Sure, Carrie was cocky, but Serena would always put Carrie in her place.
Since he asked, Serena came clean to Zack about Carrie’s arrogant behavior. Serena did not want to give him another reason to moan about her keeping things from him as if he was not family.
Zack scowled grimacingly as he got up and walked away.
He soon returned and put the car keys to his Rolls Royce in Serena’s hand. He domineeringly uttered, Take this car, Seren. Let’s see if Ms. Carrie will call your ride junk again. The nerve of her to threaten to bang your car.”
Mr. Newman had come in person to apologize on behalf of his wife and daughter. However, it appeared that Ms. Carrie had not learned her lesson. Ms. Carrie had the audacity to hold it against Serena!
“You can’t stoop to a crazy person’s level and go crazy with them.”
Serena returned the car keys to him. “I love driving my pile of junk.”
“Seren.”
Zack exclaimed, “I can’t stand people looking down on you.”
“A car isn’t going to change someone’s perception of me. Even if I drive the Rolls Royce, people are just going to say that I’m a gold digger, and I owe it all to you. They’ll still look down on me.”
The only way to get people to quit belittling her was to be strong with her own strength.
Zack was speechless.
Pulling Serena into his arms, he lovingly and helplessly uttered, “You’re stubborn. Do you know that, Seren? You can really test me sometimes.”
Serena wrapped her arms around his muscular waist and replied with a smile, “That’s who I am. You can’t change me. Just bear with me.”
“I will always put up with you.”
The couple shared a lingering cuddle until Serena nudged him away. She asked, “Are you full? I need to tidy up and get back to the shop.”
Zack reluctantly mumbled something under his breath. This time, Serena caught what he was saying. He was groaning about Josh ditching the business meeting and having a date with his girlfriend.
Caught between tears and laughter, Serena remarked, “Why don’t you think about the times you left work in Mr. Bucham’s hands to spend time with me? You should at least give Mr. Bucham and Jasmine some time to go on a date.”
Zack pursed his lips without another word.
Serena packed up and rewarded her husband with a passionate kiss. After the deep kiss, she said, “I’ll wait for you at home. Please don’t drink too much, or even better, don’t drink at all.”
“I’ll tell the clients that my wife doesn’t allow me to drink. I’ll have to sleep in the study if I get a drop of alcohol in me. I bet they’ll stop me from drinking too.”
Serena was at a loss for words.
pare little gifts for him. The couple looked out for one another and always had each other’s best interests at heart.
They were a pair made in heaven.
“Seren, we’re leaving for our date now.”
Jasmine held her purse and bouquet given by Josh before announcing her leave to Serena with a smile. Once Serena acknowledged her, Jasmine took off with Josh.
Serena was kept occupied for a while until the last swarm of students left. She then went into the kitchen to heat her food up and enjoyed her dinner behind the cash register.
“Serena.”
Holding a bowl in his hands, Mr. Charles from next door was munching on something as he approached.
“Are you only having your dinner now, Mr. Charles?”
“Yeah. Seems like you are too.”
Mr. Charles inquired with a smile, “Did Jasmine leave? I saw her carrying a bouquet of flowers and leaving with a handsome boy who often drops by your shop. Is he Jasmine’s boyfriend?”
. “Yes. He’s Mr. Bucham, Jasmine’s boyfriend.”
Serena invited Mr. Charles in for a seat. Instead of taking a seat, Mr. Charles cheerfully remarked, “I’m just dropping by to tell you something.”
Grinning from ear to ear, Mr. Charles spoke in hushed tones, “Didn’t I tell you about the bet? I put all my secret stash that you’ll continue to run your business even though you’ve become Mrs. York, and I earned a profit. You’re still working here.
“They won’t believe me. They think you’ll just enjoy life as the wife of a rich man and stay out of the public eye now that you’ve become Mrs. York. Let the record show that I won! They lost! Hahaha! It’s a shame that my secret stash isn’t much. Otherwise, I’d win more money.”
Serena nearly threw up her food.
She congratulated Mr. Charles with a smile, “Congrats on winning, Mr. Charles.”
“It’s just a bit. Hahaha. I should’ve told my wife, so we can put all our money together into the bet. We would have won a lot of money.”
Serena told him off, “You will be left with nothing if your wife finds out.”
She knew that Mrs. Charles wore the pants in the house. Mr. Charles got a monthly allowance of five hundred bucks from his wife and nothing more. Mrs. Charles would give him extra for some cigarettes and alcohol, so Mr. Charles could save the five hundred bucks if he wanted to.
Mrs. Charles was on top of the household finances, paying the expenses for Mr. Charles’ parents too. He had nothing to worry about, except his personal allowance of five hundred bucks, so he could save half of the money without a problem.
Mr. Charles probably pocketed some money when the stock came in for their shop. In short, he had a sizable stash, and he would have won a lot more from the bet if he put everything he had into it.
Of course, Mrs. Charles would confiscate the money if she were to find out.
Mr. Charles replied, “That’s true… It’s a good thing I didn’t tell my wife.”
“Mrs. Charles doesn’t give you much allowance, but she doesn’t let you pay for the other stuff. You don’t have to worry about expenses for your parents and parents-in-law, social favors, and expenses for raising your children. You are lucky, Mr. Charles.
“It’s not easy to manage money.”
While munching, Mr. Charles remarked, “I agree, and that’s why I left the finances to my wife since she’s good at it I used to be the one to take care of the finances, but our savings never made it past twenty thousand dollars by the end of the year despite our business doing well. Since my wife took over, we have saved close to a hundred thousand dollars a year.
“I’m happy with the load off my shoulders and the surplus of money in the family account. My wife is a very fair person. She won’t favor her own family. She gives equal amounts to my parents and her parents. My parents cannot be happier with their daughter-in-law.
“Serena, I can tell you right now that my family will be tearing into me if I have a fight with my wife.”
Mr. Charles sounded like he was moaning, but he was, in fact, bragging about his happy home. They might not have riches in material things, but Mrs. Charles was very considerate and good at keeping the peace at home.
Mrs. Charles was sharp-tongued, but she was a softie under all that tough exterior.
The way Mrs. Charles dealt with life and people was something Serena wanted to learn from her.
“Honey! Honey!”
Mrs. Charles was calling him from next door.
Mr. Charles answered his wife’s calls before whispering to Serena, “Keep it between us, okay? I got to go.”
Serena acknowledged with a smile.
Mr. Charles turned around and walked out while heeding his wife’s calls.
Once he was gone, Serena finished the last of her dinner and brought her empty plate to the kitchen. She cleaned the dishes and popped out for a quick chat with the neighbors. She had been neighbors with the other store owners for years, so a bit of social engagement went a long way.
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.