"Why are you so heartless?" Chyler thought Joshua would help him."Leave Ellora alone. If it weren't for Cynthia back then, you might have already gotten rid of Ellora's child. Your presence will only remind her of the past. Ellora doesn't have Cynthia's carefree attitude or her confidence. It's best not to disturb her for her own well-being," Joshua said seriously, no longer joking with him.Chyler wanted to argue, but Joshua was right. He would have gotten rid of that child because he was told the child could harm Ellora's health, regardless of whether it was his. "But I'm still the child's father," Chyler murmured, feeling a bit heavy-hearted."Do you want Ellora to regret not getting rid of the child? If you keep seeing her and causing trouble for her, she might regret her decision," Joshua said. Chyler froze. He could not help but feel sad. Could his presence really cause that much harm?"So, what should I do then?""After the child is born, send her money every month a
"Hmm?""My place is over here," Matthew finally said. Nonetheless, he still respected her opinion and asked, "Is it okay if we stay at my place this time?"Cynthia was surprised but agreed, "Okay." To her, it did not matter where she stayed. After all, it was in the same area and would be convenient for work."By the way, you mentioned that if you won against Chyler, I had to agree to a request. What's your request?" Cynthia decided to discuss this matter first, fearing any complications if left unaddressed.Matthew smiled as he spoke slowly, "I want you to live with me at my place."In truth, even if Cynthia had not agreed to stay at his place, he would not have used this request to make her comply as she had the absolution choice. As long as she was still his, he would listen to her."Just this?" "Mmhmm."Cynthia could not help but wonder why he needed to request such a simple matter."It seems like you're not very satisfied with this request. Do you want me to suggest so
Matthew led her to the third floor, where Cynthia chose the room on the left, and Matthew took the one on the right. Once inside the bedroom, Cynthia went to put her suitcase away.The two bedrooms on the upper floor had ensuite bathrooms and a spacious walk-in closet. After she was done, Cynthia checked the closet.However, as soon as she opened the closet door, she was taken aback by what she saw inside. The closet was filled with clothes and accessories, all clearly belonging to a girl. Cynthia hesitated and pulled away. Just then, Matthew came to her room.Seeing no one there, he walked in and coincidentally caught her coming out of the closet. Their eyes met, and Cynthia was conflicted. Matthew glanced at the closet and asked, "Do you like it? If there's anything you don't like, let me know, and I'll change it.""Captain..." She was unsure if she should ask Matthew about it."What is it?" Matthew sensed that something was bothering her and asked with concern."Ha
Cynthia wondered why she became so sensitive to such matters.Matthew approached her, gently rubbing her head. Then, he asked, "Why are you saying sorry?""I thought..." Cynthia murmured, but she could not finish her sentence. She doubted Matthew's good intentions, which must have hurt him."Are you unhappy because you thought I prepared these for the previous occupant?" Matthew had already guessed it from her reactions. Cynthia meekly nodded, keeping her head down, afraid to look at Matthew.Matthew lightly tapped her head with his hand. "Silly girl."Cynthia was surprised."It seems I need to send you back to the organization for a complete training session so you won't keep overthinking," Matthew said."I'm sorry.""Hmm?""I was wrong.""Saying sorry is not sincere enough. Go to my bedroom and help me unpack, then I'll forgive you," Matthew teased."Huh?" "Go on. Why are you still standing there?"Cynthia quickly turned around and went to do as he asked. She kn
Matthew fell silent, wondering how he should answer Cynthia.He could not simply tell her that he had been preparing for them to live together for many years."Captain.""What's the matter?""Besides me, do you have anyone you like? Even if it's a secret crush?" Cynthia asked, connecting the dots.Matthew replied, "No.""So, you've liked me for four years?" Cynthia made a bold guess.It was unusual to have a connecting door between two separate bedrooms in a single-person house. It seemed unreasonable unless there was a purpose behind it.Matthew smiled and openly admitted, "What's the matter? Are you feeling proud?""So you really liked me four years ago?""Yes.""I'm suddenly a bit worried about the future."Matthew was confused.Worried about the future?Was she not supposed to be happy after finding out he had liked her for so long?"How do you manage to like me and at the same time train me so harshly?" Cynthia was genuinely curious. "You even set traps everywhere
With the idea of proposing to Matthew firmly planted in her mind, Cynthia's thoughts ran wild with all sorts of peculiar and creative ways to do it.Cynthia could not fall asleep even though it was already past her bedtime, still thinking of ways to propose to Matthew. Then, she messaged Riley and Gaby in their group chat to ask if they were awake.Both of them responded immediately, and Cynthia called them."Aren't you supposed to be asleep now?""What's bothering you?" Riley and Gaby knew Cynthia usually slept at ten, and this was unexpected of her. Cynthia hesitated but eventually explained her plan, which stunned Riley and Gaby.Riley was the first to ask, "Are you sure?""Yes." Gaby remained quiet. While she had slept through the previous night, she had seen Matthew's message in the group chat today, mentioning the proposal. Now that Cynthia was also planning to propose, she realized they might overlap.Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Gaby. Instead of competing for
Samantha had never seen this side of Joshua. While he had always been distant, he had never been this icy and cold. Despite being prepared for his arrival, Samantha could not help but feel frightened and tempted to retreat."Ms. Tanz, your bodyguards have already been subdued by ours. It would be best for you to come back with us," Yoel kindly reminded her."Why should I go back with you? I haven't done anything wrong," Samantha retorted.Joshua signaled at Yoel. Yoel immediately took a stack of documents from his briefcase, handing them to Samantha.Feeling a sense of impending doom, Samantha asked, "What is this?""Evidence of your crimes," Joshua stated flatly, his perfectly tailored suit accentuating his handsome features. "We haven't handed it over to the authorities yet because I want to bring you back personally." The current situation between Joshua and Cynthia was, in large part, due to his own actions. However, Samantha's manipulations from behind the scenes also pla
Reluctantly, Sean agreed to Joshua's proposal, realizing that he was in the wrong for using Cynthia to manipulate Joshua. "Everything is ready," Sean replied casually when Joshua asked."Let's begin," Joshua coldly said.Sean opened his medical kit, and took out a pill for Samantha. He maintained a charming demeanor as he presented it to her. "Ms. Tanz, you can choose between taking this pill or receiving an injection."Samantha hesitated, feeling a natural resistance to the options. "What is this?" "It's a pill to put you to sleep for a few hours. Mr. Neal is concerned that you might cause trouble during the trip," Sean explained gently.Samantha glared at Joshua, shouting, "Joshua!""Make your choice.""What if I refuse?" "Sean will put you to sleep. No matter what you choose, in the end, you'll have to face the consequences of your actions," Joshua stated bluntly.Samantha wanted to argue, but looking at Joshua and Sean, she knew it would be useless. Most important
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