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
The security guard quickly approached the group once he was called over by the man. His eyes scanned the scene, taking in everyone's tense faces as he tried to figure out what was going on. And he could tell by the man's angry facial expression that someone had upset him, and it was probably the two people standing next to him. “What’s going on here?” he asked, his tone neutral but authoritative.The man, still fuming, looked at the security guard, pointing to his stained shirt and began to explain in an angry voice, “This woman here bumped into me, and now my limited edition shirt is ruined. She should pay for it.”He turned to Josh and Andrea, adding, “They can't just brush this off like it’s no big deal. They need to compensate me for the damage.”Although Josh and Andrea had been trying to pay him for the shirt all this time, asking him how much it was so they could pay, he had refused earlier. Because he was convinced that he could take advantage of the situation and make the pre
“Twenty thousand dollars for a shirt? That’s insane! He should be ashamed of himself for lying like that!” one woman exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. Clearly the man was lying trying to take advantage of those young people.However, a few sided with Mr. Bruno. “Well, limited editions can be really pricey,” someone commented. “It’s possible.“They should have been more careful,” another added, crossing their arms across “They caused the mess, so they should pay.”Josh maintained his composure. He was tired of the situation and just wanted to resolve it quickly and leave the store once and for all. As he took out his wallet, Mr. Bruno observed him and couldn’t help laughing when he saw Josh taking out a checkbook. Was this young man really trying to write a check for 20 thousand dollars?Maybe he didn’t understand the price and he had heard 20 Dollars instead of 20 thousand dollars. There was no way he had that much money. In fact, Mr. Bruno doubted this young man even had 10 t
Hearing Josh claim that he was Giovanni De La Cruz's grandson, everyone was stunned. The store fell into silence as they thought about what Josh had said. It wasn't everyday that someone claimed to be Giovanni De La Cruz's grandson, so it was definitely shocking. Patrons exchanged looks and whispers, their eyes wide with shock."Did he just say De La Cruz?" one woman whispered to her friend, disbelief evident in her voice."There's no way," another patron murmured. "Giovanni De La Cruz? The Mafia boss? Is that kid's grandfather?""That's impossible. He doesn't look like someone who comes from a wealthy background," someone else added, shaking their head in doubt.It was understandable that they would doubt Josh's words, seeing as he looked like someone who didn't come from a wealthy background, judging by his casual outfits. He seemed to come from a normal, humble background than one filled with wealthy.Giovanni De La Cruz, on the other hand, was a very famous name in the city, the
The store manager turned to Mr. Bruno, and he could see the fear in his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of sympathy for him knowing that it bad for him. If Josh wants it, Mr Bruno could get wiped off the face of the earth, and no one would ever know what happened to him, that was the power of the De La Cruz family.Just moments ago, Mr. Bruno had been so arrogant and mocking, but now he was visibly trembling. "What are you waiting for?" the store manager demanded. "Apologize." Urged him.Although he wouldn't have listened to the store manager under normal circumstances, Mr Bruno listened to him this time, knowing that it was for his own good. He had to apologize to Josh, because it was the only way he can survive.Mr. Bruno, visibly shaken, approached Josh with a noticeably more humble attitude, a big difference to his earlier arrogant and smug attitude “I… apologies, Mr. De La Cruz. I didn’t know!” he stammered, his earlier attitude replaced by a desperate plea for forg
“Why do you want to keep your background a secret?” she asked, her voice laced with curiosity. The idea that he might be ashamed crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. The way he had handled the situation at the store suggested he was far from insecure. Josh glanced at her, his expression serious as he answered her question. “It’s... complicated,” he said simply. He understood the power of his family’s name. Giovanni De La Cruz was indeed a powerful figure with many admirers, largely because of the charitable work and positive public image he maintained throughout the years. However, the reality was much darker. The De La Cruz family, as leaders of the city’s most feared mafia, were deeply involved in criminal activities that had caused significant harm and suffering. And Josh having grown up poor, understood, and knew what type of harm mafias and gangs caused. Josh knew that revealing his true identity could lead to mixed reactions: admiration from those who only saw t