Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Joshua did not pay him any attention, and he left the hospital room with steady steps. He

thought about what Yosef Tanz had said, and his eyes deepened with thought. Could Cynthia really be

Chairman Yate’s daughter?

As he considered this, his gaze fell on the branch manager waiting outside. He called out to him, “Mr.

Harrison.”

Mr. Harrison immediately stood up straight. Seeing the look on Joshua’s face, he wondered if the

conversation with Yosef Tanz had not gone well.

“Arrange a dinner with the chairman of Yates Group,” Joshua said slowly, his tone so mysterious that

no one knew what he was planning.

Mr. Harrison was confused. Worried that he had misheard, he asked, “The chairman of Yates Group,

Mr. Yates?”

“Yes,” Joshua replied indifferently and continued walking toward the exit. As he passed by Cynthia’s

hospital room, he glanced inside.

“But our collaboration with Yates Group isn’t an important part of our business.” Mr. Harrison thought

Joshua wanted to discuss business and was concerned about the appropriateness of the dinner

invitation. “Wouldn’t it be a bit improper to arrange a dinner under such circumstances?”

“I don’t see any problem. Just say that I find our collaboration with Yates Group pleasant, and I’d like to

discuss the possibility of extending our partnership,” Joshua replied, already planning to probe

Chairman Yates for information.

Mr. Harrison hesitated for a moment, his expression complicated as he looked at Joshua.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua noticed.

“Our collaboration with Yates Group hasn’t been very pleasant, actually. During our negotiations, both

parties were outwardly polite, but deep down, we were quite hostile toward each other,” Mr. Harrison

recalled previous events, his face pale.

That particular collaboration had been nothing short of a battle between them. He did not

want to collaborate with Yates Group as they were simply too difficult to deal with!

Joshua was taken aback. He had not expected this outcome. Nexuria’s business dealings were usually

arranged externally. “Then find another reason to arrange the meeting.”

“Yes, sir,” Mr. Harrison reluctantly agreed.

Cynthia was unaware that Joshua was about to meet her ‘Old Man Yates’.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Shirley finally woke up. As she opened her eyes to the white hospital

room, she felt pain all over her body. Furrowing her brow, she tried to move but was stopped by a

familiar voice.

“Don’t move. You’re still receiving an IV,” Cynthia warned her.

Shirley’s eyes widened in surprise. She instantly became more alert, looking toward the source of the

voice. Seeing her sister, her eyes filled with joy. “Sis! You’re back!”

Chapter 23

“Yes. You have about twenty minutes left on your IV. Lie still.”

“Okay.” Shirley obeyed, her bright eyes never leaving her sister’s face, as if she could not get enough

of looking at her.

Cynthia tucked her in, worried she might catch a cold.

“Sis.”

“Yes?”

“I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Me too.”

“Sis.”

“Yes?”

“I’m so happy to see you.”

Cynthia gently scraped her nose, her expression full of affection. “You need to focus on recovery first.”

“Okay!” Shirley happily agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Cynthia called the nurse on duty when the IV was finished. When the IV bag was

removed, Shirley struggled to sit up. She really missed her sister!

Cynthia helped her sit up, raising the hospital bed and handing her a cup of warm water. She only sat

down after taking care of everything.

Shirley had been beaming ever since she saw Cynthia, her energy and excitement apparent. “I heard

from Dad that you married Joshua and are planning to get a divorce. Is that true?”

Cynthia sighed.

Why does everyone know?

Cynthia began, her gaze falling on Shirley’s bandaged head, “Before I answer that question, you need

to tell me how you got these injuries.”

The excitement in Shirley’s eyes faded, replaced with a hint of nervousness.

Cynthia waited for her sister to speak, not rushing her.

“You can’t be mad at me if I tell you,” Shirley said hesitantly, biting her lip as she said.

Cynthia agreed, “Alright.”

Shirley hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, “I was beaten up, but I’m not quite sure who was

behind it.”

“Tell me more,” Cynthia said, steadying herself and calmly discussing the situation with her

sister.

“I suspect

with Mr

ght have been Mrs. Quinn’s relatives, but I don’t think it has anything to do

.,” Shirley confessed in a hushed tone, biting her lip again.

Mrs. Quin was their father’s new partner.

Cynthia knew.

2/4

Chapter 23

“I had only one class this morning, and I was planning to go shopping with my dormmates when I

received a text message. It said that my friend was in trouble and I needed to get there. quickly,”

Shirley recounted, explaining the sequence of events.

“Which friend?” Cynthia inquired, looking for more details.

Shirley stammered for a while, unable to find the words, her eyes darting away evasively.

Seeing her sister’s reaction, Cynthia understood. “A boyfriend?”

Shirley admitted sheepishly, fearing her sister’s reprimand. “Uh… yeah. I didn’t think much about it at

the time and just headed to the address the person provided. I didn’t know it was a trap.”

“Can I see the text message?”

“Of course!”

Relieved that Cynthia was not pushing the issue further, Shirley quickly unlocked her phone and

handed it to her sister.

Cynthia read the message and made a mental note of the sender’s number.

“Sis.”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t make things difficult for Mrs. Quinn.” Shirley said cautiously, aware of her sister’s

lingering resentment about the situation, “I can guarantee that she has nothing to do

with this.”

Over the past two years, without her sister at home, Shirley had come to understand a lot more about

their family dynamics.

Mrs. Quinn was not a bad person.

Cynthia hesitated before responding, “As long as she hasn’t hurt you, I won’t make things difficult for

her.”

“What happened after?” Cynthia asked, handing the phone back to Shirley after reading the

message.

“I was attacked with sticks in an alley before I even reached the destination. I think I saw Mrs. Quinn’s

brother standing outside the alley.” Shirley recounted objectively, without embellishment, “Eventually,

my… boyfriend arrived. He rescued me and took me to the hospital.”

“As for what happened next, I have no idea,” Shirley continued.

“Oh! My boyfriend came because I texted him while I was on my way to confirm if he was really in

trouble

“I see,” Cyn

said, having gathered enough information. She asked one last question, “Did you call the police?”

“I did,” Shirley replied obediently, nodding.

Cynthia nodded and promised, “I’ll have this sorted out for you in seven days.”

Shirley nodded her head lightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

3/4

23

After avoiding any consequences regarding having a boyfriend, Shirley grew bolder. “Sis, I’ve already

told you about my situation. Isn’t it your turn to tell me about yours?”

Cynthia was about to respond when her gaze was drawn to a message from Old Man Yates.

[Old Man Yates: Cyn, Joshua invited me to dinner. Should I go?]