Moreover, if Kendrick were to truly step down from his position at the Yates Group, he would not be able to use company matters as an excuse to avoid arranged dates set up by his parents."Let's forget it then. I can't bear to see my beloved cousin working so hard. You should focus on your relationship with Matthew. Besides, I promised to help you manage things for a few more years, and I don't want to break that promise," Kendrick stated.Cynthia knew he was looking for excuses, but she genuinely wished Kendrick had the freedom to date rather than go through the exhausting cycle of blind dates."I can talk to Uncle and Auntie about it, but you have to agree to two conditions," Cynthia offered."Tell me!" Kendrick's mood instantly brightened.Cynthia uttered, "First, you need to interact with that girl from earlier normally. Don't let your worries get in the way just because you met through a blind date.""No problem," Kendrick readily agreed."Second, help me with something nex
"I can't persuade you otherwise?" Kendrick asked, testing the waters."It's already set. All the arrangements are in place, and postponing would be quite inconvenient," Cynthia explained, not worried about sharing this with him.Kendrick hesitated. If he really did not help, Cynthia would likely go to Shirley. Shirley was quite close to Cynthia and had a soft spot for her. If she found out about Cynthia's proposal plans, she would definitely support her. Moreover, she might even spill the beans about Matthew's plans."Let me make a call," Kendrick said, acting convincingly. Remembering his earlier slip of the tongue, he deliberately added more details. "If my friend's team has enough people, I'll come and help you.""Alright." Cynthia nodded.Kendrick immediately pretended to make a call nearby. While he appeared to be engrossed in a conversation, his mind was racing, debating whether he should reveal a bit of Cynthia's proposal plan to Matthew. After five minutes of internal stru
"Mmhmm.""You didn't talk about anything else?""No.""Really?" Matthew deliberately sounded casual.However, it was precisely this tone and laid-back attitude that made Cynthia's heart skip a beat. Had… Matthew discovered something?"Why did I hear you discussing other matters with him? Were you actually talking to him when you used the phone in the restroom before?" Matthew lied.Just from her expression, he could tell that Kendrick's sudden refusal to help had something to do with Cynthia. What could be so important that Kendrick would decline involvement in helping his beloved cousin's proposal?"Come on, spill it. What did you talk about?" Matthew inquired further.Cynthia felt like a lamb awaiting its slaughter, utterly defenseless in front of this big bad wolf named Matthew. Her mind raced, and she replied, "It's nothing.""Hmm?""Really, it's nothing," Cynthia emphasized once more.Matthew rapidly considered all possibilities, finally fixating on one thing, "Are yo
Cynthia let out a slight sigh, her mood growing heavier. "He hasn't told his family about his girlfriend. My aunt and the others think he's still single and push him into going on blind dates. He managed to decline the previous ones but couldn't escape this time.""Why hasn't he told his family?""Their relationship is quite complicated, and I don't have all the details. He just told me about it and asked me to keep it a secret. If he fails this proposal, don't bring it up to him. He doesn't want anyone to know."Cynthia just said it was complicated for the parts she could not come up with an explanation for. Observing her serious expression, Matthew believed her. After all, he did see Kendrick with Cynthia during their time abroad."Are you disappointed now?" Cynthia suddenly blurted out. She could not outmatch Matthew in terms of power, but she had improved over this period. One had to strike at the other's emotions when facing a certain defeat. However, Cynthia did not reali
Looking at the message, Matthew set his phone aside and began preparing for bed. As for why they were sleeping in separate rooms... Well, those in the know understood.After finishing her nightly routine and lying in bed, Cynthia still felt anxious. To release some of the built-up pressure, she told Gaby and Riley about the situation. Upon hearing that she had told a massive lie in front of Matthew, both Gaby and Riley responded with admiration.[Riley: Captain would have noticed something was off if this were any other matters.][Gaby: Absolutely! Your plot is full of loopholes.][Gaby: Seems like men are dumber in front of the person they like.][Cynthia: ?]Cynthia was a bit confused. She knew there were loopholes, but she did not quite understand why there were so many.[Riley: You should have worded it differently. You could have done it more convincingly.][Cynthia: What do you mean?][Gaby: You could've said that the girl Kendrick secretly liked had returned. She asked
On that evening, Joshua and Yoel arrived at Jiverton.Joshua could not describe his complex emotions, returning after several months. "Mr. Neal, you said you wanted me to handle the collaboration negotiation. Why did you come along?" Yoel asked when they arrived at the hotel.Joshua responded in a detached tone, "I have another matter to attend to.""What is it?" Yoel asked, curious.Joshua remained silent for a while, standing by the window and gazing at the constant flow of vehicles and the illuminated buildings outside. Finally, he softly replied with a heavy heart, "Something very important."Yoel quickly understood. Whatever could be considered 'very important' to Joshua had to be related to Cynthia. "Ms. Yates...""You should rest early. Handle tomorrow's collaboration according to the plan we discussed earlier. If the other party doesn't back down, we'll abandon the project." Joshua changed the subject, clearly avoiding discussing the matter further."We won't give in
"Got it." Joshua's gaze darkened slightly, his heart unconsciously tightening.Chyler wanted to tease him. "That's it?""Thank you.""That's all?"Joshua glared at Chyler, obviously hinting at Chyler to just say what was on his mind as he did not want to guess."I want you to handle the project your company won.""I'll talk to Yoel tomorrow, and he'll make the arrangements.""After I go back, I want to get some wine from your cellar.""Sure.""And I want those limited edition cars in your garage.""Except for the black one, take your pick."Chyler was puzzled. He truly felt that Joshua had changed.Since when was he so generous? "But I want the black one." "That's the one Cynthia and I bought together. I can't give it to you," Joshua explained straightforwardly.Chyler wanted to say more, but ultimately, he gave up.Fine. Whatever.He did not believe Joshua could stay like this forever."There's something I need to remind you—The Neal Group needs an heir. As the Pre
Yoel started to worry. He initially thought Joshua wanted to replace him with someone else because he was inefficient. Ignoring the late hour, he grabbed his phone and went to find Joshua.Seeing him approach, Joshua remained indifferent, simply motioning Yoel to come in and take a seat."Mr. Neal..." Yoel's heart was pounding as he still wished to stay at the Neal Group. "If you think I have shortcomings in my work, you can tell me directly. If you're unsatisfied with anything, you can also tell me."Was Joshua planning to replace him by hiring two new assistants? Joshua was somewhat puzzled. "What do you mean?""I saw the messages you just sent me," Yoel said straightforwardly.Joshua did not dwell on how broad the topic had become, giving a detached response. "Right. What's your take on it?""I currently have no plans to find a partner. I can continue to fulfill the role of your personal assistant, just like before," Yoel expressed."You're not that young anymore," Joshua s
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