walked out of the house with a packet of snacks in hand, munching as she went.“Mom.” Elisa walked to the fence and responded to her mother.“Elisa? You’re back too? You came back and didn’t even come home for dinner? We’re eating right now. Hurry up and bring Remy over. Grandpa True was just saying that Remy hasn’t come over for dinner in a few days.”Remy had been busy entertaining clients lately, so he had not had time to join his in-laws for meals.Elisa replied, “Mom, I feel like eating Remy’s cooking tonight, so we won’t be coming over. You guys go ahead.”“Oh, you. It’s so late already, and you’re still making Remy c
Elisa said, “Although cousins can be as close as siblings, it’s still better to have another child. After all, we won’t be living at your family home permanently, and our children might not have much time to bond with their cousins in the future.“I have two older brothers, and the three of us have always been close. My brothers have always doted on me, and I can always talk about things with them. My sister-in-law has been very kind to me even after they got married too.“I’m used to having siblings around. It’s lively, and no matter what happens, we can always talk things through. It’s nice not having to face everything alone. I don’t want my children to feel lonely in the future.”Elisa continued, “Most importantly, I love children. If you could be the one to carry and give birth, sparing me the exhaustion of pregnancy, I’d even consider having three kids. But unfortunately, you can’t.“If I have to carry the baby myself, even though I love children, I’d only have two—preferably
Jasmine smiled. “I can’t tell. He’s so tiny. I’m scared when I have to carry him. I’m afraid of hurting him. What if he slips from my arms?”As a first-time mother, Jasmine was inexperienced. She was not like Serenity, who had raised a baby before. Josh and Zachary had secretly taken classes on how to look after a baby. The way Josh held the baby was more accurate than hers. “You’ll get better at it after learning slowly. I didn’t dare to carry my nephew either because I was scared of hurting him, but I’m an expert now.”Elisa could not resist touching the baby’s face again. She really liked babies.“Has the baby been fed?”Camila replied, “He was fed an hour ago.”The baby had been ravenous. Everyone was relieved when they saw the baby could feed normally. The doctor said the baby might experience jaundice a few days later and that premature babies should be monitored closely. Jaundice usually appeared when the baby was a few days old. It would reach its peak after
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