“But it doesn’t seem like he doesn’t like Liberty either. He’s always very eager to help whenever my sister faces trouble. He goes to the rescue faster than I can.”
Zack said, “If Duncan says he doesn’t like her, then leave it at that. Don’t you disapprove of him getting together with your sister? Mrs. Lewis is not easy to get along with.”
“I feel that Mr. Lewis isn’t bad, but since you said that Mrs. Lewis isn’t easy to get along with, I don’t want my sister to be bullied by her mother-in-law again.”
Serena was the same as Audrey. They both admired Duncan, but they did not approve of Liberty marrying him. They did not want Liberty to suffer at the hands of her mother-in-law again.
A mother-in-law like Olivia was already bad enough; a mother-in-law from an affluent family would only be harder to deal with.
Serena once again sighed at her fortune. Although the man she married liked to throw tantrums, he was very good to her. He never raised his hand against her, and she did not have to worry about him cheating on her.
More importantly, his family was great. Having open-minded and tolerant in-laws like the Yorks was rare among wealthy and influential families.
She remembered Grandma May saying that since Serena saved her life, she would never introduce a bad grandson to Serena.
In fact, all of her grandsons were exceptional.
Zack was just the oldest and thought to be the most exceptional by his elders.
“Mrs. Lewis already helped pick a wife candidate for Mr. Lewis. Her name is Ms. Lily Harmon. She’s young and beautiful, but she also seems to be smart and competent. I could tell at a glance that she was an experienced person. The self-confidence and nobility that emanates from her gestures show that she came from a wealthy background. Furthermore, she must be good if she could earn Mrs. Lewis’s favor.”
“I know.”
Zack said while eating, “It’s because Mrs. Lewis tried to forcefully matchmake Duncan several times that he was shameless enough to stay in our house.”
He did not know what the woman’s name was.
There was no need for him to know.
She was not his wife candidate.
All he needed to know was his Serena.
“It’s still Ms. Harmon? I thought it would be someone else.
“Mrs. Lewis has high standards. Although she’s anxious about Duncan’s marriage, she’ll never allow him to marry below his social status. She picks her daughter-in-law like she’s a queen choosing a consort for the prince. There are not many noble ladies in Wiltspoon who caught her eye.”
The families that Mrs. Lewis had her eye on did not have daughters suitable for marriage.
As for families that did have marriageable daughters, Mrs. Lewis did not take a fancy to them.
The Lewises were one of the top-ranking giants in Wiltspoon. Duncan was capable on his own and was worth tens of billions.
When his father passed and the family assets were divided, Duncan’s fortune would continue to grow even if he did not take a single penny from the inheritance.
Thus, Mrs. Lewis was naturally very demanding in choosing a wife for him.
Zack thought of how the York family had no daughters. If he had a sister, she would surely be
Mrs. Lewis’s number one pick.
“Liberty said that Mrs. Lewis passed by one day and visited the store for a chat. She let Liberty see Ms. Harmon’s picture. Babe, I think Mrs. Lewis did it on purpose. She wanted my sister to back off.”
Without further thought, he said, “She definitely did it on purpose. An arrogant person like Mrs. Lewis wouldn’t approach your sister and make small talk even if she was just passing by.”
When Audrey hosted a banquet for her two nieces, Mrs. Lewis did not pay much attention to Liberty that night. The two did not meet again after that banquet.
Why would Mrs. Lewis go in and chat with Liberty just because she was passing by?
“Will Mrs. Lewis wreck my sister’s store? Will she toss out a check of five million, then tell my sister to leave with the money and never come back to see Mr. Lewis?”
Zack, who was drinking milk, instantly choked when he heard Serena. He coughed furiously and quickly put down the glass of milk.
Serena tried to pat his back, but he raised his hand to stop her.
He quickly stopped coughing and said with a smile, “Seren, you think too much. Clichés like that only happen in novels, not in real life.
“If we didn’t exist and your sister was really trying to pursue Duncan, then Mrs. Lewis would get someone to smash her store. Then, she’ll forcefully drive your sister away, but she won’t give her a single penny.
Zack continued, “But Mrs. Lewis won’t do that because we’re around. I’m good friends with Duncan, and you’re my wife as well as the missus of the York family. No matter how displeased Mrs. Lewis is, there’s nothing she can do. Besides, you guys have your aunt too.
“Even if Liberty likes Duncan, Mrs. Lewis would at most go straight to your sister to talk to her. She’ll tell your sister directly that she won’t accept a daughter-in-law like her.
“I think Mrs. Lewis showed your sister Ms. Harmon’s picture deliberately to test whether your sister has any ideas about Duncan. In the end, she found out that Liberty has absolutely no interest in her son and was purely focused on her store and making money.”
Zack’s analysis was more thorough than Serena’s.
“If Liberty showed the slightest hint that she was interested in Duncan, Mrs. Lewis would not allow her to continue operating her store.”
Serena agreed with her husband.
Mrs. Lewis was testing Liberty, but Liberty did not know anything. However, that was good. At least Liberty would not be influenced.
“Babe, do you think I should tell my sister about all this?”
“Mrs. Lewis’s hands are tied, which means she’s on the same boat as we are. She only has speculations but no way to prove them. You don’t need to say anything to Liberty. I’ll talk to Duncan and tell him not to go to your sister’s store for breakfast so often in the future.”
Zack grumbled about Duncan in his heart, ‘He has breakfast prepared for him at home. Why does he have to get up early every weekend to go all the way to All You Can Eat for breakfast?”
“Okay.”
After Zack ate his fill, Serena asked him with a smile, “Do you want me to accompany you anywhere else?”
Zack dotingly flicked her forehead. “Of course. I’ve eaten too much and need to go on a walk to help with digestion. Walk with me downstairs.”
Serena grinned. “It’ll be my honor.”
“Don’t be so serious. You’re just walking with me. It’s nothing that honorable.”
Mrs. Lane smiled as she watched the couple go out on a walk.
Serena wanted to bring Snowball with her. She looked at the man beside her, then glanced at Snowball, who looked like he wanted to follow. In the end, she chose her man and left Snowball behind.
There were quite a number of people walking around in the neighborhood, and there were many walking their dogs.
Zack did not like to be close to those small animals. Whenever he encountered someone with their dog, he pulled Serena and avoided them. There was one person walking his dog who was embarrassed and said to the couple, “My dog doesn’t bite.”
Small dogs were all the dogs that the residents of the area kept as pets.
Serena smiled sheepishly at the man but did not explain that her husband did not like furry animals.
As for Zack, he always put on an icy cold face when they were outside. His expression was hard like it was carved from marble.
Serena thought, ‘I can’t even take a chisel to carve his face. It’s too tough!”
“Babe, why don’t you like cats or dogs? Putting aside whether other people’s pets are cute or not, our little Snowball and two Ragdolls are adorable, but you don’t like them either. Snowball is round and chubby, so I find him especially cute.”
Mrs. Lewis took great care of the three pets.
Even the two Ragdolls were fed until they were round. They were more than twice as big as when they first arrived at Serena’s side.
“I don’t know why either. I just don’t like them. Back at the manor, my cousins never dared let their pets appear in front of me for fear that I’d sell them.”
Zack held Serena’s hand tightly and looked at her.
She did not like how cold and quiet the house was back then, and the couple often got into spats, so it indeed got a little awkward sometimes. After thinking about it, he decided to send her some pets for her to keep, but he did not allow the three little things to enter his room.
That was the line he drew.
For her, he broke too many exceptions.
Serena knew what his look meant and said with a smile, “Thanks, babe.”
He would not have given her pets if he did not love her.
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.