Mr. Neal, Mrs. Neal’s Gone With The Money

Chapter 658
“Happy New Year,” Cynthia greeted him.
Joshua got straight to the point and asked, “When are you coming to pick me up? It’s already the second day of the New Year. Are you coming in the morning or in the afternoon?”
“Can it be two days later?” Cynthia asked.
Joshua fell silent all of a sudden as emotions churned in him. Nonetheless, Joshua was quite stubborn, and he suppressed his feelings and pretended, asking Cynthia, “Are you getting rid of me?”
Cynthia looked at the snow outside and replied calmly, “It’s not that. You’ve come back after a long time. Daphne and Old Man Neal must miss you a lot. If you leave so early, what will they do?”
“Then when should I come back?” Joshua asked again.
“How about in another week? I’ll come to pick you up on the 8th,” Cynthia suggested.
“Then I want a reward!” Joshua demanded.

“Okay.”
After convincing Joshua, Cynthia felt a little relieved. But time passed quickly, and before she knew it, the 8th of January had arrived.
Cynthia kept her promise and went to Jiverton to pick him up. When Joshua saw her, he was as happy as a child and rushed toward her, attempting to hug her tightly.
However, Cynthia stopped him, forcing him to come to a halt right in front of her.
“Cynthia…” Joshua looked puzzled, pretending to be innocent. “What are you doing?”
“We should mind our boundaries. You can’t just…” Cynthia explained, putting her hand down and reasoning with him.
Before Cynthia could say anything about not hugging. Joshua quickly wrapped his arms around her.
Cynthia’s reflex was to push him away, but before she could act, Joshua let go, wearing a pure, innocent smile.
“That’s my reward,” he said.
Cynthia was confused and asked, “What?”
“Didn’t you say that if I stayed home until the eighth day, you would reward me? The reward 1 want is your hug,” Joshua explained with exceptional acting skills,
Cynthia was momentarily taken aback, unsure of how to react. She had promised a reward but always assumed he wanted something else.
“Let’s go back to Nexuria,” Joshua said, taking her hand and leading her away,
On their way back, Joshua kept chattering incessantly, recounting everything he had experienced during his time away.
Cynthia occasionally responded with a casual uh-huh, seemingly detached.