Cynthia put the remote control down, appearing indifferent. "Fine, I don't want it." Joshua was confused. "When you're desperate to give Jayleen a legitimate status, you'll offer me a higher price to leave," Cynthia said in a dead serious manner. Joshua's demeanor turned icy. No one had ever threatened him like this before; Cynthia was the first. "Do you really think I can't do anything to you?" "Of course not," Cynthia replied, switching to another reality show. She continued earnestly, "You can freeze the cards you gave me, limit my spending and freedom, lock me away in a remote place, and even..." As her suggestions grew increasingly outrageous, Joshua's anger strangely dissipated. He suddenly found himself wanting to know. How was it possible for someone, who could now infuriate him with just a casual remark, to have been gentle for two whole years? "But this way, Jayleen can only remain a hidden lover. You probably don't want her to be the subject of gossip," Cynthia
After replying to the messages, Cynthia tried to call Mitchell but could not get through. Knowing that she had to go to the old villa tonight and not wanting any surprises, she sent him a message. "Text me when you arrive in Jiverton. We'll meet tomorrow." If Mitchell came looking for her on his own, she would be at a disadvantage. It would be better for her to take the initiative to talk to him. She sighed inwardly. She could have refused more easily if it were old man Yates, but it had to be Mitchell... Time passed quickly. By the time she got dressed and was ready to leave, it was almost six o'clock. After receiving a call from Mr. Walters, she quickly left the house. When she got into the car, she saw Joshua was there as well. He was still wearing the same suit from earlier that day. His disheveled hair framed his cool, indifferent face, giving him an air of disarrayed beauty. Cynthia did not start a conversation with him, and the car smoothly headed toward the old villa. As
Resigned, Joshua placed the fruit in front of Cynthia and sat down next to her. Before he could remind Cynthia to discuss their divorce, Old Man Neal spoke again, "Don't you see that Cynthia is too shy to eat? You're not very attentive as a husband." "Am I adopted?" Joshua finally asked. Mrs. Neal replied, "No." Neal Senior joked, "You came as a free gift for our credit card." Cynthia sensed the time was right and broached the subject. "Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, Grandpa, actually, we came here today to discuss something important with you." "Are you pregnant?" "How many months?" "When did this happen?" Mrs. Neal Senior and Old Man Neal fired off their questions, one after the other. Seeing the hope and happiness in their eyes, Cynthia found it difficult to break the news, but she finally said, "I'm planning to divorce Joshua." As soon as the words left her mouth, the atmosphere turned cold. Mrs. Neal Senior's hand froze mid-air while reaching for fruit, Old Man Ne
"Joshua, come with me," Old Man Neal said, standing up with his cane in hand. Joshua glanced at Cynthia before following his grandfather out of the room and into the adjacent study to discuss matters. Mrs. Neal stayed with Cynthia, chatting about family matters. She mentioned that if Cynthia ever found Joshua to be a worthy lifelong partner, their family would always welcome her back. Cynthia felt warmth in this family. It was like the cozy days she had experienced before her mother passed away. Half an hour later, Joshua returned from his conversation with Old Man Neal. Joshua appeared unchanged, but Old Man Neal looked somber and visibly unhappy. Old Man Neal snapped and his emotions were crumbling, "Get out of here! Don't make a scene. You have one month left to take good care of Cynthia. If she suffers any grievances, I'll give all your money to her!" With his exceptional demeanor, Joshua replied, "Understood." As the two were about to leave, Mrs. Neal Senior suddenly s
"Okay," Cynthia agreed before hanging up the call and sending him the time and place via WhatsApp. Just as she finished sending the message, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by Joshua's voice. "Open up. I need to talk to you." Cynthia tossed her phone on the bed, walked over to open the door, and spoke without the gentleness she once had, only displaying indifference and detachment. "What is it?" Joshua handed her his phone. "Grandpa wants to talk to you. He said he couldn't reach you because you were on a call." Cynthia paused, guessing it might be because she had just been on the phone with Mitchell. She took Joshua's phone, and her voice softened, "Grandpa." "I hope I'm not disturbing you by calling so late," he said. "No, not at all." "I just remembered that I forgot to tell you when you left earlier that the unfinished chess game you left for me last time, I still haven't solved it..." The two of them chatted on the phone. Joshua did not bother listenin
"Alright," Mitchell agreed, always ready to fulfill Cynthia's requests. Cynthia continued eating but could not help thinking about what was Joshua doing here? On the other side, Joshua was pondering the same question. After joining Chyler and Yiordan in their private dining room, his mind was filled with the scene he had witnessed when he opened the door. Why were they sitting so close at such a large table? "What are you thinking about?" Chyler Young asked playfully, his eyes never losing their amusement. "You said you had something to discuss with us, so why are you so quiet now?" "It's nothing," Joshua replied without elaborating. Chyler and Yiordan exchanged glances. The former was always eager to stir up trouble. "I heard that Mitchell has been a virtuous man for the past twenty-eight years, never getting too close to any woman. It seems the rumors might be false after all." "Hmm." Yiordan casually sipped his wine. Joshua felt annoyed every time he heard Mitchell
He had wanted to agree. Cynthia did not want him to interfere in her divorce, but seeing her being bullied, he had to help her as her friend. Moreover, Mr. Yates had sent him here to let Joshua know that Cynthia had someone supporting her. "Anything is fine with me." Cynthia misunderstood the look in Mitchell's eyes for the first time, thinking he was on Chyler's side. "Alright," Mitchell agreed. Chyler's eyes became even more amused and then left after exchanging some pleasantries. Only after the door closed did Cynthia speak to Mitchell, as rational as ever, "Just interact with them as you usually do, don't worry about me being there." "Okay." Mitchell did not bother explaining. That worked out well. When they met with Joshua later, he would not have to be overly polite. Chyler returned with a grin, standing outside the private room door, and raised an eyebrow at Joshua. "He declined to share a table, not wanting us to disturb their meal." Joshua's eyes deepened, and
"It seems that Mitchell and Cynthia have a good relationship," Chyler observed, trying to probe further. "Yes, we've known each other for a long time. Our relationship has always been very good," Mitchell admitted, not hiding the truth. Chyler whispered something into Joshua's ear, so softly it was barely audible. "It seems they're just friends. They would have been together long ago if there were any feelings between them. Why wait until now?" "Get lost," Joshua muttered, irritated. Cynthia was never one to suffer alone; she would make sure whoever wronged her felt uncomfortable too. She turned her gaze to the usually quiet Yiordan, greeted him, and then said, "Yiordan, I think you're a man with a strong moral compass, someone worth entrusting my life to." Everyone present had no idea what she was doing. "What do you mean?" Yiordan instinctively looked toward Joshua, who did not look too pleased. Cynthia brought up the past, insinuating something. "I watched the realit
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