“What’s wrong?“ Theo stood up as soon as he noticed Luna’s peculiar expression. “Does your wound hurt? Are you upset because you don’t want to meet my parents?“

An alarmed expression flashed across Theo’s face. “If you don’t want to meet them, I can give them a call right away…“

Luna shook her head. “No, it’s not that. “ She lifted her head to gaze at him and said, “Can we have dinner someplace else instead? It’s just that I…don’t like Bamboo Palace.“

Luna was worried that she would run into Joshua during dinner. If they bumped into each other this night, Luna feared Joshua would cause a scene and humiliate Theo in front of his parents.

“Oh, is that it?“ Theo’s face lit up almost immediately, and he stood up. “That’s easy! My parents’ plane will be landing at Banyan City Airport in an hour. I’ll pick them up now and ask them to change the venue to someplace else.“

Theo shot Luna an excited glance and added, “You… You’d better dress up! I ‘ll send you the address of the new venue in a while! “

Luna could not help laughing when she saw how thrilled Theo was. “Alright.“

An hour later, she received a text message from Theo. (My parents told me the reason why they wanted to meet you at the Bamboo Palace is that they had a business meeting there. Don’t worry! I told them you live too far away from there, so they discussed with the other party and agreed to change the venue to the restaurant beneath Starhill Hotel.]

Theo even sent her a smiley face along with another message that read, (My mom saw a picture of you in the news and even looked through your portfolio. They seem very fond of you! ]

Luna sighed at the texts.

She did not know what to tell Theo. She felt that it was too cruel to keep on emphasizing to him that they were only a fake couple, but if she did not do that…

Luna sighed, picked up her phone, and called Anne. “ Come shopping with me.“

Luna arrived at the Starhill Hotel entrance at 6 p.m. on the dot. She wore a black skirt with a white chiffon top that made her look elegant and ladylike. The breeze picked up a few strands of her long hair, giving her an air of sophistication and charm.

Theo stood at the hotel entrance, and as soon as he saw her getting out of the taxi, his entire body froze, mesmerized. He knew that Luna was gorgeous, but…

She was so stunning that even a simple outfit like that somehow brought out her beauty. He continued to stare at her, awestruck.

Luna caught sight of Theo and waved at him before she sashayed toward him in her high heels.

“Are Mr. and Mrs. Allen inside?“

Theo finally came to after hearing Luna’s voice. He coughed slightly and replied, “Yes.“ He scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and said, “I thought my parents came all the way to Banyan City just to see you, but it turns out they have a business meeting arranged.“

“That’s okay.“ Luna held onto Theo’s arm and smiled. “If they had flown over just for me, it would’ve made me feel very guilty.“

Theo sighed, his brows furrowed. Then, he linked hands with Luna and walked into the hotel lobby together.

However, what happened next was beyond their wildest imaginations.

While they waited for the elevator, they heard a familiar voice ring out from behind them, “Joshua, why are we meeting here all of a sudden? I waited at Bamboo Palace for a long time.“

As soon as Alice finished speaking, Joshua’s voice rang out, “Maybe they didn’t like Bamboo Palace.“

Luna’s mind went blank. She glanced in the direction of the voices from out of the corner of her eye.

Joshua stood at the hotel entrance in his black suit and appeared to be on the phone with someone.

Alice, standing next to him, looked serene and captivating in her sparkling, navy blue dress.

Luna looked away from them and felt a sudden twinge of pain shoot through her heart.

“Luna?“ Theo’s questioning voice rang out. Luna immediately came to and realized that the elevator door before her had already opened.

She exhaled and hastily entered the elevator as though running away from something.

“This Mr. and Mrs. Allen that you’re meeting with seem like strange people. “ Alice pursed her lips in indignation. “They’d already decided to send one of their subordinates to meet with us on their behalf, but they oh -so suddenly changed their minds and decided to come themselves.

“They agreed to meet at Bamboo Palace, and I even went all out and decorated the entire place to welcome them, but they changed the venue at the last minute. Don’t you think they’re a little stuck-up? It’s not like they’re the only people that can provide the specific kind of special ore we’re looking for.“

Joshua hung up the phone indifferently. “Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Allen changed the venue due to private matters.“

Alice rolled her eyes. “Haven’t they been living overseas for a long time now? What kind of private matters would they have to attend to here in Banyan City?“

Joshua did not answer and instead strode toward the elevator, appearing unconcerned. “Well, you’ll know soon enough.“

Joshua had just found out the vendor that would be providing Lynch Group with the precious ore they needed…was Theo’s family business.

This would be interesting.

“Dad, Mom, this is Luna.“

As soon as they arrived at the booth upstairs, Theo smilingly introduced Luna to his parents.

“Ms. Luna, please take a seat! “ Theo’s mother, Celeste, beamed at Luna and invited her to sit.

“Where are you from, Ms. Luna?“

“How many family members do you have?“ “How did you and Theo meet?“

As soon as Luna sat down, Celeste bombarded her with a series of questions that left her a little unnerved.

It was, in fact, Luna’s first time meeting a boyfriend’s parents. Even though she had been married to Joshua in the past, Joshua grew up with a single parent, and his father did not pay much attention to him at all. Therefore, Luna never had to experience the awkwardness of meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time.

“I’ve looked at your portfolio, Ms. Luna. Your designs are absolutely beautiful! You truly are a talented jewelry designer! “ Theo’s father, Nathan, chimed in and praised Luna as he stroked his beard. “ Ms. Luna, our family runs a business selling ores meant for jewelry making. In the future, if you and Theo get married, we can build a jewelry company of our own! “

Luna’s heart sank as soon as she heard that. She frowned and asked, “Uncle, did you just say…that your family sells ores to jewelry companies?“

If she remembered correctly…

Joshua had a business meeting with a vendor that would be supplying valuable ores to the Lynch Group this very night.

“Yes, that’s correct. “ Nathan stroked his beard and let out a hearty laugh. “Although we work with a lot of big companies, we’ve always been very low-rofile and discreet. Not even Theo knows about all this! I wouldn’t have told you this if I didn’t know you were a jewelry designer.“

With that, he gave a triumphant smile and added, “In fact, besides meeting you, we’re also here tonight to discuss a collaborating opportunity with a very well-established company! “

Luna’s hand, hidden underneath the table all this while, gripped the hem of her shirt tightly. If her suspicions were right…

“The company we’re going to be working with is Lynch Group from Banyan City! “

As soon as Nathan proudly declared the name of the company, Luna and Theo’s expressions darkened, but Nathan did not seem to notice that. Instead, he lowered his head to glance at his watch and remarked, “Mr. Lynch called a while ago to tell me he’s already downstairs. What’s taking him so long?”

As soon as he finished his sentence, someone knocked on the door. “Hello, is this Mr. Nathan Allen’s booth?”

Luna and Theo exchanged glances as soon as they heard the voice coming from the other side of the door. They were more than familiar with it.

“Yes, it is!“ Nathan leaped out of his seat excitedly, strode over, and flung open the door.

A young couple stood outside the door. The man was tall and slender with an aura of sophistication about him, while the woman looked serene and charming.

“You must be Mr. Lynch! “ Nathan immediately extended his hand out to shake Joshua’s. “Please come in! “

Joshua offered a small smile and eyed Luna, who sat inside the booth. She wore a formal and elegant skirt, and she even put on makeup. She looked much

more stunning than how she usually looked at work.

It was clear that Luna had put in the effort to look good for Theo’s parents.

Joshua narrowed his eyes and pulled Alice into the room impassively.

Alice strolled in with a smile on her face, but as soon as she caught sight of Theo and Luna in the corner, she froze. After a moment, however, she plastered a smile on her face and greeted, “Hello, Mr. Allen. Nice to meet you. I’m Joshua’s wife.“

She then glanced at the two people sitting in the corner. “And these two are…“

Celeste immediately stood up and pulled Theo and Luna up with her. “Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, I’m Nathan’s wife. This is my son and our future daughter-in- law!“

Everyone in the room fell silent as soon as they heard that.

Joshua narrowed his eyes and shot Luna a cold glance.

Luna frowned and looked a little pale while Theo furrowed his brows and tugged on his mother’s arm. “Mom, please don’t say nonsense like this. Luna and I —“

“Oh, I didn’t know you were engaged.“ Alice let go of Joshua and sat down next to Luna with a gentle smile. “Congratulations.“ She looked up at Nathan and Celeste, who both appeared surprised by that. “ I ‘m not sure if you know this, but Luna and I have been friends for a very long time now.“

She smiled faintly at Luna. “How long have we known each other now? Six years?“

Luna forced out a smile and glanced at Alice. “More than six years. I think we’ve known each other for… eight years now.“

The color drained from Alice’s face.

She had claimed to have known Luna for six years, which was when Luna gave birth to Neil and Nellie so that it would match up with her lies. She had previously accused Luna of getting close to her and stealing her children, so she had to make sure the lies were aligned.

had declared their first meeting as eight years ago. That was

stern look. “Alice, didn’t you

on purpose to

didn’t even know each other at that time.” “Maybe she knew of you, but you didn’t, ” Joshua interjected before Alice could finish her sentence. He fixed his gaze on Luna and asked, “How did you get to know

met Joshua’s gaze. “What do you think,

face and recalled what Jude had said to him

can happen, but I do hope that beautiful employee of yours isn’t Hailey Walter. Otherwise, it’d be

to stare at Luna stiffly. Eight years ago was indeed the first time Hailey ever met

business with my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch? Why

“He’s right. Mr. and Mrs.

and glanced at Luna one more time before he finally turned around to talk to Nathan. After a while, they started to discuss the ore extraction process as well as negotiate prices. Alice did not understand anything, Theo did not want to, and Luna refused to have

within

discussing business, while the other

button, but she whispered underneath her breath threateningly, ”Watch what you speak! If you

softly and retorted in a half-whisper, ”How will you do that, Ms. Walter? Are you going to ask your father, who’s stuck in prison, to come after me, or are you going to use your bankrupt

Just because the Walters are bankrupt now doesn’t mean I can’t

Joshua to assign some people over to protect them. Do you want to guess how many of these bodyguards are

that. ”You’ve

close to Luna’s

at Alice. ”He wouldn’t

the rest of the people with a smile, ”I always thought Theo was just

Although…“ She turned around and glanced at Celeste. “The Allens are very fortunate to have Luna as well. Luna is a talented jewelry designer,

was so delighted to hear those words that she grinned from ear to ear. “That’s right! Theo and Luna are

her lips into a faint smile. “If I were you, Mrs. Allen, I’d set a date for Luna and

as she heard that, Celeste immediately exchanged glances with Nathan before shoving a jewelry box into Theo’s hand, and Nathan stood up eagerly. “Since it’s so merry here tonight, I ‘d like to invite Mr. and Mrs. Lynch to be

Nathan finished his sentence. “What if I’m not willing to be a witness to this? In fact, I don’t approve of this marriage at

room grew silent as Joshua’s words

a long pause, Nathan smiled and said, “What are you talking about, Mr. Lynch? We’re going to become work partners soon. Plus, your wife is close friends with

he pointed his bony finger at Luna,

grew so silent that one

drained from Luna’s face, but Theo’s

Celeste looked

Then, she lowered her voice and said, “Luna finally managed to find a boyfriend, and both Theo and his parents seem to

this? Do you know what’ll happen if you break up

lowered her voice and appeared to be whispering in Joshua’s ear, everyone heard

first glance, there did not seem to be anything wrong with what Alice said. However, upon further scrutiny, she implied that there was something wrong with Luna’s character, which led

brows at Alice’s words. She lifted her head to glance at

expression darkened. ”Mr. Lynch, you claim that Luna

that if Luna and I

the jewelry box spitefully, displaying the exquisite, priceless

hands while she was abroad. At that time, she had sold this ring for

all,

in advance before their visit to Banyan City. Not only did they spend

this gift. We found out that this was the first ring you ever made yourself, so we tracked it down and decided to give it to you as your engagement gift. We hope that this ring will remind you to always stay true

Luna. The diamond stone on this ring is just as beautiful and pure as

Celeste finished her sentence. “Pure?“ He lifted his head to gaze at Luna.

at every chance he got! She narrowed her eyes and met his gaze. “Why don’t you tell me what you think, Mr. Lynch? What makes you think I’m not

admit the truth and instead continue

teeth, “ The only thing I know

upon hearing this. They immediately

Luna is a pure and honest person! She’s a perfect match for our family! “ Theo clenched his teeth, took out the ring

slip it onto her finger. Finally, Luna drew back her hand and said, “Theo, it’s

Theo bit down on his lip and was about to say something, but before he could do so, Luna stood up. She approached Nathan and Celeste and gave them both a respectful bow. ”Theo and I are just dating. I’ve never considered the idea of

that, Celeste and Nathan turned

“I ‘m not a good match for Theo. He’s such a kind and gentle person; I don’t think I deserve him at all. I thought

about to leave, she paused as if she had recalled something and took a step

approached Joshua and smiled at him. “Are

set down

glimmer of malice flashed across her eyes. A second later, a smack landed on Joshua’s face before

his face was struck to one side from the

promiscuous,

immediately grabbed onto Luna’s wrist and leaped out of her seat in a fury. “How dare you slap Joshua? Have you forgotten he’s still your boss? You haven’t married into the

you want to fire me, go

room with a huff and

Nathan and Celeste watched

box and turned around to chase after Luna, but Nathan stopped him before he could do

wrong with that

that kind of person at all! It’s all

“If she’s genuinely innocent, why would anyone spread lies and rumors about her?“ He pressed Theo’s hand forcefully against the table. “I forbid you

cheek. “ Joshua, how dare she behave like that? Can’t we find another designer to take

did not respond. Instead, he stared at a distance,

face, Celeste approached her cautiously and asked, “Mrs. Lynch,

have a say in anything at all. She’s a very gifted designer, and I’ll have to give her that. I agreed to this marriage because I thought it’d be beneficial

Luna’s private

artists, you’d be more open-minded

as soon as she heard that. She turned around and glanced

now! “ Nathan announced as he grabbed Theo’s collar.

Joshua an apologetic look and said, “ I’m so sorry

hand as a dismissive farewell. After the three of them left, Alice continued to sit next to Joshua for

don’t we go home now?“ she asked coyly as she laid in Joshua’s

the look in Luna’s eyes

Despair, anger, hatred.

was the first time Luna had ever looked at

phone rang. It

on the Bay Bridge right now!

though his blood had run cold. He gripped his phone tightly and enunciated

Lucas’ frantic voice rang out from the other end of the line. “She climbed onto the railing

compose himself, but as soon as he heard that, his calm facade crumbled. He

that, he hung up the phone and stormed

By the time Alice finally came to, Joshua had already disappeared around

furious that she immediately smashed the tableware onto

Luna! That b*tch!

they should just let

die! She should have

He harshly stepped on the gas pedal and sped toward Bay Bridge

why Luna had stared

that she wanted to take her

He could not

managed to arrive within five minutes. When he finally arrived, he

shoes and removed her jacket, sitting barefoot on the

soon as Joshua got out of the car, Lucas approached him and whispered next to his ear, “ She’s been sitting there ever since I called you. I didn’t dare get close or

her eyes were etched with despair, helplessness, and

Luna was indeed reminiscing.

stared out at the sea

up in her accident with Joshua’s driver and plummeted into the ocean

led her to start a new life

place where she and Joshua’s lives veered off

railing and lamented her fate. She

this led her to

easy, Luna still managed to persevere through

currently experienced paled in

by this.

jump?“ Suddenly, a low voice rang

blue startled her, causing her entire body to jolt, tipping

grabbed her wrist and pressed her down against the railing. As soon he made sure she was safe, he roared, “Why are you so upset by this? It’s just

Joshua think she wanted to

away. “Don’t worry

many despicable things, was still alive. How could she kill herself

if you’re not going to jump, what are you doing

gaze at the water beneath her. “ This

turned around to look at Joshua. “Isn’t

this was

not know what Luna meant and instead interpreted

eyes. “You’re going to commit suicide and frame

sound like a good idea.“ She let out a sigh and gazed at a distance. “If my death would mean that

knew that

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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