"It seems that Mitchell and Cynthia have a good relationship," Chyler observed, trying to probe further. "Yes, we've known each other for a long time. Our relationship has always been very good," Mitchell admitted, not hiding the truth. Chyler whispered something into Joshua's ear, so softly it was barely audible. "It seems they're just friends. They would have been together long ago if there were any feelings between them. Why wait until now?" "Get lost," Joshua muttered, irritated. Cynthia was never one to suffer alone; she would make sure whoever wronged her felt uncomfortable too. She turned her gaze to the usually quiet Yiordan, greeted him, and then said, "Yiordan, I think you're a man with a strong moral compass, someone worth entrusting my life to." Everyone present had no idea what she was doing. "What do you mean?" Yiordan instinctively looked toward Joshua, who did not look too pleased. Cynthia brought up the past, insinuating something. "I watched the realit
Their eyes met. The atmosphere turned cold as both of their faces showed clear disdain for each other. Cynthia, wearing slippers, headed upstairs without any intention of engaging in conversation. For the first time, she exuded such a cold aura. "Stop," Joshua said, addressing her retreating figure. Cynthia acted as if she had not heard him and kept walking. Joshua quickly stepped in front of her at the bottom of the stairs, looking down at her with his usual detached demeanor. "Can we talk?" "Fine," Cynthia agreed. They walked toward the couch, and Joshua removed the remote control. Cynthia saw this and said nothing. She poured herself a glass of water, took a sip, and then sat down on the sofa with the glass. "Go ahead. What do you want to talk about?" "What's your relationship with Mitchell?" Joshua stared at her intently, not missing any of her facial expressions. Cynthia replied confidently, "We're friends." "When did you meet?" Joshua asked further. Cynthi
Before Joshua could say anything, Cynthia spoke up, "Mr. Neal, please don't let your eyes wander on my body." Joshua quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on his guilty conscience. "I need to talk to you. I have something to discuss." Cynthia continued to dry her hair, opening the door slightly. "If it's about Jayleen and Mitchell, there's no need. We have nothing to discuss." "It's not," Joshua replied patiently, despite his dislike of her attitude. He needed to find out what kind of person Cynthia truly was. Cynthia had calmed down considerably after her shower. She put down her towel and asked, "What is it?" "I'd like to visit your family. My grandfather was right. In the two years from our marriage to our divorce, I never visited your parents. That's not proper etiquette," Joshua said solemnly, looking serious. "No need," Cynthia refused. "I just want to apologize to your parents; I won't cause any trouble." Joshua's gaze deepened, his voice low and slow
Joshua wore pajamas that matched the color of hers. His collar was slightly open, and his hair a bit messy, which gave him an air of disheveled charm, more unrestrained than usual, and the coldness he often exuded was now diminished. For a moment, it felt like the early days of their marriage. Noticing Cynthia's dazed expression, Joshua realized there were tears on her face and lingering teardrops on the lashes of her eyes. Swallowing hard, he furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Why are you crying?" "Who's crying?" Cynthia replied in confusion. However, having just woken up, her mental state was not as sharp as usual, making her retort seem more like an attempt to cover up her own vulnerability. Assuming she was upset about the divorce, Joshua said, "Well, since we're both awake, come and sit for a while." "No, thank you." Cynthia wanted only to drink some water and sleep, feeling extremely tired. "I'm going back to bed." However, before she could take a step, Joshua grabb
"Drive," Joshua responded curtly, with an undeniable air of authority. Mr. Cheyne started the car and drove out of the villa. His intuition told him that if they went through this divorce, his boss would regret it later. More importantly, he had a feeling that Mrs. Neal had an unusual background. If she were an ordinary person, it would have been easy for him to find out where she had studied, which university she had attended, and where she had worked before. However, last night he found nothing except that her name was Cynthia, and she was female. It was simply baffling. Mr. Cheyne asked again while driving. "Mrs. Neal, would you like to reconsider? Our boss is handsome and rich. You'll be at a loss if you divorce him." Although he respected his boss, he still dared to speak up about certain matters, such as their marriage and now, their divorce. Cynthia looked at the back of his head and simply said, "No matter how good-looking or wealthy he is, he's still a scumbag." Mr.
Joshua's gaze faltered. His eyes moved from Cynthia to Mr. Cheyne. "What do you mean?" "Do you really like Ms. Shaw, or is it just the obsession and unwillingness to let go of this past relationship? Even though it's only been two years, are you sure Ms. Shaw is still the same Ms. Shaw you knew?" Mr. Cheyne inquired. "What are you trying to say?" Joshua seemed a bit annoyed by the question. "I'm worried that you're misunderstanding your emotions." Mr. Cheyne acted as an emotional consultant. "You might miss out on your chance with your wife." Joshua did not answer. He was very clear about his feelings for Jayleen; he liked her. Even now, whenever he recalled her gentleness and company, it helped him calm down and focus on dealing with matters. If it were not for their breakup, they might already be married. "Actually, there's a simple and direct way to test whether you really like Ms. Shaw or not." Mr. Cheyne's lips curved into a grin he could not quite hide, the seeds of
It was already noon when she arrived at the airport. The nearest flight from Jiverton to Nexuria was at two in the afternoon, so she immediately went to the ticket counter to ask if there were any cancellations by other people. All tickets were sold out online, so she could only hope for a last-minute cancellation. However, things did not always go as planned. Just then, two people appeared behind her. A deep, cold voice with a hint of anger sounded, "Trying to run away after filing for divorce?" Cynthia froze, then turned around to see Joshua in a suit, accompanied by Mr. Cheyne. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the flights to Nexuria today are fully booked. If you're not in a hurry, there is a flight at eight in the morning tomorrow," the staff member said clearly and politely. "No, thank you," Cynthia declined. With the plane and train tickets sold out, she would have to drive back. However, the distance between Jiverton and Nexuria was simply too far. Holding her identification,
She clicked on the email, revealing its contents. [Help me find someone. Cynthia Yates, female, from Nexuria, here's her picture. Find all the information you can about her, and name your price.] Cynthia glanced at the sender's email address, an account she had frequently interacted with a few years ago. They had both been knowledgeable and shared similar goals, which led to a period of mutual assistance. However, they eventually lost touch. However, why would this person want to investigate her? She quickly typed a response. [Did she do something to you?] Joshua received it as soon as the message was sent. He had assumed that after several years without contact, she might not even use the account anymore, so he was prepared for his message to go unanswered. However, to his surprise, she responded almost instantly. Reading her reply, he sat in the back seat of a car, fingers tapping on the keyboard. "No, I'm helping a friend. I can't say more. Can you find any information?"
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