Resigned, Joshua placed the fruit in front of Cynthia and sat down next to her. Before he could remind Cynthia to discuss their divorce, Old Man Neal spoke again, "Don't you see that Cynthia is too shy to eat? You're not very attentive as a husband." "Am I adopted?" Joshua finally asked. Mrs. Neal replied, "No." Neal Senior joked, "You came as a free gift for our credit card." Cynthia sensed the time was right and broached the subject. "Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, Grandpa, actually, we came here today to discuss something important with you." "Are you pregnant?" "How many months?" "When did this happen?" Mrs. Neal Senior and Old Man Neal fired off their questions, one after the other. Seeing the hope and happiness in their eyes, Cynthia found it difficult to break the news, but she finally said, "I'm planning to divorce Joshua." As soon as the words left her mouth, the atmosphere turned cold. Mrs. Neal Senior's hand froze mid-air while reaching for fruit, Old Man Ne
"Joshua, come with me," Old Man Neal said, standing up with his cane in hand. Joshua glanced at Cynthia before following his grandfather out of the room and into the adjacent study to discuss matters. Mrs. Neal stayed with Cynthia, chatting about family matters. She mentioned that if Cynthia ever found Joshua to be a worthy lifelong partner, their family would always welcome her back. Cynthia felt warmth in this family. It was like the cozy days she had experienced before her mother passed away. Half an hour later, Joshua returned from his conversation with Old Man Neal. Joshua appeared unchanged, but Old Man Neal looked somber and visibly unhappy. Old Man Neal snapped and his emotions were crumbling, "Get out of here! Don't make a scene. You have one month left to take good care of Cynthia. If she suffers any grievances, I'll give all your money to her!" With his exceptional demeanor, Joshua replied, "Understood." As the two were about to leave, Mrs. Neal Senior suddenly s
"Okay," Cynthia agreed before hanging up the call and sending him the time and place via WhatsApp. Just as she finished sending the message, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by Joshua's voice. "Open up. I need to talk to you." Cynthia tossed her phone on the bed, walked over to open the door, and spoke without the gentleness she once had, only displaying indifference and detachment. "What is it?" Joshua handed her his phone. "Grandpa wants to talk to you. He said he couldn't reach you because you were on a call." Cynthia paused, guessing it might be because she had just been on the phone with Mitchell. She took Joshua's phone, and her voice softened, "Grandpa." "I hope I'm not disturbing you by calling so late," he said. "No, not at all." "I just remembered that I forgot to tell you when you left earlier that the unfinished chess game you left for me last time, I still haven't solved it..." The two of them chatted on the phone. Joshua did not bother listenin
"Alright," Mitchell agreed, always ready to fulfill Cynthia's requests. Cynthia continued eating but could not help thinking about what was Joshua doing here? On the other side, Joshua was pondering the same question. After joining Chyler and Yiordan in their private dining room, his mind was filled with the scene he had witnessed when he opened the door. Why were they sitting so close at such a large table? "What are you thinking about?" Chyler Young asked playfully, his eyes never losing their amusement. "You said you had something to discuss with us, so why are you so quiet now?" "It's nothing," Joshua replied without elaborating. Chyler and Yiordan exchanged glances. The former was always eager to stir up trouble. "I heard that Mitchell has been a virtuous man for the past twenty-eight years, never getting too close to any woman. It seems the rumors might be false after all." "Hmm." Yiordan casually sipped his wine. Joshua felt annoyed every time he heard Mitchell
He had wanted to agree. Cynthia did not want him to interfere in her divorce, but seeing her being bullied, he had to help her as her friend. Moreover, Mr. Yates had sent him here to let Joshua know that Cynthia had someone supporting her. "Anything is fine with me." Cynthia misunderstood the look in Mitchell's eyes for the first time, thinking he was on Chyler's side. "Alright," Mitchell agreed. Chyler's eyes became even more amused and then left after exchanging some pleasantries. Only after the door closed did Cynthia speak to Mitchell, as rational as ever, "Just interact with them as you usually do, don't worry about me being there." "Okay." Mitchell did not bother explaining. That worked out well. When they met with Joshua later, he would not have to be overly polite. Chyler returned with a grin, standing outside the private room door, and raised an eyebrow at Joshua. "He declined to share a table, not wanting us to disturb their meal." Joshua's eyes deepened, and
"It seems that Mitchell and Cynthia have a good relationship," Chyler observed, trying to probe further. "Yes, we've known each other for a long time. Our relationship has always been very good," Mitchell admitted, not hiding the truth. Chyler whispered something into Joshua's ear, so softly it was barely audible. "It seems they're just friends. They would have been together long ago if there were any feelings between them. Why wait until now?" "Get lost," Joshua muttered, irritated. Cynthia was never one to suffer alone; she would make sure whoever wronged her felt uncomfortable too. She turned her gaze to the usually quiet Yiordan, greeted him, and then said, "Yiordan, I think you're a man with a strong moral compass, someone worth entrusting my life to." Everyone present had no idea what she was doing. "What do you mean?" Yiordan instinctively looked toward Joshua, who did not look too pleased. Cynthia brought up the past, insinuating something. "I watched the realit
Their eyes met. The atmosphere turned cold as both of their faces showed clear disdain for each other. Cynthia, wearing slippers, headed upstairs without any intention of engaging in conversation. For the first time, she exuded such a cold aura. "Stop," Joshua said, addressing her retreating figure. Cynthia acted as if she had not heard him and kept walking. Joshua quickly stepped in front of her at the bottom of the stairs, looking down at her with his usual detached demeanor. "Can we talk?" "Fine," Cynthia agreed. They walked toward the couch, and Joshua removed the remote control. Cynthia saw this and said nothing. She poured herself a glass of water, took a sip, and then sat down on the sofa with the glass. "Go ahead. What do you want to talk about?" "What's your relationship with Mitchell?" Joshua stared at her intently, not missing any of her facial expressions. Cynthia replied confidently, "We're friends." "When did you meet?" Joshua asked further. Cynthi
Before Joshua could say anything, Cynthia spoke up, "Mr. Neal, please don't let your eyes wander on my body." Joshua quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on his guilty conscience. "I need to talk to you. I have something to discuss." Cynthia continued to dry her hair, opening the door slightly. "If it's about Jayleen and Mitchell, there's no need. We have nothing to discuss." "It's not," Joshua replied patiently, despite his dislike of her attitude. He needed to find out what kind of person Cynthia truly was. Cynthia had calmed down considerably after her shower. She put down her towel and asked, "What is it?" "I'd like to visit your family. My grandfather was right. In the two years from our marriage to our divorce, I never visited your parents. That's not proper etiquette," Joshua said solemnly, looking serious. "No need," Cynthia refused. "I just want to apologize to your parents; I won't cause any trouble." Joshua's gaze deepened, his voice low and slow