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
Serenity knew her money-driven relatives were not going to stop there. Nevertheless, they had no idea where the sisters were living. Since it was not easy to scour the whole city for her and Liberty’s whereabouts, Serenity quickly put the matter behind her so she could enjoy a nice dinner at her sister’s. Having been listening to the conversation the whole time, Zachary did not take the matter lightly. He had instructed Josh to get a file on the Hunts’ and trust that he would hear back soon. The couple arrived at Liberty’s apartment and ran into Liberty who was taking out the trash downstairs. “Liberty.” Happy to see her sister, Serenity darted toward Liberty. “You’re here, Seren.” The fatigue across Liberty’s face was swept away at the sight of her sister and brother-in-law. With Zachary retrieving bags of gifts from the car, Liberty whined, “We’re family. You shouldn’t have to get us anything.” “It’s only some fruit, Liberty.” Taken in by Zachary’s kind gesture, Lib
Chelsea’s youngest son was right behind Sonny, wailing and demanding, “I want the plane Sonny got.” Gripping the toy plane against his chest, Sonny nervously looked back at his cousin and murmured, “Huggies, Mama. Huggies, Mama.” Liberty picked her son up. “Liberty, tell Sonny to give the plane to my son. We’re your guests. Sonny should be nice to my son.” Chelsea came over and wiped away her son’s tears before standing up to grab the toy plane from Sonny. Seeing that Sonny refused to let go, Chelsea was about to snatch the toy right out of Sonny’s hand when she caught a glimpse of Serenity and her husband. Zachary had his hands full with bags. She immediately withdrew her arms and greeted Serenity with a smile. “Long time no see, Serenity. Is this your husband? Why, he’s a handsome and striking man, isn’t he?” Not only was the man attractive, but he also carried himself with a presence and grace that even Hank, despite being in a managerial position, could not beat. Chel