Nothing good ever came out of Zachary’s mouth, to be honest. Perhaps Zachary should show his apology through his actions. “What’s the matter? Were you wrong about your wife? What did you do to warrant an apology gift?” Josh was in the mood for gossip. “None of your business. Get back to work. You’re going to be speaking with Mr. Williams about the partnership tonight. I'll be busy tonight.” Zachary had dinner plans with his wife at his sister-in-law’s.“Why are you busy? Where are you going?” “You should know that a married man shouldn’t spend all his time on work, or else it’ll give his wife an excuse to cheat on him.” Josh, “…” He was speechless. At least Josh found out that the work was pushed to him so his boss could spend some time with his wife. Zachary sure thought he was all that just because he was married. Josh could get married too. He could then skip social engagements and overtime to go home to his wife. Alas, he did not have a girlfriend. There wa
Hank’s mom said Liberty’s education was for nothing. It was not like she could share the financial burden at home. A woman who could manage the house and earn an income suited Hank best. Most importantly, Liberty did not bother to primp herself. She lost her beauty and grace, content with becoming an overweight, unkempt blob. Liberty was no longer the person she was before marriage. Hank would not dream of taking Liberty to social engagements, worried that his colleagues and clients would make fun of him. Liberty had nothing on Jessica. Hank’s words saw Liberty’s blood pressure rising. Liberty hung up the call. She forgot to tell Hank that she had invited Serenity and her husband over for dinner tonight. If both the in-laws and newlyweds came for dinner, there was bound to be a huge fight between her and Hank once the in-laws were gone.If her in-laws could come to dinner whenever they wanted, so could her sister and her husband. Liberty had a say in the family too.
Zachary made an unexpected appearance at Serenity’s shop in the afternoon. Serenity and Jasmine were ready to dig into their takeout after finishing the task at hand when Zachary arrived at the shop. He went directly into the shop. Surprised, Serenity stared blankly as Zachary approached her. Zachary made a beeline to Serenity and lowered his gaze to her face. “Did you forget who I am?” Snapping out of the shock, Serenity replied with a smile, “I didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you here? Have you eaten? I can order you takeout if you’re hungry.” Jasmine said hello to Zachary before picking up her food and hiding behind a huge shelf to eat. She left the space to the couple. “I had lunch. Why did you wait until now to have yours?” Zachary raised his hand to look at the time. It was almost one o’clock. Furrowing his brows, he told Serenity off, “Take your meals on time. Your body won’t be the same once you develop indigestion.” He had an eleven o’clock lunch app
“Didn’t you say you were only going to help me with the deposit?” Serenity asked Zachary in a hushed tone. “I could afford the car you picked, so I paid in full.” “Oh.” Serenity whispered, “I’ll wire you half the money later.” Zachary glanced at her. “It’s fine.” Serenity blinked. By that, did he mean he was giving the car to her? Sure he could afford the car, but it was over a hundred thousand dollars. Although they were husband and wife, they barely knew each other in the short period they were married. Most importantly, they signed an agreement to go their separate ways six months later. It was a red flag to Serenity when Zachary suddenly splurged on a car worth over a hundred thousand dollars for her. There was no free lunch in the world. Serenity dragged him out of the dealership and confronted him away from the public eye. “Mr. York, can you tell me why you’re gifting me with a car? I won’t feel comfortable driving the car unless you clarify that. I don’t want to be
In a show of support, Jasmine circled Serenity’s new ride and complimented, “Not bad. How much was it?” “More than a hundred thousand bucks.” “Was it paid in full or are you taking up a loan?” “My man made the full payment.” Jasmine beamed and patted her best friend’s shoulder. “Wow, Serenity. It did not take long for you to bag that man and get him to buy you a car.“I knew you had it in you even though you didn’t know him before marriage. Mr. York must be blind if he didn’t fall for your charms.” Serenity was the best in Jasmine’s eyes. Once in the shop, Serenity poured herself a glass of water and chugged down half before replying, “You’re crazy. Zachary found out that Shawn drove me home last night. We nearly got into a fight because he thought I was cheating on him. So he felt he did me wrong after I cleared the air and gave me a car as an apology.”Jasmine, “…” Here she was, imagining a Lifetime movie out of Serenity’s life when reality gave her a rude awakening.
It did not sit well with Zachary.He pulled a long face the entire afternoon, leaving everyone at York Corporation on tenterhooks. It was a mystery who stepped on the toes of the stone-faced CEO. As if his usual aloof demeanor was not enough, the tensed lines running along his chiseled face only made him scarier. Even Callum and Josh refrained from hanging around Zachary. Despite feeling exasperated, Zachary kept his promise and waited for Serenity at the shop after work. Since Serenity was busy, he stepped into the shop to help out behind the cash register. However, the combination of his stern outlook, his quiet presence, and his towering build scared the students away from the cash register, so the students approached Serenity and Jasmine instead.Serenity said to him point-blank, “I’ll take over from here, Mr. York.” Tilting his head, Zachary stared into Serenity’s eyes with utmost profundity. It took a while before he got up with a sour face and walked around the ca
By the time Serenity parked her sweet new ride and got into Zachary’s car, Zachary adopted a milder tone. He asked her, “This will be the first time I have dinner at your sister’s. I should bring her a gift. What do your sister and brother-in-law like?” Serenity buckled up. “Get a toy for Sonny. My brother-in-law smokes, so get him a pack or two. We can just bring some fruit.” “Right,” Zachary replied. As the car drove out of Brynfield, he asked his wife, “Where should we get the stuff?” “There’s a store not too far from here. We’ll make a pit stop and get everything we need there. Mr. York, have you lived here before I moved in? I’ve noticed you don’t seem familiar with the vicinity.” Zachary took the time to pause before replying, “I bought this house ages ago, but I let it sit because I was staying with my parents. I thought I shouldn’t take up space at my family’s home after we got married, so I moved into this house.” “Does your family have a big house?” Since Zachar
“Are you going to take the call?” Zachary asked as he caught his wife staring at her phone when he entered the car after loading the shopping bags in. “It might be my money-hungry relatives.” “You’ll know who it is when you pick up the call. You can’t hide forever. Don’t fear them. I’ve got your back.” With him around, he would have her back no matter what. Serenity felt warm when she heard Zachary say he got her back. The guy might have many flaws, but similarly, she was not perfect either. Zachary was willing to stand in her corner even though they married out of convenience.That scored Zachary another brownie point in Serenity’s books. Serenity accepted the call from the unidentified number. “Serenity, it’s me. Granddad.” A slightly unfamiliar voice resounded loud and clear over the phone. Despite losing contact with the family back in hometown, Serenity identified the voice to be Granddad’s. Serenity hummed a response, waiting for Granddad to go on. “Mike called y