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. "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 tie a chicken?" Naomi's sarcasm was evident.

Jonathan, however, didn't seem angered by her words. Instead, his 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. He 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, disappointed again, he saw Cynthia return, having changed her 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. He felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. Could it be that Cynthia already knew Uncle? he wondered.

Cynthia remained calm. "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's heart sank. 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 surprised Cynthia. This confirmed that Jonathan and Preston knew each other well.

At that moment, Preston realized 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 identity 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 been 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.

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 Jonathan, perhaps as a friend or relative. But she 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, spoke up. "You're Preston? My cousin, Preston?" Naomi's words 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 named Preston. After Aaron cheated on Whitney with Yuliana (Nina's mother), the two families had a falling out following Preston's birth. Since Naomi was Nina's cousin, she was also Preston's cousin. Naomi had 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; instead, she appeared calm, speaking jokingly. "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 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 his aggrieved expression. She replied coolly, "I'm 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, Naomi." 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, "I'll arrange for someone to pick it up. Thank you, Ms. Jones, for taking care of Preston during this time."

Cynthia said nothing and left with Naomi. Preston looked dejected. "I need to go explain things to her." Then he prepared to walk out.

Chapter 130 (Continued)

"Preston, you're not allowed to go," Jonathan said.

Preston was confused. "Why?"

"You should know in your heart 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, sobering Preston up, but leaving him deeply troubled.

"Uncle, I want a drink." In the booth, Preston ordered a lot of alcohol, drinking glass after glass.

Jonathan finally couldn't bear to watch anymore. "That's enough, Preston."

Preston was genuinely heartbroken. He had drunk quite a bit and was already tipsy. His cheeks were flushed, 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.