Surprised, the few CEOs immediately asked Josh, “Mr. Bucham, does Mr. York have someone he likes? Do you know who the lucky girl is?” Fancy that. Even Zachary had a shot at love. The probability was slim to none. “Shh… You gotta keep it a secret or Mr. York will reproach me for being nosy and a blabbermouth. Mr. York hasn’t fallen in love yet. He’s merely a bit interested in the girl. Judging by his character, Mr. York will tell the whole world once he’s fallen head over heels with a girl.” Mr. York would put the word out there so admirers like Elisa would not harass him. The CEOs nodded their heads. It was good enough for them to find out that Mr. York was interested in girls. It got one of the CEOs thinking as he had a daughter who had reached marrying age.Since Mr. York was a straight guy, the CEO intended to bring his daughter along to observe during business discussions at York Corporation. Who knows? His daughter might catch Mr. York’s attention. The girl, who Mr. Yor

“I got my salary today. I’ll wire you the living expenses later. Spend it on food and everything necessary. Don’t be too frugal,” Zachary said.“It’s fine. We still have a chunk of change left from the hundred thousand dollars you gave me the last time. We kept our household expenditures low, so not much of the money was used.” The furniture took away tens of thousands, but that was a one-time purchase. The remaining dozens of thousands could last the household for several months. Besides, Serenity was not going to spend his money all the time. “Just save the unused portion. Men can be extravagant with their spending. Just keep the money that I’ve wired to you. It can serve as an emergency fund. Otherwise, I’ll burn through all my money.” Serenity gave it a thought before answering, “Alright then.” She would keep a record of all the transactions. The money Zachary wired to her every month would be saved and put in writing. It would be easy to divide the money when they w

“Serenity, did you make these? They’re beautiful.” Elisa complimented Serenity’s handicraft. Picking up a newly made maneki-neko for a closer look, Elisa praised, “Wow, it’s so pretty.” “I can give you a few if you like, Ms. Stone. They’re not worth much though.” “I love them. I love them a lot.” Elisa nodded her head incessantly. “Thank you.” She then asked, “Do you sell these, Serenity?” “Yes, I do. I have an online business, selling these knick-knacks. Sales have been pretty good, and this month has been the best month yet.” Elisa replied with a smile, “Send me the link to your online business later. I’ll share it on Facebook to drum up your business. They’re really beautiful.” Having learned of Serenity’s business, Elisa was more than happy to advertise Serenity’s products. If a woman of her standards found Serenity’s crafts appealing, others were bound to love her creations too. Those who might not share the same aesthetics would also help with Serenity’s business

Not only was Elisa’s family against her courting Zachary, but her best friends also persuaded her to let it go, saying that it was not an easy pursuit with Zachary. Besides, her family and the Yorks were rivals in business. Only Serenity encouraged her to go for it. Elisa clung to Serenity, deeming the latter to be her confidante. “I wouldn’t go after Mr. York despite his brilliance if he had a wife or girlfriend. I’m a good catch, so I don’t need to steal someone else’s man. The fact is that he’s single. Now that I’ve found the one, I must put it into action and try. Even if nothing comes out of it, I won’t regret trying.” Elisa let it all out of her chest. Serenity had caught wind of Elisa’s haughtiness, but she had the means to be lofty, spoiled, and willful after all. All Serenity saw in Elisa was an ordinary lovesick girl. It appeared to Serenity that Elisa was in a positive frame of mind. Elisa had a non-distorted outlook on life. Serenity had overheard some gossi

“Girls chasing after boys is really not that different from guys chasing after girls. Invest in his interest and hang in there. Your efforts will see you through. He’s bound to say yes if you keep asking him out.” Elisa gave it a thought before replying, “I know I should persevere and stick with it. To be honest, my sister-in-law initiated the first move on my brother. I saw the whole thing. My brother was like Mr. York at the time – lofty, detached, and unconcerned.“My sister-in-law was all over my brother every day and eventually wore my brother down with her persistence. There was a time my sister-in-law wanted to give up and stopped turning up anywhere near my brother. The surprising thing was that my brother got used to her being around. Her absence and intention to back out of his life turned him to being more forward with his feelings.“Now my brother’s known in Wiltspoon for worshiping the ground his wife walks on.” Elisa was most envious of her brother and sister-in-law

Elisa was rendered speechless. Was she bratty and willful? Come to think of it, Elisa had to admit that she did act like a spoiled brat. It was largely because she was the apple of the Stones’ eye. Her family’s love did not give her a stuck-up attitude, but Elisa was not the easiest person to get along with. She would not hesitate to kick out anyone who had gotten on her list of dislikes if she found them hanging around her. She had no consideration for other people’s feelings. Even her relatives were not spared from her wrath. It took a while before Elisa gratefully said to Serenity, “Thank you for telling me this, Serenity. No one ever talked to me about changing my bad behavior.” Serenity thought to herself, ‘Who would say something so blunt to your face?’She made a bold suggestion because she did not belong in Elisa’s circle. Besides, Elisa saw Serenity as her love guru. “Seren.” Having woken up from her afternoon nap, Jasmine came out when she overheard Serenit

Once Elisa was gone, Jasmine asked curiously, “Seren, how did you know Ms. Stone? She even came to the shop to look for you.” Serenity told Jasmine the whole story about Elisa flagging her e-bike down and sending Elisa to York Corporation. Jasmine replied after a pause, “Really?” Props to Elisa for her courage and tenacity to go after the heir of the York. “I think Ms. Stone isn’t as unreasonable as described in the rumors. She’s only haughty because of her upbringing. She hasn’t lost perspective on life though. While she loves Mr. York, she said she wouldn’t ask Mr. York out if he was taken.” Elisa’s pride kept her from coming in between someone else’s relationship. Jasmine concurred, “She sounds like a great gal. We’re not in her circle, so we wouldn’t know her true character without engaging with her. The rumors can’t be trusted completely. Sometimes, seeing is not believing either, let alone hearsays.” Since Elisa held prestige in class, many who were jealous of her m

Jasmine pursed her lips. “He’s a little ugly. I’m scared that my baby will turn out hideous if I marry an ugly man. Your situation is the best. Since you and your husbands have the looks, your baby will turn out beautiful.” She would rather marry a motivated wage earner like her best friend. So what if Mr. York was not born with a silver spoon? He worked hard to get to a senior white-collar position at York Corporation. Anyone who could get into the York Corporation’s headquarters was an elite among elites. Serenity replied after a brief pause, “You should spend less time on your chick lits. I think you read too much and now you imagine yourself meeting a young, handsome, and rich CEO like the female characters in your books. The young CEO only has eyes and the hots for the leading lady. Jasmine, that’s all fiction. Where are you going to find that many young CEOs in real life?“The CEO of York Corporation is young, but he took over the family business that has been around for y

It was eleven o’clock at night by the time Serenity closed the shop. She rode her e-bike home. “Drive safe, Serenity.” The female store owner from next door graciously said. Serenity replied with a smile, “I will.” Watching Serenity’s receding figure, the female store owner muttered, “She’s such an independent child with a sad past. It was a good thing she stood up to her bloodsucking relatives and refused to succumb to their absurd demands.“Just watch her. Serenity will rise above all the bad. Her good fortune is written in the stars, and she’s bound for success. Things are difficult before they are easy. Those who picked on her will be sorry.” The female store owner then glanced at her husband and pursed her lips. “You’re always into the mystic mumbo jumbo. Why don’t you start a business on fortune telling or something? Why don’t you give me a reading? When will I be rich?“Hurry up and move the stuff into the shop so we can close for the day. We should wash up and get som

“I’ve made the maneki-neko, but Ms. Stone saw and loved the creation when she suddenly came to visit me. I thought since we live together, I can make it up to you at any time.” Black in the face, Zachary fixated his profound eyes on her. Serenity asked cautiously, “Are you angry, Mr. York?” Zachary scowled and spoke in an icy tone, “How can I not be angry when you gave something meant for me to someone else without my permission?” To make things worse, Serenity gave it to Elisa! Did Serenity know that Elisa was chasing her husband? How could she give away his maneki-neko to her competition? That was generous of her! Serenity stopped looking at her phone. Holding her plate of mac and cheese, she made her way toward Zachary while eating. She sat down next to Zachary and said fawningly, “I’m sorry, Mr. York. It’s my fault. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow. Don’t be mad.” Zachary glared at her rather grimly. His lips were pressed together tightly. Since Zachary had not c