Jasmine brought a glass of red wine to her lips and took a sip. “You read too many chick lits. There are so many people with the same first and last names under the sun, much less a surname. Bill Gates is one of the richest men, but do you think everybody with that last name is his family?” Jasmine smiled. “You have a point.” “My husband is a white-collar worker. He drives a national car that’s worth about a hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Do you think the heir of the Yorks would drive that sort of car? You have a wild imagination, don’t you?” Serenity never dreamed about becoming Cinderella. It was fine to daydream but not to the extent of being out of touch with reality. “Come to think of it, can the head of the York family swing the other way since he doesn’t want young females approaching him? Is he married?” Serenity was the least bit interested in the young heir’s appearance. Nevertheless, it was questionable that he shunned away from young women. Either he was c
Having eaten to her heart’s content, Jasmine gleefully said, “Shawn, I’m not interested in the eligible bachelors. Serenity and I are only here to check out the scene and taste the food. The place lives up to its name as a seven-star hotel. The food is amazing. It was a hearty meal.” Shawn was speechless.“We’re stuffed now. It’s getting late, Shawn. Serenity and I got to go. Please let my aunt know on my behalf.” Anxious, Shawn did a double take on Serenity and answered, “Leaving so soon? Jas, the party is only halfway through. It’s still early. The earliest would be eleven o’clock tonight before the party’s over.” Serenity chimed in. “We have a business to run tomorrow, so we can’t stay out that late.” With the pair getting up, Shawn followed behind them. “You know you can delay the opening time by a few hours.” Shawn hovered around Serenity, hoping to keep the girls around for a little longer. “That won’t do. Our busiest times are in the morning, afternoon, and evenin
Within the business community in Wiltspoon, anyone who had won Zachary’s favor would go places like the world was theirs to take. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe brought their son along to the dinner party so he could meet people and make friends. It was to lay the groundwork for their son’s future. “Mr. Lowe, you were…” “I was just returning from walking my family to get a ride.” Before Zachary could finish his sentence, Shawn jumped in to explain what he was doing in case Zachary might take it the wrong way that Shawn did not care for these social settings or was unhappy with the hotel service.The Wiltspoon Hotel was one of the many hotels under the Yorks’ flagship. “Oh.” Zachary then walked past Shawn, looking like he only greeted Shawn out of politeness. Shawn had no time to get over the situation as a crowd around Zachary walked right past him. Shawn became a nobody in an instant. Everybody was used to Zachary making a brief appearance at an event before taking off. The CEOs w
“Yeah.” Zachary answered in a deep voice. Serenity drew close, holding a carrier bag in hand. “I bought cranberries. Do you want some?” Black in the face, Zachary gave her a dirty look. All she did was eat at the dinner party. Yet, she still had room for more. She was such a glutton! “Cranberries can taste bitter when eaten raw, but there’s a sweet aftertaste that comes through. It was once the favorite of my most cherished man.” Taking the seat next to Zachary, Serenity opened the container of cranberries. Zachary discreetly scooted to the side to pull away from her. He did not want his clothes stained. “Your most cherished man?” “The man on the hundred-dollar bill.” Zachary was speechless. Money to him was a series of numbers in his account. “Do you want to try a bite? It’s tasty. For real. It’s delicious. I can’t get enough of it.” “No. Knock yourself out. One more thing. Can you take it to the dining hall? I can’t stand to see the furniture stained.” Seein
“I wasn’t at the shop tonight. My friend wanted to attend a dinner party and asked me to tag along. Oh, right. Mr. York, I want to ask you about something, but I’m not sure if it’s something you’re comfortable answering.” Taking the seat opposite Zachary, Serenity stared at the man with her big bright eyes. The man was aloof, distant, and nasty toward her. She knew he built a wall around him to keep nobody out but her. However, he was blessed with good looks. His face was aesthetically pleasing as if she was looking at a beautiful scenery. “The party was held at the Wiltspoon Hotel. I heard the hotel belongs to the wealthiest family in the city. Guess what? The heir of the family attended tonight too. His last name is York, but I think you’re unrelated to that family, right?” Without batting an eye, Zachary blasély replied, “We just so happen to share the same last name.” Serenity heaved a sigh of relief and responded with a smile, “I knew you have no relations to the wealthi
“I’m taking a trip back to my hometown after meeting your parents this weekend. I want to chop down a few bamboos to make the rails.” Zachary replied faintly, “No need, I’ll get someone to install the rails tomorrow.” The lady of the York house wanted to go all the way to her hometown to chop down some bamboo and haul them back for laundry-airing purposes. The only person who could come up with this is Serenity. “Sure. Thanks.” “This is also my home.” “Yeah,” Serenity answered before carrying her laundry to her bedroom. She pushed open her bedroom door before turning around to look at Zachary, “If you want, you can leave your dirty clothes out after shower. I’ll wash your clothes when I’m doing my laundry.” “It’s fine. Thank you. I’ll get someone to deliver two washing machines tomorrow. It’d be easy to have a washing machine in each of our bathrooms.” “Alright. Tell me how much you pay for the washing machines. I’ll split with you.” Serenity could not let him foot the
“Let’s go.” Zachary drew close and faintly uttered. “Kay.” Serenity went with him. As the couple walked together without a word, Serenity wanted to make conversation. However, that ever solemn and tensed face with an invisible “keep out” sign on that forehead of his was off-putting. His talent would go to waste if he did not become a school teacher. With a face like that, he could easily keep the children in check. A short while later, they arrived at the market. Serenity directed Zachary to park the car in an empty lot. After getting down from the car, she told him, “Come on. Let’s have breakfast.” Without a word, Zachary followed behind her. The great Zachary York was out of place for his first trip to the market, but he rolled with it and hid his discomfort from Serenity. The pair ordered a bagel sandwich each, and Serenity requested extra toppings for herself. Still, the bagel sandwich did not quell Serenity’s hunger. Zachary took his time with his food, observi
Zachary watched as Serenity picked the flowers and haggled with the florist. She lowered the price by half from fifty bucks for a potted plant. Not to mention, she made it seem like the florist would not get a better deal than what she was offering. It was intriguing, to say the least. He was not one to look at the price tag or bargain when shopping. Too bad for the florist though because his wife could drive a hard bargain. The look on the florist’s face was priceless. After paying up, Serenity carried the flowerpots one by one into Zachary’s car. At first, Zachary stood by the car and watched but later realized he was standing out for the wrong reasons as the girl was doing the heavy lifting herself. He then helped Serenity transport the flowers until his vehicle was filled to the brim. It was a good thing the florist gave them some flattened cardboard to lay on the seats. That was better than getting his seats soiled. “Do you need anything else?” Zachary asked his wife a