Cynthia was simply trying to shield Daphne and Old Man Neal from worry. After exiting the Neal Group's building, she retreated to her car. She leaned her head against the backrest and allowed her mind to wander aimlessly. Only today did she discover from Yoel what Yves had meant by Joshua's fever episode before the most recent one. She never imagined her forgiveness would trigger such a potent emotional shock in Joshua. Even less did she anticipate that he had been in the hospital beset by a high fever and receiving intravenous therapy on the day she had told him about her impending kidnap. His prolonged fever and a night spent in the cold seaside breeze without relief exacerbated his condition. Without this unfortunate sequence of events, the gunshot wound he later suffered might not have had such devastating consequences. As she dwelled on these thoughts, Cynthia felt a heaviness press upon her chest. She was at a loss as to how things had spiraled to this point. If she had kno
Matthew pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message before answering her question. "Have you not always wanted to try paragliding?" Cynthia paused. She recalled a past conversation they had had. She had mentioned wanting to fully immerse herself in a paragliding experience, to fly freely alone, to experience a true sense of relaxation. However, it had been four full years since she last had such an experience. "This location is one of the best paragliding sites in the world. The conditions today are perfect for paragliding. We are the only ones here, and you can enjoy yourself as you please," Matthew spoke up as a man approached them. "Captain..." Cynthia hesitated. "Go, get the gear on." Matthew said, taking the equipment from the young coach who had walked over and handed it to Cynthia, "Take some time to unwind." Cynthia did not refuse. The environment was indeed breathtaking. "Alright," she agreed. As Cynthia went to get equipped, the young coach approached Matthew
Throughout the flight, she reveled in the immersive experience. Matthew remained not far from her. A slight smile curved his thin lips, a look of relief reflected in his dark eyes. The weather was perfect that day, and Cynthia enjoyed a full two hours of flight. By the end of it, all the burdens she had been carrying seemed to dissipate. She had come to a complete understanding. "No kidding. Where did you find her? She's so attractive, and her flying skills are impressive. Does she have a sister? Can you introduce me?" said the handsome young coach, seizing the opportunity to gossip with Matthew after taking off his gear. "Even if she had one, it's none of your business," Matthew replied slowly, his lips barely moving. The young coach draped an arm around Matthew's shoulders. "Come on. Given our close relationship, would you really leave me to lead a lonely life?" Catching Cynthia walking over out of the corner of his eye, Matthew casually retorted, "Her sister isn't into old
After successfully sending the message, he turned off his phone and put it away, effectively shutting out any further nuisances. He had finally managed to take Cynthia out to clear her mind, and he would not allow their day to be spoiled. The young and handsome coach stared at the message on his screen, his mind buzzing with confusion. What did 'do us a favor' mean? Undeterred, he dialed the number again. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable." The young coach rolled his eyes as Matthew's car pulled away. Matthew was never concerned about upsetting people. By the time the car arrived in town, it was already past four in the afternoon. Matthew took Cynthia straight home. There was no point in going to the office at this hour, especially as all the pressing issues had been dealt with by him and Moe. There was no need for her to worry unnecessarily. Once home, Cynthia stepped out of the car and into her house. "Thank you for today. I will give you a raise ne
"Cyn, it's normal for a man to have an ego, especially Captain. When he invites you over for dinner, just accept. It might make him feel better about himself," Mitchell insisted. "Are you serious?" Cynthia found this hard to believe. To her knowledge, Captain was not such a man. However, Mitchell's words did seem to hold some logic. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Linus and the others. Just don't mention it's about Captain," Mitchell suggested, further advancing his ploy. Cynthia nodded, and they chatted a bit more before ending the video call. She sat in contemplation, recalling past events, and eventually concluded that Captain did indeed have a strong ego. She did not delve into this thought further, though. Considering Captain's earlier mention of a group message, she accessed their eight-member chat group, where Captain was also a member. She typed a reply, "I'm free recently. Anytime for a meetup is fine." Her obligations toward Sean's observation under Joshua's d
Cynthia felt a twinge of pity for Zayn. Of all the people to antagonize, he had to choose the Captain. Matthew made no move to step away from Cynthia. He opened his contact list and dialed a young coach's number right there in the study. "Ladies and gentlemen, Zayn's raucous laughter is now on air. Did you enjoy the custom tune I had set for you?" he gloated. Matthew had activated the speaker. "Enjoying yourself, aren't you?" "Why, you could always beg me over a nice meal, apologize sincerely, and admit your mistake. Then I might have someone restore your phone to its former glory. Otherwise, consider your phone a goner." Matthew kept silent, waiting for Zayn to finish his grandstanding. "Just a friendly reminder, this virus isn't going anywhere, not even if you reset your phone," Zayn was still gloating. In his mind, Matthew had probably removed the SIM card and placed it in a different phone to call him. The possibility that someone could actually fix it never occurred to h
"What's there to listen to? At your age, you have no girlfriend, and all you do is eat and drink at my expense, and you dare provoke me," Mrs. Green was relentless in her pursuit, adamant to set him straight. "I'm innocent!" Zayn was hopping and jumping around the living room. "Hahaha!" An identical voice resounded from his phone, mocking him with laughter. Zayn knew perfectly well that Matthew had set him up. He slammed his phone onto the floor to avoid angering his mother further, shattering it into pieces. Thankfully, the voice stopped. He exhaled a heavy breath, grateful that there was nothing significant on his phone. "Mom, I..." Smack! The feather duster landed on his body. Zayn hopped up, his comical facial expression distorted in pain. "Ouch!" His hair flopped down over his forehead as he winced. "You dare break things in front of me?" Mrs. Green swung the duster at him again. Zayn knew his mother's temper all too well; the best strategy now was to admit his
"We met at a nightclub in Jiverton. It was right after my mom passed away. I was feeling down and went to Jiverton to clear my head. That's where I bumped into him," Cynthia revealed, not feeling the need to hide anything. There was an undercurrent of heartache in Matthew's eyes, undetectable to anyone but himself. He prompted her to go on. "And then?" "I had a couple of drinks, and we started talking," she recalled. Cynthia still remembered their conversation that night. "We found that we shared the same values, and he was knowledgeable about so many things. Plus, he was handsome. So, when he proposed, I agreed." Joshua, at that time, had seemed perfect. He was good-looking, fit, well-educated, and held the same values as hers. Even after their marriage, he had always been extremely patient and gentle with her. He spent most of his time traveling for work or working overtime, but if he made a promise, he would keep it, no matter how busy he was. Facing such a person, she had