Remy fell silent for a moment before giving his two cents. “Our parents want what’s best for us, but we may not approve of their methods. We might take it the wrong way and think they’re making our lives difficult.”
“That’s right. Do your parents do the same too?” Elisa asked.
“My parents stay out of my business once I reach adulthood. Then again, they don’t really get involved because my eldest brother is the boss of me. The seniors in my family don’t interfere with the younger generation’s business. Though, they might say something if we haven’t settled down.”
Elisa smiled. “That’s right. I heard the elders of the Johnsons are pretty liberal like the Yorks. No wonder you guys are the 1% of the population. Everything seems to be going well for your lives.”
“Elisa, is your mom forbidding you to date me?”
Elisa gave an honest answer. “That’s right. My mom said you’re from out of town. She doesn’t want me to marry off to a faraway place. She is forceful and determined to separate us. She said that there are many bachelors in Wiltspoon. According to her, it’s better to marry a regular guy than to marry somewhere else.”
Her mother was so eager to stop any relationship from forming even though Elisa and Remy had not reached the stage of marriage.
Remy kept to himself for a bit before uttering. “Apart from the distance, are there any other issues she’s not happy about?”
“No, that’s it. She’s not pleased that you aren’t a local. This issue alone is a tough one. Why would you want more issues?”
Remy let out a smile and replied, “It’s not a hard problem. Give Mrs. Stone some time. She’ll come around to accept me.” He looked into Elisa’s eyes. “I’m more anxious to find out when you will accept me.”
“Oh, me.”
In a much better mood, Elisa kept her eye on the road and responded, “I never had a guy come after me. I want to enjoy being wooed and the feeling of being loved.”
Remy heard her and kept it in mind.
He would satisfy whatever her heart’s desire to make her happy so she would open the door to her heart.
Remy knew that Elisa was not without feelings for him. In her words, Elisa wanted to be one who got all the love and attention for once.
She was the one doing the chasing in the past.
Elisa took Remy to Wiltspoon Hotel.
After parking the car, she turned to Remy and uttered, “Are these flowers for me?”
Remy handed her the bouquet. With his burning eyes fixated on her, he said, “I wanted to give you the flowers, but your brother wouldn’t let me in. I rang the doorbell, and you came out. I thought I should hold onto the bouquet since you were driving.”
Elisa happily accepted the flowers.
“Everybody except my dad disapproves of us taking our relationship to the next level. My mom is the one most against it. You know my mom used to manage my dad’s company. She considers herself a businesswoman and has a tough personality to match, but she has always been gentle and tolerant toward me.
“When I was younger, my brothers would beg me to put in the good word whenever they did something. wrong. My mom would accept my pleas for my brothers no matter how angry she was.”
Elisa sighed. “My family didn’t support me when I fell in love with Zack. Now that I have no feelings for him and am considering you as a potential partner, they’re not showing me any support either. No wonder I have a blank dating history even though I’m in my twenties.”
Her family inserted themselves a lot in her life.
Elisa carried the flowers and got out of the car before Remy could say anything.
“Come on. Let’s have dinner. All this talk is depressing.”
“Alright. I’ll take you to the movies after dinner.”
To Elisa, there was nothing interesting about the cinema. Heck, she rarely watched movies. Still, she held.
her tongue.
It dawned on her that many couples would go to the movies while dating.
It was not like the movies were good, but it was the romantic atmosphere and time spent together the couples were after.
The night rolled around.
The streetlights around Wildridge Manor were lit up.
The entire estate from a bird’s view was quite the scenery.
After dinner, Serena returned to her room to take a shower before heading to the guest bedroom where her sister was.
Liberty was carrying her son out of the bathroom.
“Sonny is just done with his shower.
“He had a blast today, and now he’s sleepy. I quickly gave him a wash, and he was nodding off in the showers.”
Liberty lay her son down on the bed as the little man was asleep.
Serena pinched Sonny’s cheek with a smile. Sleeping like a log, Sonny had no reaction to his aunt getting a good squeeze of his face.
“He and Rowan were really running around the place today. It’s a good thing. The pressure to do well in his studies is real even though he’s only in tenth grade. His cousins and brothers performed well academically, so he will be lagging behind if he doesn’t put in the work. His cousins and brothers won’t be pleased about that.
“All that fun is a good stress reliever.”
Serena’s heart went out to the youngest member of the York family.
The kid was a sweet talker. He would always say hello to Serena with the cutest voice.
“What’s the matter?”
Liberty thought something was bothering her sister.
“Nothing. I’m just here to check on Sonny. Since he’s asleep, I’ll go to the study. You should get some early rest too, Liberty.”
Liberty replied with a smile, “It’s too early for my bedtime. I go to bed around ten.”
It was only seven o’clock at night right now.
“Carry on with your work. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t think of yourself as any lesser than your mother–in–law and the others. They are familiar and experienced with the system, but you’re just starting. Don’t compare yourself with other people. All experiences start from zero. You can do it.”
Serena answered, “The stress was unbelievable in the beginning, but I felt much better after my mother–in -law said I have a few years to learn the ropes. I will do my best, Liberty. I’ll look down on myself if I can’t do my job well as the lady of the house.”
Liberty tucked her son in.
“Yeah. Take your time. Don’t let me keep you.”
Serena drew close to smooch her nephew’s face before leaving her sister’s room. She went to the study.
Looking at the shelves of account books in the study, Serena was at a loss about where to start.
She took a rough look around, scanning the ledgers on the shelves until she could clear her head. She should get an idea of the situation in Wildridge Manor before moving on to the family’s business accounts
Serena read the account books in the study while Zack had a chat with his nana downstairs.
Duncan had not left.
He had been sticking around the Yorks residence for the whole day now
“Grandma May.”
Duncan whispered a question, “Did you put in the good word for me?”
He was aware that Grandma May had a heart–to–heart with Liberty
Looking askance at Duncan, Grandma May replied, “I only have one grandson who is married. I still have. the others to think about. Where am I going to find the time to worry about you too?”
Before Duncan could chime in, the old lady added, “Liberty has been through a relationship that hurt her too much. She’s reluctant to even consider marriage. It’s not going to be easy for her to let go of the past and start over. Baby steps.”
Duncan let out a sigh.
He had mentally prepared himself to wait a few years until Liberty earned success to find a spot next to him. Perhaps she would accept him in her life then.
Still, Duncan was eager and desperate.
He wished he could get the girl right after making his feelings known to Liberty.
“I understand, Grandma May.”
Duncan was down in the dumps.
Still, the frustration only lasted for two minutes, and he regained his fighting spirit. Duncan had not begun the pursuit yet, and for him to lose the will now, he might as well move on.
“It’s late. You should go home.”
Grandma May showed Duncan the door.
Duncan said with a kill, “Are you kicking me out, Grandma May? I was going to have a drink or two with Zack,”
“I’m not drinking tonight.”
Zack was quick to say no.
Duncan chucked. “I heard that you don’t really drink at business parties anymore. Apparently, you quit alcohol because your wife doesn’t like you drinking. You don’t smoke, drink, gamble, or solicit Our Mr. York has become a model husband.”
The grandmother and grandson blurted in unison, “Watch and learn.”
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.