LOGIN“I can’t tarnish York Corporation’s brand.” Chester pouted. Xavier could go on, spilling his tales. Sinking his back into the seat, Chester ignored Xavier. Half an hour into the drive, Chester rubbed his belly and said, “Callie, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat here?” “Why would there be food in the car? We didn’t bring any snacks with us.” Callia said, “Dinner is hours away. How are you hungry already?” “He’s hitting a growth spurt at his age. Hunger takes over quickly. I’m not surprised if he takes huge portions too. You’d be amazed at how much a teenage boy can put away. Trust me. I’ve been there.” Back during his own puberty, Xavier had been a bottomless pit due to his active lifestyle and growth spurts. Even though his family was loaded and the fridge was always full, his parents used to stare at him at the dinner table as if he had not eaten in days. Aware of his appetite, the family chef would prepare his favorites and extras, so he could dig in right after
“But if Xavier ever does something wrong and upsets me, I can consider punishing him by making him knit sweaters. He should knit a whole set of them and put one on to watch the snow at Uncle Austin’s.” Chester clapped. “That’s the way to do it, Callie. Make the punishment harsher. Xavier should knit a few for me, too. I haven’t worn a hand-knitted sweater before.” Satbury’s winters were freezing and heavy with snow. Even during the fall, the temperature fell lower than Wiltspoon’s coldest winter.Every winter break, Austin would send the children back to Wiltspoon to spend the season there. Chase and Chester preferred staying there. Though summer arrived early, it was not the hottest city in the country. Mainly, winter was just right. It was neither too hot nor too cold. Even with heating at home in Satbury, stepping outside in the winter was freezing, especially since the Yorks were accustomed to Wiltspoon’s weather. Before elementary school, Chester had even gone to kinder
Callia said, “See? You’re doing it again. You have no problem seeing Chloe and me as your sisters, but why can’t you treat Laurence like family?“You were by each other’s side for over a decade.“My life belonged to my late mentor. The one thing he drilled into me was to keep Mr. Laurence safe and take good care of him. No matter the danger, I must protect him from harm.” Noelle was Laurence’s bodyguard and faithful servant. “Noelle, are you asking me to help you ask Chloe?” Noelle replied, “Mr. Laurence has been neglecting his duties. Work has piled up.” She had persuaded Laurence, but the latter refused to listen to her. He said he needed to get the hang of knitting now that he had gotten into it. Noelle was eager to know why Chloe told Laurence to get into knitting. “Why don’t you ask Chloe yourself, Noelle?” Noelle replied, “Chloe’s busy. I can’t disturb her.” Callie grinned. Noelle could not bother Chloe, but Callie was fair game since she was on vacation. C
With Xavier behind the wheel, he took Callia and Chester to the airport. Two cars driven by bodyguards trailed closely behind them. Midway, Callia received a photo from Noelle. Callia was surprised as the message came from Noelle. Noelle was a kind soul who was like a sister to Callia. While Noelle adored Callia, she was not the type to send images. She would call for anything because, according to her, calling was just convenient and fast. Texting was a chore because typing took time. Noelle was just like Laurence. No wonder they fell in love. They were just the same kind of people. Callia tapped on the photo. It was a photograph of Laurence. Noelle must have snapped the picture. Hang on. What was Laurence doing? Sitting on the sofa, Laurence was knitting a sweater! Soon enough, Noelle sent a video clip. Callia tapped on the video to hit play. In the video, Laurence was all thumbs at knitting. The ball of yarn fell to the floor and rolled away, trailing a long st
“Mom said that I would get total control of my allowance once I’m in middle school. I could then get whatever building sets I want. “I guess tonight. Callie and I are picking up Koben and the others at the airport. They are on the flight over. We’ll take you shopping tonight and get whatever you want.” Since the Yorks saw Xavier as part of the family, the latter felt the need to dote on the younger members. Chester smiled gleefully, “Thank you!” Callia gave him a squeeze on the cheek. “Xavier and I aren’t married yet. Aren’t you a little too eager? “You can ask for things from him in a few years.’ Chester said happily, “Well, you’re getting married anyway. It’s not like you’re going to marry someone else. For now, he’s family. Xavi ought to get used to the role anyway.” Xavier grinned. “Chester is right. I should get familiar with being part of the family. I have no experience with getting along with my in-laws. I’m nervous.” Callia had no words. No wonder Xavier was
“Alright, Heath. I got to go. Callie and I are heading off to the airport soon.” Heath urged him to be safe behind the wheel before hanging up. After the call, Xavier told Callia, “As if Chester isn’t a big enough third wheel, now we have nine of them coming. We won’t get a chance to have a private chat.” Callia shrugged and said helplessly, “What can I do? I’m like an older sister to them. I’m the only girl in the family. “You’re stuck with me, my brother, and my cousins. Maybe you want to reconsider someone else.” Xavier tapped her nose. “Don’t say that.“You’re the only one for me. I will marry no one else. You have my heart. You’re not getting rid of me.” Xavier would ruin any guy who dared steal Callia from him. The Buchams were not to be messed with. Xavier did not mind tapping into his privilege just to keep Callia near him. “I was kidding.” Callia said with a smile, “I know you won’t want anyone else. Come on. We should get inside and let Uncle Austin know.
Serenity saw Liberty off to her car and did not forget to give her reminders. Liberty smiled and said, “I should be telling you that. Your driving speed is too fast. You should listen to Zachary and get a driver.”She was older than Serenity by several years and more mature. She drove carefully while
Just as Zachary entered the kitchen, someone knocked on the door.Grandma May said, “Carry on with your work. I’ll open the door.”She rose to her feet and opened the door, only to see Liberty standing there.Liberty was holding a few bags filled with groceries. One could tell that she had just bought
Sonny looked like Liberty while Liberty inherited her mother’s looks. Whenever Mrs. Stone saw her elder niece and Sonny, she would feel as if she were looking at her younger sister. “Sonny didn’t cry. He was so excited that he got up early and changed into his uniform. He carried his little bag and
After a few days of recovery, Hank’s mental state had improved slightly compared to when he first woke up, but he still could not get out of bed to walk.He had too many stab wounds on his body.To survive Jessica’s stabbing was already a miracle. The doctors said it would take some more time before h







