Matthew chuckled and playfully pinched her cheek. "You're quite the schemer, aren't you?"Cynthia was even more confused now. What was he talking about?"Is this your way of hinting you want a second round?" Matthew teased.Cynthia's eyes widened in realization, and she immediately retorted, "No, that's not it.""Well, I'm not letting you have another go now. Get up, freshen up, and then we'll have breakfast downstairs." Matthew knew she was embarrassed and effortlessly smoothed over her unease."Okay.""Just 'okay'?""I'll go wash my face and brush my teeth." Cynthia obediently complied.As he watched her hurry off, Matthew adjusted his own state before getting out of bed. The reason he had said that earlier, aside from easing her discomfort, was because he knew how dangerous he could be in the morning.After everything had calmed down, he slipped on his slippers and headed to the bathroom.When Cynthia saw him in the mirror, she felt uneasy again."Little Cyn." Matthew squ
"Okay." Cynthia obediently went over to have breakfast.While they were having breakfast, Cynthia read Jonathan's message, asking what she wanted to eat for lunch. Then, she asked Matthew, "Captain, are you free today?""Yes. What's up?" Matthew replied."I want to take you home to meet my family.""When?""Can we do it later?""Sure."With this, Cynthia replied to Jonathan, [I'm not picky. Just let the servant prepare for one more person. Matthew will be joining me.]When Jonathan saw this message, he immediately froze. He looked at the message Cynthia had sent, handed the phone to Shirley, who was at home, and asked, "What does Cynthia mean by this?""She's bringing Matthew over for a meal.""I know, but I want to know what she means by this."Shirley blinked her eyes and replied, "Dad, are you... overthinking it?""No." Jonathan snorted. Then, he added, "Is she bringing Matthew home to meet me?""I think so.""Don't tell me 'I think so'. Just tell me if she is or isn't
Jonathan was unwilling to let go of both of his daughters at the same time. He wanted to let them go one at a time, giving him some buffer time. "Hmph!" Shirley understood what he meant, and she simply threatened, "I'll go find Cynthia."Jonathan sighed, knowing Shirley was banking on the fact that he would listen to Cynthia."When Mom was alive, Mom was in charge. When Mom passed away, Cynthia had the final say." Shirley understood their family dynamics well, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "But Cynthia loves and cares for me and agrees to all my requests. In other words, I'm in charge now.""Aren't you getting a little full of yourself, huh?" Jonathan felt that Shirley was getting courageous.Shirley slyly smiled while Jonathan pretended to be angry and gave her a stern look. Their playful banter showed their close relationship.As noon approached, Cynthia and Matthew arrived. Shirley was the first to rush into her embrace, followed by a greeting to Matthew. After exchangi
Seeing Matthew's demeanor, Jonathan knew that Cynthia had truly found someone worth entrusting her lifetime to. With this, he felt reassured.After their conversation, they stepped out of the study and found Cynthia standing outside the door. Jonathan exclaimed in surprise, "Cyn?"Matthew was also shocked to find her there.Cynthia appeared calm, saying, "I was just checking to see how your conversation went.""We're done," Jonathan answered. Nevertheless, he knew that Cynthia was just worried that he mistreated Matthew.Cynthia took Matthew's hand and bid farewell to Jonathan. "We're heading back now as we have something to attend to later, but we'll come back to see you soon.""Are you not staying for dinner?""No, we're not." Jonathan did not insist on keeping them longer. After all, they were in the same city and could meet up anytime. Hence, there was no rush.As they left, Cynthia sat in the passenger seat and asked Matthew, "What did my dad talk to you about?"Cynth
Thinking about all this, Cynthia's previously shattered world began to mend little by little. Then, she looked at Matthew and brought up something significant. "When my dad told me about their situation, I asked him why he drowned his sorrows in alcohol when my mom passed away. He said they had been married for decades, and although their love wasn't intense, their companionship was sincere."It was that statement that overturned her previous understanding."They did love each other. Your dad just confused love with habit. As I said earlier, he couldn't admit it was love," Matthew replied, being even more confident now.After all, their situation was complicated. They both had feelings for someone else, yet they were arranged to marry each other. In such a scenario, even if they developed feelings, they would not express them truthfully."I'll find time to talk to your dad," Matthew added, taking on the task willingly. It was often easier for men to discuss such matters with each o
"Come upstairs with me.""Hmm?""Let's have sex," Cynthia said, wanting to seek revenge. Matthew had not anticipated her response. "Now?""Now." Cynthia had already planned to get back at him."Well, I know what you're plotting." Matthew read her like an open book, and he knew what she was up to with just a glance. "You're thinking of teasing me now and leaving me hanging, right?"Cynthia's composure was starting to crumble, wondering how the hell he guessed that.Feeling determined, she walked over and straddled him. "Well, are you letting me?""Of course," Matthew said. Since Cynthia was annoyed, he would let her blow off some steam. Otherwise, it would not be easy to get her back if she stormed off."Well, if you don't mind, we can do it here." Matthew's hands held her waist as he rubbed the base of her spine. "What do you think?"Cynthia stood up and quickly left, not even looking back as she retreated upstairs.At this moment, she realized a crucial thing: Matthew was
Joshua looked at Chyler, asking coldly, "Are you serious?""Dead serious."Chyler was resolute. Joshua stared at the documents in his hand, but his thoughts had drifted far away.Noticing his silence, Chyler urged, "Can you just give a straightforward answer?"After giving it a thought, Joshua replied, "I can agree to your request, but no one else besides us should know about it." Without hesitation, Chyler accepted, "No problem.""Alright.""What's your condition?"Joshua's obsidian eyes gleamed. Chyler pressed for an answer, casually speculating, "You're not going to ask me to break up Cynthia and Matthew, are you?" If that were the case, Chyler definitely would disagree. Not only would Ellora distance herself from him if she found out, but it was also morally wrong to intervene in their relationship. He was resolute about not doing such a thing. After all, he was a father now."Every time you visit Ellora, keep an eye on Cynthia for me. You don't need to pry or que
Chyler read Yoel's message only after ordering the drinks. He replied with an 'okay' and instructed someone to prepare food. However, his request left the staff confused."Mr. Young, we don't serve food here...""Send someone to get something light nearby." Chyler handed over his card and included a tip. The staff member went off immediately.Joshua was puzzled by Chyler's action, and he asked, "Are you here to eat?""I ordered the food for you," Chyler replied straightforwardly. He had also noticed Joshua's worsening condition and added, "Considering the time, you probably haven't had anything yet, so it's better to eat something now so you won't get drunk too easily later.""It's fine," Joshua firmly refused.Chyler simply smiled.Soon, the staff brought the light meal over. When Chyler gave Joshua his food, he did not even spare it a glance. Instead, he started drinking. "Ellora is living very close to Cynthia now, just two doors down. If you finish this meal before drink