Cynthia paused momentarily, then responded in her usual indifferent tone, "There's nothing to talk about.""I think there's quite a bit to talk about. Like, who was your first love?" Joshua replied as he brought her another glass of water and stood in her way, blocking her path.Cynthia remained silent."You really liked him?" Joshua pressed on."Do you care?" Cynthia shot back.After spending so much time with Joshua, she knew which questions would stump him. However, she seemed to have misjudged this time as Joshua's eyes darkened, and his voice became hoarse."I'm just curious who could make you remember them for so many years.""Oh," Cynthia said, ready with an answer.Joshua was taken aback.Oh? "He's just like you," Cynthia added, leaning her back against the table."A scumbag."Joshua's face turned even darker.This woman!"If you're really curious about him, you can look at yourself for reference. You're both equally matched when it comes to being a scumbag," Cyn
"Bailey is not right for you." Cynthia could not imagine a tall, muscular man holding a plush toy while sleeping.Joshua was infuriated. Did she really think he wanted to sleep with Bailey?!He just wanted to see what kind of person would catch Cynthia's eye.If Joshua ever found out who was shameless enough to sleep with Cynthia, he would kick him out of both Jiverton and Nexuria, and he would never have a chance to get close to Cynthia again!"How long have you been sleeping with him?" Joshua knew he should not care, but the thought of Cynthia returning to that person's embrace after their divorce made his heart ache.What right did Cynthia have to call him a scumbag when she had someone she could sleep with whenever she wanted?At least he had never slept with anyone when he was with her.Cynthia remembered she bought Bailey for herself as a gift when she was seventeen. Now she was twenty-four, excluding the two years of marriage, that was twenty-two. Then, minus seventeen,
Joshua could not help but stare at Cynthia's increasingly red lips as she rubbed them, and he felt his mouth go dry. After hearing her words, he walked over and looked at her from above. His voice was low and husky as he asked, "What did you say?""I said..." Cynthia started to reply, but Joshua interrupted her."Mm."Joshua's hand was behind her head, while the other arm was wrapped around her waist, his movements gentle yet provocative. Cynthia was no match for him when it came to situations like this. Whenever he kissed her, she would inevitably fall for him, eventually surrendering to his advances.A cool and restrained person like him would become a bewitching devil that one could not resist once lost in desire, and it was a temptation that could not be ignored.If Cynthia's remaining brain cell did not remind her, she would probably fall deeper into his embrace."Joshua!" Cynthia used all her strength to push him away.Joshua's breath was unsteady, his dark eyes reveal
Ellora nodded in agreement. "No matter how good-looking, wealthy, or muscular someone is, if their heart doesn't belong to you, it's all for nothing," she said. Cynthia joined her on the bed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry. You're pregnant, and I shouldn't have let you come here so late at night, but I was too drunk." "It's okay. You're my friend," Ellora said, taking her hand.She was happy that Cynthia had thought of her when she needed someone, which made her realize that she had some purpose in life.Cynthia asked, "Did you go for a prenatal checkup? How's the baby?""It's doing well," Ellora replied, her tone gentle and happy.Hearing this, Cynthia felt reassured. Then, they turned off the lights and lay on the bed, each with their own thoughts, entering the long night ahead.Later that night, Cynthia quickly fell asleep and had no dreams about Joshua's kiss. However, Ellora was filled with thoughts. As for Joshua downstairs, he had made a phone call to Yoel af
Cynthia even kissed the pretty boy's face after saying that.Joshua immediately woke up from the anger and angrily checked his phone. When he found that it was only five in the morning, he rubbed his tired temples. Then, he grabbed his coat and stormed into Moses's room, throwing him off the bed before lying down. This time, Joshua managed to sleep somewhat soundly.Moses, who was suddenly thrown to the ground, opened his eyes dazedly.What happened? Why was he on the ground? However, these questions did not linger in his mind for too long. As Moses was exhausted, he just turned over and slept on the floor, where the furry carpet kept him warm.The next morning, Ellora was the first to wake up. After freshening up and getting dressed, she went downstairs. She was always tired during the first month of her pregnancy, but lately, she had been sleeping less than usual. Ellora sat in the living room and responded to messages on her phone. Before she could reply to more than a f
"Do you want me to tie you up and throw you in the car, or will you get in on your own?" Chyler approached Ellora, making her fearful and wanting to run away."You can't kill my baby." Ellora's eyes turned red as she clutched onto her phone until her knuckles turned white. "This baby is yours!"Chyler sneered. His eyes were filled with mockery as he placed his hand on her cold face. "How did you get pregnant with my baby while I was on a business trip?"Ellora's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip tightly."As long as you get rid of this baby and stay by my side in the future, I can give you everything you want. Even if you want to be famous, I can make it happen." Chyler's warm fingertips wiped away her tears, and his tone softened.Ellora shook her head. She did not want to be famous, nor did she want to stay by his side. She just wanted her baby in her belly."Be a good girl." Chyler was like a demon, emitting a dangerous aura. "Come with me to the hospital.""I'm not going,
Chyler held Ellora's hand very naturally and said, "I think Cynthia doesn't need Elly to take care of her anymore. We should go. We have other plans."The corners of Mitchell's lips curled slightly. "Please go ahead."Chyler nodded slightly as if he had done a good job on the surface.Just as he was walking out with Ellora, she suddenly broke free from his hand and subconsciously approached Mitchell's direction. "You go back first. Cynthia and I still have something to talk about."She knew what his purpose was.As long as she followed him, he would definitely drive the car directly to the hospital."Ellora," Chyler called her name, with a hint of warning in his tone."I'll be back after talking with Cynthia. Go and do your work first," Ellora said.Chyler's eyes became darker.He did not care if Mitchell was there or not. He walked over with his long legs and grabbed her hand, determined to take her to abort the child."I said I won't go with you!" Ellora struggled hard.
Joshua's gaze fell on Moses.It was not to cause trouble but to make him uncomfortable."Chyler, I don't like hearing that from you." Moses patted his buttocks and stood up. He was really easy-going. "Back then, didn't you agree in a heartbeat when you were invited to the party?"Chyler was speechless.How was he to know that Ellora would come too?"Were you arguing with Ellora just now?" Joshua looked at his expression deeply and guessed.Chyler was bored and did not speak.Moses glanced at him but did not have much reaction."She is Cynthia's friend. Cynthia wanted her to come, so Mitchell invited her. There is no relationship between her and Mitchell." They were all men, and Joshua knew what Chyler cared about.He was beside Mitchell when he made that phone call, and the conversation they started was no different from that of strangers.Chyler's expression was still ugly. "I know."Joshua and Moses were both speechless. If he knew, then why was he still venting his anger
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