However, Joshua reacted swiftly and blocked him. Yerick used this moment to swiftly distance himself from Joshua, breaking free of his control. Right at that moment, Cynthia aimed the gun she had snatched earlier at Yerick. "Make another move, and I won't hesitate to shoot." Upon her threat, everyone around her pointed their guns at her and Joshua. Cynthia had always known that Yerick was skillful and full of trickery. Otherwise, their small team would not have suffered such a loss at his hands. "Do you think you can threaten me? After you shoot me, they'll shoot you." Yerick seemed unfazed. Maintaining her aim at him, Cynthia pulled Joshua behind her. Only when she touched him did she understand what Yerick meant by Joshua having a fever. She felt the heat radiating from him even through the brief contact. "You can kill me. However, you'll die before I do. That means when you meet Dani in the underworld, you won't be able to answer when she asks if Joshua is dead or alive,"
There were people below to catch her; Cynthia would be fine. As for the ones above, he would hold off Yerick and his men. He had promised her safety. When Cynthia caught sight of the yacht below, she understood the plan. As she began her fall, she swiftly grabbed Joshua with her gun-bearing hand and yanked him down with her. In the same instant, a stack of playing cards appeared in her other hand, which she rapidly flung at Yerick and his men. The entire sequence occurred in a matter of one or two seconds. Yerick had not anticipated their sudden action; as Cynthia and Joshua began their descent, his face was scratched by the flying cards Cynthia had thrown. Several armed men nearby were also injured by Cynthia. Splash. Both plunged into the water simultaneously. The people on the yacht immediately fished them out. Just as Joshua got on board and was about to pull Cynthia up, he saw Yerick at the edge of the cliff, gun aimed at them. It was aimed at Cynthia! Bang! A bu
Indeed, Cynthia did not think much of it. Her attention was drawn to the man steering the yacht, her eyebrows knitting together in slight confusion. "Sean?" "You recognize me?" Sean, with his refined features, smiled like a breath of fresh spring air. Cynthia's brow furrowed slightly. Sean's background was impressive, but he was a mix of good and evil. There was almost nothing he could not accomplish. However, his assistance always came with a steep price. How did Joshua know Sean? "Did you make a deal with him?" Cynthia asked Joshua. Sean began nonchalantly, "I should thank you. If it weren't for you..." Before he could finish, Joshua cut him off. "Just steer the yacht." Sean mimed, zipping his lips shut. Their series of exchanges aroused Cynthia's suspicion. "Did you make some sort of deal with him?" Sean was a man completely devoted to the study of psychiatry, yet his focus inclined heavily toward theology. His mantra was simple: At the end of science, there lies t
Brushing Sean aside, Joshua spoke to Cynthia, "You should go first. I have some business to discuss with him." "He's not a good man," Cynthia warned. "Ms. Yates, isn't it impolite to speak ill of someone in their presence?" Sean chuckled, one hand in his pocket. Cynthia responded flatly, "And isn't it worse to take advantage of someone in a difficult situation?" Sean raised an eyebrow in intrigue. He was genuinely curious about Ms. Yates, who seemed to understand him so well. "Do we know each other?" "No." Cynthia did not wish to have much contact with him. Unless necessary, she did not want to reveal that she was K. "Why are you showing so much hostility toward me? I just saved your life," Sean asked, dragging out his words. Cynthia stayed silent. She was loath to admit it. However, it was indeed the case. "Do you think you were the one who saved her?" Joshua suddenly chimed in. Sean maintained his smile. He silently cursed Joshua as a cunning swindler, pla
He pinched his brow and pulled out his phone to make a call. In a short while, Joshua was taken away. Meanwhile, Cynthia had turned down the person Sean had arranged for her and was about to borrow a phone to call Captain when she saw Captain driving toward her. His eyebrows were furrowed as if he was worried about something. The car pulled to a stop in front of her. Matthew stepped out of the car and looked her over from head to toe, asking, "Are you alright?" "I'm fine." Cynthia shook her head. "And Joshua?" Matthew asked further. With such a severe gunshot wound, the situation could turn perilous if not treated in time. Cynthia answered straightforwardly, "Sean took him. He said he would get the best doctor for Joshua." Upon hearing this, Matthew was somewhat relieved. He knew who Sean was, and with him involved, there should not be any significant issues. "That's good. Get in the car." Matthew's worries abated once he was certain of her safety. "Alright." Once
As the elevator doors slid open, Cynthia stepped out, and a figure rushed over to embrace her, exclaiming, "Sis!" "Cyn!" The others quickly joined in, enveloping Cynthia in a group hug. Cynthia looked at the familiar faces in front of her and paused, "Riley, Gaby?" "Cynthia! Us too! Linus and Alex aren't going to be too pleased you left them out!" Jimmy complained that she only had eyes for those two. The seven dwarfs were all present. Cynthia was somewhat bewildered. "Why are you all here?" "After you made the signal disappear, Captain told us to wait for you in Nexuria. He said he would bring you back," Riley, a stunning beauty who was especially fond of Cynthia, explained. "You almost scared us to death!" "Indeed." "Why did you have to make the signal disappear?" "Queneska Island was surrounded, I was completely surrounded. I was worried that if you went there..." Cynthia explained. She did not finish her sentence, but everyone understood. "It's all in the past
"Don't look at me like that. When I was leaving with Jayleen, I saw someone capturing Yerick's men. That's why I waited for you here," Nadia explained, quickly discerning that Cynthia was doubting her story. "What if I hadn't returned?" Cynthia asked. In that final moment, without Joshua's preparedness, she was not sure she could have made it back. "That's not possible. You're my mentor, after all," Nadia confidently stated. Cynthia remained silent. She got up and fetched two glasses of water, one for Nadia and one for herself. "Um..." Nadia hesitated. Cynthia arched an eyebrow. "If there's something you want to say, say it." "What are you planning to do with the child you're carrying?" Nadia scratched her head. Ever since she discovered that the stunning Cynthia was her mentor, she had felt an unconscious need to care for her. "You and Joshua are divorced. If you have the baby, he won't try to take it, will he?" Cynthia was taken aback. "What child?" "This one." Na
"I have my own business to attend to. You should go first," Cynthia said, her tone indifferent. Nadia did not budge from her seat. She wanted to stay here! Cynthia did not have time to deal with her. She began investigating the situation between Sean and Joshua. As she dug deeper, she found herself blocked by the system she had set up years ago. After selling that system, she restricted her own access. After all, those who bought the system would not want her snooping around their privacy, much like people using smartphones would not want the developers prying into their personal lives. Breaking through a system she created years ago was just a matter of time. However, as a professional, she could not do that. As she pondered this, she dialed a number. Yoel, as Joshua's assistant, should know something. "Ms. Yates?" Yoel was surprised to receive her call. "It's me. I have a question about Joshua. If it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer." "Go ahead." "Ha
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