Cynthia was not a fan of this kind of outfit. After all, high heels and dresses were quite impractical for a fight. "But..." Riley scanned her from head to toe and raised a practical concern, "With your sophisticated makeup and hairstyle, won't they get messed up when you put on the costume later?"The makeup might not be a big issue as long as there was no smudging, but that fringe would definitely get messy."It's fine. I'm dressing like this just to show Captain that I value him," Cynthia adjusted her fringe, not having worn this hairstyle for a while and feeling a bit uncomfortable with it.Nonetheless, Cynthia knew the importance of dressing appropriately for the occasion. Since it was a proposal, she was going all out to show her sincerity."Tsk tsk. Showing off your love, I see," Riley teased with a knowing grin and then checked her watch. "According to the time we arranged with Captain, he'll be at the designated spot in about half an hour. Should we head over now?""Let
This statement left Matthew perplexed, as this step was not part of his planned proposal process. Who thought of this? Nonetheless, as instructed, he closed his eyes and began counting, "One."Cynthia immediately let out a sigh of relief. After signaling to someone in the shadows, she swiftly removed her mask and the monkey suit. She adjusted her fringe just before Jimmy handed her the roses.Matthew's hearing had always been keen, and he distinctly heard the rustling sounds around him and the footsteps of a second person. When Jimmy was about to sneak away with the monkey suit, a word slipped from Matthew's mouth, "Ten."Cynthia, Jimmy, and the people in the shadows were all taken aback.No one had expected this outcome! "Wait!" Cynthia quickly stopped him from opening his eyes, but in her haste, she forgot that the voice modulation was removed along with the monkey suit. At that moment, her natural voice was completely exposed. As soon as Matthew heard Cynthia's voice, he
"Cynthia Yates, will you marry me?" Matthew asked the final question.At this moment, the fireworks reached their most stunning peak, painting a dreamlike scene in the sky. The surrounding crowd cheered and chanted."Marry him!""Marry him!""Marry him!"The voices of the onlookers rose in a chorus. Against the backdrop of the fireworks, Cynthia's lips parted with anticipation as she uttered, "Yes."Matthew gently slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed the back of her hand tenderly."It's official!""Captain, let's celebrate with dinner!""Riley George, Gaby Johnsons, Jimmy Barnes!" Alex approached, calling out their full names. "You three traitors!"Riley lifted her gaze to confront him, "How are we traitors?""Exactly!"Gaby and Jimmy chimed in as well.Alex looked at the grand proposal and could not help but express his exasperation, "You three secretly informed Cyn, even though you were helping Captain propose.""That's unethical of you," Linus chimed in.Mitc
"Well…" Matthew glanced at Mitchell and said to Cynthia, "How about I show you a meteor shower?""A meteor shower?" Cynthia looked slightly puzzled.Matthew did not explain further; he just led her to gaze at the star-studded night sky.Mitchell quickly sent a command, and the entire sky was filled with a meteor shower in no time."A meteor shower?!""Did Captain arrange this?""How is this even possible?"Jimmy and the others were taken aback. After all, this was not written in the plan they were holding! "This is..." Cynthia was also quite surprised. She had only seen meteor showers in videos and had never witnessed one. Nonetheless, this display was hardly different from what she had seen online; it was as if a genuine meteor shower was taking place."A meteor shower just for you." Matthew gently squeezed her hand, pouring all his affection and love into the gesture. "For the rest of our lives, I'll make all your wishes come true." "Captain..." Cynthia's emotions were co
"Can't figure it out?" Matthew asked.Cynthia remained quiet."Do you need me to help you figure it out?""I'm going to bed," Cynthia promptly evaded.Matthew stood up and carried her, playfully saying, "I'll carry you upstairs."Cynthia did not refuse. As they headed upstairs, her mind was still replaying his words during the proposal: intrigued at first sight, interest at second sight, and love at third sight.Did he not give them a hard time the first time they met? The second and third times seemed quite similar, too—both involved him training them.Could this… actually be love?Matthew noticed her deep in thought and knew she was pondering about this matter. He did not explain the details to her. Except for their first meeting in their childhood, only he knew about their subsequent encounters. Hence, Cynthia could not possibly guess it, no matter how hard she tried."Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom?" Matthew asked as he looked at Cynthia.Cynthia immediately
For anyone else, Cynthia could handle it with ease. Yet, her heart seemed to be in turmoil at that moment, unsure of how to process it all. Nonetheless, she did not dwell on it too much, nor did she have the time to, brushing it off as being overly cautious.However, when Matthew formally confessed his feelings to her, Cynthia could not bring herself to refuse. It became clear to her that she had gradually developed feelings for him through their interactions. This was not love at first sight but rather an affection that grew over time."Why so quiet? What are you thinking about?" Riley urged."Nothing." Cynthia's thoughts were scattered, and she responded faintly, "I'm not sure when I started liking him, but when he confessed to me, I knew I liked him.""You've got quite the courage. If it were me, I would have fled a long time ago," Gaby spoke earnestly.Cynthia used to think the same way, but the reality was that no one could resist Matthew's charms.Gentleness and respect w
"What..." Yoel was taken aback.Joshua lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable. "Should I have chosen a conventional marriage back then?"He believed that Cynthia was well-rounded, knowledgeable, and shared many interests with him. They got along in various aspects, and his initial impression of her was quite positive. Thus, after contemplating for a few days, he decided to marry her in haste.In their circle, most marriages were arranged for business purposes. Joshua did not want that and was not willing to settle for it. So, he opted for someone he genuinely admired.Yet now... he was questioning whether his initial decision had been a mistake.Yoel calmly analyzed and explained, "There's no 'should' or 'shouldn't' in matters like these. If both of you felt it was right, then a whirlwind marriage is perfectly normal. In today's society, individuals of your age are bombarded with family pressures for arranged marriages."Meeting up for blind dates and getting engaged or marr
"Joshua," Sean suddenly spoke. Joshua looked at him, still indifferent. Sean pursed his lips. After careful consideration, he continued, "You should see a psychologist. If you don't mind, I can do it for free.""No need." "You know well that you need it." "Mr. Neal, give it a try." Since returning from Nexuria last time, Yoel could feel Joshua was obviously in a bad state."Hypnosis is no longer very effective for you. You need to be mentally healthy before everything else can return to normal," Sean said."I'm fine. There's no need for that." Joshua was very clear about his physical condition. Sean felt that this person was too stubborn!"I know you feel guilty, regretful, and self-blaming because of what happened in the past. But Cynthia has completely let go, and you have made up for your past mistakes with your life. You don't have to blame yourself anymore. As for what happened later, I caused that, and there is no need to keep it in your heart," Sean said directly t
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