Chapter 4

Seeing this, Mr. Cheyne quickly came over, took the keys, and assumed the driver's role.

Cynthia opened the passenger door and sat down, not looking at Joshua again for the entire journey.

Mr. Cheyne was apprehensive, fearing that Cynthia might blurt out something shocking later.

He hesitated. "Mrs. Neal, you..."

"Drive."

Cynthia's voice was light but cold.

Mr. Cheyne glanced at the rearview mirror, and seeing that Mr. Neal had no reaction, he drove out of the parking lot in silence. The atmosphere inside the car was so heavy that Mr. Cheyne felt as if he were being suffocated.

Neither Mr. Neal nor Mrs. Neal seemed inclined to speak, and an icy chill emanated from both of them. While he understood Mr. Neal's temperament, Mr. Cheyne could not figure out why Mrs. Neal, who had been in a good mood just moments before, was now so cold. He kept his concerns to himself.

Joshua sat in the back seat, his gaze uncontrollably drawn to the silent Cynthia in the passenger seat. He was surprised by the emotions stirring within him.

Half an hour later, the car came to a stop at the hospital entrance. With a firm grip on Cynthia's wrist, Joshua led her toward the VIP ward.

Cynthia said, wincing at the pain from his grip, "Mr. Neal, if you keep holding me like this, you'll be charged with intentional harm in court before I even get the chance to be charged with attempted murder of Jayleen."

Only then did Joshua release her, revealing her now red and swollen wrist. Cynthia gave him a disdainful look, making him feel uncomfortable. He felt a flicker of guilt, but it vanished when he considered the possibility that she was responsible for hurting Jayleen.

"Follow me," he said, averting his eyes and striding to Jayleen's hospital room. He opened the door, revealing Jayleen lying in bed. Her face lit up with a gentle smile when she saw Joshua, and she called out to him with deep affection, "Joshua."

Joshua quickly went to comfort her while Cynthia entered the room. Taking in the tender scene before her, she sarcastically asked, "Do you need me to step out so you can finish your lovey-dovey moment?"

"Mrs. Neal, don't misunderstand. There's nothing between Joshua and me. It's not what you think," Jayleen stammered, trying to explain.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow and replied with a hint of irony, "If you'd let go of his hand, your words might be more convincing."

As she walked toward the hospital bed, Cynthia took a closer look at Jayleen's features. Jayleen appeared gentle, kind, and delicate. No wonder she occupied such a special place in Joshua's heart.

"Joshua..." Jayleen said with a hint of grievance, gripping his hand tighter.

Cynthia saw this and understood Jayleen's intentions. Jayleen likely hoped to provoke and enrage her with jealousy.

Joshua, thinking that Jayleen was afraid of Cynthia's hostility, gently patted her back with a voice much softer than usual. "Don't worry, I'm here."

Cynthia said, feeling disgusted, "Joshua, I'm still here."

He was blatantly humiliating her with his affection for Jayleen. Did he think Cynthia was easy to be pushed around?

Joshua ignored Cynthia, continuing to comfort Jayleen.

"Mr. Cheyne, how long are you going to stand there?" Cynthia asked, noticing him out of the corner of her eye. She was clearly on the verge of anger.

Mr. Cheyne entered the room, unsure how he had been discovered. "Mrs. Neal," he said nervously.

"Take out your phone and make a record that Mr. Neal is being affectionate with another woman. I'm curious if Neal Group's stock prices would be affected if news of your president, Mr. Neal's infidelity and poor conduct were to leak," Cynthia said calmly.

Mr. Cheyne was speechless. He could not believe what Mrs. Neal was asking of him.

"Joshua..." Jayleen said weakly, letting go of his hand.

"Cynthia, have you caused enough trouble?" Joshua's tone was icy, and he patted Jayleen's back to comfort her. "I brought you here to apologize to Jayleen."

Cynthia took out her phone and started to record. "I thought you called me here to catch you cheating."

The room fell silent at her words.

"What do you think would happen if I sent this to Mrs. Neal?" Cynthia asked, saving the recording and putting her phone away.

Joshua's expression grew darker. Cynthia could not help but notice that even with his cold, detached demeanor, his face was still quite attractive.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked.

"Just joking. I just thought you two look great together, and the scenes I captured would make perfect screenshots," Cynthia replied casually. She glanced at both of them before continuing, "But are you sure you want to discuss things with me like this?"

Joshua did not respond, clearly signaling that he would stand by Jayleen no matter what Cynthia said.

"Fine," Cynthia said, putting her purse down. Everyone in the room was puzzled by her actions, except for Mr. Cheyne, who had a gut feeling that she was up to something.

His suspicions were confirmed when Cynthia walked over to him, took his arm, and spoke in the same casual tone, "Let's get this conversation over with. Mr. Cheyne and I have some things to discuss afterward."

Mr. Cheyne was shocked. "Mr. Neal, I assure you that I have nothing to do with Mrs. Neal. I would never betray you in any way."

"Why are you in such a rush? A grown man like you can't even compare to Ms. Shaw's calm demeanor. Look at her, she's so composed," Cynthia asked soothingly.

Mr. Cheyne and Joshua were both speechless. A flash of resentment flickered in Jayleen's eyes. Joshua found Cynthia's hand on Mr. Cheyne's arm to be quite irritating.

"Yoel," he warned. Mr. Cheyne tried to pull away from Cynthia, but to his surprise, he could not.

Stunned, he looked at the composed Mrs. Neal, his mind filled with questions. How could she be so strong?

"Mr. Neal… I swear I have nothing to do with her," he said, on the verge of tears.

Joshua's aura grew colder and more ominous.

The next moment, Joshua grabbed a pillow for Jayleen to lean against, and his hand left hers. Cynthia raised an eyebrow, letting go of Mr. Cheyne and taking a seat. Mr. Cheyne felt like he had just survived a close call. Jayleen watched their tacit understanding, her hand unconsciously clenching beneath the blanket.

"I heard from Joshua that Ms. Shaw accused me of hiring someone to kill her, and said she had evidence. Would it be possible to see this evidence?" Cynthia said and her expression unreadable.