Joshua was left speechless by Yoel's simple yet good question. His initial investigation into Moe was solely out of curiosity about Moe and Cynthia's identities. However, now that he had the answers, he found himself in a state of confusion. Yoel stood silently, for once without his small talk. "I plan on doing nothing. I merely wanted to resolve my doubts," Joshua finally responded. Not every action has to carry significance; sometimes, one simply needs to find answers to the questions that weigh on their mind. Yoel paused before asking, "When do you plan on returning to Jiverton?" "We'll see." Joshua avoided giving a definite response. Throughout the conversation, Yoel could clearly sense his boss's diminishing enthusiasm and his growing regret over his divorce from Ms. Yates. However, what's done is done. Not every action can be rectified, and not every mistake can be amended. As for the relationship between his boss and Ms. Yates, all that was left was regret. In the
"Of course! You still haven't mentioned why you needed to see me," Samantha replied breezily. "A few days ago, when I went to see Ellora, she told me she wanted to treat you to dinner. She has yet to properly thank you for the help you offered during that phone call," Cynthia began, weaving together the strands of their conversation. Samantha brushed off the thanks with an indifferent laugh. "There's no need for formalities. It was nothing." "To you, perhaps. However, to her, it meant saving a child. She plans to host you tonight at the place where she's staying. She's even prepared a feast with her own hands," Cynthia retorted, keeping the conversation flowing. "Where is she staying?" Samantha asked. Cynthia paused, locking eyes with Samantha. "You don't know?" "Uh...?" Samantha looked genuinely puzzled. "Didn't you inform Chyler about it?" Cynthia laid her cards on the table. Samantha stared back blankly. "Inform about what?" Cynthia watched her in silence. "Have
"From the moment you found out that Joshua was going to divorce me for Jayleen, you started making your move. After all, in your eyes, if Jayleen and I ended up mutually destroying each other, Joshua wouldn't choose either of us." Samantha's face still bore a look of confusion, as if she did not comprehend why Cynthia would suggest such things. "But when you realized that the car accident did not go as planned, you ruined Jayleen's reputation. When Joshua didn't care about that, you started planning something else." "Wait a minute," Samantha interrupted her. Cynthia gestured for her to speak. "Are you sure you haven't watched too many melodramatic TV shows?" Samantha asked. "I don't have time to joke around with you." Cynthia's tone was cold. "I really don't understand what you're talking about. If any of what you're saying really happened, you should report it to the police. They can investigate much faster." Samantha clearly did not want to stay any longer. Cynthia's
"Do you really think that if we can't find concrete evidence of your crimes, you'll escape unscathed?" Cynthia asked her. With every incident, including Moe's bribery, Samantha managed to emerge without a hint of guilt. If not for Cynthia's decision to connect all the incidents and delve into some old issues, she would have never suspected Samantha. After all, Samantha had initially struck her as a good-hearted young woman. Samantha offered a faint smile. "I have been a law-abiding citizen all my life. I cannot afford to wear the blame Ms. Yates is trying to place on me." "What if I bring this matter to Old Man Tanz's attention? How do you think he would handle it?" Cynthia asked, making her point very clear. Some people, even when they knew they were guilty, could not be brought to justice due to a lack of evidence. From a purely evidentiary perspective, Samantha was nothing more than a bystander. However, morality and public opinion could pass judgment. In the past, Samanth
Upon hearing this news, Ellora was in complete shock. "How can it be her? I've always perceived her as an extremely warm-hearted girl. After all, it was she who helped me call you." Incomprehensible. Unbelievable. This was beyond outrageous. "I'm just as surprised," Cynthia admitted truthfully. "I have a question. If she wanted to target you, why would she assist me?" Ellora expressed her confusion. "Two possibilities." Cynthia had already contemplated this matter. "What are they?" asked Samantha. "Firstly, she may be somewhat obsessive about Joshua's situation. However, she still maintains her altruism in other matters," Cynthia explained deliberately. If possible, she wished Samantha was just such a person. She hoped Samantha had only sought to help Ellora out of pure goodwill. "What about the second one?" asked Ellora, holding her phone. "She might have intentionally left a positive first impression on me. This way, even if someone uncovered her actions later on, I'
Since leaving school, the friends she made have been, to put it mildly, insincere. However, Ellora was a true exception. Even before she regained her identity, she was always there for her, treating her exceptionally well. Now even though she knew her identity as Cynthia, Ellora's attitude toward her has not changed one bit. After ending her conversation with Ellora, she dialed Old Man Tanz's number. Upon learning that it was her calling, Old Man Tanz was overjoyed. He chatted with her about his day-to-day life over the phone and was even more thrilled to hear that Cynthia was coming to see him. "I will await you. Whenever it is, as long as it's you, I am always available." Old Man Tanz's voice was stern yet filled with affection for Cynthia. Hearing him say this, Cynthia touched her nose. Suddenly, she felt a bit guilty about Old Man Tanz's enthusiasm. He was eagerly welcoming her, yet she was coming to deliver bad news... "Then, let's meet on the sixth of next month." Cynthia
Joshua's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he stared at the multitude of files before him, his mind grappling with the startling complexity of someone's scheming. At this moment, he fully realized that he had unjustly blamed Cynthia for all that had occurred before. "Arrange a meeting with Samantha," Joshua said abruptly. "Understood," Yoel replied. As Yoel left the room, Joshua continued to peruse the thick stack of documents in his hands. The revelation he had just uncovered was more shocking than anything he had experienced before. He had never suspected that someone could deceive so convincingly. Samantha. The younger sister of Yosef Tanz. He had never doubted her, nor had he considered the possibility that she would frame Cynthia. After all, they were two people who had no business with each other. Overwhelmed by these thoughts, Joshua rested his hand against his forehead, feeling an acute sense of regret. He remembered his suspicion toward Cynthia, his unfair treatm
"Hmm." The conversation between them was exceptionally brief. Joshua, today, was in no mood for much talk, and the usual banter he enjoyed with Yoel was missing. Yoel felt a touch of sympathy for him. Even though Joshua was indeed reaping what he had sown, Yoel could not help but feel sorry for him. "Should we inform Ms. Yates about this? It seems that she is investigating this as well," Yoel queried. "For now, let us keep it quiet. Once I have resolved everything, you can tell her. Consider it... a form of restitution on my part," Joshua replied, a plan forming in his mind. He knew that, given Cynthia's abilities, she could easily get to the bottom of the matter. However, he wanted to handle this personally. After all, Samantha's actions had repeatedly exacerbated his conflict with Cynthia until they ended up strangers. "Understood," Yoel acknowledged. That very night, Joshua invited Yiordan, who was filming in Nexuria, for a drink. Within the confines of a private room in
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