"Who told you I was worried about her?" Joshua's words contradicted his true thoughts. Whenever he saw Cynthia, he could not help but think about her and Mitchell.Yoel blurted out, "Just a moment ago, you rushed into the fire for Ms. Yates."Joshua's gaze turned icy. Was he too easy on Yoel these days?"You two should talk. I'll wait for you in the car." Yoel ignored Joshua's terrifying gaze. He did not even glance at him and slipped away.He got into the car and casually locked the doors.Joshua did not pay much attention to his words and walked toward the car. He intended to open the door but realized the car was locked.Joshua was shocked.He emanated a terrifying chill as he shouted, "Yoel!"Yoel kept his head down, refusing to look outside. As long as he did not meet Joshua's gaze, he would be fine!"Did you come to see me?" Cynthia asked.Joshua was still angry and was not friendly toward Cynthia. "Do you think I would come to find you?""No," Cynthia replied.
"No, I haven't.""And if you haven't, why do you have the time to worry about other things?" Yoel retaliated, bringing out his trump card and asking Joshua a question that struck right at his heart, "Since you've decided to divorce Ms. Yates, why are you still investigating Bailey?"He claimed not to care, yet here he was.Was it so hard for this man to be honest for once?He deserved the divorce!"It's none of your business if it doesn't concern you," Joshua warned with a hint of irritation in his words.With just a simple sentence, Yoel obediently fell silent.Joshua's mind was a jumble of complex thoughts. Cynthia occupied his mind entirely, and he did not understand why his attention toward her had been increasing lately. His train of thought was interrupted by the vibration of his phone. When he saw it was a call from Mitchell, his gaze darkened for a moment before he answered, "What's up?""Have you found Cynthia?"Joshua thought of the name on WhatsApp, and a cold r
Shortly after sending the messages, Cynthia received a phone call from Old Man Neal. Cynthia answered quickly, "Grandpa.""I hope I'm not disturbing you.""No, not at all.""Do you have any plans tomorrow evening? Mom and Dad are back after settling their matter on hand, and since you and Joshua are getting divorced soon, I thought we could have a meal together," Old Man Neal asked.Cynthia remained silent for a moment. They had just had dinner on Friday... Although it was only Moses and Old Man Neal, it still counted as a gathering."Mom really misses you. She's been talking about you since she returned yesterday. Why don't you talk to her?" Old Man Neal added."No need," Cynthia declined. She could not handle Mrs. Neal Senior's sugar-coated manipulation. "I'll come over tomorrow evening.""Great, great!" Old Man Neal suddenly became delighted.After wishing each other a good rest, Cynthia waited for Old Man Neal to hang up the phone. She felt a bit tired at the thought of goi
Joshua sat there. "Isn't it true?" he asked."If you and Cyn are already divorced, I'd definitely say yes, just to get under your skin. But she's still your wife, and I can't tarnish her reputation," Mitchell half-jokingly replied, a smile playing at the corner of his lips, and his eyes carried an air of sophistication."You'll know the whole story once you watch this video."Mitchell took out his phone and opened the previously copied video as he spoke, handing it over to Joshua. Joshua took it, and while he watched, Mitchell continued speaking, "I've edited the video, leaving only the key parts. If you want the full version, I can send it to you, but it's over an hour long."Joshua remained silent, still watching the video. The video showed several people entering a room. After that, Cynthia also entered that room. The scene shifted, showing a person wearing a mask and a baseball cap, dressed in work clothes, knocking on Mitchell's door and leaving a key card and a letter on
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Mitchell straightened his suit, his refined demeanor quite captivating. "This is a premeditated setup.""Wait."Mitchell raised his gaze, waiting for Joshua's follow-up statement.Joshua's deep and piercing gaze looked over as he asked a soul-stirring question, "What kind of feelings do you have for Cynthia?""Whatever role she needs me to be, that's the kind of feeling I can have," Mitchell answered.They had been childhood friends, and their relationship transcended ordinary feelings; deeper than friendship, more reliable than romantic love, with something extra that surpassed mere familial ties.If Cynthia had to get married later, he could be the person on her marriage certificate. If she chose not to marry, he could still be her lifelong friend.As Joshua listened to his words, he suddenly realized something."You don't have romantic feelings for her, do you?""Is that so?""If you did, with your personality, wouldn't yo
Cynthia knew the routine with Old Man Neal and Mrs. Neal Senior, but knowing it was one thing and dealing with it was another. She could not just say no as the elders were very good to her. Moreover, she was not very busy right now. If she did not go, it would seem impolite."When is Old Man Neal's birthday?" Mitchell asked."September 15th," Cynthia replied."I remember Joshua is going abroad on the 16th. You can casually ask in advance and use that as an excuse if it's true," Mitchell suggested, remembering something he knew before.The deadline for the cool-off period to obtain the divorce certificate was thirty days. If Cynthia missed it, she would have to reapply for the divorce and wait another month. A lot could happen in a month."Okay," Cynthia agreed.Anyway, she had to go and get the divorce done the day after tomorrow. She used to like Jiverton, but not anymore.Before hanging up the phone, Mitchell said, "By the way, I told Joshua I like you."Cynthia was confuse
Chyler did not release his grip but rather coldly ordered his assistant, "Drive to the hospital."The assistant immediately started the car and headed toward the hospital owned by the company.Ellora watched as the airport went farther and farther away, and an infinite sense of panic and fear filled her heart.She did not want to have an abortion.She did not want to be taken to the operating table."Chyler, if you abort my baby, I'll never forgive you!" Ellora's eyes were bloodshot.Chyler did not take her threat seriously. Instead, he simply restrained her from moving.When they arrived at the hospital an hour later, Ellora refused to get out of the car. She knew all too well what awaited her once she got out.Chyler's eyes showed a hint of reluctance, but in the end, he still forcibly dragged her out of the car.Chyler restrained his temper and said to her, "Just listen to me. You're not in good health to have this baby. If you really want to, you should recuperate and have
"Cynthia, you're Joshua's wife, and I can't lay a finger on you, but don't forget, you two are getting a divorce soon, and I can make sure that you can't survive in Jiverton with just a simple order," Chyler said, intending to intimidate her,"Chyler, how dare you!" Ellora was furious. She finally realized how reckless she was when she called Cynthia over the phone, and she was worried about pulling Cynthia into trouble.Cynthia gave her a reassuring look and reminded her, "Watch your emotions. The baby can feel it. Didn't I tell you I have money?"Ellora froze.She recalled Cynthia mentioning that Joshua gave her 200,000,000 USD as part of the divorce settlement, and even if she kept it in the bank at a low annual interest rate, she would earn more than 3,000,000 USD in interest per year. It seemed…like she had a way to survive after all.Chyler noticed the interaction between the two and remembered that Joshua would surely give Cynthia a divorce settlement.Joshua was always
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