Chapter 36 Reviving Emotions

Ryan urged Yvonne to respond.

Yvonne bit her lip in contemplation. "Let me think about it."

"Alright. Don't pressure yourself too much. It's just an engagement, and I won't touch you," Ryan explained with a smile.

"A couple of days ago, there was a third-tier celebrity who came to our house causing a commotion, demanding compensation for the loss of youth. My mother was furious and had my father cut off all financial aid to my company, forcing me to hurry up and get engaged."

Yvonne had no confidence in her position at FA Center Company. After all, Abigail was an obstacle she couldn’t avoid.

She planned to participate in the recruitment of the Seattle Design Institute next year. If successful, she would leave Winslow.

Going to Seattle requires a certain financial strength to support it.

Elijah had defined their relationship and said he would not mistreat her financially. But so far, apart from taking care of her, there didn’t seem to be any sign of giving money.

Ryan might be a flirt, but even though she had already resigned from the Brooks Group, Ryan's remodeling fee kept coming in as planned.

Having enough money would give her a sense of security and allow her to choose the life she wanted in the future.

"Ryan, I promise you," Yvonne said in a low voice, "because I need money."

"You’re a great friend! You will receive $500,000 after the engagement ceremony." Ryan sighed in relief. "I estimate that my mom will contact you occasionally during this period, so be mentally prepared."

"Okay," Yvonne replied before ending the call.

The engagement ceremony is scheduled to take place in a month. The most urgent matter is how to deceive Elijah during this time.

Back in Rhode Hills, Elijah called.

Yvonne lay on the bed and lazily said, "Hello."

"Are you sleeping?" Elijah asked calmly.

"No, I’m just a little tired," Yvonne instantly perked up, jokingly adding, "Are you missing me?"

"Tomorrow is Joseph's birthday. Auntie has already ordered the cake. You should go there in the evening and have dinner with him." Elijah avoided the question.

"No need to remind me, I promised Joseph yesterday."

Elijah fell silent for a moment. "Joseph is a poor child who hasn't seen his mother since birth."

"You could make an effort to bring Joseph's mother back and have a family reunion," Yvonne mocked Elijah sarcastically.

Ever since she heard that Elijah was going to Norway, she felt like a thorn had been stuck in her heart.

Because Ryan said Elijah's first love, Emily, was in Norway.

Elijah was willing to miss his son's birthday to go to Norway, most likely to meet Emily!

"It's not what you think," Elijah's voice lowered. "Yvonne, have I been too strict with Joseph?"

"Realizing that shows there's still hope for you," Yvonne sighed. "Children without mothers are already sensitive enough. It's strange if they don't have any issues when you're always serious with them!"

"Buy a gift for him tomorrow, and I'll transfer the money to you later."

Yvonne said, "Okay."

Elijah fell silent without rushing to end the call.

"Mr. Harper, if you don't have anything else to say, please hang up." Yvonne's tone carried a hint of annoyance.

"Yvonne." Elijah suddenly called out, "What's your favorite color?"

"White, black, red. I like any color that complements my skin tone!" Yvonne was clueless, thinking it was just casual conversation.

"I've made a note of it," Elijah said before hanging up.

"Stupid man!" Yvonne cursed, expecting there to be more to the conversation.

As Yvonne pondered, she felt that the weather was getting colder and decided to buy Joseph a down jacket.

She found a store and, on a whim, also bought one for Elijah.

They both looked handsome, and as she completed the payment, she already envisioned the two of them wearing matching down jackets...

The next day, when Yvonne went to work, several colleagues asked if she had recovered from her cold. It was then that she learned Elijah had taken sick leave for her.

Yvonne noticed that the drawings she had submitted a few days ago had all been approved, which instantly lifted her spirits.

Her frustrations were relieved to a certain extent.

The team leader assigned Yvonne a new task.

Busy times always pass by quickly.

Before leaving work, Yvonne took the down jacket and headed to Bird Hills. Along the way, she received two calls from Joseph.

She could tell that the little guy was excited.

Half an hour later, Yvonne parked the car and Joseph ran over to greet her, followed by the nanny.

When Yvonne opened the trunk, she only took out Joseph's learning tablet and his down jacket.

Joseph held Yvonne's hand and shared the interesting things that happened over the past few days.

He only glanced at the gifts from Yvonne and Elijah without showing too much enthusiasm.

Auntie had already prepared a table full of delicious food, saying that Elijah had specifically instructed the kitchen to make Yvonne's favorite meat sauce lasagna and French escargots au gratin.

Yvonne was somewhat surprised. Last time, when she had dinner with Elijah at Spring Diner, these two dishes were closer to her, and she only took a few extra bites.

Although she thought so, her heart was warm.

So he can be considerate too.

Looking at Joseph, she inexplicably thought of Emily, and the warmth in her heart instantly disappeared.

Joseph took a few photos and sent them to Elijah via WhatsApp.

Considering Elijah's usual style and the time difference with Norway, Yvonne was certain that Joseph wouldn't receive any response.

But Elijah quickly sent a WhatsApp video call request.

"Auntie, say something to daddy!" After exchanging greetings with Elijah, Joseph turned the tablet's camera toward Yvonne.

This was Yvonne's first time having a WhatsApp video call with Elijah.

As their eyes met through the screen, Yvonne wondered if Emily was by Elijah's side, and her gaze dimmed momentarily.

"Thank you for being here to celebrate Joseph's birthday," Elijah smiled warmly. "When I return, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Okay," Yvonne replied gracefully in front of Joseph and Auntie.

Elijah kept staring at Yvonne. It seemed he had something to say. Yvonne felt a sense of unease and said she needed to use the restroom so that she could escape from the range of the camera.

Yvonne stepped outside the living room and smoked a cigarette. She returned to the dining room only when the smoke had dissipated.

The video chat had ended, and Joseph and his aunt were waiting for her to cut the cake together.

Yvonne sat next to Joseph, helping to light the candles, and sang Happy Birthday together. She even recorded the moment when Joseph made a wish.

Joseph mentioned that Elijah had never been there to celebrate his birthday. Every year, he would go to Norway for a few days.

Yvonne increasingly suspected that Elijah had gone to see Emily.

One can't deny that children find happiness in simple things, and with Yvonne by his side, Joseph was especially happy.

Before leaving, the aunt gave Yvonne a box of high-quality pastries and told her to visit their home more often.

It seemed Elijah had predicted when Yvonne would return to Rhode Hills.

As soon as Yvonne closed the door and took off her coat, she received a video call request from Elijah.

Opening it, Elijah's handsome face immediately appeared.

"What's up?" Yvonne felt a surge of anger.

Elijah tilted his head and met her gaze. "What's wrong, did the cake not sit well with you?"

"It's your son's birthday, and his own father isn't here to celebrate with him. Are you meeting up with your ex?" Yvonne changed into slippers, striking indirectly.

"I have no ex to meet." Elijah stared at her, smirking. "Why do I sense jealousy in your words?"

"Don't be presumptuous, Elijah. Listen carefully, if you want to continue this relationship, you must stay faithful." Yvonne glared at him.

"That's exactly what I wanted to say." Elijah became serious. "I have a serious germophobia, both physically and mentally. Certain inappropriate things are not to be thought about, let alone touched."

"Mutual agreement."

The name Emily was on the tip of Yvonne's tongue, but she swallowed it.

For now, let's trust him once!

The two of them locked eyes, momentarily speechless.

"I'm going to take a shower, so I'll hang up." Yvonne came up with an excuse.

Elijah said seriously, "Taking a shower doesn't hinder our conversation."

Yvonne was about to refute when Ryan's call came in.

"I'll take this call and talk to you tomorrow." Yvonne hurriedly ended the video and clicked the answer button.

"Yvonne, tomorrow my mom wants to take you shopping for engagement supplies. I told her you were on a business trip to Seattle, so don't slip up."

Ryan was anxious. "My dad doesn't want me to run away again. He came up with an idea to move the engagement ceremony to next Saturday—"

"What?" Yvonne's face was filled with shock, almost jumping up.

"My mom says your dad has cut off all ties with you, and you have no one else to rely on now. She wants you to become a member of the Winston family soon so you can experience the warmth of a family."

Ryan on the other end was also on the brink of collapse. "When I heard this news, I nearly went insane.”

"We should clear things up quickly and get it over with," Yvonne said. Her mind was in complete chaos, and she had lost the ability to think clearly.

"If the engagement ceremony really takes place next Saturday, I'll find a woman by the following week so that we can stage a cheating scandal. I'll be the one at fault, and you can make a scene in front of my parents. Everything will be perfectly resolved," Ryan said, trying hard to persuade Yvonne, fearing she wouldn't agree.

"The news is too sudden. I can't keep up with my thoughts. Give me a moment to think," Yvonne replied, grasping her phone tightly while playing with her slightly curled hair.

"You agreed to it yesterday, no turning back now!" Ryan urged impatiently. "And I'm increasing the payment from $500,000 to $600,000. Deal?"

Yvonne sat down on the sofa, furrowing her brows. "Your parents must be hoping for a grand engagement ceremony for their only son, right?"

"They do think that way. But I've been trying to convince them that you have no relatives and it’ll be overwhelming if we invite too many friends and relatives. You might be psychologically affected," Ryan explained.

Yvonne closed her eyes in silence.

"Yvonne, you must help me! If the games my company is currently developing go to waste, dozens of people will lose their jobs! You don't have a man, nor are you in a relationship. What are you worried about..." Ryan continued to persuade her relentlessly.

Annoyed by his nagging, Yvonne finally gave in. "Fine. But I have one condition. I want as few people as possible present at the engagement ceremony."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it!" Ryan exclaimed happily, snapping his fingers.

Yvonne put her phone down and let out a long sigh.

She felt excited at the thought of getting her hands on $600,000.

Since she had already reached this point, she should bravely move forward.