Ending the call with a satisfied smile, Gianna tucked her phone back into her purse and walked towards her car. Opening the door she was about to get in, when the sound of multiple footsteps and the sound of someone's voice got her attention, and she shifted her attention towards the entrance where the sound was coming from, and she saw Mr Moretti and his two bodyguards exiting the cafe. “Make sure it doesn't get out to the public.” Mr Moretti said to his security guards coldly as he stepped foot outside the cafe."But sir, those patrons witnessed you bowing to that man. They're bound to spread rumors," one of the guards protested, referring to what had happened earlier when Mr Moretti had got on his knees asking for forgiveness from Josh. Everyone present in the cafe had seen it. Mr. Moretti's brow furrowed deeper as his henchman's words brought up a gnawing sense of unease within him. The realization that numerous eyes had witnessed his uncharacteristic display of vulnerability le
"Gianna," Mr. Moretti repeated, testing the name on his tongue. "Well, Gianna. I hope you liked the food, now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to."Gianna nodded, concealing her satisfaction at having made the old man believe that she was simply there because she wanted to eat, when in reality she had another agenda. "Of course, Mr. Moretti. Enjoy the rest of your evening."Meanwhile, Josh returned to the mansion and quickly went to sleep for the night, knowing he had college the next day.In the morning when he woke up from bed, he took a quick shower before putting on the outfits chosen by his personal stylist, Amethyst. As he dressed, thoughts of Amethyst lingered in his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had known her before she became his stylist. He kept thinking that he had met her before, but he just could never remember where he had met her before.Josh didn't dwell too much on the thoughts, choosing that he would try to find out more about amethyst anot
Josh was very determined to keep his true identity hidden, and so he had decided to get off from the Rolls Royce a short distance before reaching his college. He knew that arriving at the college in the Rolls Royce would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention, and when people saw that it was him who had arrived in it, they would raise eyebrows. The thought of them finding out that he was connected to the De LA Cruz made him slightly nervous. It was not that he cared that they would think bad of him: in fact he would have loved if everyone knew that he wasn't the same person they knew and alway bullied, and made fun of. What made him not want anyone to find out was because he knew that he was now a part of something illegal, and he feared that he would attract unwanted attention, particularly from the police or other law enforcement authorities pursuing the De La Cruz family. Although the De LA Cruz family seemed to have total control of the city and had some powerful figures on their
Mark's friends behind him, along with other students who had been standing by in the hallway and paying attention to what was happening, chuckled upon hearing his mocking words. Mark had insulted Josh, and accused him of losing the bet, and naturally, they found it amusing. After all, it was what they all expected from someone like Josh. The moment Amelia had accepted the bet for him, Josh had already lost, and everyone knew that.However, what everyone didn't know was that Mark was actually the one who had lost the bet between them. And the only reason Mark was this confident was that he had no idea about Josh. In fact, none of them had any idea about his newly found wealth, still thinking that he was the same poverty stricken person he once was.A confident grin played on Josh's lips as he observed the amused murmurs coming from the crowd, as they thought he had lost. Josh was eager to witness their reaction once he shattered their assumptions. It was evident that they all presumed
Josh and Vanessa's classmates were astounded by the revelation that Vanessa had made. How could Josh, of all people, afford to replace an outfit worth thousands of dollars? It seemed utterly impossible to them. While some of them didn't want to doubt Vanessa and just believed her because of who she was: some of them were having a hard time believing it, or rather they didn't want to believe it, because they believed that there was simply no way Josh could manage to do that. However, despite their disbelief, the fact that Vanessa, the intended recipient of the outfit, confirmed it made them reconsider. After all, it was Vanessa who had said that, and they knew what type of person she was, so why would she lie about it? Also, they knew that Josh was obligated to replace the outfit after spilling coffee on Vanessa's previous one. If he hadn't fulfilled his obligation, surely Vanessa would have mentioned it to them.Mark, like some of the students in the hallway ,was skeptical. Although
Hesitantly, Mark snatched the receipt from Vanessa's hand, his expression shifting into one of shock as he examined the details. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes widened in disbelief as he scanned the receipt, his gaze fixating on the high price of the outfit. Not only did the loser manage to afford the outfit it seemed, but the staggering amount that the outfit cost was far beyond Mark's expectations. According to the receipt, the outfit that Josh had allegedly purchased cost more than $35,000, and that was more than the outfit he had ruined. Mark couldn't fathom how the broke Josh could have possibly come up with that amount of money. He continued examining the receipt, noting other details typical of receipts. But it was the cost that struck him the most, shaking his confidence and leaving him speechless. 'This can't be real. No way that loser bought this.' Mark's mind raced with thoughts, refusing to accept the truth. Josh had won, Vanessa had confirmed it,
Vanessa didn't need to say it; Josh could already tell what she was implying with her words. Surely she was suggesting that he must be hiding something about himself, because if not, why would someone like Mr. Sanchez be afraid of him at all? It meant that he was someone powerful, otherwise there was no way Mr Sanchez would have treated him the way he did.And the fact that when she asked him about it, he suddenly became slightly nervous and blurted out that she was mistaken only reinforced to Vanessa that he was indeed hiding something. His nervous reaction was proof of that. She gave him a suspicious look as she continued. “Really. Mr. Sanchez wouldn't have given you so much respect, and even given you something for free, if you weren't at least someone important.” she said, looking at his expression as she waited for him to say something.Well, she was onto him alright. It seemed like she really believed that he was lying about himself, making everyone believe he was a poor person:
But even that wasn't all. He was also adorning a Rolex Daytona Rainbow Cosmograph, a highly desired and luxurious timepiece known for its colorful gemstone bezel. Although it might have appeared modest at first glance, Vanessa knew its true value. With an estimated price tag of tens of thousands of dollars, it only further confirmed her suspicions about Josh's true background. His choice of accessories, from the costly watch to the designer sneakers, painted a clear picture of a lifestyle far removed from that of an average college student.As she walked down the hallway, Vanessa wondered about Josh's motivations for hiding his true identity. If he was truly wealthy, why go through the trouble of pretending otherwise? The bullying and insults he constantly went through at college because of being a pauper, seemed unnecessary if he had the means to live comfortably without facing such discrimination. Vanessa was convinced that, there had to be a reason for his secrecy, and she was det
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.