"Then why do you keep acting recklessly?" Cynthia could not understand why he was doing it.Joshua did not answer her question. He stubbornly asked, "If I had been killed by that person just now, would you have felt sorry for me?"Cynthia hesitated, unsure why he suddenly asked such a question. "I would never let anything happen to you while I'm around. If I couldn't defuse the danger, I would at least stabilize the situation," she replied, avoiding a direct answer.Her silence told Joshua that she was confident in dealing with those people. Frustration began to well up in his eyes.Not noticing his emotional turmoil, Cynthia discarded the rope and looked at him."I found you, so come back with me.""The game isn't over yet," Joshua said in a deeper voice.Confused, Cynthia asked, "What game?"Joshua stood up, acting somewhat unpredictably. "You have to choose between agreeing to date me or taking my life. Until you make your choice, the game isn't over.""Why?" Cynthia aske
"I know I deceived and lied to you, and I admit that. But I did all that because I was terrified of losing you, afraid that I wouldn't have your attention and care." Joshua let down his guard, allowing Cynthia to understand him fully.Out of fear, he had acted desperately, putting on a performance just to please her. He would pretend to be whoever she liked, fearing that she might reject him. He dreaded her dismissing the present him because of the past Joshua. He feared others intruding into her world, causing her to ignore him completely."Cynthia, make a choice." Joshua smiled gently,He acknowledged his weakness. Before being rejected, he believed that he had a chance as long as he tried hard enough, just like Matthew next door. However, after receiving such an unequivocal and instant rejection, he became fearful and understood that he had two choices: force her to be with him at the risk of his own life or let her drift further away from him, perhaps leaving him forever.Cyn
"My name is Josiah Neal, and it rhymes with your name, Cynthia," Joshua introduced himself to Cynthia, changing his name.Cynthia was taken aback.Joshua had intended to stop there, but he could not hold back. He walked over and embraced Cynthia, leaning his chin on her shoulder. "If you don't remember me, then no one will know I ever existed in this world."Cynthia hesitated, but eventually, she slowly embraced him.Feeling his body tense, she reassured him, "I will remember. Josiah rhymes with Cynthia."Joshua's heart was filled with warmth, and all those extreme thoughts and behaviors disappeared at that moment. He used to think that he wanted all of Cynthia to belong to him, but now he realized that as long as she remembered him, he only needed one embrace, a hug exclusively for him."Come back with me." Cynthia released him from the embrace. "I'll take you out and show you beautiful places and fun things.""No need. To me, you're the most beautiful scenery in this world and
Joshua struggled, holding his increasingly painful chest. They stood at the warehouse door when he said to her, "I'll die. When Sean treats me again, that's when I'll disappear."Joshua did not know how much time he had left, but he was confident he would not live forever. If Cynthia agreed to be with him, he would never accept Sean's treatment again and just be with Cynthia for the rest of his life. However, Cynthia did not like him; in that case, he saw no need to fight. He could not bear to watch Cynthia be with someone else, and he definitely could not live after she rejected him.Suddenly, Joshua froze."Or are you trying so hard to save me because you don't want him to die?"A whirlwind of emotions stirred within Joshua at the thought of this possibility."I want both of you to be safe. I don't want either of you to die, and I don't want anything bad to happen to either of you," Cynthia answered sincerely. Josiah had never done anything to harm her, and even his actions
"Yes." Cynthia did not hide it from him.Joshua remained silent, knowing where he belonged. However, he could not help feeling reluctant.Reluctant to leave Cynthia.Reluctant to disappear.Reluctant to let go.During the rest of the journey, neither Joshua nor Cynthia spoke. The bodyguard took them to the hospital as quickly as possible.While Joshua received medical treatment, Cynthia received a message from Matthew asking where she was, to which she told him the whole story.Half an hour later, Matthew arrived at the hospital. Cynthia was waiting for Joshua in the corridor when she saw him. "Captain..."Matthew quickly approached her, glancing at the closed door. He asked concernedly, "Why are you at the hospital?"Cynthia explained the whole situation. She was not one to rely on others, but she did not know what to do. Josiah was innocent, and so was Joshua. Ultimately, only one persona could control their shared body."He probably isn't a new persona," Matthew said
If Cynthia were unaware of his feelings, his chance would be very slim."In that case, I'll return it to you. I shouldn't be using her stuff," Cynthia said, feeling a bit guilty.Matthew smiled, amused. "There's nothing wrong with that. She said you can use her things freely, including her future boyfriend."Cynthia was at a loss for words.Matthew's smile deepened, and he even wanted to reach out and pinch her face.After a while, the door opened, and the doctor came out to tell them, "The wound has been dressed. Remember to change the dressing every day and keep it dry.""Okay, thank you," Cynthia politely replied. Joshua also came out. His wound had been stitched up, and he seemed fine apart from looking a bit pale. He was initially happy to see Cynthia, but he noticed the scarf around her neck. After taking a couple more steps, he saw Matthew.All the joy in Joshua's eyes faded away as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Did Cynthia call him here?The d
During the drive back home, Matthew could not stop thinking about it. He had driven this car many times before, mostly other sedans, and there were only a few occasions when Cynthia was present. What could make her care so much about this car? That thought led Matthew to recall the incident at the Tanz mansion...One hour later, Matthew brought them home and took the folder of documents with him. Considering that Joshua had not eaten lunch, Cynthia insisted he eat before resting.At half past three in the afternoon, Joshua reluctantly went to sleep at Cynthia's urging while she went to the study to discuss Joshua's condition with Matthew. She knew that Sean might not have told her the whole truth, as he could use anything against her with Joshua's agreement. Hence, she hoped Matthew's information would be more reliable.After closing the door, Cynthia asked, "Matthew, what did you mean when you said Joshua isn't a new personality?"Matthew responded calmly, "Let's not rush int
"I'll help you.""Captain…""Hmm?" Cynthia wanted to agree to Matthew's proposal, but Cynthia did not know how to say them. No one had confessed to her so formally before, and she did not know how to respond. Seeing her struggle to find the right words, Matthew decided to lighten the mood. "If you don't answer now, I'll take it as a yes. From this moment on, you're officially my girlfriend.""Huh?" Cynthia seemed a little dazed."Hmm?" Matthew's smile grew wider, and he playfully flicked her forehead. "Do you feel like you're at a disadvantage?"Cynthia's eyes flickered, and she replied with a straight face, "Maybe a little.""Hmm?""Other people get flowers or something during a confession.""And don't you have them?" Matthew asked.Cynthia was confused as she certainly did not.Matthew calmly looked at her and said, "Well, you said I don't look old for my age, and men aged like fine wine. So, I'm your gift."Cynthia had fallen into his trap again, and she quickly
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