"I'll wear the one he prepared, and he'll wear the one I prepared," Cynthia replied, having thought through these matters thoroughly.Kendrick was speechless at her response, as it actually made sense. "When do you plan to propose to him?" Kendrick attempted to probe, intending to let Matthew propose first if possible. "Will you propose as soon as you get the rings, or is it not finalized yet?""No later than the end of May," Cynthia answered.Kendrick nodded. It was May 1st today, a Sunday, and there was a whole month until the end of the month. As long as Matthew moved quickly, he could definitely propose before Cynthia."After you've set the proposal date, let me know. I'll help you prepare." Kendrick intended to discuss this with Matthew later."No need," Cynthia declined.Kendrick was puzzled. "Why?"Cynthia saw through his little schemes and said, "I know what you're thinking, and I won't let you tell Captain.""Am I that kind of person?""You are.""You're hurting my
Cynthia?Matthew was surprised, and he immediately recalled the incident when Kendrick had come to find him. Since Kendrick had gone to see Cynthia that night, could he not believe what he had told him?Matthew dismissed the thought almost instantly. Knowing Cynthia, she would have called him long ago if that were the case."Mr. Quier, do you want us to investigate further?" "No need. You can drop this matter," Matthew replied before hanging up.These were all Matthew's subordinates, and their skills in investigation, counter-surveillance, combat, and marksmanship were top-notch. He toyed with his phone for a moment, then decided to call Kendrick, setting a meeting time.Kendrick did not suspect anything, assuming it was about Matthew wanting his help with proposing to Cynthia. They met at a restaurant, and their conversation was simple at first, exchanging pleasantries and not delving into any particular topic. It was not until the food arrived that Kendrick asked innocent
In truth, Kendrick wanted Matthew to investigate as he hoped Matthew would be aware of Cynthia's proposed plans. However, Matthew respected Cynthia's freedom, and if there were something she did not want him to know, he would not pry. Matthew understood that when the time was right, she would tell him."She won't. I trust her," Matthew spoke with a smile as though deep in love. "That's good," Kendrick said aloud, but he secretly felt helpless about why Matthew was not picking up his signal at this critical moment. If Matthew did not investigate, Cymthia's proposal was practically guaranteed.Kendrick tried his best to give Matthew more hints and added, "By the way, have you decided when you're going to propose to Cyn? Do you need any help?""Not yet." Matthew's response was similar to Cynthia's, but he offered more detail, "Once I have the rings, I'll discuss it with a few of her friends, plan a time to lure her out, and then propose.""I see…" However, Kendrick was still fru
For the rest of the afternoon, the three of them remained engrossed in their respective tasks. Initially, Cynthia was just acting, but she soon worked through the documents Moe had brought. By the time she finished, it was already past six in the evening.Matthew suggested going out for dinner, and Kendrick took the initiative to leave, not wanting to intrude on their alone time. He figured he could catch up with Cynthia later after their meal.Once Kendrick left, the room was left with only Cynthia and Matthew. Despite her inner turmoil, Cynthia maintained a calm facade as she spoke to Matthew, sounding casual, "You didn't have any business dealings here before, so what brought you over?""I didn't have any before, but now I do," Matthew said. It was not entirely a lie, as the Quier Group indeed had some businesses here. "If I hadn't bumped into Ken, I wouldn't have known you were here either."Cynthia changed the topic. "Let's go get dinner.""Sure." Matthew followed her lead, a
"I'm going to buy something. It will just take two minutes," Matthew insisted."But didn't we agree not to work? Why are you still buying it?" Cynthia questioned.Matthew initially looked puzzled, not understanding her meaning. After a moment of contemplation, he connected her unusual reaction and their conversation, and everything became clear."Do you think I'm going in to buy a pack of condoms?" He looked at her with a teasing gleam in his deep eyes.Cynthia remained quiet.Was he not?Matthew gently pinched her soft cheek. "I'm going in to buy sanitary pads. You might need them a little earlier these days. What's with your mind always wandering?"He had checked in the afternoon and noticed that she had not prepared them. A few months ago, it used to be around the 20th. However, it was delayed by a day or two each month, and now it was the 1st.Cynthia put on an earnest expression and bluffed, "That's exactly what I meant. I was thinking of buying them tomorrow.""Wait for
However, Matthew disagreed with her, and he carried her inside the suite. Cynthia's entire body stiffened, feeling a bit apprehensive."Why do you look like I'm going to devour you? Even if you wanted to do something with me, you'd still have to ask if I agree," Matthew teased her, a playful glint in his attractive eyes.Cynthia remained silent, unsure of how to respond to that. It was not as if she really wanted to sleep with him."Finish freshening up and go to sleep early." Matthew stopped teasing her, aware of her shyness. "We'll go out together tomorrow.""I have something to do tomorrow.""The day after then.""I'm busy the day after too.""Little Cyn.""Yeah?""Don't you think you've been neglecting me a bit?" Matthew came closer to her, whispering, "I come to see you, and you kick me out. I ask you to go out with me, and you're saying you're too busy." Cynthia remained quiet, thinking about how to respond. "Or is it that you're planning something behind my back?"
"This is to prevent you from running away and causing trouble for us. We might need you to suffer a little for things to go somewhat smoothly," the stubbled man explained.Someone brought over a rope to tie her up as he said this. Cynthia did not resist, thinking that it was likely that these people would take her to their headquarters. However, she soon noticed how they were tying the knots was somewhat familiar."Rest assured, we won't actually harm you. Just think of it as a real-life escape room game. You'll sleep for a while and wake up when it's over," the stubbled man added."Who are you?" "We can't tell you yet." "Why did you kidnap me?""Just to meet Matthew." Cynthia's gaze turned cold.The stubbled man exchanged a glance with someone beside him, and the person handed her a drink."This will make you fall asleep. When you wake up, everything will be back to normal. You'll be fine, and so will Matthew," the stubbled man explained.Cynthia did not drink it. No
"Mr. Laird... didn't you say not to lay a finger on that girl?" One of the henchmen was confused and asked, "You even said if anyone made her cry or harmed her, they'd face consequences. Why are we planning to interrogate her now?"Matthew would surely make them pay if anything bad happened during the interrogation."It's not a real interrogation, just curiosity," the stubbled man explained, knowing the consequences well.The henchmen hesitated, clearly uncertain. The stubbled man pulled a long face, saying, "What's with those looks? It's like you guys think I'm afraid of him.""We don't think you're afraid. You just lost to him in the special organization's competition.""And lost three times in a row.""Matthew has only participated three times.""The previous champion became a runner-up when Matthew joined. Nothing to fear indeed."The two henchmen exchanged comments back and forth, gradually getting the stubbled man more irritated. Then, he snorted and said, "I'll show yo