Chapter 136
Cynthia shook her head. “Do you think I’m the one who’d be hurt by anyone?”
Naomi playfully lifted Cynthia’s chin in agreement. “That’s true. My Cynthia is unbeatable; she isn’t afraid of bullies, so why would she be scared of a pampered young guy who can’t even ti a chicken? Naomi’s sarcasm was evident,
Jonathan, however, didn’t seem angered by her words. Instead, s gaze remained fixed on the hand Naomi had draped over Cynthia’s shoulder.
The way she lifted Cynthia’s chin was identical to how Cynthia used to do it to him.
In the past, Cynthia loved to tease him by scratching under his chin like a puppy.
Jonathan’s brow furrowed, and his expression grew colder.
“Cynthia.” A crisp, cheerful voice came from nearby.
Cynthia turned to see a figure jogging towards her. It was Preston.
Preston hadn’t anticipated that, after preparing so much for today, there would be a power outage.
After the electricity was restored, he noticed Cynthia was nowhere to be found.
Just as he was about to leave, having fallen into disappointment again, he saw Cynthia return after changing his clothes, Preston couldn’t contain his joy and ran straight to her. But when he saw Jonathan standing next to Cynthia, his pace immediately slowed. A hint of confusion flickered across Preston’s face.
Soon, Preston stood before Cynthia. “Cynthia, where did you just go? I’ve been looking for you”
Preston tried his best to ignore Jonathan standing nearby. He felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. ‘Could it be that Cynthia already knew Uncle?‘ he wondered.
Cynthia remained calm and composed. “I ran into an old friend, so I went out to chat for a bit.”
After saying that, she deliberately introduced Jonathan to Preston “Preston, this is my friend, Mr. Bennett, the CEO of BJ Group.”
Preston felt his heart sink. He hadn’t expected that Cynthia was indeed friends with Jonathan. ‘So, what should I do now? If I pretend not to know Uncle and greet him, will he play along? he thought
But before Preston could do anything, Jonathan calmly spoke. “Preston, aren’t you going to introduce me to Ms. Jones?”
Hearing Jonathan say that took Cynthia by surprise. This confirmed that Jonathan and Preston knew each other and had a deep relationship.
At that moment, Preston realized that he could no longer hide his identity. He had never intended to deceive Cynthia, it was just that his status was special.
For so many years, he had grown accustomed to concealing his entity to make friends.
When he later learned that she disliked rich kids, he had even less courage to be honest.
In the past few days, he had beer hesitating and struggling.
He had originally planned to confess and then reveal his identity to her. But now, it seemed he had no other choice.
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Chapter 130
Preston spoke up. “Cynthia, this is actually my uncle.
Cynthia felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
She had suspected that Preston might have some connection to onathan, perhaps as a friends or a relative. But Cynthia never imagined they would have such a close relationship.
She wasn’t familiar with the Bennett family’s dynamics. All she knew was that Jonathan had three older sisters and that his relationship with the eldest, Whitney, was extremely poor. Beyond that, she knew very little and had never asked.
Since Preston referred to Jonathan as “uncle,” it meant that Preston was Jonathan’s sister’s son. But Jonathan had three sisters
At that moment, Naomi, who had been standing aside, suddenly spoke up.
“You’re Preston? My cousin, Preston?” Naomi’s words once again shocked Cynthia.
The relationship between the Bennett family and the Sullivan family was complicated.
Cynthia recalled Naomi mentioning the ties between the two families during her last visit to the Sullivan family.
Whitney’s ex–husband was Aaron from the Sullivan family’s second branch. They had a son who was named Preston.
After Aaron cheated on Whitney with Yuliana, who was Nina’s mother, the two families had a falling out following Preston’s
birth.
Since Naomi was Nina’s cousin, she was also the cousin of Preston
Naomi returned to the Sullivan family very late and had only heard his name without meeting him.
So, Naomi had already mentioned Preston to her. Cynthia, however, had been so distracted at the time that she hadn’t remembered his name.
Suddenly, Cynthia laughed. She didn’t seem angry at all; instead, she appeared calm, speaking in a joking manner. “Preston/ you told me you were working hard to study, that your family was very poor, and that your whole family had to work hard to support your education abroad.”
“You also said you had no money, couldn’t afford rent, or even food…” Cynthia hadn’t expected to be deceived.
Seeing Cynthia’s expression, Preston instantly panicked “Cynthia, please don’t be mad! I wasn’t trying to deceive you. You said you disliked rich kids, and I was just afraid you’d look down on me if you knew my identity.”
A hint of sadness crossed Preston’s face. “See? You already look down on me, don’t you?”
Cynthia noticed the aggrieved expression on Preston’s face. She replied coolly, “Tm not angry. We’re just acquaintances, so there’s nothing to be upset about.”
After saying this, Cynthia grabbed Naomi’s arm. “Let’s go, Naorm
Naomi had enjoyed the show and followed Cynthia with lingering interest.
After walking a few steps, Cynthia stopped and turned to Preston “Don’t forget to pick up your luggage”
Before Naomi could say anything, Jonathan calmly replied, Tarrange for someone to pick it up. Thank you, Ms. Jones, for taking care of Preston during this time.”
Cynthia said nothing and turned to leave with Naomi.
Preston, however, Jooked very dejected. “I need to go explain things to her.” Then he was ready to walk out.
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Chapter 130
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“Preston, you’re not allowed to go,” Jonathan said.
Preston was confused. “Why?”
“You should know in your hear that there’s no future for you and Ms. Jones. Do you even understand her background Would your mother ever accept her? If you’re aware of everything and still insist on pursuing her, then that’s pure selfishness.”
Jonathan’s words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering Preston up a little, but leaving him feeling deeply troubled.
“Uncle, I want to drink.” In the booth seating, Preston ordered a lot of alcohol, drinking glass after glass.
Jonathan finally couldn’t bear to watch this anymore. That’s enough, Preston.”
Preston was genuinely heartbroken. He had drunk quite a bit and was already tipsy.
His cheeks were flushed, like a rosy glow, and as he lay on the table, a small dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth. making him look both pitiful and adorable. “Uncle, do you know? This is the first time I’ve liked someone.”
Jonathan poured himself a drink. “And how long have you known her?”
“Seventeen days.” Preston checked his watch, slurring his words. To be precise, it’s been 418 hours, 57 minutes, and 23 seconds.”
Jonathan’s face showed complete disbelief.
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