"Why are you here?" Ellora was taken aback by Talia's unexpected appearance.Talia glanced at Chyler, obviously intending to provoke an argument between them. "Chyler asked me to come."Ellora and Juliette exchanged puzzled glances, both turning their attention to Chyler. Evidently, they wanted to know why he had brought Talia here."Don't misunderstand. I asked her to come to apologize to you both. There's no other motive," Chyler quickly explained, fearing that Ellora would dump him if he did not.Ellora grew even more puzzled. She had not interacted with Talia for many years, so what was there to apologize for? Juliette was also quite bewildered.Observing Chyler's doting and protective attitude toward Ellora, Talia could not help but feel complex emotions."I'd like to have a private conversation with Ellora," Talia suggested, clearly intending to stir up some trouble.Ellora immediately declined, saying, "I have nothing to say to you."Talia looked at Chyler, signaling him
Talia felt like Ellora was losing her mind for saying that she had a sugar daddy in front of Chyler. Did Ellora honestly believe Chyler would love her enough not to mind this, or did she not like Chyler at all?"Don't you know?" Ellora countered.Talia was confused. What was she supposed to know?Was having someone supporting her financially something to boast about?"Cynthia Yates is her sugar daddy. A person you and your husband combined can't even contend with," Chyler admitted his defeat as she overshadowed him in everything related to Ellora.Originally, Cynthia was not called that. It happened by chance when Cynthia and Ellora were shopping together, and the paparazzi caught them. Coincidentally, Ellora was driving the supercar that Cynthia had gifted her that day, a car with strict eligibility requirements. So when it hit the trending topics, everyone assumed Ellora was dating a wealthy man. However, as people dug deeper, they discovered that Cynthia was the one who bro
Moreover, Ellora would not accept Talia's apology."Do you remember when my parents came to see you? Julie overheard the conversation, and rumors started spreading at her school," Chyler began, deciding to share the full story with her. "What kind of rumors?" Ellora was concerned, especially since it was about Juliette.Chyler scratched his face, unable to directly utter those harsh words. "They said Julie was...""What?" Ellora pressed.Chyler continued, "They used those same harsh words that my parents used in front of you."Ellora first looked puzzled, but then her memory flashed back to that day. It had been two years, and her recollection of the events was fading, but she still remembered the hurtful words spoken by his parents during that visit.Ellora pursed her lips and asked, "And then?""It was Talia who had people spread those rumors. She admitted to it," Chyler disclosed."How did you find out about this?" Ellora asked.She had been highly attentive to anything c
This question had not come up in their relationship since things had improved between them. Nonetheless, it still lingered in the back of their minds. Being hurt before made them both wary of the possibility of it happening again in the future.Chyler admitted as he crouched down in front of her, his large hand gently holding hers, "I was wrong. I promise you, from now on, I'll only listen to you and won't do anything to hurt you. I'll consult with you on any decisions.""Mm." Ellora nodded.Chyler's face lit up with hope. "Do you believe me?"Ellora replied, "I believe that you mean what you're saying right now from the bottom of your heart. But I also believe that someday, if you stop loving me, all these words will mean nothing."Chyler quickly countered, "That won't happen!""Why won't it?"Ellora knew that Chyler loved her deeply at this moment, but she still harbored doubts. She worried his passion might wane once he successfully pursued her, and she could not afford to ta
"I want to transfer all my assets to Ellora and Julie. You can be the witness to prevent any foul play," Chyler said proactively, handing over a thick list of his assets. Cynthia was confused and asked, "Why not ask someone else?"Chyler clarified, "It's different. Ellora only trusts you."Cynthia further inquired, "Why didn't you bring her along?"Chyler explained, "She didn't want me to transfer the asset to them. I thought I'd complete all the transfer paperwork and then have her sign it directly. I want her to feel secure."Cynthia nodded in understanding. "If you're comfortable, I'll have my people handle this for you."Chyler knew Cynthia's integrity was unquestionable and quickly replied, "I trust you."After discussing the matter for over an hour, Chyler looked around and suddenly asked, "Is Matthew at home?"Cynthia was puzzled."Is he here?" Chyler repeated."He's upstairs. Do you need to talk to him about something?" Cynthia replied.Chyler said hesitantly, "No,
Cynthia responded with a casual hum.Chyler was puzzled by Cynthia's indifference. Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, Cynthia asked, "Is there anything else?""Aren't you curious about why he came to Nexuria?" Chyler wanted Cynthia to guess, but he forgot that Cynthia was not particularly inquisitive. Apart from very few exceptions, she rarely asked about things she was not directly involved in.Cynthia paused briefly before giving a simple answer, "Nope."Chyler ultimately said nothing more before leaving.At Lloyd's residence, Hunter looked at the unexpected guest in surprise. "Why are you here?" "I've come to discuss a collaboration with you," Joshua said, his presence exuding a strong aura.Hunter furrowed his brow, puzzled. "I don't recall any collaboration between us.""Haven't you been helping Lydia find a design teacher? I can introduce you to Eileen, a world-renowned designer. But in return, I need you to do something for me," Joshua asked. Eileen, a t
After many dilemmas, Jojo eventually went to approach Isabella. When he mentioned that his playground had been completed, Isabella's excitement could not be contained. Isabella cooed to Isaiah softly, pleading, "Isaiah, let's go. Jojo's playground is ready, and I haven't played there yet.""Playgrounds are all the same. We have one too," Isaiah replied, showing little enthusiasm."It's different. Jojo said I promised to go with them when his dad was building the playground. Now that it's done, not going would be breaking my word, wouldn't it?" Isabella said as she playfully shook his arm, her voice filled with a hint of sadness.Isaiah pondered this and finally gave in, "How long are we staying?""We'll be back after dinner!" Isabella's mood brightened instantly. She even promised, "If we stay longer than a minute, I'll give myself a time-out and think about what I've done for ten whole minutes!""You said it.""Mmhmm! I said it!" Isaiah quickly grabbed a notebook, wrote dow
Isaiah pointed out without hesitation and concluded, "This is the 18th time you said the same thing. No candy allowed.""Isaiah!" Isabella pouted, feeling a bit annoyed.This was the first time Jojo had given her candy in these past few days. If she refused it, he would probably think she did not want to play with him anymore."It's just one piece of candy. Let her have it," Jojo told Isaiah. Although they were a year older than Isaiah, sometimes it felt like Isaiah was the big brother."She has cavities. The doctor specifically told us not to give her sweets," Isaiah said.Isabella huffed. Isaiah was too mean! Upon hearing about her cavities, Jojo gently said, "Let me take a look.""Just a tiny bit, nothing serious. The doctor said brushing my teeth well and eating fewer sweets would be fine," Isabella explained."Are you sure he said 'eating fewer'?" Isaiah seized on her verbal slip.Isabella immediately lowered her head. Having a clever big brother was not always good; h
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