Charlotte was anxious and trembling slightly. She quickly opened her phone album and handed the phone to Andrew, her voice urgent and probing:
"Andrew, do you recognize this man with Katherine?"
She looked up, staring closely at Andrew's expression, watching for any change.
Andrew's gaze fell heavily on the phone screen.
When he saw the man clearly, his tongue pressed against his cheek without realizing it. A burning anger stirred deep inside him, causing discomfort.
It was Joshua again!
That bitter jealousy and anger rushed wildly in his chest but he kept it calm and controlled.
Charlotte eagerly hoped Andrew would explode in anger and teach Katherine a lesson. When he didn't react for a long time, her frustration turned into a surge of resentment.
She bit her lip and raised her voice, "Andrew, you are married to Katherine now, but she still secretly meets with another man."
The words "she must be cheating" twisted on her tongue many times, but she swallowed them because she was afraid Andrew's anger might hurt her.
Unexpectedly, Andrew ignored her completely. With long fingers, he tapped the screen, swiping and deleting the photos quickly.
He even cleaned out the trash bin, as if wanting to erase this memory from the world.
Charlotte's eyes widened. Her teeth ached and it felt itchy inside. She was full of anger but didn't know how to vent it.
"Charlotte, I have things to handle. You should go back now."
Andrew handed the phone back to her, his tone calm, showing no emotion.
Charlotte stood frozen, unwilling to accept it. She stammered, "Andrew… I want to stay here…"
Before she finished, Andrew pressed the intercom to call Assistant Ryan in.
Assistant Ryan entered the office. He had never liked Charlotte.
If it weren't for her, the boss and Dr. Katherine would have fixed their relationship a long time ago.
He hid his displeasure but kept a polite distance. "Miss Charlotte, please, I will see you out."
Charlotte was very upset and snapped, "Assistant Ryan, I don't need you to see me out. I can go by myself."
Her high heels clicked loudly, releasing all her anger.
At the underground parking lot, Charlotte stomped and shouted, "Katherine, I won't let you live easily."
After Charlotte left, Assistant Ryan looked at Andrew's dark and heavy expression and quietly asked, "Boss, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Andrew frowned deeply and said, "Assistant Ryan, check if Katherine and Joshua have been getting close lately."
Assistant Ryan thought silently: Boss, even if Dr. Katherine is close to Joshua or dating him, that's her own business. You and Katherine have nothing to do with each other now.
But he still answered sharply, "Yes, I will check after work."
"No need to wait until after work. Go now," Andrew said firmly.
Elsewhere, Joshua stood outside the Jiang family villa for a long time. He took a deep breath before pushing the door open.
Entering the living room, the heavy and oppressive atmosphere wrapped around him like sticky glue.
He steadied himself and called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm home."
Mrs. Jiang's face was cold like ice. She raised her hand to motion, "Come sit down. I have something to ask you."
Joshua sat down, keeping distance from his parents on purpose. "Mom, just ask what you want."
Joshua's mother didn't bother beating around the bush. She asked directly, "What have you been doing lately?"
"Nothing besides going to work," Joshua replied.
As soon as the words left his mouth, his mother suddenly pulled out a stack of photos from behind her and threw them at him. The sharp edge of a photo grazed his cheek, leaving a stinging pain.
"Then what are these?" she demanded angrily.
Ignoring the pain, Joshua bent down to pick up the photos.
They were all pictures of him and Katherine together — walking side by side on a mountain, smiling in a bar, sitting face-to-face in a restaurant, standing in a hospital corridor…
His eyes instantly turned cold. He looked up at his mother. "You had someone follow me?"
She snorted coldly. "Good thing I did, or how else would I know that you handed over medical equipment worth millions from the Jiang Group to Concord Hospital for her?"
Her eyes locked sharply on him. "You like her, don't you?"
Joshua pressed his lips together, his eyes turning red. After a pause, he nodded. "Yes, I do. Don't I have the right to like someone?"
"You don't," his mother interrupted firmly. "Don't forget who you are. In this family, you don't get to decide your own marriage. And your brother hasn't even settled his yet. How can you talk about falling in love?"
A wave of exhaustion flooded Joshua, bringing with it the countless times he had questioned his family deep in his heart. It was suffocating.
His eyes reddened further, but his voice stayed firm. "Don't I have the right to pursue my own happiness? Do I have to obey everything you say?"
"You told me to give up the career I loved and come back to manage the company, and I did it. What more do you want from me?"
His mother trembled with anger and stood up abruptly. "Do you really not understand why we had you come back?"
"It's because of you that your brother ended up like this!"
"If you hadn't called him over, none of what happened after would've happened!"
Joshua was about to argue back when he caught sight of a familiar figure at the door. He immediately fell silent. "Yumin…"
Yumin acted like he didn't hear him. His expression was blank as someone silently pushed his wheelchair into the room.
The sound of the wheelchair's wheels scraping the floor echoed loudly in the quiet living room, like a silent judgment.
Their mother's face instantly softened. She walked over with a smile and asked gently, "Yumin, you're back. How's everything going?"
Yumin's face was pale and gloomy, his lips slightly white, his entire expression filled with exhaustion and irritation.
He coldly replied, "Not great."
Then he turned his head slightly and gave a look to the person behind him. The caretaker understood and quietly pushed the wheelchair toward the bedroom.
As the sound of the wheelchair faded into the distance, the tense atmosphere returned like a ghost sneaking back into the room.
Their mother turned around slowly. The tenderness from earlier vanished from her face, replaced by sternness. She stepped closer to Joshua.
"Cut off all contact with that woman. Now."
Her words hit Joshua like a hammer.
His body stiffened. He unconsciously straightened his back and lifted his chin, his eyes filled with stubbornness and defiance.
"Impossible," he said without hesitation.
His mother's brow furrowed tightly. Anger blazed in her eyes again. "Then don't blame me for going to her myself."
Joshua felt like an invisible hand was clutching his chest. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging.
His eyes were red as he stared at his mother, his voice filled with hurt and anger. "Mom, why are you forcing me like this?"
She looked at him, her voice quiet but cold. "Because you're a Jiang. From the moment you were born, your fate was already decided."