Sonny nodded but still repeated, “Dunc won't stop liking me.”However, the part about Mom not having enough time for him was true, as was the case for the past few months. Since she had not had the time for him, he had been living with Aunt Ser and Uncle Zak.After a brief silence, Hank said softly, “If your mom and Duncan have another baby, they’ll favor their own child, and they might not love you as much.”“That won't happen, Dad, it won’t happen! Mom said that even if she has a baby with Dunc, she will still love me the most. Aunt Ser also said the same thing.” Sonny immediately refuted his father's words.“I’m just saying it might—it won’t necessarily end up that way. Anyway, remember to stay close to your Aunt Serenity, she won’t be biased.”Serenity was purely just an aunt, and all of Liberty’s children would be her nieces and nephews regardless. She would probably be able to treat everyone equally. However, if Liberty and Duncan had another child in the future, they might
Hank knew the last time Olivia had taken money from him to give to his sister, Chelsea, she went out to eat with her husband, children, and in-laws, without even inviting their parents. When she saw Serenity was dining at the same restaurant, she wanted Serenity to pay for her party’s meal.Serenity refused, so Chelsea called Olivia and asked for money to cover the expense. Did his sister have no money? No—she did have money. In the past, their parents' pension and the allowance he gave them were all used to support his sister's family. Chelsea and her husband saved the entirety of their incomes and probably had up to several million in savings. He used to earn a lot and did not care about money, but now that he was relying on ride-hailing hires to make a living, times had gotten tough, and he had started to care more about money. Although he was very touched that Chelsea saved him and even got hurt in the process when Jessica attacked him back then, it did not mean she could keep t
“Bye, Sonny.” “Bye, Dad.” Sonny waved his little hand. Hank turned around and walked back to his car. He first apologized to his customer for the long wait, then got into the car and quickly drove away. Soon, Zachary and Serenity, along with their bodyguards, got into the car that had come to pick them up. After the car started moving, Serenity gently smoothed a hand over Sonny’s hair as he sulked in Zachary's arms. “Aunt Ser.” Sonny reached out his arms, wanting to be held by Serenity. Serenity took him from Zachary and held him close. “Why are you unhappy, Sonny? Did your dad say something to you again?” Sometimes, Serenity did not like letting her nephew visit Hank because Hank was jealous of Liberty and Duncan, and often spoke ill of Duncan in front of Sonny. However, Sonny and Duncan had developed a strong father-son-like bond, and whenever Hank badmouthed Duncan, it upset Sonny. “Aunt Ser, after Mom and Dunc get married, will they have a little sibling for me?” Son
Hank rarely took the initiative to help take care of Sonny. Back then, Liberty would be cooking in the kitchen and the father-and-son pair would be in the living room. If Sonny wanted some water, Hank would not get him a glass of water. Instead, he would have Liberty come out of the kitchen to feed Sonny water. What kind of father he was!Now that Liberty and Duncan had finally made their relationship public and were about to get married, Hank suddenly wanted to show off his “fatherly love”, worrying that Sonny might end up neglected. He kept saying those ridiculous things in front of Sonny, affecting the child’s mood and making him afraid of losing his mother’s love. How could Serenity not be angry? It was just that in front of Sonny, she did not want to curse anyone.“Aunt Ser.” Sonny snuggled up to Serenity’s chest. “Aunt Ser, I love you and Mommy the most.”Serenity hugged him tightly. “I love you the most too.”“Dad asked me if Mom and Dunc are getting married. Dad is worried
“You don’t have to, then. C’mere, I’ll hug you.” Zachary, concerned that his wife might be tired, took Sonny into his arms. He started chatting with the child, trying to cheer him up. Seeing Zachary patiently making Sonny laugh and answering every question seriously, no matter how small, Serenity looked at her husband with eyes full of affection and gratitude. She must have saved the world in her past life or something to get to marry Zachary in this lifetime. As she watched, Serenity felt her eyelids growing heavier and felt sleepy. Before she realized it, she had drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, she was already back at Wildridge Manor in the room she shared with Zachary. The room was quiet, so Sonny was probably not there, and neither was Zachary. Serenity sat up, noticing her phone on the nightstand. She reached for it and checked the time. It was already two in the afternoon. She had slept that long. After waking up, she felt hungry again. As her belly grew, her app
“One year should be enough time. Us York men are all outstanding and irresistibly charming.” Zachary lumped himself in with the compliment while praising his younger brother. He believed his charm was boundless and, truthfully, it was. Serenity turned to look at him with a smile. “Yes, yes, you York men are all incredibly charming. Actually, though, what’s most attractive is your family culture. The men in your family dote on their wives and are completely devoted in their relationships.”They had a good family culture, had good character, and were utterly devoted to their partners—these were all incredibly attractive. Any family with daughters of marriageable age would wish for their daughters to marry into the York family; not for wealth, but for the devoted love of the York men.“What about Sonny?” “He’s already gone off to have fun with Rowan. I don’t know if they’re going wild somewhere in the manor or down by the foot of the hill, but with Rowan watching over him, there’s
“You’re awake, Seren.”Grandma May gestured at Serenity to come to her. Even if she did not call Serenity over, Serenity would always accompany Grandma May and Tania whenever she saw them sitting in the living area. “Nana, Mom.”Serenity greeted them, then Julian and Quinn. Julian returned her greeting with a nod, while Quinn smiled and said, “It’s been a while, Serenity.”She looked toward Serenity’s baby bump. She asked, “When’s your due date?”“Around May.”Quinn calculated the time mentally. She replied, “A few more months left then.”Her gaze lingered on Serenity’s bump. She looked hesitant to say something. Serenity sat beside Grandma May. Since Serenity, Grandma May, and Tania had already taken the three-seater sofa, Zachary had no choice but to take the single-seater. “You can be honest with us, Ms. Crawford.”Serenity sensed Quinn’s desire to speak up. She reassured Quinn gently not to worry about her getting mad. Everyone looked toward Quinn. Quinn felt
Serenity burst out laughing. Quinn could not hold her laughter in either. Julian wanted to laugh but stopped himself because he did not want Grandma May “getting revenge” on him. Tania did not back down from her mother-in-law’s glare. Instead, she got more confident. “It’s useless glaring at me, Mom. I didn’t say anything wrong. You just didn’t have the chance to favor girls over boys. If you had a daughter or a granddaughter, you definitely would’ve shown favoritism.”Since Grandma May did not have a girl to dote on, she had no choice but to love her sons and grandsons. Grandma May swatted Tania lightly. She complained, “That’s because you all only gave birth to sons. Aren’t daughters more adorable? I wish you all could’ve had a daughter.“Look at how cute Chloe is. I have the urge to kidnap her back whenever I see her. Liz is even treating me like a thief now. She’s afraid that I’d steal her great-granddaughter away. She even has a daughter.”Grandma May was envious of Eliza
“Callum and Camryn came with Trenton, so they’re all having a barbecue together.”Serenity hummed in response. She closed the door to Sonny's room and said to Dylan, “Is it something you don’t want Zachary to know? If so, let’s go to his study to talk." “It’s not that. It’s fine if he knows, but I’ve talked to him, and he couldn’t be bothered. Then I asked Julian, but he said he was busy. He’s taking Ms. Crawford to register their marriage tomorrow. I just wanted a little help from him; I didn’t need him to do it personally.” Dylan grumbled a little about Julian being unhelpful.If Julian could hear this, he would retort, “Why should I help you? Even Zachary isn’t that demanding.”If it were not for the fact that Zachary and his cousin, Josh, were best buddies, Julian would not be so obliging either. Among the Yorks, Grandma May was the person the Buchams most respected. Of course, if it were something important, the Bucham family would definitely help, but Dylan’s request se
“I haven’t felt like snacking lately.”“Is the stuff made at home not to your taste anymore?” Whenever Serenity said she did not want to eat something she usually loved, Zachary would wonder if it was because the chef’s skills had declined, causing his beloved wife to lose her appetite. “It’s not that, I just don’t feel like eating them. I think maybe the baby is like you and doesn’t like sweets.”Zachary smiled. “If our son is like me, that’s fine. He’ll be steady, and in the future, the two of us will protect you.” If they had a daughter, he hoped she would be like Serenity. If she had his personality… Well, it would not be the most charming. Zachary wanted his daughter to be very likable. “I don’t need you guys to protect me, I can protect myself.”“Honey, don’t say that. I’m your husband, your man. You have to give me a chance to show off, or else people will say you married a useless husband. That would be so unfair to me.”Serenity chuckled.“Do you want to go watch So
“I can be just as considerate and attentive to you.”Quinn looked at him and could not help but laugh. “I don't mean anything else by that, you don’t need to be so defensive.”“You envy Serenity,” Julian said. “I don't want you to envy anyone. I want you to be someone others envy.”Uh, this sounded exactly like something Zachary would say. It looked like, occasionally, he really had learned a thing or two from Zachary.Quinn instantly felt smitten. She looped her arm through Julian's and whispered, “I already am someone others envy. I’m not envious of Serenity—I was just making an observation. They say Mr. Zachary dotes on his wife, and Serenity is very lucky. Now that I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, I believe it. So, I genuinely sighed with admiration. I know I’m very lucky as well. You treat me so well, and I am content. I really don’t envy anyone.”The young couple’s conversation went unnoticed by Zachary. He waited for his wife to settle before answering a call from Dylan.
“Well, Rowan can play for a couple of days, but he has to start working on his homework soon. The college entrance exam is around the corner, and we can't let him relax too much.”“Rowan's grades are very stable and good. It won’t be hard for him to get into college, so don't put too much pressure on him. It's not necessary for him to get into the same university you and the others went to.”Serenity still remembered the pressure she had felt in high school, though it was not as much as Rowan felt, and her sister's expectations for her were more relaxed; she was only expected to do her best. No matter what the results were, Liberty would accept it. Of course, if she could get into an Ivy League university, that would be great. Otherwise, getting into an Ivy Plus university would also be fine. If that did not work out, she could go to a public university or even take a gap year. Liberty would have been okay with any of it. Her sister always told her that as long as she was physica
Zachary would not do such a thing. Julian laughed. “It’s my first time getting married. I’m asking around because I’m inexperienced. That way, I can make a plan.”Zachary turned to look at him. He said, “How many more times do you intend to get married? I didn’t have any experience either back then. It was my first time going to City Hall. Besides, Seren and I got married in a rush and did not even know each other well. After getting our marriage license, I completely forgot that I was a married man.“You’re in a better situation than I was. At least you and Quinn have feelings for each other and a stable relationship.”Julian chuckled. He caught up to Zachary and placed his arm on his shoulder. He said, “We all know what we should avoid after you’ve set an example.”Zachary was speechless. “You and Serenity are an enviable couple now.“I want to learn from you and make people jealous of Quinn as well.”Zachary brushed Julian’s hand off. “I think you’ll do a better job than m
Zachary and Julian exited the house with two housekeepers behind them, holding a tray each with snacks and drinks. The two men had excellent eyesight and quickly spotted the love of their lives sitting at a bench some distance away. Zachary knew that it was because Serenity got tired from walking. In the past, some pregnant female employees would return to work despite being pretty far along in their pregnancies. Their workload was only slightly lighter. Since Zachary had seen those employees insisting on working even though they were pregnant, he used to think being pregnant and giving birth were not that difficult. He had never put himself in the shoes of the female employees. They insisted on working because they feared being replaced if they took an extended maternity leave. When they returned, they could be discriminated against and had to start all over again. While there were opportunities to be promoted in a megacorporation, one had to climb the corporate ladder ste
Quinn burst out laughing. “You’re right. There’s a higher chance of success with more people. However, having a daughter of your own is more satisfying.“Everyone will be fighting to dote on your daughter. That’s better than you cooing over someone else’s daughter.”Serenity looked at Quinn for a while before smiling. “You have a point there.“But I don’t know if Zachary and I are fated to have a daughter.”“Technology is advanced now. It’s definitely possible with IVF,” suggested Quinn. However, upon recalling what Grandma May mentioned earlier, she quickly added, “Never mind. I guess it’s better not to go for artificial methods in your family. If something were to happen… it’ll be devastating.”The Yorks could be destined to have sons only. Even if a daughter were to be born into the family, it would be painful if she could not survive till adulthood. Regret lingered in the absence of what the heart desired; yet to hold it briefly, only to lose it, birthed deeper despair.
“Does this mean you and Julian are getting your marriage license before the year ends?”Quinn nodded. “We’ll head to the City Hall at nine tomorrow morning.”Serenity immediately congratulated her. “Congratulations, Quinn. You’ll find happiness with Julian. You don’t have to worry about him having a change of heart because you’re the only woman for him.”Quinn blushed. “This may sound funny, but I’m glad that he can only get aroused when he’s with me. As you said, he won’t ever have a change of heart because his body won’t react to other women.”She was aware of Julian’s condition and found it acceptable. Besides, they had gotten along well ever since they met each other. She was satisfied with every aspect of him. He was the ideal husband candidate for her. Not only that, her family members had observed Julian. Her father even flew to Wiltspoon to ask around about the Bucham family. He agreed to her dating Julian because he had a positive impression of the Buchams’ personali
Before Rowan took Sonny away, he did not forget to inform Serenity about it. He even told Quinn, “Sonny and I are going to play, Quinn.”Serenity nodded with a smile. She told Quinn, “Let’s go over too.”Although she could not enjoy the facilities at the playground, she could watch them play. Quinn was more than happy to accompany her. She loved having fun. “When are you and Mr. Julian getting married?” Serenity asked Quinn. Quinn blushed. She said, “Julian wants it to be as soon as possible. I’m not in a rush because I think I’m still young.”After a short pause, she added, “I’ll go with his decision. My family likes him.”Serenity laughed. “I heard all about it. Mr. Julian has done a great job with your family. Mr. and Mrs. Bucham are nice people. They’ve been looking forward to having a daughter-in-law for the longest time.”Walter and Stacy were indeed friendly toward the people they knew. With the Buchams and the Yorks’ relationship, the Bucham couple treated Sereni