Josh was taken aback by the officer's abrupt change in attitude, struggling to process the shift from suspicion to apologies. "It's alright," he replied, a mixture of confusion and relief washing over him. He understood that the officer was merely doing his job.The officer's tense expression relaxed as he nodded, relief washing over him after hearing Josh's response. Initially, upon discovering that Josh was a Cruz, he had been anxious, fearing possible repercussions for his perceived disrespect. However, to his relief, Josh displayed no signs of anger or cruelty. "I've confirmed your identity with our station," he explained apologetically. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused. You are free to go, Mr. de la Cruz."Josh nodded, glad that the misunderstanding had been resolved. "Thank you officerz." He said.However, the two women who had been eagerly awaiting the car thief's arrest were not pleased to see the officer's change of heart. What the hell was going on? Why was he apologi
Josh couldn't help but be taken aback by the saleswoman's words. The sheer cruelty of her comments struck him. He wondered how she could be so heartless to a customer. However, he knew he shouldn't be surprised; it wasn't the first time someone had looked down on him due to his appearance. Things like this always happened to Josh, and it was a constant reminder of the stark divide between the haves and the have-nots in this world.Noticing how hesitant Josh was to leave, the sales woman disgustingly scowled as she glared at him and demanded. "Young Man, did you hear me? I said leave?" Just one look at Josh was all she needed to know that he was not someone who could afford anything in the store. Josh sighed inwardly, deciding that it was best to leave and go look somewhere else. However, since the saleswoman was looking down on him, he felt the need to show her that he was not as poor as she was thinking, well at least not anymore. He had recently discovered that he was the grandson
Glancing back and forth between Josh and the college students that had just arrived, the saleswoman was surprised by the fact that they knew who Josh was and they were also calling him a thief. The fact that they called him a poor guy and a thief, just confirmed what she thought of Josh. ,"You guys know who this is?" she asked, pointing at Josh with a disgusted look.A blonde girl, wearing a black short school skirt, laughed sarcastically and chimed in, "Miss, don't be fooled by him; he can't afford anything here.""Yeah, just look at the way he dresses, does he look like someone who can afford anything here to you?" Another student added, "Yeah, she's right. I suggest you be careful, 'cause he's known to be a thief. It's best to kick him out."The situation was escalating quickly, and Josh found himself getting made fun of again by his college mates. At this point he didn't know what to do. He couldn't defend himself because no one was going to believe him. Deciding that it was best
Josh looked at the manager with a puzzled look, surprised that she had addressed him by his name. They had never met before, at least that's what he thought. So how did she know his name?Furthermore, he couldn't understand how she had learned his name since no one in the vicinity had addressed him by his actual name. Instead, they had consistently called him derogatory names such as loser or street rat, when speaking to him. Nevertheless, he decided to accompany the manager to learn more about the situation, plus it was a good opportunity to finally get away from Nate and his bully friends.Josh and the Managers gazes met, and she smiled faintly at him. "Let's have a talk in my office." She said with a subtle smile, turning around and making her way towards her office.With a weak nod Josh followed her closely, still perplexed, wondering how did she know who he was and why had she invited him to her office. Was he in trouble? He couldn't help thinking that. And he wouldn't be surpris
Alexandra fixed her employee a look, and she couldn't help feeling embarrassed by her actions. It was really important for her to make a good first impression on Josh, but her employee was making that impossible with her accusations. How on earth did she even come to the conclusion that Josh was a liar. "Kyra, watch it, what's wrong with you?" She asked coldly. She knew she had no choice, so she took out her phone and showed Kyra a picture that Giovanni had posted in the group chat. The picture contained Josh, seated at a large table with Giovanni, and it served as proof that Josh was indeed Giovanni's grandson. The moment Kyra saw the picture, and the caption: 'Meet my grandson' her eyes widened in shock, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. How was that even possible, she thought. The picture was an undeniable proof that Josh was indeed an important person, regardless of his outfit."Wait, what? You're Mr. Giovanni's grandson?" Her tone had changed from suspicion to surprise.
Josh eyed the man who had kidnapped him once before, and his heart raced with a mix of fear and anger. He didn't want to be a victim again, and he knew he had to be careful. Glaring the man in the eye he asked, "What do you want?" Even though he tried to sound tough, his voice was still laced with uneasiness. He really didn't know why the man standing before him was so adamant on kidnapping him. Josh was curious, he wondered if maybe by any chance he had offended someone powerful who might be after him, but he had always tried to be on good terms with everyone, even those who picked on him, so it was very unlikely that this man was being sent by someone he had offended, or knew.As they stared at each other with Josh, thethe man didn't flinch. "You know what I want, Josh. Are you going to come with me willingly, or do I have to force you into my car?" he replied, his tone equally cold and resolute.Josh stared back at the man, his mind racing with a lot of thoughts. He didn't know
"You're saying that, you guys had managed to plant two undercover cops on our organization?" Rafael asked with a surprised expression. Even though he already knew that, and was also present when Giovanni had shot the two guys, he acted as if he knew nothing, and saw nothing.A head of sweat almost formed on Josh's forehead as he recalled how his grandfather has cold heartedly shot two the two men during breakfast, it must have been the two undercover cops. The sight of the two men lifelessly collapsing on the table, their faces hitting their plates of food was still fresh in his mind, and he was sure that he was going to have nightmares.The detective noticed Josh's unease, casting a speculative glance in his direction, suspecting a potential link to the deaths of the two undercover cops. He was on the brink of initiating questions for Josh when he was interrupted by Rafael."Now, Backwood, what leads you to believe that my boss is involved in the deaths of those two cops?" Rafael int
“You look familiar.” Amethyst added.Josh hesitantly replied, “Maybe. I'm not sure.” She looked like someone he knew too, he felt like he had met her before somewhere, but he just couldn't remember where and when.Amethyst, studying his face, asked. “Where have I seen you before?” Observing their interaction, Antonio, sensing their struggle to recall, intervened, surmising they might have crossed paths casually. “Oh, come on, Amethyst. You two have probably just seen each other around.”Amethyst nodded, she looked at Antonio briefly before returning her gaze back to Josh. “Maybe. But I feel like we've met somewhere more specific”Antonio chuckled lightly as he said. “Well, whatever the situation is, I'm sure you two will get along great.” Josh and Amethyst exchanged another look, still feeling the familiarity. “Well, I'm going to leave you two.” Antonio said, before heading for the door, leaving Amethyst and Josh in the bedroom. Amethyst then shifted her gaze towards Josh, saying,
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.