"Sounds good," Joshua's voice was slightly hoarse as he uttered before downing his alcohol.The thought of having a child with Cynthia as a bond crossed his mind, but he dismissed it almost immediately. It was probably better this way. Even if he and Cynthia had a child, it would not change their current situation. It might only ruin Cynthia's future romantic relationship."Enjoy your drinks. I'll head back first." Joshua placed his glass on the table and stood up, not having consumed enough to become intoxicated. "Yiordan is also in Jiverton. I'll get him over to keep you company.""No need," Chyler replied, not really in the mood for more drinks.Joshua simply nodded before leaving. Chyler felt that Joshua was off. He messaged Yoel, inquiring about Joshua's situation. In less than two months, he felt like Joshua had changed entirely.Yoel's response was professional. After all, he would not casually share with others Joshua's matters, not even with Joshua's closest friends
Was he… that hateful? Yoel did not think too much about it as he replied, "She's just moving. What does it have to do with you? Maybe Ms. Yates plans to live with Matthew, so she moved."Joshua stayed silent. He did not know what Cynthia was thinking or understand her true reason for moving. However, just the thought that she might have moved to avoid him, knowing he knew where she used to live and wanting to avoid any possible disturbance from him, weighed on his heart. "If you want to know the reason, I can find out for you," Yoel offered, not wanting to see Joshua sad."No need. It's not important," Joshua declined.What really mattered was that it would affect him alone.He was unimportant. Yoel did not reply but decided to inquire and get to the bottom of it. Without knowing the truth, this issue would become a thorn lodged in Joshua's heart, causing pain for a long time to come. What if it was a misunderstanding? Then all this anguish would be for nothing. Yoel was
Sean had arrived two minutes past ten.Yoel led him upstairs to the study to meet Joshua. On the way there, the nosy Sean could not help but ask, "Did he experience something triggering today? Why would he ask me to come and help him?"Sean thought Joshua's sudden willingness was puzzling. After all, he had tried to advise Joshua before, but it did not work, no matter how he tried. "Mr. Neal seems to have had a change of heart," Yoel replied without going into detail. He did not know what Joshua and Chyler had discussed, but he had heard Joshua mention the move during their car ride. As for the rest, he remained clueless."I hope so," Sean expressed concern for Joshua's situation.Yoel did not say much more, leading Sean to the study. After ushering him in, he closed the door behind them, giving them the privacy they needed.Joshua, as usual, appeared detached.Sean did not rush into hypnosis immediately, instead opting to sit across from him on the couch and engage in convers
Sean felt it necessary to have a serious talk with Joshua. He told Yoel, "Go back and rest for now. Don't let him work for the next few days. I'll handle the psychological aspect."Yoel hesitated for a moment. He really wanted to say that it would not make much difference as Joshua always acted according to his own will, and even Felix and Daphne could not sway him. Nonetheless, he could not say that, as Sean seemed determined to take a tougher approach with Joshua."Okay," Yoel agreed, adding a precautionary statement, "If there's anything you can't resolve, call me. I'll come over promptly."Sean nodded, and he spent the night at Joshua's villa.The next day, Joshua did not say anything when he saw Sean. After taking a few sips of water, he finally said, "You can leave now.""No rush."Joshua was puzzled by the reply.Sean sat on the couch and placed Joshua's medical report on the table, saying, "There's something I need to discuss with you. Take a look at this." Thinking
In reality, Joshua was afraid. He feared Sean would tell Cynthia about his situation and share his issues with her. After all, he genuinely did not want to disrupt her life any further."Matthew won't beat me. Let's start with today's breakfast. If you don't start taking care of yourself and rest properly, I'll tell her about your situation," Sean replied confidently, trying to maintain his authority."Sean!" Joshua was starting to get angry.Sean calmly met his gaze, naturally assertive due to his background as the former heir of a powerful family. However, there was a certain uneasiness within him due to his own guilty conscience.Sean tried a different approach in their conversation. "I know what you're thinking, and I understand that you don't want to trouble Cynthia with your issues. But if you keep going on like this, your parents will eventually find out. They'll ask Cynthia to persuade you to take care of yourself."Joshua's eyes grew colder. He was certain that his pare
The moment Joshua left, Sean took out his phone and called Cynthia, putting it on speakerphone and letting the ringing echo in the empty living room."When do you think she'll answer the call?" Sean asked calmly.Joshua stopped in his tracks. The ringing continued, and Sean stayed silent, believing that Joshua would make the right choice.On the sixth ring, Cynthia answered, and Joshua froze. Cynthia's voice, as usual, was aloof, indicating her distant relationship with Sean. "What is it?""I need your help with setting up a security system. It has to be better than what the Neal Group can offer, and price doesn't matter," Sean said, giving Joshua an opportunity by not revealing his condition directly to Cynthia."Not interested," Cynthia firmly declined. How could he shamelessly mention the Neal Group? If it were not for his recklessness, she would not have had so much involvement with Joshua. They would have had much fewer entanglements from the beginning.After that, Cyn
"Why are you hitting me? Afraid I'll mess things up for you? You can rest assured about that. If I start faking it from the beginning, K won't be able to detect it," Sean continued provoking him, aiming to bring out all Joshua's emotions.Joshua's fist tightened. "If you dare to mess around, I'll make sure you and Yves end up in ruins.""You're that angry?" Sean asked him.Joshua's gaze was as sharp as a dagger, and he radiated a dangerous aura."If you don't want me to tell her these things… Start eating properly, accept hypnosis and counseling, and I promise not to say a word to her," Sean redirected the conversation to the main issue.Joshua did not say anything. Instead, he went to eat breakfast on the table. Sean only felt relieved when Joshua finished his breakfast.After that, Joshua approached him and said in his usual indifferent tone, "Come with me to the backyard. I need some martial arts guidance."Sean was surprised. Did he really have to be this stubborn?Even
"I'm worried..." Daphne was really concerned. Felix, who had always taken a more hands-off approach with their children, suggested, "I'll talk to him tonight. If there's anything unusual, I'll let you know, alright?"Daphne did not have any other options, so she reluctantly agreed. As the saying goes, a mother knows her child best. Even though they did not chat frequently after Joshua grew up, Daphne still understood her son well, and she knew he was not in the right state for the past two months.After returning to the company, Yoel reported this to Joshua and sent his parents the fake medical report.Joshua responded to his message but did not delve further. The reason was simple: Sean had prescribed medication for him."One pill a day. Finish these, and then come get more. If you don't eat properly, I'll do what I mentioned earlier," Sean reminded Joshua, only giving him one bottle of pills."You can leave now.""Don't forget to take the medicine."Joshua did not resp
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