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
Jayleen looked at Joshua and said something ambiguous, "I'll listen to Joshua's orders." "Joshua, are you willing to show me?" Cynthia's beautiful eyebrows lifted slightly. Joshua looked at her feigned innocence and, without saying much, picked up a phone from the table, opened WhatsApp, and handed her the conversation after scrolling through the chat history. Cynthia took it and read the contents. [Mrs. Neal: If you help me get rid of Jayleen, I'll pay off your debt and give you another hundred thousand.][Driver: How do I know you'll keep your word?][Mrs. Neal: I'm Joshua's wife; a hundred thousand is nothing to me.][Driver: I'll trust you this time, but if you back out, I'll make a scene at Neal Group!][Driver: Send me a photo.][Mrs. Neal: Picture][Mrs. Neal: Make it clean.] Cynthia finished reading and asked, "That's it?" Joshua looked down at her, searching for a hint of panic on her face but found none. "That's it." Cynthia returned the phone, calmly anal
"Well, poor me. My husband doesn't even know my true character after two years of marriage," Cynthia blurted out. Joshua was speechless yet again. Was she really not satisfied unless she provoked him? "Let's go home." He loosened his tie, grabbed her purse, and held her wrist as he walked out. Cynthia hesitated. Joshua paused as well. Both of their gazes landed simultaneously on the purse in Joshua's hand. Did he mistake her for Jayleen? That was Cynthia's first thought. Without further explanation, Joshua strode out quickly. This scene was witnessed by Jayleen, who was in the hospital room. The gentleness on her face vanished, and she did not even care about the red marks her nails left on her palms as her hands gripped each other hard. In a moment, the door to the hospital room opened. Jayleen's friend walked in, voicing her confusion, "Didn't Cynthia hire someone to hit you? Why is Mr. Neal still..." "It wasn't her." Jayleen furrowed her brows. At first, she
Cynthia put the remote control down, appearing indifferent. "Fine, I don't want it." Joshua was confused. "When you're desperate to give Jayleen a legitimate status, you'll offer me a higher price to leave," Cynthia said in a dead serious manner. Joshua's demeanor turned icy. No one had ever threatened him like this before; Cynthia was the first. "Do you really think I can't do anything to you?" "Of course not," Cynthia replied, switching to another reality show. She continued earnestly, "You can freeze the cards you gave me, limit my spending and freedom, lock me away in a remote place, and even..." As her suggestions grew increasingly outrageous, Joshua's anger strangely dissipated. He suddenly found himself wanting to know. How was it possible for someone, who could now infuriate him with just a casual remark, to have been gentle for two whole years? "But this way, Jayleen can only remain a hidden lover. You probably don't want her to be the subject of gossip," Cynthia
After replying to the messages, Cynthia tried to call Mitchell but could not get through. Knowing that she had to go to the old villa tonight and not wanting any surprises, she sent him a message. "Text me when you arrive in Jiverton. We'll meet tomorrow." If Mitchell came looking for her on his own, she would be at a disadvantage. It would be better for her to take the initiative to talk to him. She sighed inwardly. She could have refused more easily if it were old man Yates, but it had to be Mitchell... Time passed quickly. By the time she got dressed and was ready to leave, it was almost six o'clock. After receiving a call from Mr. Walters, she quickly left the house. When she got into the car, she saw Joshua was there as well. He was still wearing the same suit from earlier that day. His disheveled hair framed his cool, indifferent face, giving him an air of disarrayed beauty. Cynthia did not start a conversation with him, and the car smoothly headed toward the old villa. As
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