Chapter 657


    Chapter 657


    After the chess game ended, Cynthia cut off contact with Joshua. She hesitated whether to call Old


    Man Neal but decided against it as she thought it would be better to call him the next day to avoid any


    suspicion.


    Cynthia did not want Old Man Neal to feel ufortable or me himself if he thought Joshua had


    asked her to call. It would be more natural to wish him well on the New Year without any ulterior


    motives,


    Cynthia put aside those ideas for the time being and went downstairs.


    The next day, Cynthia, Shirley, and Jonathan went to the Addams family to have a meal and returned


    to Old Yates Manor for dinner. The Yates family gathering was small, and surprisingly, Old Man Yates


    did not mention anything negative about Cynthia.


    The family enjoyed the reunion dinner together, full of joy andughter. After dinner, Cynthia called Old


    Man Neal to send her greetings. He was overjoyed to receive her call, like a child, and showered her


    with blessings and good wishes, not letting go of the conversation for almost an hour before finally


    hanging up reluctantly.


    Around eleven o’clock, Old Man Yates had already gone to bed.


    Shirley noticed Cynthia gazing at the fireworks in the sky and asked, “Cynthia, what are you thinking?


    “Nothing.” Cynthia replied, still watching the blooming fireworks. It was her first New Year at home after


    her mother’s passing. In the previous years, she had celebrated with the Neal family, and although it


    was lively, she did not feel as nostalgic


    as she did now.


    Shirley linked her arm with Cynthia’s and said, “I know you must be missing Mom.”


    Cynthia froze.


    “In the past two years when you were away, both Dad and I often thought about Mom and you. We


    would talk about not knowing where you were celebrating the New Year and whether you were doing


    well, Shirley chatted on.


    “Cynthia,” Shirley called her.


    “Yes?” Cynthia responded.


    “Your birthday is in a few weeks,” Shirley remembered Cynthia’s birthday very clearly and asked, “Do


    you have any wishes you want to fulfill?


    “No.” Cynthia could not care less about birthdays. The older she got, the less she seemed to care.


    However, Shirley wanted to celebrate for her. She wanted to share her thoughts but got interrupted by


    a call from Zachary


    Without disturbing the two chatting on the phone, Cynthia excused herself and wandered off to another


    ce. At exactly midnight, she received four private messages, all with the same words, wishing her a


    Happy New Year. One was from Joshua, another from Matthew, and the other from Ellora and Moe.


    As for the group chat with eight people, it was already flooded with more than 99 messages.


    Cynthia replied to their messages and exchanged a few words in the group chat, officially weing


    the new year.


    On the first day of the New Year, Cynthia woke up to Joshua’s New Year greetings again, followed by


    him asking when she was picking her up.


    Upon seeing the message, Cynthia did not feel like responding


    It was the first day of the New Year, and Old Man Neal and Daphne would certainly want Joshua to


    stay home for a few more days. If she were to pick him up on the second day, Old Man Neal would


    definitely be reluctant to let him go.


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    However, not replying to Joshua’s message did not mean he would not try again.


    Around two in the afternoon, Joshua called.


    “Cynthia, Happy New Year!”