Cynthia glanced at Kendrick, wondering what was going on with him today.Joshua also found Kendrick's behavior peculiar but did not say much and simply gestured toward the restroom.Once Kendrick left, it was just Cynthia and Joshua standing there in silence. Neither of them spoke. It would have been an awkward atmosphere if it were any other pair in this state, but Cynthia and Joshua managed to exude a strong sense of chemistry.After Kendrick went to the restroom, he took out his phone and sent a WhatsApp message to Cynthia.[Kendrick: Cyn, do me a favor and ask Joshua to delete last night's surveillance footage.][Kendrick: Just this one time. After it's done, I promise to listen to everything you say in the future.][Kendrick: Is that okay, Cyn?]He sent three messages and waited for Cynthia's response. Whenever she saw his messages, she would reply. However, he waited…One minute…Two minutes…Three minutes... Five minutes, and still no reply from Cynthia.He se
Kendrick started to act cute, like a cat.Cynthia always had a bit more patience for attractive people and things. Moreover, Kendrick was her cousin, so she agreed."I can only talk to him. If he refuses to delete it, we can't force him," Cynthia informed Kendrick.Kendrick nodded in agreement.In his view, Joshua's reactions throughout the day had already made his feelings for Cynthia quite obvious. If Cynthia asked for it, he would definitely delete it!Cynthia frowned. Then, after careful consideration, she turned to face Joshua, contemplating how to approach the topic.Joshua noticed that she had something on her mind and asked, "What's the matter?""There's something," Cynthia began."Tell me."Joshua exuded a detached aura, but he was clearly looking at Cynthia with affection.Cynthia did not shy away from his gaze and went straight to the point, "Can you please delete the surveillance footage from last night?"Upon hearing her request, Joshua's gaze instinctively fe
Now…Kendrick could not help but give Cynthia's ex-husband another look. Did this guy actually still have feelings for Cynthia?If he did, why did they get divorced?If he did not like her, how did he notice these little details?Kendrick had indeed noticed that Cynthia was surprised when Joshua made that comment earlier. Even though she always maintained a calm demeanor, Kendrick caught on to the change in her emotions as he was an observant person, after all."Mr. Yates, don't you like these dishes?" Joshua asked when he saw Kendrick not touching the food."I'm not picky," Kendrick replied.After saying that, Kendrick started eating.In less than five minutes, Cynthia had finished her meal while Kendrick was still eating. Joshua told Cynthia to come with him, and he took her to delete the surveillance footage. He voluntarily let Cynthia oversee the process.Kendrick felt a bit more favorably toward Joshua and was not as angry as before when he learned about Joshua's di
Why... Why was that pretentious person in the video him? Suddenly, Kendrick understood why Cynthia had wanted him to watch the footage. This was even more intense than the previous incident, and the most important thing was that despite causing such a commotion, Joshua had not kicked him out.It was truly...unbelievable.In the following days, Cynthia and Joshua did not cross paths. Kendrick went to work at the company, and he specifically instructed Lionel that no matter what happened, Lionel should make sure he never drank more than three glasses of alcohol. Lionel did not know what had happened, but he agreed nonetheless.Before they knew it, it was the 14th. Joshua had already returned to Jiverton, whereas Cynthia and Jonathan had booked their flight for the afternoon of the 14th. If this were in the past, Jonathan and the others would attend Old Man Neal's 80th birthday mainly for business purposes. However, it was now different from before. This was Cynthia's e
Moses chimed in, "Grandpa, Joshua's back.""So what? Why bother telling me?" Old Man Neal snorted coldly, clearly displeased with Joshua. He had been waiting all day, only to see Joshua alone. Since their last encounter, Joshua knew his status in the family had plummeted, but fortunately, he was quick to adapt. Joshua was not upset because Old Man Neal did not want to acknowledge him. Instead, he calmly sat down and leisurely sipped his tea.The more composed Joshua appeared, the more unsettled Old Man Neal became. Finally, after making a move in their chess game, he could not hold back any longer."I'm done playing." Old Man Neal snorted and could not help but make a sarcastic remark, "Some people just irritate me."Joshua replied calmly, "Aren't you just angry because I didn't bring back your beloved granddaughter?"Upon hearing his words, Old Man Neal became even more furious. "Then why did you come back?""Should I leave?" Joshua responded in a nonchalant tone, his ge
Joshua had treated Cynthia quite well when they had just gotten married. If they had continued, they might have had children by now, and divorce would be out of the question.Joshua was taken aback."I've told you you'll regret it if you get divorced but you never believed me." Old Man Neal's disdain for Joshua grew stronger.Moses raised his brow, chiming in nonchalantly, "He really regrets it.""No, I don't," Joshua stubbornly denied.Old Man Neal glared at him. "It's best if you don't. By the way, those old folks want to find a granddaughter-in-law for their grandson. I'll introduce them to Cynthia."Joshua fell silent.He felt like Old Man Neal's sole purpose was to go against him. "She won't accept.""It's not a blind date. It's just young people getting to know each other. How could Cynthia refuse?" Old Man Neal was really scheming. Joshua stayed silent. Under the guise of making friends, Cynthia would surely agree to please Old Man Neal. Old Man Neal…really would
Joshua read the messages and pursed his lips.[Joshua: It seems like all of you have reached a suitable age for marriage.]Instantly, alarm bells rang in everyone's minds. What was going on? Was Joshua trying to urge them to get married?[We're at the right age, but we currently have no plans to get married.][That's right!][Are you looking to get married? If needed, I can introduce someone to you.][I can do that too!]In response to the messages from the group, Joshua replied, [I just had a conversation with Grandpa, and it seems like he's interested in introducing eligible girls to all of you.]Upon seeing this message, they also recalled that their grandfathers had been discussing this matter with them recently. They could brush it off when it came to their own grandfathers, making various excuses. However, if Old Man Neal were to make introductions, they would have to reluctantly go along with it out of respect for him.Elders always seemed to enjoy pushing for marriag
"I'm done playing. Go ahead and mess around all you want. When Cynthia is with someone else, you'll regret it." Old Man Neal lost interest in chess, and Joshua had managed to upset his mood. Joshua did not respond but simply poured him a cup of tea and handed it over.Watching him like this, Old Man Neal could help but feel both love and anger. Whenever he scolded Joshua, he did not get angry but tried to soothe the temperamental old man.Old Man Neal surrendered, feeling both helpless and complex, and asked, "What exactly are you thinking?" Joshua kept his thoughts deeply hidden. "I'm not."Old Man Neal almost exploded in frustration. After staring at his calm face for a while, he finally gave up on the conversation and dismissed him with a grumble, "Go away, don't bother me."Joshua left. Anyway, Moses was there. Joshua decided to go and check the banquet arrangements at the hotel. Although Felix was responsible for the setup, it was better to confirm and avoid any surprise
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