Josh walked over to the bar, which was in the middle of the venue. The bar was well kept and stoked, with an array of premium spirits and elegant glassware. The atmosphere around the bar was relaxed, with a few guests enjoying their drinks and engaging in quiet conversations.Getting to the bar, Josh took a seat on a plush bar stool and signaled to the bartender. The bartender, a well-dressed man with a well kept mustache and professional demeanor, approached with a friendly smile. “What can I get for you, sir?”Josh, unsure of what to order due to his limited experience with high end drinks, replied, “Uhm… Surprise me.”The bartender nodded in understanding. “Certainly,” he said. The waiter started crafting the cocktail for him as he waited.At that same time, as Josh was seated down, waiting for his drink to be made, he noticed a figure approaching where he was seated. It was a woman, dressed in a striking red gown. She took a seat on the bar stool next to him. The woman looked ele
Although Josh appeared to be completely unfazed by the men, in truth he was intimidated by them, noticing that they were all staring at him weirdly, and they probably had bad intentions too. To make matters worse one of them moved towards the door and closed it.Josh's eyes darted between the four men, scanning them. “What's going on?” Josh asked, confused as to what was happening? What did these men want from him? He didn't understand. He didn't remember upsetting any of these four guys as he had never run into them before. And they were probably goons sent by someone, however, he didn't remember upsetting anyone before. “Can… I help you?” He asked, as he noticed that one of them was taking a step towards him, looking at him menacingly.Without a word, the men surrounded Josh, giving him no room to escape. One of them, the burly one with the scar, abruptly grabbed Josh by the collar and shoved him against the cold tiled wall. Josh’s heart raced, and he tried to push back, but the ma
Chris Walton had no idea that he was dealing with the grandson of Giovanni De La Cruz. Had he known, he would have thought twice before crossing him. But Walton, blinded by his own arrogance and by his considerable power and influence. He was unaware of the seriousness of his misstep. His belief in his own untouchability led him to underestimate Josh, disrespecting him in ways he wouldn’t have dared if he had been aware of Josh’s formidable lineage. Walton’s arrogance came from his perception that he had ascended to a level of power where few could challenge him, and this delusion of invulnerability fueled his disrespect.“Consider this a reminder of what happens when you cross me,” Walton continued, his words dripping with icy malice. He let the threat hang in the air, his gaze fixed on Josh with cruel satisfaction. “Now, let’s see if this experience teaches you the lesson you clearly need. It’s time for you to learn your place.” With that he walked out of the restroom, signaling for
Amelia frowned, her face flushed with a mix of offense and hurt, she couldn't believe Josh would think so low of her. Why would he think she would ever do something like that? “Of course not!” she snapped. “I would never compromise my dignity like that. Just because we're in a tight spot doesn’t mean I’ll betray my principles.” She replied, making it clear, however the stress of their situation was still evident. Amelia sighed to calm herself down. And then she continued. “Walton, that bastard proposed that he’d only invest if I entered into a personal relationship with him. He’s using our desperate situation to manipulate us into a deal we can’t afford to refuse.”Josh's eyes narrowed, a mix of anger and concern crossing his face. “That’s a terrible situation. I’m sorry you’re going through this… anyway I can help?” He asked. “Yeah, I hope you don't mind.” Amelia replied, feeling embarrassed for having to ask help from him, although they were friends or close to being friends, she d
Josh was slightly taken aback realizing that the famous actress was trying to start up up a conversation with him. He really didn't expect her to speak to him or even notice him at all. Not that he considered himself ugly or anything, it was just that he was used to being looked down on for being poor. And he wasn't poor anymore, however he didn't expect people to all of a sudden treat him differently.Josh usually was ignored and looked down upon, because people would assume he wasn’t worth their time. However, dressed in a $20,000 suit and looking far more refined than he used to, it made sense that he might catch someone’s eye now. Josh managed a polite smile as he replied, “Sure, go ahead.”He couldn't believe how nice she was actually was. Josh had always assumed that, as an actress, Bianca held herself in higher regard than others and wouldn't waste her time on people she deemed less significant. The fact that she was engaging with him now was surprising, given her high profile
Josh gritted his teeth, frustration evident in his clenched jaw. The secrecy and cryptic nature of the call were infuriating. Whoever this was, they were clearly toying with him, enjoying the power of their hidden identity. The deliberate vagueness and the unsettling calm in the caller's voice only fueled Josh's annoyance. He was determined to find out who was behind this.Before Josh could respond, the call with the mysterious person ended abruptly, leaving him even more exasperated and more annoyed. He glared at his phone, groaning as he felt the frustration bubble up inside him. Clearly the person behind the call was doing all of this on purpose, and it was annoying. Josh couldn't understand why couldn't they just tell him or just let him know the truth they claimed they had. What really happened to his mom, he needed to know? But perhaps his mom really died in a car crash as he was told and there was nothing suspicious about it, and this mysterious person who was clearly enjoyin
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.
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
What was even more worrying was that he didn't know what she wanted, or was trying to accomplish by agreeing to this relationship.Coming back to his thoughts, Josh looked towards Antonio, realizing that he was still deep in conversation with Rafael. “Did Giovanni see him?” Rafael asked.“No he didn't, luckily I was there, so I made sure they didn't see each other.” Antonio replied, referring to a few days, when Vincenzo showed up at the event, despite knowing that Giovanni would be there.Rafael gritted his teeth, “Then what the hell was he doing there? Doesn't he know the risks.”Antonio’s expression darkened. “He said he was there for business, but I think he was trying to send a message to Giovanni, that he won't be intimidated by him.”Rafael scoffed. “If Giovanni had seen him, things could have gotten very bad.”Josh couldn't help but listen closely as he heard Rafael and Antonio’s words. They were talking about Vincenzo as if he was some outsider, who was Giovanni's enemy. But
Josh didn't want to take Lilith’s story at face value. That could be a risky move, because she could be lying and twisting the truth to her advantage. He eyed her suspiciously as he asked, “How do you know all this?”Lilith explained. “It’s not a secret. Everyone in the underground world knows. “She revealed, " Don't believe me? Ask anyone, even Sofia.”Josh tightened his grip on the armrest slightly, his eyes filled with irritation. Everyone knows about this? And he had never thought to ask Sofia or Antonio about it.He felt annoyance flare in his chest. It was understandable that he would be annoyed at himself now, because he had just made a deal with Lilith for information he could have gotten on his own.Lilith watched him closely. Although she didn't show it on her face, she was clearly enjoying the realization dawning on his face. She thought of how easy it was. She made an offer, and he agreed without hesitation.Whatever. She was just glad he did. Now, she didn’t have to wor
She did not expect him to ask her such a direct question. But she was ready to answer him. Lilith tilted her head to look at him with a playful look. “Maybe I changed my mind.”“Why did you change your mind?” Josh pressed on.Lilith rolled her eyes before she finally answered him. ”Maybe I realized that fighting this marriage is pointless. Our families will make sure this happens no matter what. And honestly it's not the worst thing that could happen.”Josh studied her, his expression lacking any emotion, unreadable. Unlike her, there was no warmth in his gaze. “That’s not a convincing answer, Lilith.” His voice was dry, but firm. Then, with quiet certainty, he accused, “I know you’re up to something. What is it?”“Hmmm?” Lilith hadn’t expected that. She thought he was clueless, easy to manipulate. But, the fact that he already realized that she was up to something, proved to her, that he was smarter than she gave him credit for.Her smirk returned, lazy and amused. “You’re not an ea
At a police station, inside the chief's office.Three people were in the office, the chief of police and two officers, engaged in discussion.The chief of police sat back in his chair, while Detective Reynolds and Martinez stood across from him.“These are all the findings we have on Giovanni De La Cruz so far,” Detective Reynolds said, sliding a thick file across the table to the chief. The contents on the file were evidence the two detectives had found on Giovanni. According to them, it was enough evidence to cause Giovanni problems.Martinez added. “Sir, we think with this, we can at least get a search warrant against Giovanni.”The chief of police reached for the file, pulling it toward him before flipping it open. His eyes scanned the documents, photos, and reports inside. He picked up one of the photos, a grainy image of Antonio De La Cruz carrying a briefcase while Mario and Josh followed behind him and entered a hotel. Even at a glance, it was clear they were involved in som
Mr Ramirez turned to Mr Delgado saying, “A word with you Mr Delgado?” Mr Delgado gave a nod before walking away with Mr Ramirez, leaving Josh alone. Josh was too preoccupied with his thoughts to fully pay attention to them as they walked away.He moved towards the grand windows, gazing out at the estate. The villa was beautiful, but that wasn’t what occupied his mind. It was what this place meant to him: A piece of his past, one he could barely remember, but was now in his hands.His fingers lightly brushed the nearby table as he walked, trying to find some sort of connection to this place. He closed his eyes, trying to remember some memory that would surface. But there was nothing. Just emptiness.He was too young to remember ever living here, so he couldn't remember everything. But, how could he expect to recall a place he left when he was just a toddler?The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see his grandfather walking back inside with Mr. Delgado.“Ar
Josh pushed the thought aside. He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Besides, this was his grandfather he was talking about, so why would Giovanni discard him aside?Mr Ramirez studied him for a second. “I'm sorry for how everyone else treats you. I'm sure they'll come around eventually.” He assured. Josh could only hope that will be the case soon. He let out a short laugh. “Are you sure about that? Catalina looks at me like I don’t belong. Marco and Isabella don’t even bother hiding it. Matteo’s the only one who treats me like an actual person.” It was not his intention to let everything out, however the words slipped out before he could stop them.His grandfather was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “Catalina loved your mother.”Josh’s expression shifted. Really? He didn't want to believe that. If Catalina and his mother were indeed close, she wouldn't look at her sister’s son like he was the problem.Mr. Ramirez continued, “She loved her deeply. Losing her… broke something
“And when you find him? What happens then?” He asked.Josh watched his grandfather closely, waiting for his answer. Whatever Mr. Ramirez chose to do with Reaper would say a lot about the kind of man he truly was.It was safe to say Josh didn’t know his grandfather that well. He had power, control, and influence, but what kind of person was he underneath it all?“He’ll face justice. What do you think?” Mr Ramirez said. “We’ll hand him over to the authorities.”Josh hadn’t expected to hear that.If this had been Giovanni, Reaper wouldn’t have made it past sunrise. No trial. No mercy. Josh still remembered how effortlessly his other grandfather had executed those two men for betraying him, no hesitation in his actions.This was the difference between Mr. Ramirez and Giovanni. One believed in fairness, the other in ruthless control.Josh was happy to see that his grandfather from his mom's side was a different person from Giovanni.Just then, Catalina walked in, her sharp gaze immediately
Josh ignored Catalina. But he also didn’t bother trying to go with them to see Matteo. Mr. Ramirez shot Catalina a cold look in disapproval. “If it weren’t for Josh, Matteo wouldn’t have made it here in time.” He scolded.Catalina said nothing, but she had a slight look of realization across her face. No matter how she felt about Josh, it was thanks to him and the other two people that Matteo was here at the hospital in time.She, Dean, Marco, and Isabella went inside the ICU where Matteo was.Josh stayed back, leaning against the wall. He didn’t show it, but the rejection bothered him.When Marco and Isabella made it clear they didn’t accept him, it bothered him, but not that much. Catalina, though… She was his deceased mother’s sister. He expected her to treat him with at least some kindness. Guess he was wrong for thinking that.Josh exhaled slowly, pushing the thought aside. He wasn’t about to beg for acceptance. If they didn’t want him around, fine.Without another word, he turn
Mr. Ramirez’s gaze remained cold as he looked at Dante. “Where is this… Reaper?” he asked Dante hesitated, shaking his head in denial. “I… I don’t know, sir.”Mr. Ramirez studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Before he could say anything else, the waiting room doors burst open.Mateo’s parents, Catalina and Dean, rushed inside, their faces filled with worry. Marco followed closely behind them, equally as worried.“Dad, how is my son? Where is Mateo?” Catalina asked, her voice shaking.Josh tensed as he watched them. It was the first time he had ever seen Mateo’s parents in person. Since Matteo was his cousin, then the woman must be his mom's sister, his aunt. Josh also noticed a resemblance between her and him, it was subtle but still noticeable. Mr. Ramirez turned to them. “I have spoken to the doctor. He is stable… we’ll be able to see him soon.”A shaky breath of relief escaped Dean's mouth. “Thank God.”Catalina clutched her husband’s arm, but the worry in