NovelStart“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
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtfor… 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.
However, Luna had declared their first meeting as eight years ago. That was when Luna and Joshua
got married!
“Eight years?” Joshua sat down and cast Luna a stern look. “Alice, didn’t you and I get married eight
years ago?”
Alice immediately stiffened. She knew Luna had said that on purpose to trip her up and force her to
invent another lie!
Alice smiled, squinting her eyes into slits. “I think Luna is mistaken. Eight years ago? We 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 Alice eight
years ago?”
Luna frowned and met Joshua’s gaze. “What do you think, Mr. Lynch?“
Joshua stared at Luna’s face and recalled what Jude had said to him earlier this afternoon…
“Anything can happen, but I do hope that beautiful employee of yours isn’t Hailey Walter. Otherwise, it’d
be disgusting to know that you slept with the woman you hate the most, multiple times.“
Joshua continued to stare at Luna stiffly. Eight years ago was indeed the first time Hailey ever met
Luna Gibson.
Theo seemed to detect the hostility in Joshua’s eyes and immediately interjected, “Aren’t you here to
talk business with my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch? Why don’t we discuss that now? We have plenty of
time to catch up in the future.“
Alice feared Luna would accidentally say something to expose her, so she hastily agreed with Theo.
“He’s right. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are here today to talk business. Please, don’t let our chatter interfere
with your work progress! “
Joshua narrowed his eyes 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 anything to do with
Joshua.
Therefore, the six people within the room got split
into two distinctive groups: three discussing business, while the other three dug into their meal.
Seeing that Joshua was focused on his conversation, Alice smiled and pretended to adjust Luna’s shirt
button, but she whispered underneath her breath threateningly, ”Watch what you speak! If you dare to
expose me, I ‘ll make you and your two kids pay for this!”
Luna chuckled 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 family’s
money to make my life miserable?”
A flash of anger passed through Alice’s gaze. ”Luna! Just because the Walters are bankrupt now
doesn’t mean I can’t make your life a living hell!
”Let me be very honest with you. Yesterday, when your two children were sent abroad… I convinced
Joshua to assign some people over to protect them. Do you want to guess how many of these
bodyguards are secretly the Walters’ men?”
Luna faltered at that. ”You’ve assigned spies among Joshua’s men?”
”No, I didn’t .” Alice lowered her voice and hovered close to Luna’s ear. ”Did you forget that Joshua’s
father…is my beloved Uncle Adrian?”
Luna bit down on her lip and glared at Alice. ”He wouldn’t dare do anything to his grandchildren!”
Alice snorted in indignation, then straightened up gracefully and said to the rest of the people with a
smile, ”I always thought Theo was just a famous artist, but I never thought you have such a well-
established family business as well!
“You’re so lucky, Luna! Although…“ She turned around and glanced at Celeste. “The Allens are very
fortunate to have Luna as well. Luna is a talented jewelry designer, and you own a family business
supplying precious ores to jewelry companies. That sounds like fate! “
Celeste was so delighted to hear those words that she grinned from ear to ear. “That’s right! Theo and
Luna are a match made in heaven! “
Alice curled her lips into a faint smile. “If I were you, Mrs. Allen, I’d set a date for Luna and Theo’s
wedding right now. The sooner you settle it, the better, right?“
As soon 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 witnesses. Our entire family sincerely hopes that Ms. Luna will be
willing to marry our son! “
“What if…“ Joshua crossed his legs lazily as soon as 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 all.“
The entire room grew silent as Joshua’s words hung in the air.
After 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 Luna. Isn’t this marriage meant to be?
Why are you— “
“Because, “ responded Joshua as he pointed his bony finger at Luna, “she’s not a good match.“
The atmosphere in the booth grew so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
The color drained from Luna’s face, but Theo’s expression did not look good either.
Nathan and Celeste looked at one another, bewildered.
“Joshua.“ Alice frowned and sat down next to Joshua. Then, she lowered her voice and said, “Luna
finally managed to find a boyfriend, and both Theo and his parents seem to be very happy with her…
Why are you saying things like this? Do you know what’ll happen if you break up a marriage?“
Although Alice had lowered her voice and appeared to be whispering in Joshua’s ear, everyone heard
her.
At 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 to her having a
hard time finding a boyfriend.
Celeste furrowed her brows at Alice’s words. She lifted her head to glance at Luna, then at Alice.
Meanwhile, Nathan’s expression darkened. ”Mr. Lynch, you claim that Luna isn’t a good match. Can
you elaborate?”
”There’s no reason!” Theo immediately stood up and interjected, ”Luna works for Lynch Group. Mr.
Lynch was just worried that if Luna and I got married, she wouldn’t want to work for him anymore, and
he’d lose a valued employee.”
With that, he opened the jewelry box spitefully, displaying the exquisite, priceless diamond ring within.
Luna immediately recognized the ring. This was the first ring she had made with her bare hands while
she was abroad. At that time, she had sold this ring for an exorbitant price to pay Malcolm back for all
the help he had provided her. Therefore, to Luna, this ring held a lot of sentimental value.
This ring, after all, belonged to Theo…
Luna could tell that the Allens had prepared in advance before their visit to Banyan City. Not only did
they spend a lot of money, but they had put in the effort to track this ring down for her.
Theo’s words managed to convince the Allens otherwise, and Nathan immediately grinned. ”Ms. Luna,
please accept 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 to your heart.“
Celeste smiled at her. “That’s right, Ms. Luna. The diamond stone on this ring is just as beautiful and
pure as you are.“
Joshua snickered as soon as Celeste finished her sentence. “Pure?“ He lifted his head to gaze at Luna.
“Do you think you deserve this?“
Luna clenched her fists in anger. She knew that Joshua would try to humiliate her 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 pure?
“Did I cheat on my wife, or did I refuse to admit the truth and instead continue to pretend like I’m a
faithful partner?“
Joshua’s expression darkened. He continued to stare at Luna’s face and snarled through gritted teeth, “
The only thing I know is that a promiscuous woman such as yourself doesn’t deserve to be called pure!
“
Celeste and Nathan’s faces paled upon hearing this. They immediately turned around to stare at Theo.
“ Theo, this…“
“He’s talking nonsense! Luna is a pure and honest person! She’s a perfect match for our family! “ Theo
clenched his teeth, took out the ring from the jewelry box, and tried to put it onto Luna’s finger.
However, the more agitated he was, the harder it was for him to slip it onto her finger. Finally, Luna
drew back her hand and said, “Theo, it’s okay.“
“Luna… “ 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 marrying him.”
As soon as they heard that, Celeste and Nathan turned to one another.
“Besides, Mr. Lynch is right.“ Luna let out an exhale. “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 tonight was just a small family dinner, but
I didn’t expect an engagement to come out of this. I’m sorry.“
With that, Luna turned around. However, just as she was about to leave, she paused as if she had
recalled something and took a step back.
“Mr. Lynch.“ Luna slowly approached Joshua and smiled at him. “Are you happy now?“
Joshua snorted in indignation and gently set down the cup at hand. “Yes, I am.“
Luna stared at him, and a glimmer of malice flashed across her eyes. A second later, a smack landed
on Joshua’s face before he could even react.
Luna had given him such a forceful blow that his face was struck to one side from the impact.
Luna drew back her throbbing hand and chided, “ Anyone can think I’m impure and promiscuous, but
you, Mr. Lynch? You have no right. “ With that, she turned around to leave.
“Luna! “ Alice 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 Allen family yet!
“
Luna flung Alice’s hand away. “If you want to fire me, go ahead! “
She left the room with a huff and slammed the door behind her.
Meanwhile, Nathan and Celeste watched everything unfold in silence.
Theo put down the box and turned around to chase after Luna, but Nathan stopped him before he
could do so.
“What’s wrong with that woman?“ he asked coldly.
Theo clenched his teeth. “Luna’s not that kind of person at all! It’s all just rumors! “
“There’s always a grain of truth in every rumor, “ sneered Nathan. “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 from seeing that woman again before we get to the bottom of this! No woman is worth
losing so much over! “
On the other side of the table, Alice had found some ice and gently pressed them against Joshua’s
cheek. “ Joshua, how dare she behave like that? Can’t we find another designer to take over this
project? You should get rid of her. An employee who dares to beat their boss isn’t worth keeping…“
Joshua did not respond. Instead, he stared at a distance, his eyes narrowed.
After Alice had finished putting ice on Joshua’s face, Celeste approached her cautiously and asked,
“Mrs. Lynch, you’re friends with Luna. You… You should know what kind of person she is, right?“
“She…“ Alice paused, feigning embarrassment, and finally let out a sigh. “That’s Luna’s personal
business. I don’t 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 to both parties in terms of business.
However, Luna’s private life is…“
Alice sighed again and added, “I thought that since you’re all artists, you’d be more open-minded and
wouldn’t care much about things like this…“
The color drained from Celeste’s face as soon as she heard that. She turned around and glanced at
Nathan.
“Let’s go home, now! “ Nathan announced as he grabbed Theo’s collar. “I forbid you to see that woman
ever again! “
He then shot Joshua an apologetic look and said, “ I’m so sorry you had to see that, Mr. Lynch.“
Joshua closed his eyes and waved his hand as a dismissive farewell. After the three of them left, Alice
continued to sit next to Joshua for a while.
“Joshua, it’s getting late now. Why don’t we go home now?“ she asked coyly as she laid in Joshua’s
arms.
Joshua closed his eyes and recalled the look in Luna’s eyes when she had slapped him.
Despair, anger, hatred.
That was the first time Luna had ever looked at him like that…
Suddenly, Joshua’s phone rang. It was a call from Lucas.
”Sir, Luna’s on the Bay Bridge right now! Is she considering…suicide?”
Joshua felt as though his blood had run cold. He gripped his phone tightly and enunciated slowly, “
That’s impossible.“
“But…“ Lucas’ frantic voice rang out from the other end of the line. “She climbed onto the railing of Bay
Bridge! Sir…should I call the police?“
Joshua had tried to compose himself, but as soon as he heard that, his calm facade crumbled. He
roared into the phone, “Keep an eye on her! “
With that, he hung up the phone and stormed out of the room.
“Joshua… Josh—“ By the time Alice finally came to, Joshua had already disappeared around the end
of the hallway.
She was so furious that she immediately smashed the tableware onto the floor.
Luna! That b*tch!
If she wanted to die, they should just let her be!
She deserved to die! She should have died six years ago!
Joshua came out of the hotel lobby and hopped into his car. He harshly stepped on the gas pedal and
sped toward Bay Bridge as fast as his car could go.
He finally realized why Luna had stared at him like that.
She hated him so much that she wanted to take her life!
No… He could not let her die!
Starhill Hotel was more than ten minutes away from Bay Bridge, but Joshua managed to arrive within
five minutes. When he finally arrived, he saw Luna still sitting on the railing.
She had taken off her shoes and removed her jacket, sitting barefoot on the railing as she gazed at the
night sky in the distance.
As 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 peep a single word lest I trigger her
by accident…“
Joshua frowned and gazed at Luna’s chiseled side – profile. She was so beautiful that it neared
perfection.
However, at that moment, her eyes were etched with despair, helplessness, and doubt, as if…recalling
some distant memory.
Luna was indeed reminiscing.
She sat on the railing as she stared out at the sea in the distance.
Many years ago, she had ended up in her accident with Joshua’s driver and plummeted into the ocean
right at this very spot.
This was also where Malcolm’s ship had rescued her and led her to start a new life away from Banyan
City.
This was the place where she and Joshua’s lives veered off in different directions.
Luna sat on the railing and lamented her fate. She had survived a car crash, facial disfiguration,
childbirth, and plastic surgery. All of this led her to her new life abroad.
Even though it was not easy, Luna still managed to persevere through these hardships, one by one.
What she currently experienced paled in comparison.
She should not have been so upset by this. She should not have cared so much.
“Are you going to jump?“ Suddenly, a low voice rang out next to her.
The voice that rang out of the blue startled her, causing her entire body to jolt, tipping her slightly in the
direction of the water.
“Be careful! “ Joshua’s hand immediately 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 a little hiccup.
Are you that desperate to marry Theo?“
Luna froze. Did Joshua think she wanted to end herself?
She smirked and swung his hand away. “Don’t worry —I won’t die. You’ll probably die before me.“
Joshua, who had done so many despicable things, was still alive. How could she kill herself over such
a n insignificant matter?
Joshua felt like laughing. “Well, if you’re not going to jump, what are you doing here? Admiring the
view?“
Luna smirked. “Why? What’s wrong with that?” She lifted her head to gaze at the water beneath her. “
This seems like a very suitable place to dump a dead body.”
She turned around to look at Joshua. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Lynch?”
Luna was trying to get Joshua to recall that this was the exact place where he had attempted to murder
her.
However, Joshua did not know what Luna meant and instead interpreted it as something else.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to commit suicide and frame me for murder…because I stopped
you from marrying Theo?“
Luna froze for a moment, then chuckled. “You have a very good imagination, Mr. Lynch. This does
sound like a good idea.“ She let out a sigh and gazed at a distance. “If my death would mean that you
receive the punishment you deserve, then it sounds like a fair trade.“
However, Luna knew that would not happen.
She nearly died many years ago, but not only was Joshua unaffected by that, he even got engaged to
Aura.
Not only did he manage to land another woman, but he also received a reputation as a faithful and
devoted husband.
Therefore, Luna did not want to die. Not before Joshua did, at least!
“You’re willing to risk your life just to get back at me,“ commented Joshua coldly as he squinted. “Do
you like Theo that much?“ Luna sneered but did not reply.
Joshua sighed as he realized Luna would not budge from the railing as he continued, “Luna, I know
that you resent and hate me because of what happened today, but if you want to seek revenge, you
need to be alive to do that. Come down.“
Luna gazed at Joshua’s face and suddenly felt amused by this. “Why do you care if I’m alive or dead,
Mr. Lynch?“
She was just a temporary toy to him that he could humiliate whenever he wanted. He had disgraced
her right in front of Theo and his parents.
Did he care about her at all? Did he even care whether she was alive or dead?
Luna stared at him, her gaze etched with contempt and hatred, and Joshua automatically felt alarmed
by the way she looked at him.
He could not make out what she was thinking. He was afraid she would jump off the railing at any
minute.
Joshua’s heart skipped a beat.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was usually a calm and collected person. The last time he ever felt this anxious was six years ago,
when Luna Gibson had fallen into the ocean and went missing!
At that time…
Luna Gibson had gotten involved in a car accident and fallen into the sea, but there were no signs of
her even though only an hour had passed.
The spot where Luna sat was the same place where Luna Gibson had suffered her accident!
If she fell into the water, it would take time for the rescue team to get here. If that happened, there was
no guarantee they would be able to find her. Joshua could not let that happen again.
He extended his hands and grabbed onto Luna’s arms. “Get off the railing! “
However, Luna seemed determined to hear Joshua’s answer to her question. She flung his hands
away and said, “Mr. Lynch, you haven’t answered me yet. Why do you care if I’m alive or dead?“
“You’d better get off right this instant! “ Joshua grabbed her arm forcefully. “Luna! Stop messing around!
“
Luna felt like laughing when she heard this. “What makes you think I’m messing around?“
She came to Bay Bridge because she was in a bad mood, so she wanted to revisit an old place. Did
Joshua think she came to end her life?
Was that what he thought of her? That she was just a weak person who believed death was the only
answer?
Joshua grew even more enraged by Luna’s stubbornness. “Get down right now and come home with
me! “ He tugged on her forcefully and tried to pull her back from the railing.
The two of them continued to struggle on the railing, where just a gentle tip over the side could result in
a tragedy.
“Aargh — “ Finally, Joshua managed to pull Luna off the railing.
He felt as though the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He held her in his arms and let out a
sigh.
“Why are you considering death over such a small matter? When did you become so fragile?”
Luna had trouble breathing, partly because Joshua was holding onto her so tightly. She could hear his
heartbeat.
For a moment, she felt as though…he truly cared about her…a great deal.
After a long time, she closed her eyes and muttered, “Joshua, if you don’t send me to a hospital right
away, I might really die.”
Joshua paused and looked down at her.
Luna’s face was pale, and the sleeve of her white chiffon top was drenched in blood.
The stitches on her right shoulder had burst due to Joshua’s violent tugging.
“She can’t afford to suffer another injury anymore,“ the doctor warned Joshua after he finished suturing
Luna’s wound again. He then added, “I heard that Ms. Luna is a jewelry designer. She had burst her
stitches twice in a day… If she gets hurt one more time…she might not be able to hold a pencil ever
again.“
Joshua sighed and glanced at Luna, who had passed out from the excruciating pain. The color had
drained from her face, and her right shoulder was once more wrapped in a thick layer of bandages.
Joshua sighed and left the ward.
“Lucas, send out a job recruitment notice tonight. I want to hire some jewelry design assistants who
have stable foundations, or even artists.“
Lucas paused. “Didn’t Luna already hire her boyfriend, Theo, as her assistant? Why do you want
Before he could finish his sentence, however, Joshua shot him a glare, and Lucas immediately
clamped his mouth shut.
When Luna finally woke up, it was already the next morning. The first thing she saw when she opened
her eyes was Joshua.
He sat on a chair next to her bed, dressed in all black with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He
appeared to be fast asleep.
Luna frowned and stared at him for a few moments. His eyes were shut, and he looked calm and
tranquil.
Luna recalled how Joshua had carried her into his car and sped toward the hospital last night. He
apologized profusely to her throughout the journey, saying that he did not mean to do that on purpose.
He was just too worried that she would jump off the bridge.
Luna did not know whether to believe him or not, but she could not help but feel touched by his words.
She wanted to believe that everything he said was true.
Alas, as she regained her rationality, Luna knew they were all lies.
This man was selfish and despicable. How could he possibly feel sorry and genuinely apologize to her?
All of a sudden, as if he could feel her staring at him, Joshua furrowed his brows and opened his eyes.
”Are you awake now?” He glanced at her. ”The doctor said that you can’ t afford to suffer another injury
anymore. Lucas had spent the entire night helping you recruit more than ten assistants. When you get
back to the office later, you can have a look a t them and decide which of them you want to keep. ”
With that, Joshua glanced at Luna’s right shoulder and added, ”You should let your assistant do all the
sketching for the time being.”
Luna shot him a cold glance and sneered, ”Why should I? Theo is the perfect candidate. If it weren’ t
for you, Mr. Lynch, he and I would’ve established a great rapport and already started working together
yesterday.”
Joshua narrowed his eyes slightly. Then, after a moment, he lif ted his head to stare at Luna coldly. ”
Well, you were there last night. You saw that Theo’s family owns a business supplying precious ores to
companies. Although his father and I are just partners, if Theo comes to work for Lynch Group and
learns everything about how a jewelry design company operates, then ends up marrying you…
”Can you guess what’ll happen next?”
Luna chuckled. ”Is this the reason you refused to let me hire Theo as my assistant? You were afraid
that he’d learn trade secrets and start his own company to compete with Lynch Group?”
Joshua squinted slightly. ”You can say that.”
”That’s a pretty good excuse, Mr. Lynch. What about humiliating me right in front of Theo’s parents last
night, then? Was it because you didn’t want him to marry me and gain an advantage over your Lynch
Group?”
Joshua shifted into a more comfortable position in his chair. ”Of course.”
Luna chuckled, then fixated her steely gaze on Joshua. ”Why are you so afraid of him, Mr. Lynch? He’s
just the son of one of our ore suppliers. How did Lynch Group get to where it is now if you’re so
constantly threatened by other people? I don’t believe you at all.”
Joshua raised his eyebrows at her. ”Well, if you don’t believe me, then what do you think is my reason
for
doing all this?”
“Do you think I’m a horrible boss who enjoys making his employee’s life miserable? Or…“ Joshua
stared at Luna with a malicious glint. “Do you think I’m doing this because I’m in love with you?“
Luna’s breath caught in her throat.
She wanted to tell him that according to what happened yesterday, there was one other possibility—
Joshua was a psycho who enjoyed toying with people.
To him, Luna had always been a person at his beck and call, but all of a sudden, she belonged to Theo.
Therefore, Joshua did it all out of spite.
However, Luna did not dare say them out loud.
She could not cross him yet. Not until she bore his child.
“Alright then, I’ll just assume that Mr. Lynch is worried about having an extra competitor.“ Luna sighed
and lowered her head to glance at the time. “ It’s time to go to work now.“
Joshua frowned, then stood up and extended his hand toward Luna to help her out of the bed.
Upon seeing his outstretched hand, Luna paused, then took it with a faint smile.
She thought everything that happened yesterday would cause their relationship to become strained
and tense. To her surprise, however, Joshua rushed all the way to Bay Bridge just to stop her from ‘
taking her life’.
He even stayed by her side the entire night because he feared something bad would happen.
Even if he just pretended to care about her, Luna had to admit that Joshua had put considerable effort
into his acting, so she could not hold it against him.
The two of them had a quick breakfast together, then carpooled to Lynch Group Tower.
”Luna… ” As soon as Luna stepped out of the car, Theo, who had been waiting at the building
entrance, immediately rushed toward her. ”Where have you been all night? I went to Swan Lake
Residences to look for you, but you weren’t there, so I had no choice but to wait here… ”
Before he could finish, Theo caught sight of Joshua, who got out of the car behind Luna. His
expression darkened, and he lowered his voice, saying, ”What are you doing with him? Are you… ”
Theo narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles cracked. ”I knew it ! H e lied
about everything to my parents last night ! He said those things so he could keep you for himself! “
Theo stormed in Joshua’s direction, and Luna immediately stopped him, frowning. ”Theo! What on
earth are you talking about?”
”Am I wrong?” Theo turned around and cast Luna a distressed look. ”I know you have your reasons,
Luna, but how could you still tolerate him, even after the way he humiliated you in front of my parents?
How could you even— ”
“How could she even what?” Before Theo could finish his sentence, Joshua interjected in a low, steely
tone. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Theo impassively. “Why don’t you
elaborate, Mr. Allen?”
Theo gritted his teeth and glared at Joshua with hatred boiling in his eyes. “Do you want me to say it
out loud? Last night, you and Luna…”
Theo wanted to say the words ‘slept together’, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not squeeze
the words out of his throat.
“Slept together?” Joshua interrupted coldly.
Theo was so furious that the veins on his clenched fists popped. “You admitted it!” “Admitted what?”
Joshua snickered. “Theo, didn’t you say that you love Luna and you’re willing to do anything for her?
What about last night? Where were you when she almost took her life by jumping off Bay Bridge last
night?”
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