They had been married for two years. Yet, Joshua had no idea that she knew Mitchell, had some connection to the Yates family, or that she was a skilled hacker. How could he believe her after all that she had hidden from him?"If you were still the person you were before, I would believe you. But in these two years of marriage, have you ever been honest with me?" Joshua said heavily.Cynthia met his gaze. "Do you doubt my feelings for you?""How can I not doubt them?" Joshua was emotional, and the thought of everything she had hidden from him made it hard for him to remain calm. "Aside from your name, is there anything about you that is real?""Get out." Cynthia had lost count of how many times she had realized Joshua was being irrational. No matter how calmly she spoke to him, he would always find a way to anger her.How had she not noticed this side of him before? "If it weren't for the divorce, I would never have known about all the secrets you were hiding," Joshua said, bel
"We talked it over again. He said I don't have to apologize," Cynthia replied, looking at the joint project of the two companies on her computer screen.Jimmy was confused. "What does he not wanting you to apologize have to do with us exposing his affair?""I don't want to deal with it. I don't want to argue," Cynthia explained. Joshua wanted her to apologize, and she could have exposed everything even if he had caused trouble. However, if she still exposed it after he told her not to apologize, he would surely cause her trouble. If he got angry and caused problems for her, it would not be a big deal, but if it led him to go back on their divorce agreement, it would be a huge loss for her.Joshua was a business legend, and if he wanted to make things difficult, she might not be able to handle it all."So, we're just going to take this loss?" Jimmy sympathized with her."Just treat him as an insignificant person. We don't need to care," Cynthia replied, gradually calming down.
Before Cynthia could answer Old Man Neal, he continued, "I'll miss you very much.""In the future, you can come to Nexuria and visit me, or you can call me," Cynthia comforted."Can you not divorce Joshua?" Old Man Neal's voice was heavy, and he seemed to have aged several years. "As long as you don't leave, I promise he will treat you well. I'll also take care of that Jayleen.""Grandpa," Joshua spoke discontentedly.Old Man Neal scolded him harshly, "Shut up!"What a useless guy! He could not even keep his own wife. "Grandpa, a forced marriage is not a happy one. I don't like him anymore, and it's better for everyone if we divorce." Cynthia no longer had any feelings for Joshua."Exactly," Moses chimed in, his gaze shifting toward Joshua. "Forcing Cynthia to be with someone she doesn't love, isn't that unfair to her?"Old Man Neal glared at Moses.What nonsense was he spouting?!Joshua's eyes were also dark, and he looked at Moses with a terrifying aura. "Cynthia, would
Joshua was uncomfortable listening to him, and he only replied, "I was the one who asked for the divorce, and it has nothing to do with Jayleen.""I don't understand why you were with her in the first place?" Old Man Neal was both angry and frustrated. "What was so good about her? Didn't you break up before?""We broke up because of a misunderstanding. I thought she left me because I didn't appreciate her, but later I found out that she had a terminal illness and didn't want me to get hurt, so she deliberately said we should break up," Joshua explained.Old Man Neal was confused. "What?""Six months ago, Jayleen called me and told me the truth, saying that she had been cured of the illness," Joshua said, unable to express how he felt about it.He did not really know if he loved Jayleen or not. When he learned about her illness, he just wanted to give her a home where she could live without worries, and he did not think too much about anything else. "Grandpa, she left me for my
After the evidence from the last car accident came out, Joshua checked it all again and found out that it was all valid. Yoel still remembered Joshua's complex reaction at the time, which looked like someone who was too proud to apologize after wrongly accusing someone."You're doing it," Joshua said.Cynthia could help him find out in the shortest possible time, but he knew his own personality. If the results turned out to be the same as Old Man Neal's assumption, his first reaction would be to accuse Cynthia of ruining Jayleen's reputation. Hence, it was better to let Yoel do the investigation. Yoel reluctantly agreed, "Okay, Mr. Neal."If Cynthia knew about Joshua's train of thought, she would say he was overthinking it, as she would never help him with the investigation to begin with.At this moment, Cynthia sat in Moses's car and spoke up after they drove a distance. "Just drop me off on the side of the road. I'll call a taxi later.""What are you going back for?" Moses d
Everyone looked at Moses with skepticism. Then, a handsome young man in racing gear asked, "Isn't Joshua supposed to be wealthy? Why didn't he give anything to Cynthia during the divorce settlement?""He didn't give her anything. You all know how stingy he is. Think back to the things he did when he worked with you," Moses replied without hesitation."He really is stingy.""Cynthia is really unlucky."For a moment, everyone looked at Cynthia with a complex and pitiful expression. Other women who married into wealthy families could at least get something when they were forced to divorce, but Cynthia got nothing.Cynthia remained silent."Alright, for Moses' sake, I'll give you two projects to work on. Just transfer your investment funds to me and wait for your share of the profits every year," the handsome young man said decisively."No thanks," Cynthia declined.The handsome man was puzzled. "She's just too embarrassed to use any relationship she has with Joshua," Moses chi
"Moses mentioned that Cynthia is beautiful, but I thought he was joking.""Mr. Neal, are you really willing to divorce Mrs. Neal?" The group started bombarding Joshua with questions, taking the topic seriously.Joshua's eyes darkened, interpreting their curious glances as anticipation for his divorce so that they could have a chance with Cynthia. "Rather than being concerned about my personal life, you should focus on your projects. With how your performances have been, can you even brace the New Year without guilt?" Joshua retorted,All eyes landed on Moses, wondering what was going on. Why did Joshua seem angry? Moses chimed in, "Let's call it a day for today. We can discuss the details when Joshua and Cynthia are divorced. It doesn't seem appropriate to talk about it now.""Okay," they agreed, assuming that Moses was referring to their projects. Joshua's beautiful obsidian eyes suddenly turned cold, and he held his breath. The people around him shuddered. Moses not
Cynthia was speechless. She thought Moses's acting skills were on par with Shirley's. However, she wasted no more time with them and got into Moses' car.Joshua watched as the car drove away. His hand tightly gripped the car key till his knuckles turned white.Just when everyone thought Joshua would leave, his gaze shifted to them with intense pressure, making them feel suffocated."Mr. Neal, is there anything else I can help you with?" one of them asked nervously."Do you guys like Cynthia?" Joshua's cold voice suddenly asked.They looked confused, wondering where he was going with this.Before they could react, Joshua ruthlessly continued, "Well, you should give up. She only likes good-looking guys."Ignoring their reactions, Joshua warned them and then left. It was not until his taillights disappeared from their sight that they finally processed what had just happened."Did Mr. Neal just say we're not good-looking?""That's rude. Dozens of girls are interested in me, and I
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