After lunch, Joshua took Marilyn to another of his properties, another private villa.

When they arrived, Marilyn looked around and soon realized that it didn't seem to be the same place Joshua had taken her to last time. Although she had only been to his house once before, she was sure that it definitely wasn't here. This was somewhere else.

But Marilyn didn't ask; she was sure Joshua must have his own reasons for bringing her here, and she simply trusted him because he had never let her down before.

The moment he turned on the light, the room slowly emitted a purple glow, dotted with tiny points of light, as if it were a starry sky.

"This is it?" Marilyn looked at Joshua in surprise. So he still remembered!

Five years ago, when she and Joshua first met, she casually mentioned that she liked the starry sky, and Joshua remembered it for five years.

"This is my other home. I remember you said you liked the stars. When I saw this room for the first time, I thought you would like it if I brought you here, so I bought this place." Joshua looked tenderly at Marilyn; it was in this place and at this moment that he felt she belonged to him.

Only here could it be his home. That place... He thought about it, a hint of disgust flashing across Joshua's face. That place wasn't as comfortable as a hotel, but if it weren't for his grandfather, he would have gotten rid of the undesirable Astrid immediately. But now that his grandfather was dead, it was only a matter of time before that trash left. As soon as she did, he could propose to Marilyn.

What could that scum know compared to the talented Marilyn? All Astrid had was a pretty face.

"Joshua?" Marilyn's hand waved in front of his face. "What are you thinking about?"

Marilyn tilted her head slightly and looked at Joshua. Joshua's heart raced, and his jumbled thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind. "Come with me." With those words, he pulled Marilyn along, and they went upstairs.

The moment the door opened, the starry sky made Marilyn's eyes redden. In fact, when she first saw Joshua, she couldn't help it, but she didn't want Joshua to see her like that, so she tried to hide her tears.

"Well? Do you like it?" Looking at Marilyn at that moment, Joshua felt so happy that he even wished time would stop forever and just let him and Marilyn stay together.

"It's so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful sky abroad." Marilyn was so captivated by the starry sky that she didn't even notice Joshua's affectionate gaze.

"I'm going to get jealous if you keep looking like that!" Joshua gently caressed his beloved's face. He had worked hard for this day. Originally, it was a cloudy day. Joshua had contacted the weather office to get rid of the clouds so that Marilyn could see such a starry sky on her first day back, and since it was slightly away from the city, the starry sky was really beautiful at that moment.

Her face was slightly red, and she gently pulled away. Joshua smiled and felt a little remorseful. What was wrong with him? Marilyn had just returned; he couldn't be so anxious, or he would scare her away.

Looking at his beloved, who was staring at the sky in fascination, Joshua placed a blanket over Marilyn. Although the third floor had an insulated glass layer, he was still uneasy, fearing that she would catch a cold; it made him feel restless.

At that moment, Joshua's phone rang.

Joshua frowned. Who the hell was disturbing his and Marilyn's world at this moment?

When he saw Astrid's name on the phone screen, Joshua clenched his fist tightly. Even at this moment, in the place that belonged only to him and Marilyn, someone calling was already bothering him, but seeing that Marilyn had returned, he would grudgingly forgive her.

But it was her! Only that useless woman. How dare she call him? How dare she come and disturb his first meeting with Marilyn after three years?

"Joshua? Your phone is ringing. Why aren't you answering it?" The sound of the phone caught Marilyn's attention, and she turned her head to look at Joshua, but she didn't notice the glimmer of panic on Joshua's face, as it was dark.

"Oh, it's nothing," Joshua said casually before hanging up the phone. What could that trash want? She was probably calling to ask when he was coming home.

Home? Hmmm, it's ridiculous, no matter how you look at it, you can't call that place home.

Marilyn became a little agitated. "But what if it's important...?" Before Marilyn could finish her words, she was interrupted.

"No way," Joshua realized his outburst and regained the sweetness he had just shown. "Nothing is as important as you, nothing can disturb us today."

Seeing Joshua's unusual reaction, Marilyn was a little scared. That feeling was like tonight's dinner, it made her uncomfortable, but Joshua's words told her that there was nothing hidden, and that they had agreed before that there would be no secrets.

Marilyn turned back to see who it was, but then Joshua turned the phone back without thinking. Marilyn frowned. She felt that something must be going on because Joshua was panicking. It was the first time she had seen Joshua like this; even when he introduced her to his parents for the first time, he had a calm and composed look on his face.

No, she had to know who that person was!

Joshua's skeptical eyes were visible to Marilyn. Her heart ached.

He really wanted to tell Marilyn that it was someone he could never be with, he wanted to tell Marilyn that it was only her in his heart, but not yet. The marriage certificate was like an invisible shackle that bound him to Astrid.

If he told Marilyn right now, Marilyn would definitely understand and leave him. But... No, he couldn't let that happen. Even if he had to bear all of Astrid's resentment, he couldn't let Marilyn know. As long as there was even the slightest chance that Marilyn would leave him, no matter what it took, he wouldn't let Marilyn know.

Damn it, if it weren't for that trash. If that scum had calmly signed the divorce agreement yesterday, he wouldn't be in this situation now! Everything was like this because of that damn infiltrator! Now he couldn't be with his precious Marilyn!

How selfish Astrid was! Blinded by her own selfish desires, forcing two people who loved each other to separate, Astrid White was truly a ruthless woman.

Joshua's hatred for Astrid deepened again. Of course, Joshua didn't show it to Marilyn. He would definitely find a way to get Astrid to leave him immediately.

"It's a client. Well, it's a little cold here. Shall we go downstairs?" he said, and this time he was about to take Marilyn's hand.

But Marilyn's hand withdrew, and Joshua's hand stopped in midair.

“Mari?” Seeing the look of loss on Marilyn's face, Joshua cursed Astrid a million times in his heart. Damn it.

“It's okay, my hand is a little cold; it might freeze you.” Marilyn also didn't expect him to unconsciously avoid her; her heart was filled with regret. What was wrong with her? How could she suspect him? He must have some reason for not telling her now. When the matter was resolved, he would definitely tell her.

“Silly girl, what silly words. It's all my fault for keeping you here for so long.” This time, Joshua took Marilyn's hand directly. And when his warm fingertips touched Marilyn's cold hand, Joshua's heart seemed to be grabbed by someone. Holding her hand a little tightly, he couldn't wait to hold it tighter to keep it warm.

The night was getting colder, and the room was gradually getting darker. The lavender light was a little dim, and Marilyn couldn't see the room clearly. Suddenly, the room lit up, only to see the yellowish light filling the entire room, dotted with stars from pure white to golden yellow, reflected in the yellowish light, as if it were the starry sky of the day.

Indescribable emotions rushed to her heart, and Marilyn's eyes were slightly red. Joshua, the man who had touched her countless times, decided that today was the day he would give himself to her. On this first day of their reunion after three years, she would take the initiative to tell Joshua how important he was in her heart, and today, she would make him her man. She would forgive him for his untimely departure three years ago. His departure was not because he felt nothing for Joshua, but because he cared too much.

Marilyn's vermilion lips parted slightly; she was about to let Joshua, the man she had loved for years, know her true feelings.

Before the words could leave her mouth, the sudden sound of her cell phone broke her thoughts.

Damn it, who the hell was calling at this hour?

Her impulse to confess was interrupted, and she had to put the matter aside for now and find another opportunity to tell Joshua since she would be staying with him today anyway.

Joshua opened the door and asked, “Was it your uncle who called?” As soon as he got off the plane today, Marilyn had been picked up by him, so perhaps he hadn't had time to tell his uncle that he was back.

“I don't know.” There was little emotion in Marilyn's response. Could it be her father? But how could that be? He hadn't called her once in the three years she had been abroad, and it certainly wouldn't be him now.

As expected, there was a string of numbers on the screen that she had never seen before. Marilyn didn't think much of it and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” Marilyn's face was filled with confusion. Who the hell was calling at this hour? She hoped it wasn't a junk sales call, or she would curse it to death.

Only to see the confusion on Marilyn's face suddenly freeze.

The next second, her face was filled with disbelief, followed by her hand beginning to shake, breaking the phone that had just fallen to the floor.

“Mari, what's going on?” Seeing this, Joshua rushed to hold Marilyn, suddenly having a bad feeling that this call might be related to him. “Who called?”

Marilyn looked at Joshua with empty eyes, her voice trembling as she asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Joshua, did you get married...?”

“What!” Joshua's eyes widened as a feeling of weakness suddenly filled his heart, and along with this feeling, anger suddenly burned as if he couldn't control it. How did he know? Who the hell was on the phone? What kind of beast was calling? Better not tell him who it really was, or he'll kill him for sure!

Joshua picked up the phone from the floor and held back his anger: “Hello?” He wanted to see who was so bold.

A familiar voice sounded from the other end, “Joshua?” Astrid's voice was very weak, but Joshua didn't notice its abnormality. Hearing this voice he had heard for three years and was already sick of, Joshua finally couldn't contain his anger and exploded, “Astrid White? You really have the guts to call this place.”

“No, Joshua, I... I can't talk to you.” Hearing the disgust in Joshua's tone, Astrid covered her heart. It hurt, it really hurt.

Had he done something wrong again? Would Joshua hate him even more? Tears gently rolled down his cheeks. No, if Joshua knew he was crying right now, he would definitely get even angrier. Joshua unconsciously touched his pants pocket. His cell phone was gone. Right, just now Astrid called him and asked him to hang up. To avoid upsetting Astrid again, Joshua simply put his cell phone on the sofa upstairs. He never thought this kind of thing would happen.

There was no doubt about it. When he heard it was Astrid's voice, Joshua hung up the phone directly and added her to his blacklist. That idiot even bragged about disrupting his date, ridiculous. There was no time to deal with him now. He just had to seize this opportunity. He had to explain everything to Marilyn properly.

“Marilyn, listen to my explanation...” He paused only to see Marilyn's shoulders shake, leaving only a helpless figure with her back to him. Damn it, he made Marilyn cry! He couldn't hold back anymore. Today he was going to tell her everything. He was going to hug Marilyn and tell her he didn't want any of that.

Had he done something wrong again? Would Joshua hate him even more? Tears gently rolled down his cheeks. No, if Joshua knew he was crying right now, he would definitely get even angrier. Joshua unconsciously touched his pants pocket. His cell phone was gone. Right, just now Astrid called him and asked him to hang up. To avoid upsetting Astrid again, Joshua simply put his cell phone on the sofa upstairs. He never thought this kind of thing would happen.

Unfortunately, the phone rang again, and Joshua took a deep breath.

Suppressing the urge to hug her, he said patiently, “I'll explain it to you properly later; wait for me.” Joshua pressed the answer button and was about to speak when a hurried voice sounded from the other end.

“Mr. Joshua, it's not good; the lady has fainted!” Hearing this, Joshua's anger subsided slightly, but his voice was still impatient. “She fainted? Why don't you take her to the hospital? Do you have to call me for such a small matter? Whose orders are you following? If you don't understand, get out.”

After hanging up the phone, Joshua's mood was completely ruined, and he was arguably in a bad mood.

It was really too annoying. How could he faint when he was obviously fine this morning?

Just as he wanted to go upstairs to get his phone, his own body was suddenly embraced by a soft touch. “Joshua!” Marilyn's face pressed against Joshua's, and he could feel Marilyn's tears slowly soaking his shirt.

Damn it, she made him cry. Joshua could imagine her eyes red from crying, and he couldn't help but feel his heart tighten. It was all because of that trash! It was all because of that trash that made his Marilyn so sad!

“I'm sorry, Mari, I can't stay with you today, but I'll definitely be with you tomorrow, okay?” Joshua had just been hugged by Marilyn. At that moment, he wanted to hug Marilyn back tightly, but he didn't dare to look at her face. Just remembering her tearful gaze made his heart ache so much that he couldn't breathe. He would definitely not let Astrid White go!

Marilyn's hand did not let go because of Joshua's words-Don't go! I beg you! Just for today, stay with me. Even if you stay with her tomorrow or in the future, just for today, can you be mine alone?-Marilyn choked up. Why did things turn out this way? Why did she come back and Joshua already belonged to someone else?

"Silly girl, don't talk nonsense. I've always belonged to you. I'll divorce her. Tomorrow, and then we'll get married, okay?" Joshua turned around and gently cupped Marilyn's face, looking at her tenderly.

"Really?" Marilyn asked tremulously. The sudden happiness made her feel like she was in an unreal dream.

Joshua gently wiped the tears from Marilyn's face and said firmly, "Yes, wait for me."

The simple rhetoric reinforced Marilyn's determination. This time, she would never let him go. No matter who the other party was, she would never give Joshua to anyone else. Joshua, the man who occupied half of her life, could only belong to Marilyn.

The black Maserati sped off toward the city.

Joshua dialed his secretary's number: "Where is she?" After leaving the villa, Joshua's face returned to its characteristic coldness.

Hearing his superior's cold voice, the other person hurriedly replied, "At St. Mary's Hospital, Mrs. Astrid, she..." The secretary realized his mistake and quickly shut his mouth. He couldn't take the initiative to talk about Mrs. Astrid's situation before the president took the initiative to ask about it. He was afraid of making more mistakes.

As expected, an impatient voice came through. "What's wrong with her again? Can't the hospital cure her cold?" If he had signed the divorce agreement honestly yesterday, he could have been happy to take her out for a nice meal, or at least it wouldn't have ended this way.

"All right, I'll wait for the president at the hospital then."

Joshua didn't notice anything wrong with what the secretary said and hung up in a hurry, unaware that he was causing the person lying in the hospital bed to suffer.

At that moment, the doctor at St. Mary's Hospital frowned and wiped the beads of sweat from his face again. If it were a little later, Mrs. Astrid... The doctor was afraid...

"Sir, has the president not arrived yet?" He no longer knew how many times he had asked about Mrs. Astrid's condition. It was very dangerous. If we don't hurry up and operate, then...

"The president is already on his way; please don't rush yet." The secretary was not in the mood to worry about Astrid at the moment.

He is already someone the president dislikes, and right now he is about to scold him again. Instead of worrying about this person, he should think more about how to make the president happy. In any case, he cannot die.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. "Where is Astrid?"

The doctor rushed over to him. "Mr. Steel, please sign this surgery agreement immediately. If you continue to wait like this, I'm afraid Mrs. Astrid..."

Joshua frowned. The surgery agreement? What's going on? Is it just a common fever? How can it be so serious that she needs surgery?

Feeling the death stare from his superior, the secretary stammered, "President... Mrs. Astrid's condition doesn't look good."

Taking a deep breath, Joshua forced himself to contain his urge to lose his temper in the hospital and asked, "Doctor, what is Astrid's current condition?"

The doctor sighed, "President, please sign this surgery protocol first. Mrs. Astrid needs to start surgery immediately. Time is very tight. For Mrs. Astrid, time is her life right now."

As he said this, the doctor's heart was very apprehensive. He had just arrived here not long ago, and everyone had told him not to mess with a president named Joshua Steel.

When he first saw Joshua, all he could think was that this powerful aura was so strong that he could barely breathe. But he really didn't have time to explain Astrid's situation to Joshua. After that, even if he was fired, as long as he was here, as a doctor, he had to get the operation started as soon as possible.

Perhaps the doctor's words were too firm, or perhaps there was a little concern in his heart that he didn't notice. Joshua didn't blame the doctor and decisively signed his name on the surgery protocol.

Only when he signed his name was there an indescribable feeling, perhaps because of the pen, which this time was a little heavy.

The red light in the consultation room came on, and the doctor slowly left, without anyone noticing. With a sigh of relief, he approached Joshua and bowed.

"Mr. Joshua, I'm very sorry right now; please understand. I'll explain Mrs. Astrid's situation later."

Hearing the voice, Joshua returned to reality. What was happening to him?

He immediately composed himself and said, "Isn't Astrid sick with a cold and fever?"

A look of disbelief immediately appeared on the doctor's face. What was wrong with this Mr. Joshua? Didn't his own lover know what was going on with her partner? How did he become her husband?

The doctor's expression did not escape Joshua's notice, but he had no time to worry about that right now.

"Mrs. Astrid has more than just a fever. We have found a foreign object in her stomach."

"Oh." Joshua's response was casual, as if he had known all along, and in fact, he had seen Astrid swallow the divorce agreement.

"I don't think she swallowed anything serious enough to warrant surgery!"

The doctor's heart burned with anger. Even though the great President Joshua had money and power, he couldn't disregard human lives. If he had arrived a little later, Miss Astrid would have died. How could he remain so calm now? Was he still human?

When he saw Joshua's sharp eyes, the doctor's anger dissipated. They were eyes that seemed to speak, telling him that if he couldn't cure Astrid, he would definitely make him pay.

Swallowing hard, the doctor continued, "In fact, not everything is caused by a foreign body in the stomach. As long as it wasn't metallic plastic, gastric juice would melt the things she ate".

"Is that all?" Joshua really couldn't think of any other reason. Hmm, it would be better not to joke with Astrid. He definitely wanted Astrid to look good!

"The reason Mrs. Astrid became like this is that she took expired medication for a long time, which caused medical poisoning. In addition, the disease was not discovered in time, which aggravated her condition. "The doctor paused and continued, "The foreign substance, which was already difficult to digest, caused a severe burden on the stomach due to the combination of drug poisoning. Ms. Astrid's stomach condition itself was already very poor, to put it bluntly, and a little later it would have induced bleeding in the digestive tract.

Hearing this, Joshua frowned, suddenly feeling an indescribably complicated emotion.