bChapter /bb37 /b

The moment Joshua arrived, the atmosphere shifted.

And every time he showed op, Wendelyn would stare at him,pletely captivated.

If it weren’t for the engagement, the Jean family probably would have had few chances to meet Joshua in person.

the defin

At thirty, Joshua was the definition of a man in his prime his refined charm and that impossibly wless face were enough to make anyone’s heart race.

Shermaine wasn’t one to obsess over looks, but she was a little interested in having some physical contact with him. Too bad, though, this man was only for admiring.

Ruth straightened her back abruptly, forcing a sheepish smile as she exined. “This is Leslie. He is in the same school as Shermaine. Shermaine’s really bad at school,ssked Leslie to tutor her when he had time to help improve her scores.”

Behind Joshua, Bradley carried a bunch of gifts. bUpon /bhearing this, Joshua shot an indifferent look at Leslie before looking away.

Under Joshua’s gaze, Leslie instinctively clenched his fists. It was his first time meeting Joshua, the talk of Basterel

Given Joshua’s position of power, his presence was undeniably overwhelming, so much so bthat /bLedie instinctively felt ba /bbit intimidated.

“Shermaine’s bad at school?” Joshua basked/b.

Ruth responded, “Yeah. When Mianmian started school, the teacher gave her a test, and she couldn’t even answer ba /bbsingle /bquestion. She’ll be taking the SAT next year, and while I’m not expecting her to score too high, she can’t afford to do poorly, right?

“bAfter /bball/bb, /bshe bis /bthe heiress bof /bour family, and your fiancée. So many eyes are on her. If her bgrades /bare too badb, /bba /blot of people willugh at her behind her back” She spoke with conviction, though she had other intentions.

Joshua chuckled softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing

was doing well in

He knew Shermaine was proficient in Al and capable bof /bwriting credible medical prescriptions. Given this, he was certain that she bwas /bschool. Relying solely on othersb‘ /bbshallow /bbjudgments /bwouldn’t help truly understand Shermaine’s abilities.

Since Ruth thought that way, Joshua certainly wouldn’t correct her. He turned his gaze to Shemaine and said, “Sheary, aren’t you going to introduce

A flicker of emotion stirred in Shermaine’s chest as she heard Joshua address her by her nickname. She smiled brightly, stood up, walked over to him, and linked arms with him. Then she began introducing her family. “This is my grandmother, Janice.”

“Mrs. Jean, I heard you weren’t feeling well before. How are you now?” Joshua basked /bwith genuine concern.

Janice, satisfied with Joshua, her future grandsonb–/binw, smiled and replied, “Much better.”

“If you still feel unwell, I can have Dr. Newmane bby /bto check on byou/bb,/bb” /bbJoshua /boffered.

Darius was ba /brenowned traditional medicine doctor in Basterel, and his services couldn’t be secured with money alone. Janice’s smile deepened. “That’s so thoughtful of you. How’s byour /bgrandfather doing these days?”

Same bas /bbalways/b. Just dealing with those old aches and pains,” Joshua replied bcasually/b.

“Ah, getting old really is no fun.” Janice sighed

After their brief exchange, Sharmaine continued the introductions. This is my uncle, Brandon. And my little cousin, Leon.

Leon, young and straightforward, was immediately charmed by Joshua’s good looks. He grinned and said, “Nice to bmeet /byou, Mr. York.”

“Hello,” bJoshua /bresponded with a slight nod.

Brandon stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. York”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” Joshua replied.

Brandon chuckled, thinking. Despite being from an influential family, he’s gentle and polite, unlike some men who act all high and mighty and look down on their fiancées family just because they’re sicher and more powerful.

“The York, family truly lives up to its reputation–they are more well mannered and magnanimous than most people!

Then Shermaine turned her gaze to Andrew and his family, speaking a bit faster. “This is my other uncle, Andrew, and my cousin, Clyde”

Andrew beamed with a smile. b“/bbJoshua/b, you truly bare /bba /bfine young man. Sheary is blucky /bto have you.” But he was cursing. How dare she skip over me and

Introduce Brandon first? How bcould /bbshe /bbdo /bthat? What will Joshua think of me nowb?/b”

Joshua simply smiled faintly and said nothing

Clyde was equally displeased, thinking, “Why was Leon introduced first? And why bam /bI thest one? This is so bunfair!/b”

At that moment, Bradley began unloading the gifts, stacking them high on the table until there was barely any space left.

Most of the gifts were for Janice, including expensive herbs and health productsb. /bJamison asked the housekeeper to put the rest–coffee beans, cigarettes, and fine liquor–into the bstorage /broom.

Joshua’s presence brought Shermaine plenty of prestige, and Jameson couldn’t help but puff up with pride. Once Joshua was seated, Jameson badopted /bthe air of a dignified patriarch and struck up a conversation.

However, the topic of conversation falt out bof /bce for this asion–this wasn’t a business dinner, after all. Sitting beside Joshua, Shermaine was in a cheerful mood because it was the first time she had received suchvish gits from her family.

She messaged Rossb, /bbbut /bhe didn’t reply, probably busy with something. Unable to hide her excitementb, /bshe tugged bat /bJoshua’s sleeve.

When he lowered his gaze, she pointed at the full set of luxury lipsticks on the table and said with a hint bof /bpride, “My cousin Leon gave these to me.

Joshua raised an eyebrow and replied in a low voice, “He is quite thoughtful.”

Shermaine then shook her wrist. Her slender wrist was badorned /bwith a diamond bracelet that looked perfect on her. “This one’s from my grandma.”

Joshua chuckled, thinking, “She is just a young girl, bafter /ball, No matter howposed she appears, she still has that youthful innocence and charm”

Joshua’s eyes darkened slightly bas /bhe teased her with ba /bsoftugh, “Ms. Shue, are you reminding me that I haven’t given you a gift for your return?

Shermaine froze for a moment, thinking. ‘I didn’t bmean /bthat. Stop twisting my words!‘ She ced her hand back down, took a sip of coffee, and said casually, “if you want to give me one, Josh, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Got it,” replied Joshua, deciding it bwas /bonly right for him to prepare a proper gift for his fiancée.

bJanice /bwatched them whispering to each other, and the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman was truly eye–catching

But not everyone could stand it. Wendelyn’s face turned pale, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if someone had stabbed her there.

She stood bup /bwith a pitiable look on her face. “Mom, I’m going to check if Peyton needs help in the kitchen. As she walked away, she stole a nce at Joshuab, /bbut he didn’t even spare bher /bba /blookb. /b

Clyde, feeling angry for her, said, “Leslie, let’s go upstairs. There’s a game room on the second floor. You probably haven’t had a chance to bunwind /bbin /ba while Let’s y a game.

Leslie thought he could use a break, so he followed Clyde upstairs. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Shermaine, bwho /bhad smiled so beautifully earber

bChapter /b37

Despite her being Joshua’s fance, and despite the rumors about her had temperb, /bcold demeaner, and evil nature, she had a maddening allure that captivated Lesbepletely.

Not really in the mood for gaming, Leslie began to fish for some information from Clyde. “Hey, does your cousin Wendelym also like Mr. York?”

Clyde, ever loyal

stole him. Wendehn, responded amgily. “Your noticed, huh? Wendy has liked Me York for a long time. But as soon as Shermaine came back, the

“And just now, she had the nerve to show off her affection right in front of Wendy. She knows Wendy likes Mr. York, but she still did that–it’s nothing but a show–off. Honestly, it’s disgusting.”