At that moment, Joshua felt his world crashing. The sight of their interlocked fingers felt painfully glaring to him."Why are you just sitting here and not going up?" Cynthia sensed his emotional fluctuation but did not attribute it to his memory being restored.Joshua could not bring himself to say anything. He slowly stood up. Even though they were only a few steps apart, it felt like a thousand miles between them."Yoel had something to do nearby, so I accompanied him here. You used to be asleep by this time. Why..." Joshua said hoarsely, and he stared at Cynthia's beautiful face. He stopped himself before finishing the sentence.Whatever she wanted to do seemed to have nothing to do with him anymore. He no longer had the right to inquire about her life."I'm out for a walk," Cynthia explained. She was not used to night walks, but Matthew thought she spent too much time at home and barely went out, so he took her for a stroll around the neighborhood.Joshua nodded.Mat
Cynthia was caught off guard by the sudden act of intimacy."Ms. Yates, I'd like to interview you. If everything went back to the beginning, and both Joshua and I confessed to you at the same time, who would you choose?" Matthew said playfully.Cynthia was surprised by his question. She might be a bit slow on the uptake, but she was not completely clueless. "You.""I want to hear the truth.""You.""Really?""Yes.""I won't be upset. Just tell me your honest thoughts," Matthew continued, genuinely curious.Cynthia hesitated.Matthew was not the type to joke about such things, so if he asked, he must really want to know. But…"Are you sure?" She hesitated.Matthew already knew the answer but still casually replied, "Yes."Cynthia answered honestly, "Joshua."Matthew scoffed, obviously annoyed. "You said you wouldn't be upset," Cynthia hurriedly added."Why him?" Matthew was genuinely curious now. "Am I not good enough?"Cynthia was serious as she explained, "You're
Just as Cynthia was about to move away, Matthew held onto her, deepening the kiss.Worried that he might lose control later, Matthew eventually let go after a while. His rough thumb brushed against Cynthia's moistened lips. His voice became hoarse as he said, "That's how you kiss, understand?"Blushing, Cynthia nodded in response."Go wash up and get some sleep. I'll wake you up for breakfast tomorrow," Matthew said, not teasing her anymore.He knew Cynthia's routine and would not easily disrupt it. After all, early to bed and early to rise was the key to good health.Cynthia nodded and added, "You don't have to knock when you come over next time. Just come in.""Okay," Matthew replied.Previously, he had knocked because Shirley was here. It would not have been appropriate to barge in without notice with two girls in the house.Cynthia left his embrace, bid him goodnight, and then went to the bathroom to wash up before sleeping.Matthew calmed himself down before returning to
"After you're done, you should go back to Jiverton first. Dad probably doesn't want to manage the company anymore. You'll act as the interim CEO, and your salary will double," Joshua continued."What about you?" Yoel asked."I'll stay at Nexuria for a while longer… to look after her," Joshua admitted.Even if he could only watch from afar, he wanted to stay a little longer. Yoel knew Joshua meant Cynthia.He wanted to say something but realized it was not the right time.When they reached the entrance of the residential area, Joshua asked Yoel to stop the car. He went to the convenience store to buy some things before entering the complex.Once at home, Joshua told Yoel to go back first."I'll feel better keeping an eye on you here. Your current condition is really worrying," Yoel spoke frankly.Though Joshua hesitated to respond, he did not push Yoel to leave.Concerned about Joshua not eating all day, Yoel prepared some food for him, but Joshua did not touch it. He had n
Joshua's heart throbbed with pain as regret overwhelmed him. Yoel could not bear to see him like this. After a moment of silence, he went to fetch some alcohol and called Yiordan, who was filming in Nexuria.Joshua was in an awful state, and he might ruin his health. Yoel brought the alcohol and some food, knowing that drinking on an empty stomach would make him drunk faster and harm his body. However, Joshua refused everything. "Eat, and I'll tell you something related to Ms. Yates. It concerns you," Yoel resorted to lying to get Joshua to eat."What is it?" "I will tell you if you eat."Although Joshua had no appetite, he wanted to know everything about Cynthia. Amidst the mixed emotions, he forced himself to eat the meal, unaware of the taste. Thoughts of Cynthia consumed his mind."I'm done. You can tell me now," Joshua said, looking at Yoel eagerly.Yoel hesitated. What should he say? That was a lie…Just then, Yiordan arrived, taking off his cap, mask, scarf,
Yiordan brought up his situation to get Joshua to drink with him. Yoel had mentioned that Joshua was in a bad mood and not eating or drinking, so he wanted to cheer him up. Seeing Joshua finish his drink, Yiordan refilled both of their glasses.Yiordan did not say a word as they continued to drink, drinking sip after sip. Joshua had his own troubles and was feeling down, so he did not pay much attention to Yiordan's reaction or what he was doing. If he were in a normal state, Joshua would have realized that Yiordan would simply ignore his problems and not come to drink with him even if he were unhappy.They had already gone through two bottles of alcohol only after a few rounds of drinks. The high alcohol content and its effects were starting to make Joshua slightly tipsy.Yiordan, on the other hand, remained sober. He drank slowly, only taking small sips. He would constantly hold the glass, making it difficult for Joshua to notice.Through this series of events, Yiordan realiz
Yiordan looked at Joshua and pursed his lips, feeling complicated. With no phone in hand, Joshua drank one glass after another until his consciousness completely slipped away.His mind was filled with memories of the happy times he and Cynthia had together when they were newlyweds. They were once so blissful, but he had destroyed it all with his own hands.Yiordan tried to help Joshua up, intending to take him back to his room to rest. However, Joshua grabbed his arm and said, "Give me your phone.""No.""Then call Cynthia for me.""I don't have her number.""I remember her number. I'll tell you.""She's already asleep. Do you want to disturb her?" Yiordan asked.The emotions in Joshua's eyes dimmed instantly, and he stood there for a while before muttering, "No."Yiordan could not describe what he was feeling. Joshua had always had a smooth sailing life, excelling in studies and career, the epitome of a golden child. However, he looked like a pitiful child now.Joshua le
Cynthia was not used to such situations, so she asked Moe to deliver that notice. After the notice was issued, those who had been interested in her got the message and stopped pursuing her. After all, no one wanted to risk losing a good job by pursuing a relationship that might not last a lifetime. Cynthia hesitated and glanced at Matthew with embarrassment. "Can I say I forgot about it?""I am reminding you now," Moe replied earnestly.Cynthia sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. Matthew did not expect this turn of events.Cynthia thought it over seriously and said to Matthew, "Captain, how about you resign and go back to inherit your family business?""Are you chasing me away?" Matthew teased."I'm the boss, and I have to lead by example," Cynthia said, trying to sound serious.Matthew playfully flicked her forehead with his hand. "Leading by example means sacrificing me?"Cynthia pursed her lips, not knowing how to respond.It was indeed a difficult question."Is it
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