Joshua was stunned, looking at Isaiah with a puzzled gaze. Afraid that he was overthinking it, Joshua asked, "What do you mean?""You know what I mean," Isaiah responded without elaborating.Joshua was surprised. If Isaiah was talking about that matter, Joshua thought he was maturing a little too fast, given his age. "I know about your relationship with my mommy, but that's in the past," Isaiah continued. "Joshua, who was originally leaving, returned to his seat. He was now sure that Isaiah's thinking was beyond his years."How did you find out?""I did some research.""Research?" "Mmhmm." "Did you research it yourself, or did someone help you?" Joshua asked. "I did it myself using the computer. I know that you and Mom were once together," Isaiah confessed straightforwardly, hoping that Joshua would truly move on from Cynthia. "Is that so?" Joshua suddenly became more interested in Isaiah. He had previously treated Isaiah like a child and had refrained from certain di
Isabella believed Luther did not smile or talk much because he disliked playing with her."No..." Luther began to disagree, but Isabella interrupted him."It must be that I haven't found the right way. When I get back this time, I'll ask Nick. He's a real joker and must have a way to make you interested in playing." Isabella took the blame upon herself. "Who's Nick?" Luther asked."He's Auntie Riley's neighbor. He's a really funny guy!" Isabella replied, not hiding anything.Seeing her excitement and beaming smile, Luther's newly summoned courage was quickly extinguished. She has plenty of playmates..."Luther," Isabella called out.Looking deeply troubled, Luther responded, "Hmm?""Try to be happier. Don't be so gloomy every day," Isabella advised him. "You should pack up your things first. I have some homework left." Luther changed the subject, still as reserved as ever."Can't you play with me a little longer?" Isabella pleaded with reluctance.Luther declined, "I can
"Even if you praise me, I still won't know what's on his mind. If you want to know what Luther thinks, don't rely on what others say. What others say is all assumption; only what he says is the truth," Isaiah replied.Isabella pouted.In his usual calm tone, Isaiah said, "Do you understand?""You're wrong. Some people are just stubborn and won't tell the truth," Isabella argued."That's something you'll have to judge for yourself. You can ask him first and then make guesses and decisions based on his words."Isabella thought that was too much work..."If you have nothing else to discuss, play in the yard. I need to study," Isaiah dismissed her."Am I even your real sister?" Isabella huffed, looking upset. "How can you be so heartless to me?""If I were truly heartless, I would've thrown you out when you first disturbed me reading," Isaiah replied straightforwardly.Isabella wanted to argue further but found herself unable to do so. Finally, she huffed and stormed out.Isaiah
Isabella sat up with sparkling eyes and asked, "Really?"Luther nodded and handed Isabella the neatly wrapped gift. As she began to open it, Luther became nervous. He glanced at her and said, "I didn't know what you like, so I made something random.""Did you make this?" Isabella was stunned, holding a wooden carved figurine. It was a girl in a dress, wearing a cute hairpin, resembling Isabella.Unsure if she would like it, Luther replied slowly, "Yes."Isabella could not help but gush over the little doll, smiling brightly. "Luther, this is so cute! You're so talented!""Do you like it?" Luther asked."Of course! This is the most special, favorite, and satisfying gift I've ever received," Isabella responded eagerly. Isaiah watched the scene in silence. Luther breathed a sigh of relief.Isabella, seeming to remember something, glanced at the doll and then back at Luther. "So, you didn't want to play with me today because you were making this for me?"Luther nodded. He had
Listening to Isabella's request, the words 'token of love' immediately appeared in Isaiah's mind. However, he quickly realized that these words were inappropriate for Isabella and Luther's situation and pushed the thought aside."Okay," Luther agreed.Isabella chuckled, obviously overjoyed. Seeing the two children made up, Isaiah decided not to stay any longer. He returned to his room and called Cynthia and Matthew, informing them about their plans to return the next day. After telling them about the flight time, Isaiah wanted to talk to them about Isabella, but he hesitated for a while, unsure how to bring up the topic."What's wrong?" Cynthia noticed his reluctance to speak.Isaiah asked, "Has Isabella ever watched romantic dramas with you?"He was thinking about the possibility that Isabella and Luther might have developed some kind of feelings for each other. Even though she had a great relationship with Jojo, and they even played house together, they mostly shared gifts, wh
Isaiah glanced at Joshua, suspecting that the gifts meant for Cynthia might have been tainted with some ulterior motive. As it turned out, Joshua's gifts to Cynthia did indeed contain a hint of a personal desire, just as Isaiah had suspected. However, this self-interest was not very obvious.The next morning, Joshua accompanied them on the journey back. When they reached Nexuria, it was already past 10 a.m.Upon seeing Cynthia, Isabella rushed to her and affectionately called her. After over ten days of separation, Cynthia genuinely missed her children, holding both children as they boarded the car.Joshua joined them on the ride back home.Later, they had a meal together at home, and then the three kids went upstairs, leaving Cynthia and Matthew chatting with Joshua downstairs. They began with polite pleasantries, thanking him for looking after the kids during their stay and apologizing for the children being a handful and causing some trouble. After these topics were exhausted,
Matthew smirked, saying in a relaxed, teasing tone, "It's normal to dislike your rival, but I don't dislike you.""Why?" Joshua thought he was pretending."Because I have a wife." Matthew summed it up in one sentence.Joshua was caught off guard by his answer. An impulse stirred within him, a desire he had harbored for a long time but never acted upon. He replied, "Let's settle this after the New Year with a little brawl."Matthew declined, "It's not appropriate. Our different lifestyles have already determined the outcome."After all, Matthew was a professional. Even after so many years after retirement, some things were deeply ingrained, and fighting with Joshua would be nothing short of bullying."Do you think I can't beat you?" Joshua asked calmly."Yes. You should know what I used to do. It wouldn't be fair to you. Just like how I'm no match for you in business," Matthew answered straightforwardly, also acknowledging his shortcomings.Joshua was an industry benchmark, and
"You shouldn't say it like that. What if Mr. Neal's expertise in that area surpasses mine?" Matthew suddenly blurted out.Cynthia could not quite figure out what these two were up to, so she decided to let it be. "If that's the case, you guys go ahead. I'll go upstairs and call my dad."With that, she headed upstairs, not planning to meddle in their affairs. After telling Jonathan that the kids had returned, they set a date for dinner together. Then, she finally took a moment to check on the three little ones.The atmosphere in the room felt a bit strange. Cynthia noticed Jojo and Isabella were sitting in silence, so she whispered to Isaiah, "What happened between them?""They had an argument," Isaiah answered truthfully.Cynthia was somewhat puzzled. These two kids were arguing?"Auntie Cynthia, I should head home." Jojo said as he stood up, still displaying his well-behaved young gentleman persona, "Thank you for your hospitality.""Don't you want to stay a little longer?"