She had one more condition than Joshua—not disclosing her identity, family background, and past circle of friends to him. She simply wanted to be an ordinary Cynthia Yates, to which Joshua agreed. Then, they signed the agreement and obtained the marriage certificate."Isn't 200 million dollars a good enough proof?" Natalie's tone was sarcastic."Don't talk nonsense." Hank's temper flared up instantly. Just because the younger generation might not retort, it did not mean he could not. "Do you really think Cynthia is as scheming as your kids? If you sprout any more nonsense, don't blame me for chasing you out."The two were at a loss for words, so they could only glare at Cynthia. Cynthia calmly met their gaze, effortlessly asserting her dominance as she said straightforwardly, understanding that her identity was the most direct way to deal with the situation. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Cynthia Yates. My dad is the chairman of the Yates Group, and my grandfather is the cha
"Sorry. We were wrong to make accusations without knowing the truth. Please forgive us," the two finally spoke, their words tinged with remorse."You also defamed Matthew. Apologize to him," Cynthia said, only concerned about Matthew.Despite their mounting frustration, they could not let it show. Suppressing their displeasure and grievances, they uttered, "We're sorry. Please forgive us.""When someone wrongly accuses you and tarnishes your reputation, would you forgive them just because they say sorry?" Hank's voice was cold as he backed the two young ones. "From now on, don't bother visiting us for any reason. We can't stand the sight of you.""Hank, how could you say that?!""Hank!"Natalie and Joanna both expressed their discontent. They had come this time because they heard Matthew was dating a woman who had been married before and intended to give some advice (or perhaps criticism). After all, the Quier family was a prestigious household, and they could not just let anyone
Cynthia knew there would be concerns about such matters in many families.Tracy genuinely did not mind and shared a heartfelt sentiment with her, "Why would we care? If you had a child, Uncle Hank and I might think twice about it.""Why?" Matthew was curious. Tracy replied, "Well, I have to make sure whether your interest in Cynthia is just a momentary impulse or genuine affection."Even though Matthew had grown up, Hank and Tracy believed he was still a kid who could act impulsively for love and let emotions cloud his judgment.If it was just a passing fancy, a fleeting impulse, he might start to care about Cynthia's past when the interest fades. A girl who had gone through an unhappy marriage might find it difficult to bear another failed one. Hence, she had to consider that for Cynthia's sake."Have you ever seen a momentary impulse last for several years without interruption?" Matthew teased.Tracy was stunned. Matthew was right...He had liked Cynthia for so many years, a
"Captain?" Cynthia looked a bit puzzled, wondering why he came to her room.Matthew stepped inside and closed the door, his gaze falling on the envelope in her hand. Smiling, he asked, "What's in the envelope? Show me.""No way!" Cynthia quickly moved the envelope behind her back.Step by step, Matthew approached her, and Cynthia kept retreating. However, her back was against the wall before she knew it.Matthew slightly leaned in, narrowing the distance between them. "What are you hiding from me?" "I'm not telling you.""Are you sure?""Absolutely.""You know I can easily snatch it from you," Matthew stated a somewhat harsh reality, grinning. "Are you sure you won't show me?"Cynthia could not argue against that. After all, Matthew was taller, stronger, and more agile; she had no chance."No, I won't show you. If you try to take it, I'll be mad. I won't talk to you for three days," Cynthia reasoned, though she felt a bit uncertain."Is that a threat?" Matthew chuckled.Cy
Was it that obvious?"They didn't tell you?" Matthew teased, pinching her cheek. He could not help but wonder why he did not notice earlier that she was scheming something."I didn't ask.""Still pretending?""I really didn't ask," Cynthia replied with a serious expression.Matthew chuckled. If they had not been spending so much time together recently, he might have fallen for her act if he did not know she had become quite cunning."I did ask about something else. But Auntie Tracy didn't tell me. She only mentioned that your nickname is related to a girl's name, and it's really easy to guess. Besides that, she didn't say anything," Cynthia admitted, but not fully.Matthew pondered, clearly trying to figure out if she was being genuine or pulling his leg.Cynthia's acting skills were on point now, and she appeared genuinely curious as she asked, "So, what's your nickname?""Are you that curious?""Yes.""I'll tell you on our wedding day.""Captain."Matthew remained silent
"I just wanted to check if your alertness had decreased after some time without training. Seems like you're fine," Matthew said seriously while maintaining his carefree demeanor.Cynthia was a bit baffled, still groggy from being abruptly woken up. Over the past two years, they had not been assigned any missions, so why was he testing her out of the blue?"Go back to sleep. I'll head out." Matthew tried to slip away.Cynthia stopped him. "Wait."Matthew naturally stopped, showing no signs of guilt as he asked, "What is it?""Are you really only here to test my alertness?" Cynthia slowly caught up and began to find the situation strange."Yes.""And there's no other reason?""Nope.""If there is, our marriage will fail," Cynthia threatened. Matthew was surprised. Why would Cynthia say something like that?Cynthia waited for his response."That's not a nice thing to say," Matthew corrected, his mind racing to come up with a cover.Cynthia immediately understood that Matth
The response from the other side came quickly as well. [At least three months.][Matthew: Okay.]Matthew believed three months would be sufficient for him to finalize his proposal plans. As long as Cynthia hinted even slightly that she wanted to marry him, he would immediately set the proposal in motion.After attending to these matters, he messaged the group without Cynthia, asking if they had inquired when Cynthia might want to get married.Almost instantly, Matthew received a reply.[Riley: You can propose anytime.][Matthew: ?][Matthew: What do you mean?]Without hesitation, Riley spilled the beans about Cynthia's ideas, but not entirely.[Riley: I asked her and Gaby about this matter before. From what she said, as long as you propose, she's ready anytime.]Matthew was surprised to read the message and quickly asked, [Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?][Riley: Absolutely sure and certain.]Staring at those words, Matthew toyed with his phone while contemplating.
Matthew glanced at Cynthia, wondering if she was simply asking a question or subtly implying that she had doubts about last night's events."Based on last night, I think we have some work to do," Cynthia stated earnestly.Matthew chuckled. Since they got together, she had questioned his abilities several times, and her skepticism was quite evident."We'll know when we try it. I'm just worried that you might have other objections when the time comes," Matthew responded in an alluring tone.Cynthia was embarrassed, suspecting that Matthew was teasing her. Knowing she could not win an argument with him, she kept her head down and focused on her breakfast.Once she arrived at the office, she replied to Riley's message.Riley immediately called Cynthia and asked, "When you plan to propose, just let us know, and we'll be there in a heartbeat.""Just don't tell Mitchell and the others, but you can tell Jimmy about it," Cynthia reminded Riley as she felt that Mitchell could not be trust