Nonetheless, Yoel still answered, "Hello, Young Master Neal.""Hasn't Joshua finished work yet?" Moses asked.Yoel glanced at Joshua in the back seat and replied, "We encountered a sudden issue, and there's an urgent matter that needs to be handled. It might take another hour before he can leave work.""Alright. Tell Joshua to hurry up. Let him know we're waiting for him," Moses said.Yoel nodded and said, "Okay.""By the way,""What is it?""Is Joshua okay?" Moses asked again. Despite their usual banters, they were brothers, after all. "When I spoke to him just now, he sounded off.""He's probably just tired. Mr. Neal has been so busy that he hasn't had a meal the entire day," Yoel lied on Joshua's behalf."Well, I won't disturb you further. Let him finish up quickly and come back soon," Moses added. He knew Yoel would remind Joshua to eat on time, and he could not help but wonder what could keep him so busy.After the call ended, Yoel put his phone on silent mode and looked
Moses was surprised when he saw Joshua. "You're back? Didn't Yoel say you'll only be back an hour later?""I let them handle it," Joshua said, looking colder than before.Moses did not ask further but just pulled Joshua over to Yoel. Soon after, they began the most important part of the birthday celebration—blowing out the candles.All the lights in the room were turned off, and the candles were lit. Joshua was 28 years old this year. Moses led the singing of 'Happy Birthday', and Joshua used to treat this part of the celebration as a mundane routine, making a simple wish. However, he actually enjoyed it today.He closed his eyes and began to make his wish. He wished for Cynthia's happiness and well-being, free from worries.He did not wish for Cynthia to remarry him; he just wanted her to be happy, and he would be willing to trade his own life for that. When he was done, he opened his eyes and blew out the candles.This was his most sincere wish, the one he wanted to fu
Felix understood everything just by looking at Joshua's expression. He patted his shoulder and said, "Your mom is very worried about you. She sensed that you were unhappy from the moment you came back."After all, a mother would know her child best.No matter how well you disguised it, parents could see through all your pretenses."I'm fine," Joshua said.Felix asked, "Doesn't it hurt?""The pain I feel is nothing compared to the grievances Cynthia endured in the past." Joshua looked into the distance. The city was enveloped in darkness, and even though the city lights were bright, only the sun could truly illuminate the sky.Similarly, only Cynthia could dispel the darkness in his heart.Having heard his response, Felix did not say anything more. As their children got older, there were certain things they had to handle on their own, and they had to bear the consequences themselves. That night, the city was aglow with countless lights, but Joshua lying in bed felt cold.He f
Yoel was startled! He wanted to speak but was afraid that Cynthia might hear him, so he helped Joshua adjust his hand position."Wait for me. I'll be right there." Joshua's heart was in turmoil.Cynthia called him to explain the plan. "Listen to me, and don't panic."Joshua's heart was pounding intensely, and his breath felt hot. "Okay.""If I get captured, there won't be any danger for me. The person he wants is you. After I'm captured, he'll definitely contact you and ask you to come to my rescue." Cynthia helped him organize his thoughts.She did not expect things to progress to this point so quickly, and she had no idea what that person was thinking."You can't get captured." Joshua feared for her safety."I have to. Only then can I achieve my goal. But I hope you can remember one thing," Cynthia explained her plan to Joshua."What is it?""Trust me."Joshua fell silent.Cynthia looked at the plans she had laid out before her, feeling slightly distressed. "I know it's di
"Let's get down to business." Joshua wasted no time.Mr. White carried his bag and sat down.Yoel saw that the two of them were about to discuss business, so he immediately brought them each a cup of warm water, just in case they wanted to drink during their discussion.However, he was shocked when he saw what Mr. White had taken out.What was that?Was that a…A will!"M-Mr. Neal… Why are you making a will while you're perfectly fine?" Yoel's brain buzzed. "It's nothing. We all have to make one sooner or later. Might as well do it now," Joshua said, tinged with weakness.Yoel was confused. He did not even have children yet! Why was he making a will?Although he did not understand, Yoel could not interfere. However, he did not expect Joshua to leave half of his assets to Cynthia and the other half to Felix and Daphne.One hour later…Joshua signed and stamped the documents, and everything was settled. After Mr. White left, Yoel asked, "Mr. Neal, did something happe
"Are there any questions?" Cynthia asked the six of them.Everyone pondered and said, "No.""You have already planned for almost all possible scenarios, and there are two backup plans to be implemented. There will be no unexpected situations," Riley was confident in Cynthia's decision."There is another thing that I have not taken into consideration," Cynthia said.They had fought against that person, so they knew their character and their way of doing things. However, it was impossible to fully understand the person.Mitchell asked, "What?""The possibility for that person to die with us," Cynthia was silent for a moment before saying this."He will not.""He cherishes his life more than anyone else.""Whether it is possible or not, it would not help if you take it into consideration. If that person really changed his personality and became desperate, it would not be effective no matter how many plans we have," Linus said in a serious tone.That person was as smart as they
How did he know?"Captain...""Captain."Jimmy and Mitchell also came out.Matthew walked in, walked over, and took out a stack of documents from there.Cynthia, Mitchell, and Jimmy closed their eyes.They were done.Even if they did not want to admit it, they had to.Matthew put a stack of documents on the table and tapped it with his slender fingers. "What is this? Do you know who Yerick Baker is? How dare you go to him when you have no weapons or equipment?"Matthew was very angry.He never thought that these guys would do this without telling him.Cynthia understood his character and explained, "We are not going impulsively. We are going to outsmart him.""Is the lesson from last time not enough? Do not go.""Captain!"Cynthia raised her voice slightly.Matthew wanted to scold them like before but was unwilling when he saw Cynthia's face.He tried to suppress his anger and said, "There is no but for this.""Can...""If you have to go, wait until I get the approval
Cynthia hesitated for a moment, afraid that he would be worried, but she still took it. "Thank you, Captain."Matthew did not speak and looked at her with incomprehensible eyes that were as dark as ink.He wanted to ask her to stay and did not want her to take risks.However, he also understood that Yerick was the one they were determined to arrest.After a long while, Matthew called, "Cynthia.""Um?""Do cause any trouble." His voice was full of mixed feelings."Okay."Matthew took a few more glances at Jimmy and Mitchell and finally patted each of them on the shoulder twice.After that, Cynthia explained some precautions to Jimmy and asked him to contact Joshua when necessary. After explaining, they left the meeting room.Matthew took the three of them to dinner and returned home with Cynthia after dinner.When Cynthia opened the door and went in, Matthew said, "When you come back, I will promise you one thing, you could ask me for anything.""Okay," Cynthia agreed.It 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