"I don't. I asked her, but she didn't tell me," Mr. Yates replied. When he intended to investigate, Cynthia asked him not to intervene and said she would handle it alone. Yesterday, when he asked for the results, she just changed the subject and reminded him to pick up Shirley from the hospital.Shirley hesitated to speak. She did not know if she should tell her father. Mr. Yates noticed it and asked, "What's wrong?""Maybe Cynthia didn't tell you because she didn't want to make it difficult for you," Shirley answered after calming herself down."What do you mean?" Mr. Yates was taken aback."When I was being beaten up, I saw a man outside the alley. He was Mrs. Quinn's brother. I told Cynthia, and she told me not to tell you," Shirley said as her memories gradually became clearer.Mr. Yates froze. Shirley really wanted to improve the relationship between Cynthia and him. "I don't know what happened between you two or why your relationship has turned this way, but since you ca
Cynthia was also here!"You can't even drink two bottles of wine, yet you have the audacity to come to the business cooperation here?"Joshua sat at the head of the table, looking handsome and indifferent in his suit. "Do you really think this is a place where you can make money just by your looks?"Cynthia's head was pulsing.She came here to make trouble for Thomas Quinn.Thomas was Mr. Yates's new wife's older brother. On the surface, Shirley's incident seemed to have been caused by Timothy Quinn, Mrs. Quinn's younger brother, but Timothy would not have done it without the cunning Thomas's instruction.There was no legal way to deal with him, so Cynthia had to come in person. She would give a good beating to anyone who posed a danger to Shirley.However, Cynthia just did not expect to meet Joshua here."I'm not in the mood to argue with you today," Cynthia stated briefly."Mr. Neal offered you a drink as a courtesy, so why are you still standing there?!""The managemen
Jimmy frowned. He disliked attending all these parties because he did not want to see his father like this. He knew that at business dinners, one had to know how to ingratiate oneself if they were not of high status.Nonetheless, knowing and liking were two different things. Soon, Jimmy looked at Cynthia. Indeed, being by Cynthia's side was the most comfortable for him."Didn't you want to take me to the hotel?" Cynthia stared at Thomas. "Why aren't we leaving yet?"Everyone looked confused, including Thomas, and Joshua also suddenly tightened his grip on his phone.Only Jimmy lowered his gaze and silently drank from his glass, not daring to say anything. He knew very well that Cynthia was up to something!"What's the hurry? Don't think spending the night with Mr. Neal will give you the upper hand." Thomas felt uncomfortable with Cynthia's words. It sounded as if he was a pimp or something. "To Mr. Neal, you're just someone to vent on."Joshua's eyes darkened slightly, and
Yoel immediately went to get the car. After reading Thomas' message, he drove toward the hotel. On the way, he could not resist asking Joshua what had happened earlier. "Mr. Neal, may I ask a question?" he said."If you don't think you should, don't ask," Joshua snapped back.Feeling brave and curious, Yoel continued, "Do you consider it as cheating on yourself when you let Thomas bring Mrs. Neal to your bed? What kind of feelings do you have when you treat Mrs. Neal in this way?"Joshua replied coldly, "You can forget about your year-end bonus."Yoel realized he had overstepped his bounds and tried to make amends, "Don't worry, Mr. Neal. I'll make sure to take care of the Sky Holdings side and let them know who's protecting Mrs. Neal."Joshua replied, "Your quarterly bonus is gone too."Yoel did not know what he had done wrong. "Mr. Neal...""Cynthia and I are divorced." Joshua's tone was icy as he held his phone. "I'm only dealing with Thomas because I don't like it when som
"Take a shower and change into the clothes on the bed while you wait for Mr. Neal," Thomas said. His Adam's apple bobbed as he found Cynthia too alluring. "Watch how I'll deal with you, if you dare upset Mr. Neal."Cynthia did not even glance at the items on the bed. Her gaze fixed on Thomas, so cold that it felt dangerous.Thomas did not want to linger here any longer than necessary. He had everything ready and feared he would be unable to control himself if he stayed too long. After all, Joshua had claimed Cynthia.As he turned to leave the room, Cynthia slammed the door shut and locked it with the safety lock.Thomas frowned.He was not afraid of what Cynthia might do to him and asked, "What do you want?" "To talk," Cynthia said, pulling a chair behind the door to block Thomas's exit."We can talk later after Mr. Neal is done." Thomas smiled, misunderstanding Cynthia's intentions. "I'll make sure you're satisfied then..."Bang!Cynthia stood up and kicked him.She just
Joshua had forgotten Shirley's comment about Cynthia being her bodyguard. All he could think about was the gentle Cynthia, who relied on him for everything. He had already decided that if Thomas dared to lay a finger on her, he would chop him up and feed him to the dogs."Mr. Neal," one of the bodyguards called out."Kick the door down!" Joshua ordered."We tried..." the bodyguards replied.With his hands clenched tightly at his sides, Joshua lifted his foot and kicked the door with all his might. Bang!The door shook. Yoel watched silently from the side and sighed inwardly that Joshua was in love without even realizing it. Even though he said he liked Jayleen, every time there was a message from Cynthia, he would take care of it, using his agreement with her as an excuse. He said he did not like Cynthia, but he would go out of his way to pay attention to anything related to her and worry about her safety.It seemed that he had to lose her to appreciate her.Bang!Jos
Cynthia stared at him and retorted, "Do you want me to give you another punch?"Joshua remained silent.Perhaps it was because he was no longer worried, or maybe it was the romantic lighting in the room, but he felt irresistibly drawn to Cynthia, and he really wanted to be close to her.Since they had started sleeping in separate beds six months ago, they had not slept together, let alone had sex.Joshua approached Cynthia step by step, enveloping Cynthia with his domineering aura.Cynthia furrowed her brow and disliked the atmosphere."I have something else to do," she spoke up."Are you going to pretend that you don't know what Thomas meant by giving you to me?" Joshua's eyes grew darker, and his breathing became heavier. "At this point, do you think I'll let you go?""Do you want to sleep with me?" Cynthia asked.Joshua got even closer, and he could smell the fresh, light fragrance emanating from her body. With a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Yes."Cynthia did not ans
Yoel did not dare to babble anymore and drove the car obediently. When Joshua emphasized his request for the second time, Yoel still conveyed his request to the others. After arriving at the airport, Yoel held the ticket and kindly reminded Joshua, "Mr. Neal, are you really planning to leave Nexuria?"Joshua frowned slightly and felt that his personal assistant was annoying. "The message you asked me to convey to them is likely to make them think that Mrs. Neal has offended you," Yoel said, trying his best to help Joshua to see through his true feelings."What if they force Mrs. Neal into a dead end when you are not in Nexuria?"Joshua froze.Yoel continued in a serious tone, "You know better than anyone else about this circle. Once people know you're targeting Mrs. Neal, other big and small players will follow suit. In the long run, Mrs. Neal might..." Yoel let out a loud sigh, looking troubled. Joshua frowned but quickly recovered his composure."If you're so worrie
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