“Mr. York, I’m outside your office. Are you on your lunch break yet? I’m here to take you to my shop for lunch. Surprise!” Zachary was lost for words. Sure, it was a surprise, but not the good kind. Thank goodness he was good at staying composed because that was quite a scare. “Mr. York?” Serenity said as she did not get a response from the man. Tugging on his tie, Zachary replied in a husky voice, “I’m on my break but the client hasn’t left. We’re still ironing out the business details with the client, so it’ll probably take a while. Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll meet you at your shop for lunch?” “How long more do you need? I didn’t drive. I took a cab. It’s okay. I’ll wait for you outside your office building. We can go back together when you’re finished with your work.” Zachary lifted his arm to look at his watch before responding, “There’s a dessert shop right across the office. Wait for me there. I’ll see you in a bit.” Serenity turned her head and saw the desse
While waiting for Zachary at the dessert shop, Serenity did not want to sit in the establishment without getting anything, so she ordered two milkshakes to go. Since she was sitting near the entrance, Serenity was able to spot Zachary when he drove out of the office building. Carrying her milkshakes, she walked out of the shop.With a smile across her beautiful face, Serenity waved at Zachary. Zachary drove over and pulled up in front of her. Serenity took a few steps forward and opened the door to the passenger seat. She got into the car and put on her seatbelt before Zachary restarted the engine. “Why are you wearing a black mask?” Serenity asked in passing. Without a word, Zachary removed the mask. He did not want anyone to recognize him as he drove out of his office building. Even though not many had seen him in person before, it was best Zachary practiced caution. Instead of dwelling on Zachary’s refusal to answer, Serenity asked, “Do you want a milkshake? I bought yo
“That reminds me. I need to talk to you about something.” Serenity changed the subject at hand. By the sound of her cheerful tone, Zachary could tell his silence did not drive her mad. For some reason, it did not sit well with Zachary that she was not angry. “What is it?” “Nana wants to stay at our place on the weekend. She told me to discuss it with you in case you’d say no. You’re her grandson, so of course, you’re going to be okay with it.” Grandma May simply did not want to intrude on the couple’s alone time. Well, it was all in Grandma May’s head. There was no alone time between her and Zachary as they were only a married couple by law. They were busy doing their own thing during the day. While at night, they slept on their own beds. They would only engage with each other when there was a reason to. Other times, they would not have the chance or time to chat. Serenity believed it would be a marriage of convenience, and now, it was exactly as she imagined.
Well, that killed the conversation. Without another word, Serenity quietly sat there and looked at the streetscape outside the window. Liberty had just arrived when Serenity and Zachary reached the shop. “Liberty,” Serenity said as she got out of the car. Liberty turned around and noticed that it was her sister and Zachary. With her plump face beaming, she asked, “Where were you and Zachary coming back from?” “I went to his workplace to call him over for lunch. How was it, Liberty? Did you find a job?” Zachary came down from his car and greeted Liberty, to which the latter responded with a smile. However, Liberty appeared beaten when her sister mentioned work. Shaking her head, she replied, “Not yet. I submitted a bunch of resumes, but I either hadn’t heard back or got a flat-out refusal.” After a pause, Liberty added, “When they heard I have a two-year-old at home, they said I’d be preoccupied and distracted since my kid is young. It got me so riled up. Who said a mot
After the meal, Liberty wanted to go home and rest.Liberty felt exhausted having looked for a job all morning.Her confidence took a hit as she did not get to find a job. Thus, she wanted to go home and rewrite a few resumes while mentally preparing herself to see if she could get hired.“Liberty, I’ll take you back,” Serenity said.Liberty looked at her brother-in-law.Zachary said timely, “I’ll head back to the office then.”“Okay. Drive carefully,” Liberty instructed. After her brother-in-law left, Liberty carried her son, who was still asleep, and got into her sister’s car. “If Zachary doesn’t have a long lunch break, you can send him back to his office so he doesn’t have to drive. Else he won’t get to rest during his break.”“Alright,” Serenity said as she started the car.She would never go to York Corporation again.However, Serenity did not say this aloud lest her sister lectured her. Serenity could tell how much Liberty approved of Zachary as a brother-in-law.Lunch
Zachary said lightly, “Remy’s self-defense isn’t up to par. The Johnsons, like my family in Wiltspoon, are the richest family in Annenburg. For safety reasons, Remy has no choice but to bring more bodyguards everywhere he goes. It’s not like you’re not aware of this fact, so why are you making a fuss now? If you’re envious of Remy’s ostentation, you can also hire eight to ten bodyguards to follow you around.”Josh did not have bodyguards because he was proficient in martial arts.Moreover, not many people knew of his identity, so it would be too conspicuous for him to go out with bodyguards.The two were talking about business when the secretary knocked on the door.“Mr. York, this is the coffee you asked for.”The secretary brought over the freshly brewed coffee and placed it gently in front of Zachary.After the secretary left, Josh joked with his friend-cum-boss. “You don’t have the energy to work after your little romantic rendezvous with your wife, huh? You should drink two
“Duncan asked us out for lunch tomorrow at our usual spot. That guy always goes back to the same place with us every time! I know the food at Grace’s Diner is delicious, but I wouldn’t bother to go if it wasn’t for Grandma May’s Beans and Cream next door. At least we can hang out at the cafe.”“We used to go there often. Duncan is such a nostalgic guy,” Zachary chimed in.Before they got to their current positions in the company, Zachary was not yet a manager and was still in training. Even then, he also did not like to reveal his identity, so he would often eat at regular diners with his friends.Beans and Cream was the largest and fanciest cafe in Wiltspoon. The clothing stores and restaurants nearby were not exactly low-end either.That was because low-end stores would not be able to receive the flow of customers coming from Beans and Cream.The patrons of Beans and Cream were mostly working professionals who liked to treat themselves. They would often try out other restaurants
After some thought, Zachary finally sat down at the dining table. He opened the lid of the disposable box and silently ate the breakfast burrito that he was not a fan of.Zachary had to admit that living with Serenity made him more like an ordinary person.He ate a lot of street food that he had never tried before.After breakfast, Zachary went to the balcony. He sat down on the swing and admired Serenity’s flowers and plants.He sat there until eleven o’clock when he received a phone call from Josh reminding him of their lunch appointment. Zachary then went back to his room, got dressed, and went out.Knowing that Serenity was at her sister’s house, Zachary thought they would not cross paths, so instead of driving the national MPV, he sat in his luxurious Rolls-Royce. As usual, he was ostentatiously escorted to Grace’s Diner by a convoy of bodyguards.The convoy parked in front of Grandma May’s cafe, and Zachary walked to the diner so it would not cause much of a commotion.Whe