All three of them exchanged puzzled glances, clearly unsure about the sudden shift in the conversation.Lydia became more anxious. "Jojo..."With a complex expression, Jojo said, "Mommy, would you please let them inside? If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Lloyd is here today to take Ash and me away, right?"Lydia froze briefly but then forced a smile, attempting to reassure him, "Don't worry, I won't let him take you."Jojo remained silent, fully aware that if Hunter were determined to take him and Ash away, Lydia would be unable to stop him. After all, Hunter was their biological father.Jojo hesitated but finally spoke, "Uncle Kendrick, I'd like to ask you a favor. The man inside is my biological father, but he hasn't cared about us for the past five years or even acknowledged my mommy. If possible, could you help us put on an act and tell him that my mom is a close friend of yours?""Jojo," Lydia scolded, clearly not wanting to trouble others. Ignoring her, Jojo continued, "As long as
Kendrick walked into the house as if it were his own, with Isaiah, Isabella, and Jojo. Lydia was consumed with worry. She had decided that if anything felt amiss, she would ask them to leave. She could not let innocent people get dragged into this mess.Kendrick noticed someone sitting on the couch as he entered, and the person on the couch also noticed him. In that brief moment, Hunter almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.Kendrick?Kendrick casually took a seat on a nearby armchair, smiling as he greeted Hunter, "Long time no see, Mr. Lloyd.""Why are you here?" Hunter frowned. "It's not me who wanted to come; it's my little sweetheart here. She couldn't bear to part with Jojo, so she insisted on seeing him home," Kendrick replied, not following Jojo's suggestion and instead holding Isabella in his arms. Hunter and Lydia's attention shifted to Jojo.Hunter remained calm, uttering, "Now that he's been brought home, you can leave.""That's not possible," Kendr
Travis was a man known for his aloofness and self-control, but that girl named Riley had him wrapped around her finger."Even if it's just three families, it's enough," Hunter asserted, his frustration evident."Well, go ahead and try. But if you upset Cyn, the consequences will be severe." Kendrick did not seem to care in the least.Hunter's brow furrowed. Cyn?Kendrick, who had once thought highly of this man and thus wanted to counsel him, continued, "In consideration of our shared social circle, I'll give you a friendly piece of advice. Don't do something you'll regret. If you want the children, take the normal route. Visit and care for them, but don't think about snatching them away."Otherwise, Hunter would be left with nothing but regret.However, Hunter was unwilling to listen. "It's none of your business.""If you insist on taking them away, I'll have Mitchell Cyrus help with the lawsuit. He's been quite idle lately, and it wouldn't hurt to have him determine the chil
"Of course, most importantly, once you're employed at the Yates Group, Mr. Lloyd won't have any say," Kendrick added, providing Lydia with an escape route. Given his personality, he would act chivalrously and help but not interfere in everything. However, this situation was different. Isabella had taken a liking to Jojo, so why not lend a hand?Hunter clenched his phone tightly, considering giving Kendrick a good beating yet again. He did not say anything more. After a cold, heartless glare at Lydia, he left the place.With his departure, the tense atmosphere in the room eased. Lydia was sincerely grateful for Kendrick's assistance and said, "Thank you for today. If it weren't for you, Jojo and Ash might have been taken away.""What I said earlier is true. If he ever threatens your family and friends' jobs, just tell them to apply to the Yates Group," Kendrick repeated. He genuinely admired her for raising two children on her own.After some hesitation, Lydia agreed, "Alright."
"You're quick," Kendrick teased with a gentle tap on her forehead.Isabella chuckled in response. Seeing this put Kendrick's mind at ease to some extent. Lydia was concerned about troubling them, but Jojo, the young boy, knew the best course of action. As Kendrick thought about this, he, Isaiah, and Isabella had already reached outside the residential area. They were about to open the car door and head home when Hunter called him, "Mr. Yates, can we talk?""What do you want to talk about?" Kendrick allowed his two little ones to get into the car first, as it was still quite hot outside. Hunter's gaze was sharp, and he said straightforwardly, "What will it take for you not to get involved in this matter?""Do you want the truth?" Kendrick asked.Hunter nodded. Kendrick explained, "Under normal circumstances, what you guys do is your business, and I won't interfere. But now it's different. Isabella really likes Jojo, and if I don't get involved, she'll cry.""Is she your dau
In fact, Isaiah had already taken action. While Isabella was enthusiastically talking to Jojo, he secretly recorded a video. It was only when Isabella's phone call ended that she noticed him."Isaiah, what are you doing?" she asked."I'm documenting your childhood," Isaiah replied seriously."Well, can you record me when I'm playing with Jojo later? That way, when I can't see Jojo, I can watch the videos," Isabella asked with great earnestness, her eyes sparkling.Isaiah would have probably refused in the past, thinking that Isabella was getting a little too fond of someone else. However, his perspective had changed. He did not believe Isabella would continue to like Jojo just as much in the next twenty years. As soon as another good-looking boy appeared, she would most likely abandon Jojo without a second thought. So, recording some of Isabella's 'darker moments' seemed like a good idea."Sure," Isaiah agreed."Really?" Isabella jumped up in excitement. She had not expected Isai
Matthew raised an eyebrow, his deep and melodious voice incredibly pleasant as he teased, "Are you sure she inherited it from me?"Cynthia was puzzled. If it was not from Matthew, then from whom else? As far as she could remember, she was never one to be fond of anyone.Matthew helped her recall, adding, "Who was the two-year-old who grabbed my hand the first time she saw me and kept saying 'Matty, Matty'?"Cynthia was embarrassed.It was her…She attempted to argue, "But Isabella is already four years old.""There's not much of a difference between a two year old and a four year old. Besides, her love for good looks is definitely from you too," Matthew replied with a serious tone.Cynthia fell silent. She could not argue with that. From a young age, she preferred good-looking things and people."Well, there's nothing wrong with appreciating beauty. Good-looking things are visually pleasing," Cynthia replied, trying to salvage the situation in an attempt to gain back some groun
Isabella frowned, annoyed at Hunter for judging their character.Hmph! Jojo noticed her expression and continued his conversation, saying, "They won't say anything.""How do I know if they'll keep quiet?" Hunter pushed, obviously making things difficult for the kids. "Do you need us to sign a confidentiality agreement?" Isaiah blurted out. Anyone familiar with him would know he was just mocking the other party. After all, a four-year-old signing anything would have no legal weight.Aware of this, Hunter calmly responded to Isaiah's comment, "At your age, even if you signed something, it wouldn't be legally binding."Isaiah, Isabella, and Jojo looked at Hunter. Isaiah's eyes remained emotionless, and he was as cold as ice. "The door is right there. You can leave now. We won't see you off."Hunter found himself momentarily speechless. Was this kid really only four years old?"If you're genuinely concerned about this, we can simply not talk. I have other things to attend to
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