The shout was so real, so clear that he couldn't convince himself he had misheard it. As soon as he heard the name "Jacob," the memories and emotions buried deep within his heart were triggered, flooding his mind like a tidal wave.Joshua felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer, his senses numb. He stood there, frozen, like a stake driven into the ground, unable to turn around to look.The memories associated with the name "Jacob" were painful and torturous. They were memories of a young Joshua who had been forced to leave. That Joshua was long gone, broken and shattered."Jacob…"The voice grew closer, and Joshua felt a sense of disorientation. He felt his forehead dripping in cold sweat and his mind going blank.Just as his emotions were at a breaking point, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder."Jacob, what are you doing here?"The voice was right next to his ear. Joshua was startled, then looked at the hand on his shoulder, his entire body going numb.Was this
But now, this sudden pressure was suffocating Joshua."You've got the wrong person," Joshua said coldly, walking past the man without any trace of emotion on his face."Huh?" The man tried to stop him, but Joshua didn't bother turning around. Instead, he walked faster, his aura radiating hostility.The man scratched his head, feeling puzzled. Could he have been mistaken? Was this man not Jacob? Upon looking at Joshua's face, the man was sure it was Jacob. How could he have been wrong?He rested his hand on his head, staring at Joshua's retreating figure. The man appeared deep in thought.Did he say something wrong to upset Jacob? Is that why he's pretending not to know him?...Joshua entered the private room Natasha had reserved, his aura dark and oppressive. The door was flung open, the doorknob slamming against the wall with a loud thud.Natasha was sitting, engrossed in reading a journal. She was particularly impressed by an article on a novel leukemia treatment.The
Natasha didn't notice Joshua's sharp, knife-like gaze on her. Her attention was focused on the menu."Escargot, garlic stuffed mushrooms, lobster bisque..." Natasha listed one dish after another.Unsurprisingly, they all hit Joshua's sore spots.He wasn't usually a suspicious person, but these dishes... were too coincidental.Could it be that Natasha actually knew Jacob?The man's jaw tensed unconsciously, and his gaze was laced with poison.Even as absorbed as Natasha was in the menu, it was hard for her not to notice Joshua's gaze. The unusually intense gaze fixed on her made Natasha feel uncomfortable.She eventually spoke up, "What's wrong?" She paused her ordering and sat up straight, looking directly at Joshua."If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to make faces at me," she said bluntly.Natasha looked at Joshua calmly, not even bothering to explore the meaning behind his piercing gaze.It was probably just because she hadn't answered his calls o
"Go ahead and order."Natasha looked at Joshua, and she raised her brow slightly.She had never seen Joshua like this before. It was quite a novel sight."W-what are you looking at? Just order your food," Joshua was starting to stammer under Natasha's piercing gaze."Okay, okay, I'm ordering."Natasha smiled, picking up the menu again and continuing where she left off."Escargot, garlic stuffed mushrooms, lobster bisque..." As she scanned each dish on the menu, she paused in thought and said, "And add a deep-fried cheese curd."Sitting across from her, Joshua's face was still flushed from embarrassment, and his brow twitched at the mention of that dish.Cheese curds... That was one of Jacob's favorites.In the end, Natasha had only ordered four dishes in total, but they were all dishes Jacob liked to eat.Jacob's favorite dishes could be counted on one hand, so it hardly seemed like a coincidence.Joshua furrowed his brow again."That's it. And we have no dietary restrictio
It was obvious why Joshua had suddenly brought this up."He's still in the ICU. His life is hanging by a thread. After this month, we may never see him again."The man spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on Natasha, as if searching for a glimmer of emotion on her face.But Natasha's expression remained calm, with only a hint of detachment in her eyes.It was as if the person Joshua was talking about had no relation to her whatsoever."You..." Joshua's words got stuck in his throat when he saw Natasha's indifferent expression.Her cold demeanor made him feel that there was not an ounce of humanity within her...He persisted and said, "Our Grayson family has consulted nearly every doctor in Oceanville, but none of them can treat Grandpa's illness.""The doctors now recommend that only the Sullivan family's miracle worker can treat his illness."Natasha listened to Joshua's words in silence. She made no comments and showed no change in expression.Even when she heard the name "the Sull
Seeing Joshua's angry expression, it seemed like he thought she was being sarcastic.Natasha quickly took the teapot and forced a smile on her face as she poured a cup of tea for Joshua."No need to be so upset."With Joshua's physique and muscles, even a slight movement of his hand felt like it could send her flying.Moreover, he was currently in an angry state, so she couldn't provoke him further. If he got angrier and actually hit her, it would be over. This was Topola, and none of Oceanville's bodyguards were present.She was all alone, so she had to consider her safety a bit more.Joshua coldly stared at Natasha, who was smiling beside him, without saying a word.Natasha pushed the cup filled with tea toward him and smiled. "The tea here is quite good. You should try it."Joshua glanced up angrily, but when he glanced at Natasha, he was taken aback.Natasha's eyes and smile were bright and warm. Because of her apology, she deliberately lowered her tone, her voice sounding
"Ah…" Natasha blinked, not reacting at first.Seeing Natasha's puzzled expression, Joshua smiled. He then smirked, leisurely repeating, "I said, is a simple apology enough?""I mean, I saw blood. Shouldn't you compensate me for that?" His tone sounded persuasive and his eyes filled with anticipation."Compensate?" Natasha echoed.She seemed a bit slow to grasp what was happening, unconsciously echoing his words."Yes, it's not a small matter to have lips bleeding. I'm meeting business partners later, and everyone will notice my lips are injured. Especially in this state…" Joshua reached to touch his lips.It was a common gesture. But for some reason, when Joshua did it, it added an inexplicable hint of ambiguity.Those who didn't know might even think Joshua's lip was injured due to intense kissing.Natasha pursed her lips, involuntarily backing away.But Joshua seemed oblivious. He cast a suggestive glance at Natasha, his lips oozing with blood, his slight nod adding to the s
They were different people.In a flash, Natasha instinctively pushed him away.She stood up straight, her tone serious as she said, "Joshua, please behave yourself." Her gentle fingers brushed against Joshua's shirt, seemingly carrying her fresh fragrance with it.The sudden push caught Joshua off guard.Looking up, he found Natasha wanting to keep her distance from him as if he were a ferocious beast.This look even made Joshua doubt himself. Was he that bad to warrant such a reaction from her?Before he could come to a conclusion, Natasha had already picked up her bag, seemingly ready to leave."If Mr. Grayson has nothing else to do today, I'll be taking my leave first."Joshua's behavior just now caught her off guard.Anyway, from the looks of it, he probably wouldn't agree to a divorce.Since Joshua had made up his mind, it was pointless for her to linger here. It was better to go home and avoid hearing any more of Joshua's "seductive" words."Wait," Joshua called out