"What?""You're being insensitive!" Zayn did not know how to describe his current feelings, but he knew it was a mix of frustration and anger. "Didn't you say you've moved on from him? Why the sudden change of heart?"He had not done anything wrong recently, nor had he upset her. Why the sudden flip? Moreover, everything was fine just a moment ago!"I've never let go of the person I like," Rebecca's gaze met his as she spoke with utmost sincerity."Rebecca Smith!" Zayn angrily called her name, feeling like a fool.He pushed his food aside, speculating, "Did that Lloyd family guy say something to you? Didn't you say he already likes someone else? If that's the case, what's the point of you still liking him?"Even in such a situation, he could not bring himself to scold or accuse her. He was just angry at himself for being unable to keep her. If he had not expressed his feelings to her before and told her he had liked her for so long, would they still be best friends who could talk
Rebecca knew well what it meant to be protected as a 'little sister'. Hence, she had hidden all those feelings that should not have existed."A-Are you telling the truth?" Zayn was at a loss for words."Yes.""You really liked me before?""Yes.""We had a mutual crush?""Yes."Faced with Rebecca's resolute and straightforward answers, Zayn was so overjoyed that he could not find the right words to express himself. He felt like he was in a dream."You're not tricking me, are you?" Zayn pursed his lips, feeling a little conflicted. "You used to tell us that you liked the guy from the Lloyd family a lot.""I acted that way on purpose to make you believe it," Rebecca replied, feeling a bit foolish as she looked back. Sometimes, she quite admired Cynthia's straightforward personality. If she were Cynthia, she would have just confessed her feelings directly. If it worked out, they would be together; if she got rejected, she would move on with her life.That night, Zayn kept bombard
"Don't bring up old stuff.""Get lost now.""Becca...""If you don't move, I'll use force.""Alright!" Zayn immediately complied, obediently saying, "I'll go to the next room. Call me if you need anything."With that, he left. Zayn wanted to boast to Matthew, letting him know that he and Rebecca had been secretly admiring each other since they were young. Meanwhile, Matthew had just returned home and was having dinner with Cynthia. When he received Zayn's message, he simply replied, [If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to say that out loud.][Zayn: I know you're just jealous!][Matthew: What's there to envy about someone who doesn't even dare to confess.][Zayn: Rebecca and I have liked each other since we were young. Based on this, it's enough for you to be jealous.] Matthew looked at Zayn's message and tapped his phone. Instead of replying, he put his phone aside and focused on finishing his meal. After dinner, he went upstairs with Cynthia.Seeing him take out the
Cynthia held onto her phone tightly, attempting to reason with him, "The phone is my personal belonging. You can't just casually look through it.""I'm also your personal belonging. Have you been chatting with others about me behind my back?" Matthew approached her.Cynthia remained quiet, caught in a dilemma.Matthew seized the opportunity and asked, "Have you?""No.""Really?""Yeah..." Cynthia did not sound convincing. Matthew smiled, looking attractive as he teased, "Then swear that if the conversation you're having right now is about me, I'll have erectile dysfunction for the rest of my life."Cynthia's eyes widened. "Isn't that a little extreme?""Are you afraid?""Aren't you afraid I might be chatting about you, and then you'll truly have erectile dysfunction because of the oath?""No problem. If it really happens, I won't be the only one unhappy in bed," Matthew replied."Aren't you going to suffer more in this?" "Well, I don't mind it," Matthew said, awaiting
Cynthia had to change the subject, saying, "Let's talk about this matter after we're married.""Answer now, and I'll let you go chat with them." Matthew made it clear he wanted an answer."You're impossible.""Mmhmm.""Such a brat.""You could put it that way.""You don't keep your promises.""True."Cynthia was exasperated. Obviously, the conversation was not going anyway.Seeing her looking somewhat annoyed, Matthew smiled faintly and asked, "Have you figured out your choice?""I choose option three. You can do it yourself." Cynthia's mind worked quickly, and while saying the second half of the sentence, she started to make her escape.With that, she slipped out of his embrace, but Matthew easily caught her again.Cynthia slipped away again.In a matter of seconds, they had gone back and forth several times.In the end, Matthew decided to go easy, allowing her to slip from his grasp. Even if Cynthia's reactions were lightning-fast, she could not escape him.Watching Cy
"I can only think of a reason why Captain is here and ask you to keep a secret." Cynthia was instantly alert.Ellora asked, "What is it?"Matthew, however, was no longer composed. He was well aware that Cynthia had probably figured it out."Proposal." Cynthia's gaze fixed on Ellora, observing her reactions. "Am I right?"She did not stare at Matthew because she knew how skilled he was at acting, and trying to detect any flaw on his face was unlikely.Unfortunately, she forgot one thing.Ellora was an actress.A very talented actress, at that.Upon hearing Cynthia's words, though she was taken aback, Ellora only offered a smile, staying silent. Cynthia was stunned, wondering if she had guessed it wrong. "Do you want me to propose to you that badly?" Matthew was relieved that Ellora did not give anything away.Cynthia stayed quiet, still thinking if her guess was wrong, as her gaze shifted between the two of them. If it was not a proposal, then what was it?"I'll take you t
Seeing that Chyler was not replying to his message despite waiting for quite some time, Joshua sent another question mark to him. He knew that Chyler was going to see Ellora today, so he kept his phone in front of him, waiting for a response. Moreover, any news about Cynthia would be considered 'bad news'. After waiting for a while longer, there was still no reply from Chyler. Hence, Joshua thought of putting his phone aside and focusing on work. However, thoughts of Cynthia consumed his mind, and without a response from Chyler, he could not concentrate on his work.When Yoel visited Joshua, he saw him distracted and immediately knew it must be related to Cynthia. "Mr. Neal, there's a project on the 12th at Jiverton that needs you to handle personally. Should I reschedule it for you?" Yoel reported the work-related matter.Jiverton was a place filled with various complex emotions for Joshua. Everything good and bad had happened there. Although Joshua had been sleeping well lately
As for the remaining two, their interaction felt natural. After Cynthia left, Chyler folded baby clothes while chatting with Ellora, "I bought some clothes and daily necessities for Julie. Will you accept them?""Okay.""I also bought something for you...""No need." Ellora's refusal was straightforward. She accepted the things he got for Juliette only because Juliette was his daughter. As her father, he had the right to provide for her. However, their personal relationship was over, and there was no need for gifts.Chyler had already anticipated this outcome but still felt slightly disappointed. He was relieved he had not taken out the gifts yet."Julie won't wake up for a while; you can go about your own business." Ellora did not want to spend too much time alone with him and continued, "I'll let you know when she wakes up.""It's fine. I'll wait."Ellora was helpless but had no other way to ask him to leave. Chyler wanted to ask Ellora something, yet he could not find the r
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