"If I die, I'll live on in Joshua's heart forever. If I'm crippled, Joshua will cherish me even more. Either one is worth it," Jayleen said.Her life was already in such a state that if she did not grab onto Joshua tightly, her days would only become more hellish. That person would not let her go and tormented her day and night, making her wish for death.Joshua was her lifeline, and she had to hold onto him no matter the cost! "Well, you better hold onto him tightly. Don't let someone else steal him away from you," Cynthia said coldly."You can't steal him from me!" Jayleen blurted out.Cynthia looked at her with a pitiful expression. It was really sad to see someone living their life this way. Nonetheless, she told Jayleen about a new discovery, but her tone was still as flat as before, just with a bit of emotion at the end. "Who said I'm the one trying to steal him from you?""What do you mean?" Jayleen narrowed her eyes."Your car accident and the incident at the hotel. I
"You'll be held legally responsible if I die," Jayleen said, her original intention being for Cynthia to hit her. However, she realized that Cynthia had not driven since moving out.Moses looked at her with skepticism, wondering how Joshua could have been interested in someone this stupid. He had only heard from Joshua that he was in a relationship, but he had never formally introduced Jayleen to his family. Hence, Moses was always curious about the kind of person who had managed to win Joshua over. Now he knew.Thank goodness he did not bother to find out earlier. Her intelligence was really lacking, and he found it quite distasteful."It was you who caused the accident. As long as I didn't violate traffic rules, even if I hit you and you died, it would be entirely your fault. Even if there were legal consequences, I would only be responsible for less than 10% of the blame. I can definitely take care of that responsibility myself if you insist," Moses replied casually, making his
It was almost eleven o'clock when Joshua arrived. He was still wearing the same outfit as before, and his heavy breathing indicated that he had rushed to get there. His obsidian eyes were filled with worry.When he saw Cynthia, he subtly frowned but walked over to Jayleen."Jayleen," Joshua said."Joshua," Jayleen replied, tears streaming down her face.Cynthia was impressed by Jayleen's ability to cry on command. After all, it was a skill not everyone possessed.Joshua tried to comfort Jayleen, and his words and demeanor were much more patient than when he had spoken to Cynthia.Moses coughed lightly. "Ahem."Was Joshua really so insensitive that he would show affection to his mistress in front of his wife? What a scumbag."What happened?" Joshua asked, still standing and looking at Cynthia and Jayleen. He seemed displeased. "Why is Jayleen in the hospital?"Cynthia did not say anything, and Moses remained silent too. When he called Joshua earlier, he only said that Jayle
"What do you mean by that?" Joshua's voice was hoarser than usual, and his obsidian eyes were filled with raging emotions.Jayleen was half-leaning on the hospital bed. She had removed her IV drip and clenched her hand tightly. "Moses put his hand in Cynthia's clothes.""Wow!" Moses blurted out.Cynthia looked at him. Despite her anger, her mood lightened up, even finding it slightly amusing because of his remark."Why don't you just say that Cynthia and I were having sex in the car? You have a talent for lying with your eyes open! I've never met someone like you before," Moses retorted."Moses!" Joshua shouted.Moses grinned. When he recalled Cynthia's response, he replied, "What's the matter? Do you believe me?"Joshua did not say anything. Watching Moses defend Cynthia made Joshua feel inexplicably frustrated."Joshua, they might just be temporarily infatuated. Cynthia might be upset about something between us. That's why she did something like this." Jayleen tugged on Jos
"Even if he's not nice to everyone, he wouldn't have done anything to hurt me," Joshua said without any warmth in his voice, his obsidian eyes staring at Jayleen.Jayleen was truly scared now. "Joshua, I really didn't lie to you. They were really doing it in the car...""Enough!" Joshua's anger had reached its peak.Jayleen shuddered.Joshua never thought that someone he trusted so much could turn out like this. "Do you think that no matter what you say about Cynthia, I'll believe it?"Jayleen's face turned pale."Moses wouldn't betray me, and neither would Cynthia. You shouldn't be smearing her reputation with something like this."Cynthia looked a bit bewildered. She had prepared herself for being blamed for everything today, but things took a turn."Isn't Joshua acting weird today?" Cynthia pointed at her head and whispered to Moses."You should say that he's normal today. His head was clouded with shit before." Moses smirked as if he had already expected this outcome.C
"I don't accept it," Cynthia blurted out. Moses also said, "I don't accept it either."Jayleen looked at Joshua with teary eyes, hoping he would forgive her. However, Joshua did not indulge Jayleen like before. If it had been Mitchell with Cynthia, he might have believed half of it. After all, Mitchell was someone Cynthia liked, and that would have caused a big argument between them.Sensing Joshua's intention, Jayleen took the initiative to ask, "Tell me… What can I do for you to accept my apologies? I'll do anything you want me to."Cynthia glanced at the two of them and said, "Stay away from Joshua and never show up around him again, and I'll forgive you.""Uh..." Jayleen bit her lip."What's the matter? Can't do it?" Cynthia pressed."Then slap Joshua twice. If you do that, I'll forgive you," Cynthia added.Jayleen clenched her hands tightly under the blanket, her hatred for Cynthia deepening. Even so, she had to keep pretending."Cynthia, this is my fault, and it has n
Cynthia refused. She did not even glance at Joshua and Jayleen as she walked out as if they were both insignificant. Joshua's heart tightened, but before he could make up his mind, he was already chasing after Cynthia.When he reached the door, Joshua did not forget to remind Moses, "Watch over Jayleen. I'll be back in a bit." Moses did not even respond whether he agreed to it or not.By the time Joshua caught up to Cynthia, they had already left the inpatient department. "Cynthia!" Joshua grabbed her arm from behind, his husky voice carrying a hint of tension.Cynthia stopped in her tracks, looking at him calmly. "What do you want?""I'm sorry about what happened today. Jayleen isn't usually like this. She may have suffered psychological trauma from being assaulted, causing her to act impulsively," Joshua said, feeling uneasy. He felt a coolness spreading throughout his body."What authority do you have to apologize on her behalf?" Cynthia asked.Joshua paused. All his wor
If it were any other day, Cynthia would have been awake by now. However, she was in a relaxed state, coupled with extreme exhaustion, so she slept soundly.When they arrived at the door, Joshua used Cynthia's fingerprint to open it. After changing his shoes, he carried her upstairs. As he did not know which room she slept in, he had to open each one to check. It was not until he opened the second room that he saw Cynthia's personal belongings.Later, Joshua helped her take off her shoes and gently placed her on the bed. Then, just as he was about to help her remove her clothes and change into pajamas, Cynthia suddenly woke up, instinctively grabbing his hands on her collar."It's me," Joshua whispered.Cynthia stared at him for a moment, seemingly confirming that she knew him, before closing her eyes and falling back asleep. Joshua could not help but frown at her reaction. Has Cynthia experienced something in her past?Her reaction just now did not seem like she was fully awake.
Isabella glared at Nick. He actually betrayed her! Caught off guard by Luther's honesty, Nick quickly explained, "Don't look at me like that. Luther forced me to do it. If I didn't agree to his request, he would've spilled my past to my current girlfriend.""Current girlfriend?" Isabella looked puzzled.Nick confessed honestly, "My new girlfriend."Isabella was at a loss for words. Nick was very handsome. His looks could rival top celebrities. Naturally, with his face and charisma, he had no shortage of admirers. That led to a habit of frequently changing girlfriends."I made my rules clear to her. No shady behavior allowed," Nick added quickly, sensing what Isabella was thinking.Hearing this, Isabella did not say much.A moment later, Luther, seeing that their conversation had wrapped up, took Isabella's hand and left. On the way back, he deliberately brought up the topic of proposals."What kind of proposal do you like?" Luther asked."Anything works," Isabella replied
There was a time when Isabella considered letting Luther propose to her. However, he had not shown any signs that he would or asked for her ring size. There was no need to overthink it; that fool probably had not even thought about it. Nonetheless, Isabella did not blame Luther. After all, she was well aware that everyone expressed love differently. Yet, that was also precisely why she wanted to propose to him, to make him understand just how much she cared."What's wrong?" Annie asked, concerned."I'm just worried," Isabella replied. The ring sizes had been a constant worry for her."Because of what you just mentioned?"Isabella nodded. "Yeah.""Why do you want to propose to him?" Annie looked toward a dark corner. "In most relationships, the boyfriend proposes to the girlfriend, right?""I want him to feel loved," Isabella answered simply.Luther was different from most people; he always suppressed his negative emotions and limited his freedom. He no longer wanted to restr
"No," Luther declined; he still wanted to be the one proposing to her."Okay," Joshua agreed readily.Luther nodded, letting his mind wander. In the following days, Isabella kept checking on the progress, each time being informed that there was no opportunity to measure Luther's finger.In the blink of an eye, three days passed.Cynthia and Matthew had a conversation with Isaiah.Due to prior preparation, Isaiah handled Cynthia and Matthew's questions smoothly. Although they knew Isaiah had not been entirely truthful, based on his attitude toward Sandra, they agreed to the marriage without excessive probing into his relationship with her.As for Isabella, she waited for a few days but had not received any news. Frustrated, she decided to go to Jiverton herself to find Luther.When Joshua heard about her plan, he asked her to give him a bit more time. He assured her he would have the sizes by next Friday at the latest."Really?" Isabella was worried about running out of time.
"Okay." Isaiah already had a plan in mind.After discussing the matter, the two did not say much more. In the following two days, Cynthia and Matthew stayed home while Isabella prepared the details and processes for the proposal.However, after going through the general plan, Isabella suddenly realized a problem. She did not know Luther's ring size. How could she prepare a ring for the proposal without knowing the size?Realizing this issue, she immediately thought of flying to Jiverton to find out but hesitated due to Luther's caution. If she returned so soon after just coming back, he would surely be suspicious. After much contemplation, she came up with a solution—Joshua.When Isabella called, Joshua happened to be having a meal with Luther."I'm not busy, what's up?""I need your help with something," Isabella said, trusting Joshua's abilities, "but Luther can't know about it."Joshua instinctively glanced at Luther.Luther was confused. He glanced at Joshua's phone and
"Quit the act," Matthew said to Isabella, "It's too bad."Isabella stayed quiet. Matthew bluntly stated, "Isaiah currently oversees the company, and the annual revenue has been consistently increasing under his management. He even took a few subsidiaries public.""And?" Isabella inquired."He has a talent for this," Matthew hinted, leaving Isabella puzzled as she struggled to keep up with Matthew's pace."He's barely in his twenties, so there's no rush to get married," Matthew explained. He saw through everything, understanding Isaiah well, adding, "If there were truly such a concern, he could easily establish a company under Sandra's name in the next few years, operate it until it goes public."With Isaiah's abilities and connections, starting a company and taking it public would be a simple task. After the IPO and proper management, Sandra's value would naturally rise. This would effortlessly 'shut their mouths'. Isabella wanted to say something, realizing her dad's words
"That depends on the secret he's keeping," Matthew responded immediately, taking the opportunity to tease Isaiah, "If it's something against our moral values, it'd be hard not to form an opinion, even if we try not to.""He's not that kind of person," Isabella defended Isaiah.Matthew did not respond but just sat there. Their father-son dynamic involved banter and teasing, but when it came down to it, they genuinely cared about each other."He's just worried that you might object to Sandra's background," Isabella continued to spin her tale convincingly.Cynthia and Matthew were confused, both staring at Isabella.Isabella felt a bit uneasy. Something seemed off with her parents' expressions. "What's wrong?""Are you sure Isaiah is worried about this?" Cynthia asked.Why was their beloved daughter so bad at lying? Not catching on, Isabella nodded, "Absolutely.""Setting aside the fact that we've always taught you not to treat people differently based on their family background
"Ah, I see." Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and purposely asked, "Is it possible that Isaiah got to know Sandra through Uncle Yves and Uncle Sean?""It's unlikely," Cynthia denied. Even though they had not arranged any blind dates or rushed Isaiah into marriage, given his personality, he would not seek an introduction from anyone."Whenever you have time, ask Isaiah to bring his girlfriend home," Cynthia said, truly wishing for her children to find happiness. Isabella agreed, "Sure.""Isabella," Cynthia suddenly spoke up.Putting away her plan book, Isabella responded, "Hmm?""Do you think I look stern?" Cynthia sounded gentler than usual, lacking the usual nonchalance.Having been accustomed to being herself, Cynthia found it a bit awkward to take on the role of an elder suddenly. If she left a bad impression on Sandra during their first meeting, it could easily jeopardize Isaiah's relationship."Not at all," Isabella spoke sincerely, looking at Cynthia affectionately. "Y
Isaiah had seen through their plans. He knew that his parents' friends enjoyed watching him banter with Matthew. Every time something was like this, they would eagerly make things difficult for him.Early the next morning, Mitchell and the others began implementing the plan. Initially, Matthew did not suspect anything and thought they genuinely had urgent matters to attend to and brought Cynthia back home first.Considering Luther's upcoming proposal, they decided not to travel the world but instead explored nearby cities. After Mitchell and the others called Matthew aside, Isabella approached Cynthia. Cynthia was surprised to learn about Isabella and Isaiah's plan."Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?" Cynthia asked."Not at all," Isabella responded very directly, her mind focused on planning her and Luther's engagement. "Isaiah said he can handle this matter, so let's discuss the proposal first. I've thought about several options, but none seem good enough.""Okay," Cynth
Isaiah was surprised."Take her to shoot wedding photos first," Isabella suggested seriously. After giving it some thought, Isaiah said, "I'll ask her during dinner.""Why bother asking?" Isabella thought Isaiah's emotional intelligence was lacking, and Sandra's expectations were too low. "Just pick a few reputable studios and let her choose one she likes."During their conversation, Isabella noticed that Sandra was slightly anticipating a wedding, although she had refused for some unknown reason. If she was not truly opposed to weddings, there should not be an issue with pre-wedding photos."If you give it directly to her, she'll probably say she doesn't need it," Isabella coined. She could see through people and was quite clever.Isaiah clearly did not consider this possibility."Take a look at these studios. My friends suggested them," Isabella had already made the selections and recommended them to him. "Weren't you against my decision before?" Isaiah, not understanding h