Married At First Sight Chapter 4491
Zachary was quiet for a moment before saying, “In a few years, Belle will be in school and I’m sure she’ll get great grades. Everyone in the York family is smart.”
Serenity smiled. “Belle’s barely over a year old. She can’t even talk clearly yet. I don’t dare say if she’ll do well in school. But grades aren’t everything. I just want our kids to grow up healthy and safe.”
Even if their kids weren’t great at school and didn’t inherit Zachary’s high IQ, Serenity was okay with that.
There were plenty of cases where two top students had children who ended up struggling in school.
You couldn’t count on luck forever.
“You’re right,” Zachary agreed. “As long as our kids are healthy, safe, and happy, that’s what matters most.”
He thought about his big family. He had lots of brothers, and the younger generation already had eight kids. Three cousins weren’t married yet, and once they did and had kids, their children’s generation would be full of siblings.
There would always be someone who could carry on the family legacy. His kids didn’t need to bear all that weight alone.
As for school, they could learn what they could. If they couldn’t, then at least eat well, sleep well, and enjoy life.
He and Serenity had earned enough money to last several lifetimes. Even if their kids didn’t work a single day, they’d still live comfortably.
As long as they didn’t throw money into crazy investments and just lived calmly at home, they’d be fine. Rich families feared the next generation burning through fortunes with reckless investments. Most would rather see their kids stay home than gamble the family legacy away.
“Honey, are you busy?” Serenity asked. “You said earlier you were in a meeting.”
She wanted to go check on the kids and was trying to end the call.
Zachary immediately started whining, “Wife, are you already tired of talking to me? We’ve barely said anything!”
“I’m not busy now. I passed the meeting off to Callum and Josh. I’m in my office. We could talk for an hour if you wanted. I miss you so much. I can’t eat or sleep right without you here.”
Serenity laughed. “We’ve been married for years now.”
“So what? Even when we’re old and gray, I want us to be like we’re still in love for the first time,” Zachary said. “Look at my parents, my uncles and aunts. They’re all grandparents now, but they’re still so close. They’re the definition of a happy ‘old couple.’ That’ll be us too. Once fall comes and it’s not so hot, I’ll take a month off, and we’ll go on a honeymoon—just the two of us for our eighth anniversary. No kids.”
Serenity was speechless, but said, “We’ll see in the fall. Who knows if you’ll even have time. If you can manage ten days or even half a month, I’d be impressed.”
“Don’t push everything onto Callum and Josh either,” she added. “They’re planning on having a second child.”
Josh and Jasmine hadn’t had another baby yet. They were still on the fence, worried their second might be a boy.
Their son was just a month older than Maverick. The two went to school together and were inseparable—just like their parents.
Maverick was quiet and well-behaved when he was alone.
But when Jasmine’s son came over? Those two boys together were a disaster—like a tornado tearing through the house.
Jasmine often joked with Serenity, saying her son was a bad influence, and she’d even blame herself when the boys got into trouble.
Boys were just tougher to handle than girls. They were too wild.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4492
“Work doesn’t get in the way of having a second kid,” Zachary said. “We were both working when we were trying for our second.”
He didn’t smoke or drink. He didn’t work late anymore and always tried to be in bed before 11 p.m.
During that time, Serenity had a lighter workload.
Once Jasmine and Elisa found out she was preparing for another baby, they took on more responsibility, giving Serenity time to relax.
Elisa and Remy also had a son after they got married. It wasn’t clear yet if they’d go for a second child.
Elisa always joked that everyone around her kept having boys—then she had a boy too. She and her husband really wanted a girl.
Clive and Alice had a second child too—another boy. Even Audrey started joking that the Stone family might end up like the Yorks, full of boys, and joked they’d need to turn their house into a monastery.
Leland Stone, the second young master, got married last year but hadn’t had any kids yet.
The few families with daughters were Ben and Jane, and Zachary and Serenity.
Liberty had a daughter two years ago—Juniper Farrell, nicknamed Aspen. When she was a baby, she twisted around like a snake when she woke up, so they called her Aspen.
Aspen was six months older than Belle. Now Belle was two years old—talkative, sharp, and clearly the darling of both the Farrell and Lewis families.
Zachary said, “But let’s be real, we weren’t as busy back then.”
Serenity replied, “Let’s stop talking about this. Go finish your meeting. I want to check on the kids. I’m a little worried River might be overwhelmed. Let’s video chat tonight. The kids miss you.”
Zachary huffed, “They’re too busy having fun to miss me. Totally heartless. The second they’re out playing, they forget they even have a dad. Poor me, abandoned by wife and children, working like a mule at home, and sleeping alone in a cold bed every night.”
Serenity burst out laughing. “Zachary, are you trying to kill me with laughter? Fine, we’ll be back in ten days. If the kids don’t want to leave, I’ll just leave them with River and come back by myself. Deal?”
Even after all these years of marriage, Zachary was still super clingy.
He replied, “Take Belle back with you. Baby (Maverick) can stay with River for the summer. He’ll have Milo to keep him company. Those two together are a disaster waiting to happen. A total headache.”
But Zachary knew he couldn’t win against Milo and Maverick.
If he so much as thought about disciplining his son, his parents and grandmother would come down hard on him.
Even his uncles and aunts would scold him for trying to discipline the kid. They’d say violence doesn’t work and he needs to find a better way.
He’d get lectured before he could even grab a hanger—so where was the chance to actually discipline anyone?
When Zachary was young and made mistakes, his grandparents didn’t hesitate to discipline him.
Back then, if he messed up, he got hit. Simple as that. But now? In his kids’ generation, even raising your voice too much earned you glares from all the elders.
When he was a kid, his parents never stood up for him during discipline. They practically disappeared into the background.
Now the grandkids were being spoiled like royalty.
Family love really was different across generations.
“I took Baby out today. Did Milo come looking for him?” Serenity asked.
Zachary replied, “Josh sent Milo to military-style training camp. Milo’s been crying to his grandparents every day, acting like Josh died or something. Josh told him Baby was away on a trip, and that made him cry even harder.”
Jealousy. Envy. Pure frustration.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4493
Serenity said, “…Milo is only six. He’s at that age where all he wants to do is play. Josh really doesn’t need to stress out so much.”
“As soon as summer break started, he made so much noise I got a headache, so I sent him off to get some training.”
Serenity smiled and didn’t add anything else.
Anyone who’s raised kids knows—it’s not easy.
Zachary said, “Babe, I’ve got a lot going on today. Let’s video call again after I get off work tonight.”
Serenity replied, “Okay. If you get home early, I’ll let you chat with the baby. If it’s too late, we’ll just talk, just the two of us.”
Zachary smiled. “I’d rather talk to you anyway.”
He waited for Serenity to ask for a kiss before finally hanging up, looking completely satisfied.
Zachary didn’t bother going back to the conference room. The meeting was almost over, so why bother? Callum and Josh could handle the rest.
Feeling good, he got up and made himself a cup of coffee.
When his wife and kids weren’t home, Zachary often worked late into the night. That way, when they returned, he could clear a few days to spend with them and take the kids out for some fun.
On weekends, he and Serenity loved road trips, bringing their two kids along to explore the world.
Maverick was only six but had already traveled to many places.
Bethany (nicknamed Belle) was the little darling of the York family. They only started taking her on longer trips after she learned to walk. Until then, she usually just played around the villa—which was spacious enough to keep her entertained.
During the school year, Zachary and Serenity lived in the city with Maverick so he could attend school more easily.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to care for Bethany themselves, but the older ladies in the family couldn’t bear to part with her. Plus, with both parents busy with work and Maverick in school, the elders were always worried about leaving Bethany with just a nanny.
So, Bethany mostly grew up under the care of her great-grandmother and the other elders.
Just as Zachary walked in with his coffee, Callum and Josh knocked and came into the office.
Seeing how much his mood had improved, Callum teased, “Big bro, you talk to my sister-in-law, and suddenly your mood does a complete 180.”
Josh added, “Serenity’s just taking the kids out for a few days, and you’re already like this? When Jasmine takes Milo out, I hope she stays gone for ten days or more. That kid is too wild. During holidays, he wrecks everything and doesn’t know how to put anything back together. I’ve had to lock away anything valuable—I’m scared he’ll destroy it.”
“He already broke one of my dad’s antique collectibles. My dad was furious, but he didn’t say a single harsh word to his precious grandson. But if I had broken it, he would’ve gone off on me. Now he won’t even let me touch his antiques.”
“Still, the damage was done. He made me pay for it. Said if I broke one more thing, I’d go bankrupt. I swear, Milo was smiling the whole time he caused that mess, completely clueless about how much I was suffering inside.”
Josh really wanted to grab a clothes hanger and spank Milo.
Callum said, “Thankfully, my kid Cairo is only three. He hasn’t reached the wild stage yet. But now that school’s out, he’s noisy at home too. He heard Baby and Belle went on a trip, and he’s been begging Camryn to take him out too.”
Although Callum married before Kevin, Camryn waited two years to have a baby. So their son is two years younger than Kevin and Hayden’s twin boys.
Kevin and Hayden’s twins are only a year younger than Maverick.
Tatum and Elora’s son is the same age as Callum and Camryn’s son.
Callum’s son is three months older than Tatum’s, and Evan’s son is six months younger than both of them—currently two and a half years old. Elian’s son is six months older than Bethany and is now two.
With so many little boys, whenever they got together, the place would erupt in chaos.
But the old lady loved watching her great-grandchildren play. No matter how rowdy they were, they always behaved when she was around.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4494
The old lady raised her grandkids herself, but when it came to the great-grandkids, she didn’t have the same energy anymore. Only the oldest three were raised directly by her—back then, she still had the strength for it.
Josh said, “Now that it’s summer, I’ll let Milo go through some training for a while. Then I’ll make arrangements so Jasmine can take him and his siblings on a trip.”
Of course, all the safety measures would need to be in place.
The kids in their families hadn’t appeared in any media coverage. If they traveled abroad, their trips were kept totally under wraps and out of the public eye.
In Wiltspoon, they’d attract media attention. But once they left the country, they could blend in like any regular family and have a much more relaxing trip.
“Want more coffee? Get us both a cup,” Josh said, eyeing Zachary’s mug as he sat down.
Zachary replied, “The tea room’s open. You two know the drill—help yourselves. You’re not guests here.”
Josh looked at Callum, who nodded, and then got up to fetch coffee.
A few minutes later, Josh returned with two cups.
Zachary asked, “So, which proposal did we end up going with for that project?”
Josh handed a cup to Callum and answered, “The one you liked. We all agreed it was the best choice, so we went with it.”
Zachary nodded. “Good call. That one was solid.”
Josh smirked. “I thought you were too distracted to pay attention during the meeting.”
Zachary smiled. “I wasn’t really listening, but I had already reviewed it beforehand. Hearing it again just helped reinforce it.”
Josh shrugged and sipped his coffee. “Are you two going to that cocktail party tomorrow night? Invitations went out a while back. All the top CEOs in Wiltspoon will be there. You two should show up—it’s good manners.”
Zachary replied casually, “My wife’s not home. If I go alone, there’s always a risk of trouble. I’d rather not.”
Since getting married, Zachary rarely attended events unless Serenity was by his side.
Even with a whole security team around him, he still didn’t feel safe showing up alone.
Some women just couldn’t take no for an answer. Even knowing he was a husband and a father, they’d still chase after him without shame.
Every time he attended a party alone, some kind of awkward or unlucky romantic encounter would happen—it annoyed him to no end.
Years ago, Zachary was known for being mature and steady, but his cold demeanor kept most women at bay. Only Elisa had ever openly declared her feelings for him.
Now, in middle age, Zachary was still in great shape. Compared to the past, he looked just as good—maybe even better. He was more refined, more composed, and still incredibly attractive.