Married At First Sight Chapter 4483
Serenity said, “Just keep running. I can’t push you, but your big brother can. One day, he’ll show up in person—and trust me, he’s not as gentle as I am. If he can’t get through to you, and Grandma ends up flying over herself, you’ll see how miserable things can get.”
River sighed helplessly. “Sister-in-law, it’s not that I don’t want to get married—I just haven’t met someone who meets my standards. Our family has really high expectations when it comes to choosing a wife. Go ahead and call my big brother so he doesn’t worry. I’m taking the kids out for a bit.”
With that, River quickly left the house with the two children.
Serenity let out a long sigh.
As she watched River disappear with the kids, she turned her attention back inside, pulled out her phone, and made a call—not to Zachary, but to the old lady first.
It took a while for the old lady to pick up.
Her hearing wasn’t what it used to be. She hadn’t heard the phone ringing until someone nearby pointed it out. She quickly put on her reading glasses and hearing aids before answering Serenity’s call.
“Grandma.”
Serenity greeted her sweetly. The old lady smiled through the phone and asked, “You’ve arrived in Eaglioncile?”
“Yes, Grandma, we got here a while ago. We found River first—he took us out for some snacks and then brought us back to his place. I finally have a moment to call. What are you up to, Grandma?”
Serenity could hear someone chatting in the background and asked about it.
“Oh, nothing much,” the old lady replied. “Just invited a few friends over to chat and take a walk with me.”
Most of her old companions had passed away. Only one or two were still around, and even they weren’t in great shape.
The old lady was older than them, but they came from humble backgrounds and had lived hard lives. They had long histories of illness, and now that they were older, they were constantly struggling with their health.
Because of that, even when the old lady felt lonely, she didn’t often ask them to come up the mountain to visit her. Instead, she sometimes had the butler drive her down to see them—those friends she had known and chatted with for over twenty years.
At the York household, any worker who brought along elderly parents was given housing so the family could stay together. And when those elderly relatives got sick, the Yorks arranged free medical checkups and treatment.
They just wanted to make sure those elderly folks lived comfortably so they could be good company for the old lady whenever she wanted someone to talk to.
Even though the old lady had plenty of kids and grandkids around, she often said they weren’t great at keeping her company. She much preferred chatting with her peers in their eighties.
People the same age always had something to talk about.
Even if the topic was repetitive, they could chat about it for days.
“If you’re walking around the villa, Grandma, make sure the aunts are with you,” Serenity reminded her.
She worried because Grandma’s old friends were not in good shape anymore. Serenity didn’t feel comfortable knowing Grandma might be walking alone with them.
“I know,” the old lady said. “They’re all here with me. Even some of the little ones are tagging along, playing nearby. Before, I kept hoping for great-grandchildren. Now I’ve got seven or eight running around, and they’re driving me crazy!”
She complained about the noisy little ones, but the elderly folks nearby laughed.
“You love the chaos, Old Lady,” one of them teased. “You’re lucky. If we had seven or eight great-grandkids running around us, we’d be grinning in our sleep.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4484
Though she complained, the old lady truly adored having all the kids around.
She often called Josh to bring over his second child, and even asked Julian to send his little one too. Julian’s son was just over two and hadn’t started preschool yet—he was full of energy.
Knowing the old lady liked a lively house, Julian often brought his son and even his own parents to visit. Now that he was officially the head of the Bucham family, not just Young Master Bucham, he understood the importance of family presence.
Laughter and playful shouting from children could be heard all over Wildridge Manor these days.
Among the Yorks’ great-grandchildren, there were seven little boys. Three of them usually went to kindergarten, but it was summer break now, so they were all home. With so many kids together, even the closest brothers ended up bickering and fighting.
The old lady laughed at the chaos.
She asked Serenity, “How’s River doing? He only came home for New Year’s and hasn’t visited since. Ask him if he’s forgotten his grandma.”
Serenity replied, “He’s been really busy, Grandma. How could he forget about you? He always asks how you’re doing. Right now, he’s out playing with the kids, but I’ll have him call you later.”
The old lady gave two little snorts. “He better. Belle is still willing to hang out with her Uncle River. Even though they haven’t seen each other for half a year, she still remembers him.”
“They video chat sometimes, so she remembers,” Serenity said. “Belle has a great memory.”
The old lady sighed. “Oh, now she’s gone out to play, and I won’t see her for a while. I already miss her. The moment you left, I started missing her. I wish I could cling to her leg and go wherever she goes.”
Serenity chuckled. “Grandma, we’ll only be here for ten days or maybe two weeks. It’ll go by fast.”
If the old lady weren’t so old, she would’ve insisted on going with them.
Everyone had started being more protective of her lately. After the Johnson family’s old matriarch passed away, the Yorks treated their grandma like a living ancestor—like royalty.
Everything now revolved around her. She couldn’t travel far anymore, and if she did want to leave, a grandson had to accompany her.
Not a son—a grandson. Her sons were old too. Zachary and his siblings didn’t want their aging parents to take responsibility for Grandma anymore.
The Johnsons had Doctor Lilian checking on their old matriarch regularly, but when it was her time, not even a miracle doctor could stop it.
She passed peacefully in her sleep. No illness, no suffering. Lilian said she simply died of old age.
Even though she lived a long life, the Johnsons were still devastated. They thought she’d live to a hundred like Mr. Jimenez.
Now, the Yorks were taking every precaution with their old lady. In the past, Zachary and the others rarely visited on weekends. These days, they turned down all invitations and made sure to go back to the villa to spend time with her.
Every day with her was a gift.
They didn’t want to wait until it was too late and regret missing that time.
The old lady said, “An hour without seeing Belle feels like forever. Now I won’t see her for ten days or more. Ugh, I’m old and useless—I can’t even travel with you.”
“Grandma, you’re doing just fine. Oh! Let me tell you something—River’s got a nemesis here. A woman. Two years younger than him. She’s the daughter of the Lafond Group. Her name’s Romina Lafond.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4485
Serenity quickly changed the subject. She didn’t like hearing the old lady talk about being old and useless. In her heart, the old lady would always be youthful and full of vitality—the woman she respected the most.
Knowing that the old lady was concerned about River and Alex’s marriage prospects, she took the initiative to bring up River.
“They’ve been butting heads for years,” Serenity said. “They know each other so well. As soon as I got to Eaglioncile, I ran into Romina and saw her bickering with River. Honestly, I think those two might have a shot.”
That immediately piqued the old lady’s interest.
It was actually her idea for Serenity to take the kids to Eaglioncile. She hoped it would give Serenity a chance to nudge River toward marriage.
River was already 31 and still single. The old lady blamed herself, feeling like she’d failed both River and Alex by not helping them find wives sooner. She carried a heavy sense of guilt about it.
Zachary, the toughest of her nine grandsons, had made it to the altar at 30—thanks to her urging.
Alex was 29, two years younger than River. Even Rowan was already 25.
The old lady often told Rowan to start dating someone he liked so he could get married in a couple of years.
Tatum got married to Elora at 27—the youngest among the brothers to marry.
Rowan would respond, “River and Alex aren’t married yet, so what’s the rush for me?” He hadn’t met anyone who made him want to give up the single life. He was still young, after all—just 25.
The York boys didn’t have trouble finding women. If they wanted to marry, plenty of girls would line up for the chance.
“Are you sure River’s interested in Romina?” the old lady asked.
She immediately remembered the name—Romina Lafond. If she might become the wife of her seventh grandson, of course the name stuck. Romina sounded like a lovely name. “What does she look like? But more importantly, what’s her character like?” the old lady asked.
She didn’t have the energy to help her three unmarried grandsons find wives anymore, but her standards had never changed.
Character always came first. Looks weren’t that important. Of course, a girl who had it all would be ideal.
She trusted the values she had instilled in her grandsons—they would have the same judgment she did.
Any woman they brought home wouldn’t be too bad.
Serenity smiled. “How bad can a girl be if she can make River’s heart skip a beat? River said Romina isn’t a bad person. In fact, he probably saw the worst side of her already. Those two fight like crazy. Neither of them will back down—it’s actually entertaining to watch.”
“When Belle met Romina for the first time, she went straight to her and asked to be held. Even though Romina and River were arguing at the time, Belle still wanted her to hold her. That told me Romina isn’t a bad person.”
“Anyway, my first impression of her was good. She’s the vice president of her family’s company, so she’s clearly smart and capable. And she’s beautiful. She and River are a good match. I’ll get to know her better. Grandma, when I get back home, I’ll tell you all the details. If those two really end up together, they’ll be a lively couple.”
Thinking about how the men in the York family doted on their wives once they fell in love, Serenity was sure that River—if he and Romina got together—would spoil her endlessly.
“I think River will be completely under her thumb,” she added with a laugh. “But right now, neither of them realizes it yet. So we’ll just have to wait and see in the second half of the year.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4486
River had already started to notice something—Serenity was just waiting to see when he’d finally break the ice.
She wanted to stay in Eaglioncile with the kids for the summer, just to watch how River’s story unfolded.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking. In ten days, she’d be heading back.
On one hand, she had her own businesses to run. Tania had handed over the York family’s household matters to her, so she was now in charge of both her own affairs and the various smaller businesses under the York name.
The York family owned several properties that brought in rental income. Serenity didn’t go out and collect the rent herself, but she had to handle the books. Her plate was full.
Another reason she had to return soon was Zachary. He didn’t want her staying in Eaglioncile that long. He told her to take the kids for a week, have fun, and then come back.
But Serenity thought a week was too short. She had to persuade Zachary to let her stay ten days instead.
Zachary agreed to cover for her business-wise—no problem there. The issue was that he’d be stuck alone in an empty house. And for a man who loved his wife more than life itself, not seeing her for ten days was unbearable. He also joked that their son would use this time to steal all the affection.
Serenity didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—Zachary was even jealous of his own son.
He always competed with their son for her affection. But deep down, he loved their boy dearly. He was just stricter with him. Their daughter, on the other hand, was the apple of his eye. He pampered her endlessly, calling her the York family’s treasured princess.
Zachary believed that their son needed to be raised right. Even if he didn’t take over the family business, he should be strong enough to support and protect his little sister.
“Hearing all this makes me itch to go see it myself!” the old lady said with excitement. “When you have time, invite Romina out for dinner or shopping. Get a feel for her character, spend time with her, and help create opportunities for River.”
Serenity chuckled. “Of course, Grandma. Romina’s super friendly. She even offered to be our tour guide—said she’d show us around and take us to try all the local food. She said River isn’t nearly as familiar with Eaglioncile as she is.”
“I didn’t want to trouble her, but we did exchange numbers. When I have time, I’ll call her for dinner.”
Serenity then told the old lady more details about River and Romina’s recent interactions.
The old lady laughed. “River got slapped and still found a way to rely on her. That girl from the Lafond family clearly isn’t as sly as River. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t have clung to her like that.”
“And River isn’t the kind to just let things slide.”
“If they were truly enemies, he would’ve called the police after she slapped him and had her locked up for a few years.”
Romina was interesting too.
Seeing a woman near River, she immediately jumped in and stirred things up. That showed she cared—she didn’t like the idea of another woman by his side.
Maybe after years of fighting, the two of them had grown feelings for each other without realizing it.
What a show.
The old lady sighed. She regretted being too old to travel and see it all in person. Her kids and grandkids wouldn’t let her travel far, and she didn’t have the energy to sneak off and fly around like she used to.
Alas, age catches up with everyone. The body just isn’t what it used to be, year by year.