Josh replied to Brian in an equally code tone. “For the last time, back away Brian,” he warned, reminding everyone that he was not letting Brian push him around anymore. He had allowed that for too long, and now it was time to put an end to it. “I don't want any problems.” He added, the cold look in his eyes sent a shiver down Brian's spine. Hearing Josh's words, one of Brian's minions, Andre, chimed in. "You need to show some respect to him," Andre said in a threatening tone, his gaze burning holes into Josh.Though he heard Andre, Josh decided to ignore him and instead focused his attention on Brian. “Brian, instruct your minions to mind their own business,” he threatened in a nonchalant tone. His voice, unlike the previous times he found himself in such a dangerous situation, Josh was displaying no signs of anger. It was as if he feared nothing, merely carefree. Why would he be afraid of Brian anymore anyways?” Josh could already envision several ways to teach Brian and his minion
Although he was clearly fighting a losing battle, josh had no intention of standing down. He was determined to send a message to Brian that he wasn't going to be pushed around anymore. As the fight went on, Josh managed to block most of Brian's attacks but still he didn't block all of them, so he still got hit. But he also made up for that by retaliating with his own punches, although not as powerful as Brian's, they were still painful. Everyone present had their eyes glued towards the two of them. Amusement and surprise visible in their eyes. They were amused by the drama, and very surprised after seeing Josh standing up for himself. They never would have imagined that the pauper who always got bullied by a lot of people, and didn't do anything to stop it, would now be fighting toe to toe with Brian. How brave of him to go against someone whose family held so much influence at this college! To some people it was impressive for Josh to stand up against Brian, but to some, it was v
Josh's frown deepened as he listened to Jacey's fabricated lies of the altercation. She was accusing him of being the one who started the fight, when in reality it was Brian who had started it. And everyone knew that Brian was the instigato, josh was merely acting in his own self defence, but they wouldn't say it. Some wouldn't say the truth, simply because they didn't care, and they found amusement in Josh's predicament, while some hesitated to speak out, as they didn't want to upset Brian. For them, aligning with Josh, even as an adversary, seemed preferable to crossing paths with Brian. Brian was not someone they wanted to mess with, so it was better to accuse Josh instead of telling the truth.As he heard Jacey go on, telling lies, Josh felt annoyance built up within him, fueled by the injustice of being falsely accused. And he knew he couldn't let Jacey keep on telling Miss Andrews lies. Looking away from Jacey, Josh looked at Miss Andrews and as he spoke up, his voice carried
The students were expecting Josh to be punished by Miss Andrews. Although he wasn't the one at fault, it didn't matter since everyone was pointing fingers at him, and accusing him, so Miss Andrews had to listen to them and give him punishment. And this time they were convinced that Josh would be receiving a harsher punishment, especially given the fact that this wasn't his first offense.Meanwhile, at that exact moment, Miss Andrews reached a decision. Casting an authoritative gaze towards Josh and Brian, she declared, "Regardless of who instigated it, fighting is unacceptable behavior in this college." Her eyes briefly met Josh's before turning towards Brian and his companions. "All of you, return to your seats," she demanded.Despite her knowledge that Brian was the true instigator, Miss Andrews found herself at a loss for evidence to support her belief. She knew that Brian was the one at fault here, and she wanted to punish him, however with all witnesses pointing fingers at Josh,
When Josh turned around, he noticed a figure approaching him. At first, he became slightly uneasy, suspecting that maybe it was Brian walking towards him. After all, Brian would likely be trying to confront him after what happened in class. However, to his surprise, he realized it wasn't Brian; instead, it was Amelia.“Hey, Josh, where are you going?” Amelia asked as she walked closer to him.Josh felt relieved to see that it was Amelia, and not Brian. He didn't have time or energy to deal with Brian right now, and he wanted to stay away from him the whole day."Hey, Amelia," Josh replied with a smile, his tension going away. "I was just thinking of grabbing something to eat at the cafe outside the campus.”Amelia returned his smile, falling into step beside him and matching his pace"Me too. I was getting hungry too, and the food in the cafeteria sucks.” She replied.Josh nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.” The two of them started walking to the cafe together. For a moment, silence enve
"Um..." Josh scratched his head, perplexed by Amelia's intense focus on her phone. Shrugging it off, he replied, "I was asking about your order. Shall I just grab something for us?""Oops, sorry, got a bit lost there," Amelia chuckled, shooting him an apologetic grin. "How about something filling, like a sandwich or pasta? Go ahead and surprise me!"Josh nodded, getting up and walking over to the reception desk. On his way to the reception desk, he couldn't help wondering what had got Amelia's attention so much.Upon reaching the counter, he greeted the waitress with a friendly smile. "Hi there, I'd like to place an order for me and my friend."The waitress returned his smile, her pen hovering over her notepad. "Of course, what can I get for you two?"Josh glanced over his shoulder, double-checking Amelia's preferences in his mind. "I'll have the chicken avocado sandwich, please. And for my friend, can we get the pesto pasta?"The waitress nodded, removing her gaze from and looking at
As Josh continued to watch the video, he couldn't believe that his whole confrontation with Mr Moretti the previous night was all over the internet. He let out a sigh, running a hand over his face as he tried to wipe the sweat forming on his forehead. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves down. But he couldn't calm down, not with his identity in danger of being exposed.The video being on the internet was a serious problem for Josh. He was very sure that he’d be kicked out of college if people discovered he was the person in the video. And what was worse was that it had gone viral. Everyone he saw was watching it. Even Amelia, seated at the same table, was engrossed in the video.Josh was just hoping she doesn't recognise that he was the same person in the video, or he wouldn't know how to deny it if she asked him. He was still very much intent on keeping his identity a secret from everyone. He planned to keep it that way, until he had finished college. If ev
Josh remained silent for a moment, his mind racing as he struggled to formulate a convincing denial. "Oh... well, that… I'm not the man on the video.”Fixing him with a suspicious look, Amelia asked, “Really? How come you have similar voices then?”Josh didn't reply immediately as he thought of what to reply. He acknowledged that indeed she was right about the voice, but still, he had no intention of admitting that it was him. With a faint smile, he continued, "Well, it was not me. Why would it be me?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but his attempt faltered, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice. He immediately glanced at his wristwatch, feeling Amelia's suspicious eyes staring down on him. Sensing the need to redirect the conversation, he hastily interjected, "We don't have much time. I think you should hurry up and eat your food." He hoped his deflection would be enough to steer her away from further questioning.He didn't know how longer he could hide it, if she continued
Josh moved quickly down the stairs, his heartbeat thundering in his chest as he pursued the mysterious figure. Hoping to catch up to him and ask him questions.The shadowy intruder was swift, sprinting through the mansion’s dimly lit corridors with ease, his footsteps barely making a sound. Despite Josh's best efforts, he struggled to keep up, his shoes hitting the polished floor heavily as he turned corner after corner, desperate to close the distance."Hey! Stop!" Josh called out, but the figure showed no sign of slowing down. Josh picked up pace, and he could feel frustration building up inside him, with each second, the man’s elusive speed almost mocking him. Although Josh was trying his best to run fast and catch up,his attempts were futile, he couldn't catch up with the man.They reached the grand staircase leading to the main entrance, and just as Josh rounded the last bend, he caught a little glimpse of the figure slipping out of a side door into the night. By the time Josh ma
Josh knew some people had expected him to act differently, more ruthlessly, more like a true ‘De La Cruz.’ Giovanni hadn’t said much, but the silence bothered him. It was a silence that spoke volumes, making Josh wonder if his grandfather shared the same doubts as the others.Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Josh pulled out his phone, deciding to put the night behind him. He quickly dialed his bodyguard and driver to come and pick him up, hoping to escape the weight of the evening as soon as possible.Not long after he made the phone call, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of him. His bodyguard stepped out of the vehicle and silently opened the door, waiting for Josh to get in. As Josh took a step forward, ready to leave the night behind, he heard the soft but distinct sound of footsteps approaching him from behind.Josh paused on his tracks, his hand resting on the car door, and glanced back over his shoulder, catching sight of a familiar figure moving toward him. H
Lilith had no comment on Josh’s actions. She could see Mrs. Washington’s disappointment, the frustration appearing on her face as she watched the man who was supposed to be the future son-in-law of their family display complete weakness in front of more than a hundred people. Mrs. Washington shook her head in disdain, her voice dripping with scorn as she continued to speak on Josh. “What a disgrace,” she murmured, loud enough for those around her to hear. Her displeasure with Josh was justifiable according to herself. How could a soon to be son-in-law of hers act like that? He let someone who had put hands on him earlier walk away without a consequence? To her, it wasn’t just a show of weakness from Josh, it also revealed a lack of self-respect. If Josh had any, he would show no mercy and would have taught the man who dared to disrespect him a lesson. “Giovanni must be very disappointed. Total weakness from Josh. A real De La Cruz would’ve made Walton pay. No hesitation, no mercy.”
The room was filled with the murmur of the crowd, their astonished whispers growing louder as they wondered what Giovanni's grandson was going to do to the person who had wronged him earlier. It was no longer a secret that Chris Walton had dared to attack Josh De La Cruz at this event earlier. No doubt a foolish and dangerous move from Mr Walton. Everyone knew he was about to face serious consequences for that. So, would Giovanni's grandson exact his revenge on Mr. Walton? The anticipation filled the air, with everyone eager to see how Josh would handle the situation and what retribution Walton would face.It wasn't about if he was going to get his revenge or not? The answer was already obvious. He was A De La Cruz, so of course he was going to get his revenge from the person who had wronged him! The real question was; how was Josh going to take his revenge? What was he going to do to Mr Walton?The event attendees watched intently as their gaze shifted between Josh and Giovanni, eag
Chris Walton struggled to accept the revelation. How on earth could Josh be related to Giovanni De La Cruz, let alone be his grandson? It all sounded like a made-up lie to him. However Giovanni had no reason to deceive him, so Chris had no choice but to believe it. It had to be the truth.It wouldn't even matter whether he chose to believe it or not anyways, because either way, Giovanni was involved and he was on Josh's side.The truth was undeniable, Josh was indeed Giovanni's grandson. A wave of regret washed over Chris as he began to realize how bad this was. He had made a big mistake. Only if someone had told him that the young man who had approached him and introduced himself earlier was actually a De La Cruz, then Chris wouldn't have been so rude to him. Chris had taken the fact that Josh had been nice and humble towards him earlier as weakness. He thought Josh was just a nobody who wasn't on his level and was unworthy of his respect or attention. Plus the fact that Amelia was
Giovanni’s face darkened, his expression turning icy upon hearing Mr. Walton's disrespectful reference to Josh. He couldn't believe that someone would be bold enough to insult his grandson in front of him. Even if Giovanni hadn’t been there earlier, Giovanni wondered why anyone would disrespect his grandson in the first place. Hadn’t they realized who Josh was already? Giovanni had made a point of introducing Josh to many people that night to ensure his identity was known, so he assumed Mr. Walton was aware of who Josh was. The fact that Mr. Walton had still gone on to insult him seemed baffling to Giovanni. It was as if they were daring fate itself, how could anyone be so reckless as to insult his grandson in front of him? Were they tired of living?The insult aimed at his grandson was unacceptable, and Giovanni couldn’t stand by silently. Fixing his gaze on Mr. Walton, Giovanni’s voice was low but filled with menace. “You’ll refrain from insulting my family in my presence,” he said
After speaking with Vincenzo for a while, Antonio left him upstairs and returned to the venue. As he approached Giovanni, he appeared deep in thought.Giovanni, noticing Antonio’s preoccupied expression, asked, “Is everything alright?”Startled from his thoughts, Antonio quickly forced a smile and replied, “Yeah, everything’s fine.” He chose to lie, not wanting to reveal his encounter with Vincenzo. Antonio knew that if Giovanni discovered that Vincenzo, the traitor, was at the event, it would only lead to trouble.Meanwhile.As the night progressed, Josh and Bianca finally parted ways. However they exchanged numbers, something Josh didn't expect to happen, but he was atill very happy. He was still surprised that she had taken a liking to him. Because he wasn't used to people taking a liking to him. That was one of the reasons he never had many girlfriends in his 20 years of life, and the only girlfriend he had turned out to be the worst human being, only dating him because of a bet.
Mrs Washington looked at Lilith, her response seemed to surprise her. The indifference in her daughter’s voice and demeanor was noticeable, and Mrs. Washington’s eyebrows raised in a mixture of surprise and concern. She had expected a different reaction from Lilith, one that might have aligned more closely with her own sense of decency and respect. Mrs Washington was deeply concerned that her family’s reputation might suffer if word got out that her future son-in-law was behaving like a playboy. Though she could tell that Josh wasn’t truly a playboy, his recent actions were troubling and contradicted the image she expected him to uphold. The way he was acting at the event, instead of being with Lilith, he was with someone else and she worried what the people who knew about his engagement Lilith would think. They would probably say he didn't respect them.Knowing she had to do something and put an end to Josh's disrespectfulness of her family, Mrs Washington had no choice but to walk
As he reentered the venue, Josh decided to not think much about the mysterious caller, or about Chris Walton. He found himself trying to focus on the present. The pulsating pain was a constant, but so was his desire for revenge. He was determined to make Chris Walton regret ever crossing him, but he needed to keep his composure and look for the right opportunity. For now, he would have to navigate through the night with a balance of patience and resolve.Returning to the bar, Josh felt a mix of relief and anticipation. The evening had taken an unexpected turn with the phone call and another clue sent to him by the mysterious person in the envelope, but he didn't want to think about that for now. He was eager to return to the pleasant company of Bianca. he felt a genuine connection with her, something he hadn't expected.The brief but enjoyable conversation they’d had before the interruption had been a welcome distraction, and he found himself looking forward to continuing their chat.