"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
After some time, Josh arrived back home after leaving college. But he had no idea that while he was leaving, Vanessa had been following him, and she also saw the luxurious car he left in, leading her to discover that he was indeed someone who came from a wealthy background.Josh grabbed his backpack and was about to open the door for himself and get out. However, before he could, his driver had already opened it for him, stepping out of the way as he waited for Josh to step out of the car.“Thank you. But I could have done that myself,” Josh muttered, slightly annoyed. He already was annoyed by the fact that he was not allowed to drive wherever he wanted on his own without having his bodyguard and driver drive him, and this was a little bit too much for him. It made him feel as if he wasn't free.The driver nodded respectfully, but didn't respond to him. With a sigh, Josh walked out of the garage and as he was walking into the mansion, he saw Antonio, Mario, and Rafael having a discus
Letting out a sigh in frustration, Josh looked at Sofia saying, “I've already seen it. Apparently someone was recording me last night.”"So much for being a regular college pauper, huh?" Sofia teased, mocking the fact that he pretended to be a pauper at college, despite being a member of the De La Cruz family. And he even had 100 million dollars in his bank account. She just couldn't understand him. Sofia raised an eyebrow,"What are you going to do now, Mr. De La Cruz?" She sarcastically asked, looking into his eyes.Josh took a deep breath, his mind racing as he tried to come up with an idea of what he was going to do about the video. "I don't know. I...'' He paused, still thinking of how to approach the situation, “Hmmm… I guess, I'll look for the person responsible for posting it."Sofia shrugged, her mocking smile never fading away from her face. "Good luck finding them.” She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, then turned back to Josh. "Looks like your little sec
After the call disconnected, Josh sat back up from his bed. He tossed the phone to the other side of the bed as he stood up and started making his way out of the room to get something to drink. He had just reached the door and was about to step out when his cellphone rang again.Letting out a sigh, he turned back and walked to his bed. Picking up the phone, his brows furrowed in confusion as he saw that it was an unknown number calling his phone. He wondered who it might be, and why were they calling him? Without thinking too much about it, he pressed the answer icon on his cell phone and held it to his ear. “Hello, Josh speaking. Who is this?” he asked, making his way out of the room.A male voice came from the other side of the line. “Hey, Josh, this is Brandon.”Josh's mind raced. Brandon? He didn't know any Brandon. Josh raised an eyebrow, taken aback upon hearing the name. He didn't recognise who the person on the other end of the line was, and he had never met or heard of any B
Hearing what Sofia had just said, Francisca turned to look at Josh, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement. "Wow, you’re that guy?" she asked, clearly intrigued. She found it impressive how he had made a powerful figure like Mr. Moretti get on his knees and apologize, and how calm he had been in the video. It was truly remarkable.Josh sighed, his frustration evident as he didn't immediately reply to Francisca and instead focused his gaze on Sofia. He was annoyed that Sofia would reveal to her friend that he was the person in the video. It only made him feel that Sofia couldn't be trusted, because why would she tell, when she knew he wanted to keep it a secret from everyone.Sofia shrugged her shoulders, a smirk playing on her lips. "What? It's not like it's a bad thing.” She said without a hint of feeling bad for not respecting Josh's wish to keep the fact that he was the man in the viral video a secret. She turned towards her friend, “And, Francisca thinks it's cool." She sa
After some time, Josh pulled up to his grandfather's estate in a black Rolls Royce phantom. Letting out a sigh as he glanced outside the vehicle at the mansion in front of him, Josh couldn't help feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. The grand estate was lit up with elegant lights, casting a warm glow over the carefully maintained lawns and impressive architecture. He looked towards the driveway, seeing that it was lined with luxury cars. It just went to show that the people who had attended the event weren't just regular people, but wealthy people with status. And that made Josh feel slightly nervous at the thought of being at an event where only the rich were. He was also a rich person now, but still that didn't stop him from feeling slightly out of place, since he wasn't used to it.Josh's bodyguard opened the door for him and he stepped out of the car, adjusting his suit jacket, still feeling out of place as he saw how opulent the place was. He was determined to make a go
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.