"I am a man. No one can push me around," Moe declared earnestly. In their circle, only a handful could ever win against him in a fight. "Yes, yes, you are a man, you are correct," Yoel answered with a dismissive tone. After some more idle talk, Moe brought up a subject that had been lingering in his heart. "Yoel, do you know what it feels like to be in love with someone?" "Love?" "Yes." "I do not know, I have never been in love. From what I have observed, being in love seems to mean constantly thinking about her, wanting to buy nice things for her, and being eager to share any good news with her first," Yoel replied seriously. Moe fell silent. These were feelings... he did not seem to possess. "Do you not love Ms. Yates? Do you not know?" Yoel blurted out. Moe hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He was not certain if he loved his boss. He did not feel what Yoel had described, yet he wished for all the best for her. "If you cannot tell whether you love her or not, the
Moe paused for a moment before immediately blurting out, "No." She was his boss, and it would be improper to have such thoughts. Furthermore, he wanted to take care of her for a lifetime, not possess her. "Really? Not at all?" "No." "We've become close friends, so there's no need to feel embarrassed. Even if you did, I wouldn't mock you," Yoel said, propping his head up and looking at him. "Unless Ms. Yates is hurt, asleep, or in some other special circumstance, I would hug her. However, in all other situations, I wouldn't. And as for kissing, never," Moe confessed, his words more candid due to the alcohol. Yoel studied him for a moment, making sure he was not lying but truly felt that way. "In that case, I can confirm with absolute certainty that your feelings for Ms. Yates is not romantic. It's more like the protective and caring kind, like that of a family member," Yoel said, his voice slurred from the alcohol. Upon hearing this, Moe mulled over all the interactions
He was not even good at lying. It was a stupid mistake. Yoel stared at his phone battery, indicating over eighty percent charge, and felt an urge to weep. Why did he not have the exquisite photo editing skills of Ms. Yates? If he had, he would immediately doctor a screenshot and send it. "Actually, I was worried Moe would see the messages you were sending me. At that time, I was with Moe. If I were constantly replying to messages or answering calls, he might guess that it was you I was talking to," Yoel confessed, half in truth and half in jest. That was one reason. However, the most important reason was that he simply did not want to deal with his boss, a reason he could never utter. "I don't care what your reasons were. I want all of Matthew's information within three days." Joshua's voice came from the other side of the phone. Yoel agreed, "Okay." After Joshua hung up, he continued soaking in the cold bath. The next morning, Cynthia prepared breakfast and was surpris
Joshua clutched at Cynthia's hand, his breaths coming in hot gusts. Pausing in her movements, Cynthia allowed Joshua to grasp her hand as questions flooded her mind. "When you went out with Yoel yesterday, did you not dress warmly enough?" she asked. "I did.""Then why do you have a fever?" "I do not know..." With nothing else she could do but wait for the doctor, Cynthia was baffled as Joshua's fever did not seem to be decreasing despite having taken the antipyretics. As she mulled over yesterday's events, she could not fathom how Joshua caught a fever. Joshua always had a healthy body. Could his two previous fevers have weakened him, making him susceptible to illnesses? "Cynthia," Joshua said, holding tightly onto her hand. "Yes, what is it?" Cynthia asked, turning her gaze towards him. "Can you promise me that you won't leave me behind?" Joshua's words came out in a slow drawl. Paired with his slightly pale face, he was a picture of vulnerability that called for her t
"Yes. Why do you ask?" He decided to stick with the boss's instructions. "How long were you two there?" Cynthia continued to probe. "For a few hours. We arrived when Dr. Carter was having his meal. The boss and I joined him. After the meal, Dr. Carter took the boss inside, but I'm not quite sure what happened in there," Yoel replied, well aware that Ms. Yates had the means to verify his response. "You didn't go in?" "Dr. Carter asked me to wait outside." Having heard his reply, Cynthia was certain that Sean must have done something with Joshua. There was no reason not to let Yoel in for a simple cufflink. After all, there was nothing secretive where Joshua stayed. "Ms. Yates, is something wrong?" Yoel asked, his heart pounding with apprehension. "Not at all. Joshua has a fever. I'm just trying to figure out where things could have gone wrong," Cynthia reassured him, already planning to question Sean. "Fever?" Yoel was bewildered. "How could the boss catch a cold? He wa
She was uncertain of how to describe her current emotional state. In her heart, Joshua had always been a figure of honesty. Even with his diminished mental capacity and loss of memory, she believed in his sincerity. However, now he was lying. This was something she found intolerable. "Besides this incident, was he keeping other things from me as well?" Cynthia probed further. "Ms. Yates, I can tell you everything. However, could you first assist the boss in choosing a security camera?" Yoel began, realizing that she was bound to discover the truth if they continued down this path. Yoel was in a predicament. He could not betray his boss, but he also did not wish to deceive Ms. Yates. Therefore, a compromise seemed to be the only option. "A security camera?" Cynthia was somewhat perplexed. "The security camera at the boss' house has malfunctioned. We need to replace it," Yoel explained, abandoning his previous excuses given that only a day had passed. "Just buy and install th
As the memory of Matthew leading Cynthia away resurfaced, a hypothesis wormed its way into his mind. Could it be possible that Matthew had spilled the beans about his mental recovery to Cynthia? Well, if he had, it would not matter much to him. Matthew had no proof, and he could easily keep up the act in front of Cynthia. "Joshua," Cynthia called out to him, her tone devoid of the affection she had shown before. It was as though she was addressing an ordinary person. In response, Joshua's grip tightened on the blanket that was covering him, but he gave no visible sign of his discomfort. "Yes, Cynthia?" "Why did you lie?" she asked, getting straight to the point. "Lie?" Joshua feigned confusion, playing the part of the innocent child to the hilt. "You had lunch and dinner yesterday, yet you claimed you hadn't eaten. Why? And then there was that comment about Matthew beating you up at Matthew's place last night. Why would you frame someone like that?" Cynthia's gaze was filled wi
As Cynthia looked at him, her mood grew heavy. Judging by Joshua's current behavior, his personality was becoming somewhat obsessive. Without proper guidance, it might only worsen. It would be a relief if his memory recovered quickly. After all, the old Joshua would not have acted this way. However, as things stood now, Joshua had absolutely no memory of his past, and recovery could only come with time. "Cynthia… Do you think I'm a bad kid?" Joshua began, holding Cynthia's hand with a melancholic and guilty look. Yes, was Cynthia's initial response. However, considering her recent behavior toward him, she realized that some of the blame was indeed on her. He was only a child who had lost his memory and regressed mentally; she should have shown more concern. "As long as you recognize and rectify your mistakes, you won't be a bad kid. However, if you continue behaving this way, you will be," Cynthia declared in a slow, measured voice. "Do you still want me?" "Yes." "Will you
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