Giovanni cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Once everyone had focused their attention on him to hear what he was going to say, he said, "We have decided on the date for Josh and Lilith's wedding," he announced, his voice final, as it left no room for negotiation. Josh didn't like what he heard. He didn't not like the idea of getting married to Lilith however he didn't say anything or show any reaction to it. He tried to remain composed. After everything Giovanni had done for him, he didn't want to show ungratefulness by refusing to do this one thing for the family. It was thanks to Giovanni that his life had changed for the better, and for that he was very grateful, he was willing to get married to Lilith to repay everything. But he felt that even that wouldn't be enough.Giovanni glanced at Josh, expecting him to object or say something that would show that he wasn't happy with this. However to his surprise not a word from Josh.Giovanni was happy to see that Josh didn'
It didn't make sense to Josh that she would suddenly change her mind and decide to agree to the arranged marriage. No matter what she said, he wasn't convinced that she was doing it all for her family. That could be the case, however he doubted that.He suspected she had another motive for agreeing to this, and that made him angry. He got annoyed because only she could stop the arranged marriage between them, but for whatever reason, she chose not to.Lilith's expression hardened as she took offense at Josh doubting her. Him being suspicious of her motives for agreeing to the marriage was annoying her already. Her eyes flashed with irritation as she met his gaze. "Believe what you want," she replied "My reasons are my own, and whether you believe me or not doesn't change anything.” With that she walked back into the mansion, leaving Josh to his thoughts.Josh let out a sigh of frustration as he watched her retreating figure. The only hope he had to get out of this was her. If she had
The next day at college, Josh was sitting alone at a table in the crowded cafeteria. The sound of chatter and laughter filled the air making it impossible for him to focus on what was on his computer screen. He glanced up from his table and looked around at the crowded cafeteria.‘I should have picked a quieter spot.’ he thought to himself, regretting coming to the cafeteria and thinking it was going to be quiet enough for him to do his assignment.He was trying to write an essay, however due to the noisy atmosphere in the cafeteria it was hard for him to do anything. The cafeteria was lively, with groups of students chatting and laughing as they had conversations about random stuff Josh sighed, realizing that he probably was going to have to pick another place to concentrate better, however he didn't have enough time for that as he had another lecture in less than ten minutes. He had picked the cafeteria as he didn't want to waste time having to walk to the cafe across the street fro
Kathy glared at Josh with a very angry look across her face. She couldn't believe how he had turned the tables on her. It wasn't supposed to go like this at all. She had planned to humiliate him in front of everyone, however she didn't expect him to be the one who humiliated her infront of everyone. Well, it wasn't exactly humiliation, more like he had exposed her. But still, it was embarrassing as he had exposed the fact that she was dating one of their professors for good grades. Which just showed that she had no standards, like she was claimed to have.The remarks about Kathy continued, and Josh enjoyed not being on the receiving end of mean and ridiculing remarks for the first time in a long time. What made it even better was that, the personal on the receiving end was someone who deserved what she was getting, Kathy.Some students didn't hold back from making derogatory comments about her, their disdainful expressions reflecting their disapproval. The revelation that one of the
Throughout the lecture, Josh managed to take notes, trying to immerse himself in the lesson's. The lecture seemed to go on and on, but Josh managed to stay focused. As the professor wrapped up and the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Josh let out a sigh of exhaustion, gla that he was done with classes for the day. Eager to hear out of the lecture hall, he packed up his things. A few minutes later, Josh exited the college building and into the campus ground's. As Josh walked across the campus grounds, he was deep in thought, reflecting on the events of the day. The noise of students chatting and the sounds of footsteps filled the air, creating a lively background noise to his thoughts. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name.“Hey, Josh?” It was a familiar voice, however Josh couldn't recall who it belonged to.Stopping on his track's, he swiveled his head to look behind him, curious about who had called out to him. To his surprise, he saw a familiar face approaching him. It wa
As she entered into the Rolls-Royce, Andrea's clothesline had already gotten entirely wet by the heavy rain. As she settled, she was still unsure if she had made the right decision by getting into Josh's car. Who was not a stranger to her, however she also couldn't say that she knew him very well. Not well enough to get in his car and accept a ride from him. What if he turned out to be someone dangerous?They lived in a dangerous city and it was not wise to just get on anyones car accepting a ride in the city, especially someone she didn't know very well. However she quickly removed those thoughts from her head, Josh seemed like a nice guy, not like someone who would want to harm her. Indeed he was a nice guy. He seemed genuinely kind, and someone who had no ill intention. However she was also justified for being cautious given how dangerous it was in the city.Andrea tried to relax, reminding herself that he had never given her a reason to distrust him. In Fact it was quite the op
“Whoa! Are you okay?” Josh asked, concern evident in his voice as he steadied Andrea. If he wasn't there, she would have hit the tiles hard. Thankfully he was there to catch her just in time before she could fall Andrea, regaining her balance with Josh’s help, stood up straight and glanced down at her newly bought dress, now stained with orange juice. She frowned slightly, then she turned to Josh, feeling a flush of embarrassment. “Yeah, thanks for catching me,” she said, her voice laced with regret.Turning her gaze from Josh, she darted her eyes towards where the person she had bumped into was. She noticed that the person she had bumped into, was a man, who looked like he was in his thirties sitting on the floor, glaring up at her with a mix of frustration and anger. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” Andrea exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of the man's shirt stained with the orange juice, however unlike her dress that was also stained, his shirt looked worse, because it was a white
The man seemed more interested in gawking at her than discussing the shirt. Andrea’s unease grew, her face flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment, knowing what was going on through the man's mind. She felt like she was being objectified.Feeling disgusted by the man's gaze on her she instinctively took a step back, trying to distance herself from the man’s piercing stare. Josh, noticing the man’s predatory behavior, immediately stepped in front of Andrea, making sure there was a distance between the man and her, his expression turning cold. He was now even more annoyed by the man, it was clear that he had some dirty thoughts going through his head, which made Josh sick to his stomach. “We’re not going to play games here. Either you accept a reasonable offer or we call security. This isn’t how you handle things.” he warned in an icy tone. The man’s smirk faded slightly, but he was not giving up. He met Josh's gaze saying, “I’m afraid that’s not how I do business,” he said col
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.