"What are you trying to say?" Joshua sensed the underlying meaning in his words."It would not be a big deal if she were a good person. But if she's some wanted criminal being chased by international law enforcement, that wouldn't be good." Chyler genuinely doubted.Joshua stared at Chyler as if he were an idiot.Chyler was dissatisfied. "What's with that look?""Mitchell is her friend. If Cynthia is really involved in some criminal activities, Mitchell would surely be unaware of it." Joshua was intelligent, not being led by Chyler."I was just casually mentioning it. After all, your soon-to-be ex-wife is definitely not ordinary," Chyler said nonchalantly.Joshua ignored him. He had been with Cynthia for a solid two years and had never discovered any secrets about her. However, he only realized in the last month before their divorce that Cynthia was from the elite social circle of Nexuria, followed by the revelation of her hacking skills. Just when Joshua thought that was all,
Joshua could not be bothered with small talk with Yoel. "Carefully investigate who Jayleen has been with over the past two years, and also look into the person in the photo from last time.""Okay," Yoel promptly agreed.Ending the call, Joshua lay on the bed, feeling exhausted. He rubbed his temples and headed back to the bedroom to rest. The divorce could not be delayed beyond today. Without a suitable reason, he could not deceive Cynthia either.Amidst various complex emotions, he fell into a deep sleep.In his dream, Joshua saw Cynthia dressed in a black leather jacket with a group of bodyguards wearing black clothes and sunglasses behind her. He tried to catch up with her and ask who she was, but he realized that a gun was pressed against his temple. The person holding the gun was Cynthia herself, and her face exhibited an unfamiliar coldness as she pulled the trigger, emotionlessly ending his life. Before he died, he heard Cynthia saying, "Mission accomplished. Target el
After settling everything, Cynthia took the car keys and drove to pick up Joshua. It was the same car she had taken from Joshua when she went to the hospital to pick up Ellora. She glanced at the documents on the passenger seat, ensuring nothing was missing, and then drove out of the neighborhood. However, Cynthia did not expect to see Moses leaning against a car outside. The spot where he parked his car happened to be on her way out, and there was no way to avoid him.Cynthia had no choice but to roll down the window and ask him to move his car. She was not curious about his purpose for being there, nor did she want to inquire.Moses strolled over, leaning against Cynthia's car window. "Cynthia, I didn't deliberately block your way. Grandpa said he missed you and wanted me to pick you up to play chess with him.""Lies." Cynthia immediately exposed him. Old Man Neal knew that she and Joshua were getting divorced today, and since he had agreed to it before, he would not hinder
If he could delay it today, he would not be able to do so tomorrow.Since Cynthia did not want to be with him, what was the point of forcing her to stay? Joshua did not like a marriage filled with arguments.Another hour passed by.Cynthia finally arrived around three o'clock.Moses took the initiative to open the door for Cynthia and led her inside. As they walked, he could not help but say, "Cynthia, are you really not going to give it another thought? A man like Joshua, who is so handsome, wealthy, and in such great shape, is a rare find.""If you divorce him, won't you feel disgusted looking at a face that's not as attractive as his every day?" Moses continued chattering away.Cynthia paused in her steps and gave him a skeptical glance. "Weren't you supportive of my decision to divorce him before?""Supporting and wanting to prevent you from getting a bad deal are two different things. I'm just simply analyzing the pros and cons of divorce for you," Moses said as he mainta
Cynthia still responded with the same word, "Okay."As the word fell, Joshua's grip on the folder tightened gradually, exerting more force than usual. He did not know how to describe his current emotion, but it felt like something incredibly important was about to leave him, never to return."Cynthia," Joshua called her.Cynthia stopped at a traffic light, her gaze appearing somewhat indifferent. "Hmm?""I apologize for what happened before. I'll find out the people who attacked you and who set you up at the hotel," Joshua said, surprising himself."No need. Starting from the moment I receive the divorce certificate, everything from the past will be completely erased," Cynthia replied, no longer concerned. Cynthia was not someone who would linger in the past. Whether it was the suffering or affection, they would all become a thing of the past when she officially returned to being Cynthia Yates."If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me," Joshua added.
When the staff asked if they were divorcing voluntarily, Joshua did consider saying no. However, he knew that if he did, Cynthia would leave Jiverton without saying goodbye, and the name Cynthia would no longer exist in his life. Joshua stated that it was voluntary and signed the papers.They obtained the divorce certificate.At around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Joshua and Cynthia walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, each holding their divorce certificates. Cynthia felt slightly strange, which she automatically attributed to Joshua being her first love and former spouse. Hence, it was normal to feel a bit odd. Thinking about Mitchell's earlier message, she said to Joshua, "Mr. Neal, goodbye.""Goodbye." Joshua gazed at her deeply. Cynthia left in a carefree manner, leaving only her back view for him to remember. Considering that it was quite far from where she lived, Joshua caught up to her with his long legs and called out, "Let me take you back. It's not easy to find
Mitchell froze. Obviously, he did not expect Cynthia to say that. After thinking for a moment, he told her, "There's no way to cut off the past between you two completely. Not to mention the cooperation between the Yates Group and the Neal Group. Even the fact that Joshua knows you told Old Man Neal but didn't tell him about it means he'll probably continue to pursue you.""He's not that kind of person. There's no deep connection between us." Cynthia deleted his WhatsApp contact. He only thought she was suitable. Mitchell smiled faintly and said meaningfully, "That's not necessarily true."Cynthia was confused.What did he mean?Mitchell did not say anything more and drove straight to the airport.On the way, Cynthia glanced back at the rear seat and felt relieved that Mitchell had taken the important documents and her laptop with him.Meanwhile, when Joshua went to Old Neal Manor to find Old Man Neal, the butler informed him that he had gone out with a few of his friends and
Yoel also wanted his freedom, but he could not resist the high salary and bonuses Joshua offered. Half an hour later, he appeared at Sovereign Heights dressed in a suit and wearing his usual glasses. Before Yoel could ask what the matter was, Joshua sat on the sofa and spoke, still exhibiting that calm and reserved aura, "Go down to the wine cellar and bring up a few bottles of wine.""Wine..." Yoel was afraid he had misheard.Joshua gave him a look, and Yoel did not dare to ask anything, obediently went to fetch the wine. When he brought them up, Joshua still said nothing but made him drink one glass after another. By the time Yoel finished the third bottle, he could no longer take it, and his vision started to blur.Joshua knew how much alcohol his personal assistant could handle. Seeing that he had almost reached his limit, Joshua leaned back on the sofa, his gaze showing a hint of emotion that was absent on other occasions. "Yoel.""Mr. Neal..." Yoel slumped on the sofa, hi
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