"In the adult world, everyone takes what they need." Ellora laughed dryly. "Let's not talk about that. Let's think about where we can go after lunch. I haven't been out in ages."Ellora did not mention that she was forced. Last night, when the man came back, he still had the smell of another woman's perfume and lipstick marks on him. Ellora had refused and resisted, but the man's strength was much greater than hers. She had to give in.Fortunately, the man had been angered by her resistance and had not gone through with it. Otherwise, she would really be afraid it would hurt her unborn child."If you need anything, just tell me. I can help you." Cynthia did not say much, but she did offer to help."As long as you're okay, I'm relieved. If you have trouble with anything after the divorce, remember to tell me. I'll work hard to support you!" Ellora said lightly, her beautiful eyes curved as she smiled."I should be the one saying that to you," Cynthia finally said."What?" Ellora
Ellora's hands and feet turned cold in an instant. She quickly withdrew her hand, and her eyes showed a moment of panic. "Pregnant? How could I possibly be pregnant?" She was surprised at Cynthia's medical knowledge. "How far along are you?" Cynthia saw through Ellora's lie.Ellora could not keep up the pretense any longer, and she lowered her head, admitting, "It's been a few months."Cynthia was skeptical. "And you're still...doing it with him?" She thought Ellora's husband was very unreliable."You can't have sex during the first three months of pregnancy," Cynthia pointed out."We didn't have sex." Ellora blushed. "When he wanted to come in, I angered him and drove him away."Cynthia felt that something was off. Even if it was a marriage of convenience and her husband had a lover, he should not joke around with Ellora and their unborn child.If Ellora could only stop him by angering him, how did he usually treat Ellora?"I suddenly remembered my agent asked me to finis
[I have a feeling that the guy in the picture was the president of the Neal Group… Can I say that?][What a good eye! That's indeed Joshua Neal, the president of the Neal Group. I look at his pictures every night before I go to sleep. Even if you put a mosaic over his eyes, I can still recognize him!][Mr. Neal got married?][Not sure. It seems like he did, but also like he didn't.][I know! It must be someone in Jayleen's circle who saw her getting close to Mr. Neal and was afraid she would be famous, so they started spreading rumors.][You can spread rumors with just a word, but it takes a lot to refute them.]The comments section was bustling.As gossip was typical these days, people were no longer willing to believe everything any accounts said. Without evidence and proof, they would not mindlessly ruin someone's name.However, they did not know that this was true—Jayleen had indeed intervened in Joshua's and Cynthia's relationship, and Joshua had indeed divorced Cynthia be
Cynthia did not speak to him and instead made a phone call in front of them, saying, "Is this the psychiatric hospital? I have a severely mentally ill patient here. Can you come over?""Cynthia!" Joshua stood up and snatched her phone, hanging up the call.This woman never failed to anger him.Cynthia said calmly, "If you're sick, you should seek treatment. Delaying it not only harms yourself but also risks harming others.""Do you think pretending to be crazy can avoid what happened today?" Joshua threw the phone aside and looked down at her."What happened?" Cynthia was not affected by his coldness."Yoel." Joshua's gaze was fixed on her. He never thought her acting skills were so good. "Show it to her."Yoel picked up the tablet, opened Twitter, and handed it over to Cynthia. He believed she was not the one who did it."Ms. Yates, please take a look.""No one except you would do something so childish. I'll make sure you pay for the suffering you caused Jayleen!" Joshu
Someone with such a messy private life would definitely come up with dirty ideas.Cynthia listened as Joshua accused her of orchestrating the trending topic about Jayleen, and she knew he had looked into her whereabouts after seeing Jayleen's name on the trending list. Without wasting any time, Cynthia responded bluntly, "It wasn't me.""Do you really expect me to believe that?" Joshua retorted.Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Joshua, when are you going to use your brain? Why would I spend money to put her on the trending list?"Joshua continued questioning her motives, "You think her appearance ruined…""What do you want me to do?" Cynthia interrupted. She could see that he was a lost cause and could not be bothered to waste any more time arguing with him. He was a complete idiot!"Apologize on Twitter," Joshua ordered, assuming that Cynthia had agreed to his terms. He was getting annoyed and angry. "Then, meet Jayleen and apologize to her until she accepts your apology."Yoel
This was the first time in a while that Cynthia had been so compliant, and Joshua could not help feeling a strange discomfort in the depths of his heart, even though it was the result he had wanted.Once Joshua had left, Yoel gathered the courage to express his thoughts, "Ms. Yates, why did you agree to apologize? Isn't that taking the blame for someone else?""Taking the blame?""Isn't it?""Yes." Cynthia forgave Yoel for what he had done before, adding, "Joshua is convinced that I did it.""Why don't you explain it to Mr. Neal again?" Yoel could not bear to see his idol take the blame. "If you explain it a few more times, Mr. Neal will definitely believe you."Cynthia's gaze fell on him. "Do you believe that?"'No.'Yoel had no doubt that Joshua was acting completely out of character.Cynthia casually pointed in a direction and said, "You can sleep in that room tonight. Handle your own change of clothes."Yoel was confused."Sleep?""Didn't Joshua tell you to keep an eye
Jimmy was relieved after hearing that Cynthia would not genuinely apologize. This was their Cynthia, and they could not stand to see her being mistreated. Cynthia sent the details to Jimmy, and Jimmy was angry to learn that Joshua was a scumbag who had asked Cynthia to help him cover up for his mistress. Jimmy was really angry!He was furious!The result of his anger was that he wrote a sincere apology letter in Cynthia's tone, although he could not help injecting some of his own emotions into it.That evening, while Cynthia and Yoel were still having dinner, Joshua called. Yoel put down his fork and spoon and answered the phone, "Yes, Mr. Neal.""Why haven't she posted the apology statement?" Joshua had already returned to Sovereign Heights and was sitting in the study on the second floor."She's still writing it," Yoel replied. "Does she need a whole afternoon to write it?" Joshua asked."The previous versions weren't good enough, so I had Ms. Yates rewrite them several
When the cold voice suddenly sounded, Yoel's body stiffened.Was it Joshua's voice…The smile on his face had not yet had time to fade, and he heard Joshua speak again."Having a good time watching TV?"Joshua strode over, increasing the pressure in the room.Yoel and Cynthia both looked at him at the same time.Yoel almost instantly stood up and gulped, stuttering, "M-Mr. Neal..."Why did Joshua come here?!Cynthia glanced at him and continued watching, completely unaffected by him.However, this person just came in directly and probably guessed her password, so she should find time to change it."Is the apology statement written?" Joshua's rage was burning inside.Yoel looked at Cynthia. In truth, he did not know if Cynthia had written it or not. After all, she had been upstairs all afternoon."What's the rush? It'll be posted sooner or later," Cynthia answered casually."I want to see it by tomorrow night." Joshua did not know why she could still be so indifferent. "If
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