After much inner struggle, Fiona finally dialed Joseph's number. Over the years, she had never taken the initiative to call Joseph unless there was a particularly important matter she needed him to handle.
However, after dialing, the voice prompt indicated that the phone was switched off. Upon hearing this, Fiona put down the phone and continued to rest her head on the table with her eyes closed.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated again. Startled, she immediately opened her phone, only to feel a sense of disappointment when she saw it was a F******k message from her best friend, Hannah.
Fiona suddenly felt a bit ridiculous. What was she expecting? For Joseph to come back and beg her not to divorce him?
Thinking this way, she still opened F******k and read the messages from Hannah.
"Dear Fiona, congratulations on regaining your freedom and getting rid of that loser!"
"So, when shall we meet up and celebrate?"
Hannah sent two messages.
"Let's forget about celebrating. I'm busy these days. I have company matters to attend to tomorrow," Fiona replied, politely declining.
"In a couple of days, I have a scheduled course at Nova University, a rather important lecture."
"Ah? Okay, okay. Let me know whenever you're free. This time, to celebrate your rebirth, we sisters will treat you."
"By the way, I heard your childhood sweetheart is back from abroad, a returnee with a doctoral degree, and will be teaching at Nova University. Do you want to bring him along so we sisters can help you out?" Hannah sent another message.
"What returnee with a doctoral degree? He's just a childhood playmate. I don't have any feelings for him. You're all too gossipy," Fiona replied, feeling a bit exhausted by what had happened at the Cooper Group today. Moreover, she didn't want to expose her relationship with Charles Martin.
"Let's not talk about it for now. I still have things to take care of tonight. I'll take a nap first."
"Okay, okay. Let's keep in touch in a few days then." Hannah had to leave it at that.
Fiona put down her phone again and lay back in her office chair, resting with her eyes closed.
Meanwhile, in Emerald Estates, Nova City, Alice was still in her room, fiddling with Joseph's phone. She first inserted Joseph's SIM card into a new phone, then helped him register for F******k, adding her own and her grandfather's F******k and phone numbers.
She also changed Joseph's note for her to "Ali."
Finally, she saved Joseph's phone number in her own phone.
After doing all this, Alice noticed that Joseph's phone had received quite a few messages and missed calls, but she didn't look at them. After all, that was Joseph's privacy.
At this moment, a delightful aroma of food wafted in from outside, making one's appetite soar. She simply tossed aside Joseph's phone and went out directly.
"Wow, Joseph, you made so many delicious dishes!" Alice was a bit shocked seeing the table full of food.
"There are two more dishes. They'll be ready soon. You can start eating first," Joseph's voice came from the kitchen.
"Great, great. Then I won't stand on ceremony. Hehe..." Alice was overjoyed. She picked up the utensils, ready to dig in.
However, at this moment, she thought of something and stopped.
"No, no. Such a visually appealing and aromatic feast must be photographed and shared first." Alice took out her phone and started snapping pictures of the dishes on the table.
Then, she selected the nine most perfect photos and captioned them: Joseph's perfect culinary skills. If only I could enjoy such delicious food for a lifetime!
After doing all this, she was about to post it but felt like something was missing.
"It would be perfect if there was a photo with Joseph," Alice muttered to herself. With this thought in mind, she immediately went to the kitchen.
"Joseph, look at the camera." Joseph instinctively turned his head.
*Click!* The sound of the camera shutter went off, capturing a selfie of Alice holding her phone with Joseph cooking in the kitchen.
"Okay, you can continue cooking." Alice looked at the photo, obviously very satisfied.
Hearing this, Joseph could only chuckle and continue with his work.
Alice placed the photo with Joseph in the most prominent position in the center, then hit the publish button, posting what she thought was a perfect update.
But then, she felt it wasn't enough. She wanted to send these food photos to her university dormitory mates group to make them envious.
"Hehe, have you all eaten? If not, take a look at my dinner," Alice said in the dormitory mates group.
Dormitory mate Faith: "..."
Dormitory mate Evelyn: "??!"
Dormitory mate Rebecca: "Ali, haven't seen you back in the dorm for several days. Where did you go to feast on such delicacies? Missing you. Big sis hasn't been able to hug you to sleep for many days. Miss you."
Alice was very satisfied with everyone's reactions.
"It's my brother Joseph's culinary skills. How is it? Doesn't it look delicious?" Alice was quite smug.
"Tsk, tsk. So it's made by the man of your dreams whom you always talk about. No wonder you're showing off like this," Faith said sarcastically.
"Alice, are you in a relationship? Did you finally win over that man? @Alice," Evelyn also tagged Alice.
"Hey, can you not be in a relationship? If you're in a relationship, does that mean big sis won't be able to hug you to sleep anymore?" Rebecca seemed very regretful.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Nothing is certain between him and me yet!" Alice's pretty face turned slightly red.
"Tsk, tsk. Not certain? I think it's almost certainly certain. Tell us, when will you bring him out for us sisters to see?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let us sisters take a look for you. Our judgment of men is top-notch."
"I'm really curious. What kind of man has our silly girl so infatuated?"
"..."
The dormitory mates group started discussing animatedly.
"Alright, alright. Stop it. What are you all in a hurry for? You'll have plenty of opportunities to meet him in the future," Alice replied, unable to withstand the teasing from her gossipy dormitory mates.
"Okay, let's not talk about it. I'm going to eat now." Alice chose to close the chat group.
However, she then sent the food photos to her family group.
"@Grandpa, Grandpa, Joseph made these. They look delicious, right? You won't get to taste them today."
Soon, she received a reply from Blake Morgan.
"Next time, I'll go over too. Let him cook for me personally. It looks quite flavorful." Blake Morgan seemed a bit impatient between the lines.
"@Blake Morgan, Dad, what's going on? How can you let Alice live alone with a boy? It's too unsafe," Alice's father, Mason Morgan, spoke up at this point.
Latest Chapter
Chapter 886
“Of course we kill them.”“These assassins are vicious. The last time they slipped into Nova City, quite a few civilians lost their lives.”“The bastards are madmen—madmen with terrifying strength.”“The surest way to keep Nova City stable and prevent any leaks is to send every last one of those sons of bitches straight to hell.”Old Ortiz spoke with righteous fury.“Old Ortiz is right.”“Our strength alone is nowhere near enough.”“It wasn’t enough last time, and it certainly won’t be enough now.”“This time, our mission remains the same—to coordinate with the Nova City police.”“But there’s a difference. We’ll also need to work alongside another group.”“Only with all three parties acting in concert can Nova City survive this crisis.”“As for who this other group is—I don’t need to spell it out. You already know.”Clarence Bennett spoke pointedly.“Working with another group isn’t the issue.”“The issue is, old Bennett, how can you be sure they’ll act?”“We can’t base our battle pla
Chapter 885
“As long as the request isn’t unreasonable, I would agree to it.”Joseph replied almost at once.“And marrying you—becoming your woman—would that count as unreasonable?”Heidi pressed.“I can’t generalize. It would depend on the circumstances.”“You know as well as I do that my situation is… complicated. Marriage, at the very least, requires affection. Mutual love matters.”Joseph answered with deliberate caution.“Then what about us? Would you say we’re mutually in love?”Heidi asked bluntly.“What do you think?”He countered.“I like you. Do you like me?”She refused to let him evade.“Can’t you feel the answer yourself?”Joseph replied with another question.“Hmph. You’re deliberately dancing around it, aren’t you? Typical man—cunning as an old fox.”Heidi huffed.“Go get some rest. I’m heading for a shower.”Joseph said.“Oh, I haven’t showered either. I’ll go now.”After a brief exchange of goodnights, the conversation ended.Heidi lay flat on her bed and let out a soft breath.“
Chapter 884
“Then they would marry, of course.”Old Mr. Cooper answered as though it were the most natural conclusion in the world.“And what about the Morgan family? Even if their eldest daughter agreed, would the family itself consent?”Heidi pressed.“It wouldn’t be their place to object. If the Morgan family refused, the Cooper family would step forward.”“Even back then, I accepted the Morgan family’s proposal and allowed their daughter to form an alliance with Joseph.”“You must understand—someone like Joseph does not enter into marriage as a mere union between himself and a woman. His marriage represents the convergence of two powers, the merging of mutual interests.”“Do you see what I’m saying?”Old Mr. Cooper spoke plainly.“So by that logic, my sister married him for the sake of interests. And when you encouraged me and my brother-in-law… that too was for the same reason?”Heidi’s thoughts felt tangled.“You could interpret it that way.”“But your situation is different. You and Joseph
Chapter 883
“No, really. There’s nothing.”Heidi forced an awkward smile.“What could you possibly be hiding from me? Honestly.”Fiona shot her a look of disdain, set down her bag, and poured herself a glass of water.Heidi fidgeted for a moment, rustling about.“Fine, look. This is what I was hiding.”From somewhere behind her back, she produced two small packs of sanitary pads.“It’s that time of the month. You know how it is. Surely you don’t need to inspect these too.”She put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression.“It’s just pads. What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’re a grown woman. Periods are perfectly normal.”Fiona couldn’t help but roll her eyes.“By the way, sis, can I ask you something?”Heidi quickly tucked the items away again.“What is it? Go on.”Fiona sat down.“Back then, if my brother-in-law had found the owner of the other bell… what would have happened?”Heidi asked carefully, her meaning layered beneath the words.“If he had found her, he probably would have granted
Chapter 882
“I think… there was only one?”“It’s been so long, I honestly don’t remember.”“But I’m certain my mom told me they came as a pair!”Lillian Morvek said, her tone uncertain.Heidi fell into deep thought.Which meant that when Lillian was seven and she herself was eight, the other bell had already been lost—and that lost bell had somehow ended up in Joseph’s hands.In other words, she must have met Joseph before she turned eight.More than a decade had passed since then.She had only been a child—whatever she did back then would have been pure instinct.No wonder she couldn’t remember.No wonder the first time Joseph came to her house, she had felt an inexplicable warmth toward him, a strange and undeniable familiarity.Of course.Of course.As the realization settled in, everything became clear.The little girl Joseph had been searching for all these years—was her.It had been her all along.“What’s wrong with you? Why are you staring into space like that?”Lillian asked, puzzled.“T
Chapter 881
“It’s nothing expensive—just a few little trinkets.”Lillian Morvek said this with a bright, playful smile.“Tsk, tsk. Why did you bring him a gift but not me?”Heidi looked thoroughly perplexed.“I did bring you something! The lipstick, remember? It cost me over five hundred!”Lillian gestured emphatically, her face full of mock heartbreak.Her family circumstances were nowhere near as affluent as Heidi’s. When it came to allowance money, she simply couldn’t compare.The Morveks were an ordinary family with a modest business—comfortable, perhaps, but nothing remarkable. Compared to the Cooper family, they were worlds apart. It was precisely for this reason that Maria Long had always looked down on them.“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”Heidi blinked, suddenly remembering.“You really are my favorite cousin.”With that, she threw her arms around Lillian.“Hey—can’t breathe—I'm dying!”Lillian struggled dramatically, and within seconds the two of them were wrestling and laughing like chil
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Reader Comments
Lovely and interesting.