Suzie gave it a thought and became even more worried. Then, she turned to Frederick, who was engrossed in reading the newspaper. "Dad, do we have any secluded properties? You know, like old neighborhoods or something."Frederick, puzzled, looked up and asked, "Why?""Just tell me if we have any. I have my reasons," Suzie pressed, determination in her eyes.Frederick continued to gaze at her, his suspicion growing. "Are you up to something, Suzie? Or is this related to that goal you've been chasing?"Suzie responded calmly, not letting any hints slip. "Dad, stop overthinking it. If you don't tell me, I'll ask Mom."With that, she began heading upstairs, calling out, "Mom!""Wait!" Frederick hesitated for a moment, then cleared his throat and wore a stern expression. "You're a grown woman, Suzie. Isn't it embarrassing to call your mom for the slightest matter?""I don't know if it's embarrassing, but if I tell Mom what you just said, I think someone might be sleeping on the couc
After all, Suzie was naturally adorable.Moe, with a serious expression, stated, "No."Suzie was frustrated. Moe never seemed to know what to say! "Back then, you never liked cleaning. Every time it was our turn to clean, you made me and Yoel do the work. But that house you just left was spotless," Moe continued, reminiscing and keeping it factual.It was immaculate, as if it was new. Suzie felt a bit uneasy and cleared her throat nervously. "Well, even though I used to make you guys do the chores, didn't I always help you with your homework whenever you needed it? And remember those posters you were supposed to create? I did them all by myself.""What have you been through over these years?" Moe asked, his gaze briefly showing a hint of concern. To him, Suzie was a cherished memory of their youth, a reliable companion, and someone he and Yoel had cared for deeply. She had always sat between them in class, and they had looked out for her like a little sister. "Actually…" Suzi
[Frederick: Answer the call and let me talk to that guy.][Suzie: He's driving.]Frederick realized that making a call while driving was not ideal, so he changed the subject.[Frederick: You had packed so many suitcases. Are you planning to move out?]"[Suzie: Yes.][Frederick: Where are you moving to? Give me your address, and I'll have someone check if the neighborhood is safe.]Suzie looked troubled. After careful consideration, she replied earnestly, [No need to check. It's safe. Just focus on enjoying your time with Mom. You don't need to worry about me. I'm 28 years old, a self-sufficient adult.]After sending this message, she also messaged Andrea, asking her to keep an eye on Frederick and not let him ruin her plans.Once she had dealt with all this, she let out a sigh of relief."Moe.""Hmm?""Is this car yours?" Suzie asked. If it was his, it could potentially lead Frederick to them, and she would need to come up with a plan to prevent that."No, it belongs to the
Watching his busy figure, Suzie could not help but smile. She did not linger in the living room and went to organize her things in the master bedroom. She hung her clothes in the walk-in closet and neatly arranged her skincare products and cosmetics.Just as she was about to help Moe to show that she was not just here to freeload, Frederick called her. She frowned and closed the door before answering, "What's the matter now?""Are you living together with that guy?" Frederick's voice was stern."No.""You're lying.""I'm just sharing an apartment with him!""That's living together." Frederick's tone became even more serious. "You're a young girl! Don't you know that there are many bad people in this world?""I've only met good people," Suzie replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "You can't judge people by appearances. How do you know he's a good person?" Frederick had always cherished his beloved daughter. Even though he sometimes scolded her, his concern for her was unwav
Moe was truly a gem! He seemed to know everything. While enjoying the meal on the table, Suzie looked at the handsome yet cool Moe and asked, "Moe.""Hmm?""Do you have anyone you like?""No.""Do you want to date?""Not really.""But I do… I've been focused on my studies, then working without a break. Now that I've finally quit my job, I want to give dating a try." Suzie's eyes were fixed on him, her expression earnest. Moe was surprised and asked, "Do you have someone in mind?""Yes." Suzie decided to be direct. Otherwise, Moe might never catch on.Moe casually asked, "Who?""You," Suzie blurted out with a playful tone in her lively voice.Moe was stunned.Suzie counted on her fingers, her sparkling eyes filled with playfulness as she said, "You're kind, considerate, good-looking, a great cook, and have a stable income. Basically, you're not only a great candidate for dating but also for marriage.""I currently have no plans for dating or marriage," Moe replied after
Suzie asked, "Why not?""Because you're experiencing this with me, and whether it's good or bad, you'll only have me as an example," Moe explained. He was quite serious about these matters. "If you fear marriage because your experience with me isn't great, it wouldn't be fair to judge others based on that."Suzie took a deep breath, her grip on her spoon suddenly tightening. She was simply too annoyed at how thick-headed he was regarding love! Moe, observing her fierce expression, knew what was going on in her mind. "You can't beat me, you know.""Wanna bet?""You really can't beat me."Bang!Suzie quickly kicked him.What a dummy! Moe contemplated what to say next when Suzie's phone suddenly rang. In her current state of annoyance, seeing the caller's name only worsened her mood. "Why are you calling?" "I heard from Uncle that you're still single. Do you want me to introduce a couple of people to you? Maybe you'll hit it off," Suzie's cousin, who was known for his knack
"Mmhmm," Moe replied casually, adding, "I'll take care of you from now on. If you need any help, just let me know."Suzie suddenly felt that Moe was quite easy to persuade and asked with a slightly teasing tone, "Are you serious?""Yeah.""Aren't you afraid I'll prevent you from finding a girlfriend?""I have no plans to find one," Moe said. In his life plan, the only things that mattered were the company's growth and the future. Marriage and children were not on his radar.Suzie's eyes twinkled as she asked, "Okay, from today onward, you're my 'boyfriend', and we'll present ourselves as a couple in public.""If you ever like someone else, remember to tell me," Moe replied calmly. For now, he only wanted to take care of Suzie because she was a special part of his youth. "I'll make room." Suzie pursed her lips, trying to hide her smile. She suddenly became curious about how Moe became Arch International Group's President. After all, he was rather slow to pick up on such matters.
"Previously, yes, but I don't know about now. I'll ask Moe for you since he's in charge now," Cynthia replied. Suzie gathered her courage but sounded a bit uncertain as she continued, "He told me employees can't date. I wanted to know if that rule is set in stone or if there's room for flexibility and if it can be changed."Silence followed Suzie's question on the other end of the line, making her a bit anxious. "Cynthia?""Do you like Moe?" Cynthia asked; her curiosity was piqued."I want to pursue him," Suzie replied straightforwardly, not hiding her intentions.Cynthia's eyes sparkled, and she offered some advice, "I'll talk to Moe in a couple of days about this. Please be patient. Moe can be a bit stubborn. If you're going to pursue him within the company, you should come up with a plan."Suzie smiled confidently. "Alright. Thank you, Cynthia!" After hanging up, Suzie felt relieved. She trusted Cynthia, especially since her uncle, Yves, often spoke highly of her.Returnin
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