A slight nod from Cynthia was all the confirmation Jimmy needed. He could not help but feel astonished. While Joshua might be able to uncover information hidden by others, anything hidden by Cynthia would be practically impossible to find. The two of them continued their hushed conversation for a little while before Cynthia's phone suddenly vibrated. Seeing that it was a call from Mitchell, she asked Jimmy to watch over Shirley while she stepped out of the room to take the call. However, just as she opened the door to leave the room, she spotted several figures around the corner, and right in the center was Joshua, who had come to Nexuria with her earlier. She quickly retreated and closed the door to the hospital room. "What's wrong?" asked Jimmy, utterly bewildered. Without giving him an explanation, Cynthia walked toward the balcony of the room with her phone. Meanwhile, Joshua, who had caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the hallway, stopped in front of Shirley's hosp
Joshua did not pay him any attention, and he left the hospital room with steady steps. He thought about what Yosef Tanz had said, and his eyes deepened with thought. Could Cynthia really be Chairman Yate's daughter? As he considered this, his gaze fell on the branch manager waiting outside. He called out to him, "Mr. Harrison." Mr. Harrison immediately stood up straight. Seeing the look on Joshua's face, he wondered if the conversation with Yosef Tanz had not gone well. "Arrange a dinner with the chairman of Yates Group," Joshua said slowly, his tone so mysterious that no one knew what he was planning. Mr. Harrison was confused. Worried that he had misheard, he asked, "The chairman of Yates Group, Mr. Yates?" "Yes," Joshua replied indifferently and continued walking toward the exit. As he passed by Cynthia's hospital room, he glanced inside. "But our collaboration with Yates Group isn't an important part of our business." Mr. Harrison thought Joshua wanted to discuss busine
"Sis, what's wrong?" Shirley noticed the change in her expression. "Nothing. You just get some rest." Cynthia's eyes darkened slightly as she stood up with her phone. "I'm going to make a call." Shirley simply nodded. Cynthia stepped out into the hallway and dialed her father's number. Mr. Yates answered quickly, as always. "Cyn." "When did he tell you?" Cynthia got straight to the point, with no beating around the bush. "Just now." Mr. Yates did not hide anything from her. "Nexuria's director called my secretary, saying Joshua is very interested in Yates Group's new project and wants to discuss it." Cynthia pondered the situation. Her intuition told her that things were not as simple as they seemed. "Can you refuse?" "Not really." Mr. Yates spoke from a business perspective and explained his reasoning, "If I refuse, Joshua might become suspicious." "When are you meeting?" "The Neal Group suggested for us to meet tomorrow, but it depends on my schedule." "If i
To Shirley, Old Man Yates had always been a superhero. Whatever she wanted, he would make it happen. Cynthia wanted Shirley to be happy for the rest of her life. That would be enough as long as she and Old Man Yates understood the situation. Cynthia let out a sigh, about to buy some of Shirley's favorite treats, when the phone in her hand started vibrating. The name 'Joshua' appeared on the screen. She swiped to answer. "Hello?" "How's your family?" Joshua asked. "They're fine." "I want you to come with me to a dinner party tomorrow night. Send me your address, and I'll have Yoel pick you up." Cynthia furrowed her brow. "A dinner party?" "Yes, with the chairman of Yates Group." Joshua's attractive voice came through the phone. Cynthia groaned inwardly. Joshua sat in his hotel room, staring at the email Cynthia had sent him earlier. As he read the contents, his eyes darkened. "Didn't you say you were the heir to Yates Group? It would be easier for us to talk if you cam
Being the heir to Yates Group was too exhausting; she just wanted to find someone to truly love and spend her life with, building a happy home through their combined efforts. Even without the status of the Yates Group heir, her net worth was comparable to Joshua's. Before their divorce, she wanted the marriage to end the way it began, as Cynthia. With these thoughts in mind, she decided to tell Old Man Yates about it. If she did not tell him, he would surely give himself away due to surprise when Joshua brought her to meet him the next day. "What?" Mr. Yates was stunned, his mind unable to process the information for a moment. "Why is he bringing you to meet me?" "He wants to test my identity," Cynthia replied bluntly. In truth, that was not Joshua's real goal. His true intention was to find out if Cynthia would make a phone call to contact Chairman Yates after learning about the situation. If she did, it would mean she was telling the truth. If not, she was just making stuff up.
"The most important thing is not to mention that you have an older sister. Discuss this with Old Man Yates in advance and make sure you don't slip up," Cynthia instructed. Shirley agreed to all of it. She had heard many stories about Joshua's business successes, his flawless decision-making, and his status as a legend in their industry. She had seen him at business banquets before but never imagined he would be her brother-in-law. Not long after Cynthia finished briefing Shirley, she received a call from Mr. Cheyne. He asked her where she was, offered to pick her up, and informed her that the meeting place had been changed to the hospital where Shirley was staying. Cynthia told him she would wait for him at Nexuria's First People's Hospital and hung up the phone. When she left Nexuria's First People's Hospital, she withdrew some cash. At half-past five in the afternoon, Mr. Cheyne and Joshua arrived at Nexuria's First People's Hospital on time, meeting up with Cynthia. Joshua was
When they reached a fork in the road, Mr. Cheyne went in the correct direction, while Joshua deliberately went the wrong way. He wanted to see how Cynthia would choose. In truth, Cynthia would not choose at all. Regardless of whether she knew or not, between Joshua and Mr. Cheyne, she would unhesitatingly choose Mr. Cheyne. This was what Joshua had taught her. "Boss..." Yoel noticed his boss going the wrong way and stopped, calling out, "Mrs. Neal's room is this way; you've gone the wrong way." Joshua turned back, and the three continued walking. Joshua focused on Cynthia, who had been calm from the beginning. "How did you know this was the right way?" "Because Mr. Cheyne is leading," Cynthia replied, silencing all of his suspicions. Joshua fell silent while a panicked Mr. Cheyne worried that his boss might suspect something improper between him and Mrs. Neal. After all, he was the one who accompanied her shopping, made dinner reservations, and picked her up when she went out. Wh
Joshua sensed some hostility from Mr. Yates, but upon closer inspection, he figured he was just overthinking it. "I'm talking about the artificial intelligence project." "We have several AI projects." Mr. Yates replied quickly, his gaze focused on Joshua, "Which one are you referring to?" Joshua clarified, "The AI robot project." "That is indeed an impressive project, but we've already partnered with another company for it," Mr. Yates said. "No problem," Joshua replied, knowing he was not there for serious business. He glanced at Cynthia and, with a meaningful smile, asked, "I'm curious, aside from Shirley, does Chairman Yates have any other daughters?" "What do you mean?" Mr. Yates responded naturally. At that moment, Shirley looked up at them. Joshua continued calmly and seriously, "Some time ago, I heard someone in Jiverton claiming to be an heir to Yates Group. I thought maybe Chairman Yates had another daughter besides Mrs. Neal." "I'm my father's only daughter," S
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