“Mom, can we eat? I’m really hungry.”
Duncan changed the topic.
Mrs. Lewis hurriedly instructed the maids to set the table.
Duncan turned and walked toward the dining room.
“Lily, that’s how Duncan is. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Lily said, smiling. “No worries, I don’t blame him for it. I came over out of the blue when he already had things planned. It isn’t good indeed to make him change his plans for me. By the way, when he said Zack, did he mean Zack York? The Wildridge Manor he mentioned is the old York residence.”
Lily was from Bellville, but she did know a little about Wiltspoon’s upper class.
“He is the eldest son of the York family. It’s not surprising that many of you don’t know his given name. Zack’s married and has a partner already but he still doesn’t let his friends bring young women to gatherings at his house.”
Lily asked with gossipy interest, “I heard his wife is an orphan and came from a farming village. How did he end up marrying her?”
“It was arranged by Old Mrs. York. That Hunt woman is indeed parentless. She does have a sister-they depended on each other for survival. Oh, right. Mrs. Stone is their aunt. They only found each other last year and because of that, Mrs. Stone even held a huge banquet and invited us to celebrate the reunion.”
Mrs. Lewis had the deepest impression of Liberty because Liberty was overweight. When she saw Liberty at the time, she was utterly disgusted in her heart.
She did not have much of an impression of Serena, but she knew Zack doted on Serena the most.
Lily said with great interest, “I wonder if I’ll have the chance to get to know Mrs. York.”
She had heard of Mr. York before but never had the chance to meet him in person.
Lily thought to herself that the woman who could move Mr. York definitely had something amazing about her. She could learn a thing or two from the lady about conquering a man.
Lily was twenty-eight years old this year and was currently single. She had a relationship back when she was eighteen or nineteen but that had been unfruitful. Afterward, she joined her family’s company and ended up too busy with work, which was why until now, she had no boyfriend.
Mrs. Lewis had the intention to matchmake her and Duncan and both families were in favor of it. Lily was aware of Duncan’s past as a former gangster and she could accept it.
She did not care that he had a scar on his face either because she felt that as long as she made him fall in love with her, she could make him agree to undergo minor plastic surgery to remove the scar and recover his good looks.
Hearing Lily’s words, Mrs. Lewis laughed. “You will. Zack and Duncan are very good friends.”
Speaking of this, Mrs. Lewis lowered her voice and said to Lily, “Although Serena Hunt’s background isn’t much to speak of, the fact that she’s Zack York’s wife is set in stone. It’ll be good for you to get to know her and forge a connection with her.”
She was worried that a proud and strong lady like Lily would look down on Serena when the latter was Zack’s most precious person while Zack was good friends with Duncan too. If Lily were to date Duncan, she would inevitably have to join his circle of friends.
If Lily looked down on Serena, she would offend Zack and affect his relationship with Duncan.
Mrs. Lewis did not wish for Zack and Duncan’s relationship to be affected because of Lily.
In Wiltspoon, those who Zack considered close friends and confidants were limited to her son and Josh Bucham only.
Lily smiled and said, “Mrs. Lewis, I understand. Ladies don’t ask where a person is from. It was Ms. Hunt’s ability that allowed her to become Mrs. York. I can’t admire her enough, so why would I look down on her?”
Even if Serena was a beggar, as long as she had won Zack over, Lily would feel that she was the best amongst all women and was worth learning something from.
She was very capable in terms of doing business, but when it came to winning men over, Lily felt that she was lacking experience.
“It’s great that you can think that way. Let’s go eat.”
Mrs. Lewis affectionately pulled Lily into the dining room. The moment they stepped into the dining room, they heard Duncan speaking on the phone with Zack.
A certain Mr. York was currently preparing a dinner filled with love for his esteemed and beloved wife. Serena was feeling low and did not want to go out to eat either, so Zack was personally doing the cooking himself.
Old Mrs. York had not returned and nobody knew where she had gallivanted to again.
In the past, Serena would be worried about Grandma May, but now, knowing that the old lady was wandering around to secure wives for her grandsons, Serena no longer worried about her and would not ask where she was going.
Zack had told her too that when his nana was young, she had been the head of intelligence and was very formidable.
She only gradually eased into retirement after marrying Zack’s grandfather, but many of the past generations still sang her praises. Even now when the current head of the Buchams and his son, a family specializing in intelligence, met Grandma May, they were incredibly reverent toward the old lady and viewed her as a maestro in the field.
Serena continued to sit on the swing as she quietly watched the sky outside turn from light to dark.
A ringing sound came from Zack’s phone.
Zack stopped what he was doing and picked up the call after digging out his phone and looking at the caller ID.
“Duncan.”
“Zack, for the barbecue at your family residence tomorrow, don’t forget to prepare extra chicken thighs -they’re my favorite. I haven’t eaten it in ages and I miss your barbecued chicken thighs a lot.”
“When did I say I was going back to the manor tomorrow for a barbeque?” Zack asked.
If Duncan wanted to have some barbeque, could he not eat somewhere else? Why did it have to be at the manor?
“And squid, lamb, and big prawns. Anyway, I like eating whatever you roast.”
Duncan continued talking to himself about the food as if he did not hear what Zack said.
Zack proceeded to hang up immediately after that.
Though, Duncan’s words did make him think about the idea. Tomorrow was Sunday and they did not need to go to work. Plus, he had never brought Serena to the manor before. He would do as Duncan said and invite a few friends to the manor for a barbecue. There was indeed a barbecue area back at the manor.
He could even bring Serena back to stay for a few days and let her familiarize herself with the surroundings. The beautiful landscape there might cheer her up too.
While the plan brewed in his head, Zack texted Duncan: [Got it. Call Josh too, and tell him to bring Julian along if he’s free.]
When Duncan received his buddy’s reply, he breathed a sigh of relief.
His cover was nearly blown.
Anyway, even if Zack had not taken the hint, he would have gone to look for Zack the next day and clung to his side for the whole day.
Duncan readily agreed.
After Zack finished texting Duncan, he walked out of the kitchen and to the balcony. Serena looked at him and asked, “Is dinner ready?”
“Almost. Are you hungry? The soup’s ready. Why don’t you have some soup first?”
“No, I don’t have an appetite.”
Making the trip back to her hometown struck a chord within her and evoked memories of the past. Unable to hold back, tears streamed down her face. Even if they had already left, Serena was still consumed by her memories.
Zack hunched down to her eye level and reached out to lightly touch her face. He said softly, “I’ll bring you to Wildridge Manor tomorrow and we could stay there for a few days. The scenery is stunning and the beauty of nature is well-preserved. Although the manor was built by man decades ago, it has long since become a part of the landscape. It’s the flowering season now and the manor has quite a few flower fields. It’s absolutely charming.
“Duncan called me just now and suggested a barbecue. I asked him to invite Josh and his cousin too. We have an area specifically for barbecuing at the manor. Do you want to invite Ms. Sox, your cousin, and the rest?”
Zack recalled that Liberty’s diner was going to officially open for business the day after tomorrow and she would not likely be able to join them for the barbecue.
He added, “Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we’ll go pick Sonny up. Then we’ll go back and I get Mrs. Lane and Jim to go over and help Liberty out. That way, she won’t overwork herself.”
Serena quietly looked at him as she listened to his arrangements.
“What do you think, Seren? Your call. If you don’t like it, we can always change the plan.”
Serena reached out and hugged him. Feeling touched, she said, “Thank you, Zack! It’s so good to have you!”
When faced with any hardships, he did not give up on her.
When she was in a bad mood, he tried everything he could to cheer her up.
This man had changed a lot for her sake.
Zack hugged her back before gently pulling away and said warmly, “We’re going to be husband and wife for the rest of our lives, so we should support each other. When I’m sick, you take care of me. When you’re in a bad mood, I’ll cheer you up.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.