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Xylia didn’t want to talk to Joshua anymore. She shook off his hand and turned her gaze back to theputer
screen.
“You can entertain yourself for a while. I need to work,” Xylia said, not even looking at him.
Joshua pressed his lips together, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat.
But seeing Xylia focused so intently on herputer–obviously determined to ignore him–he had no choice but to swallow his words.
Why does this feel so suffocating?‘ Joshua thought, a dull frustration tightening in his chest.
But then, as if something clicked in his mind, Joshua’s lips curled up into a faint smile.
Today was the fourth day—the day Xylia was supposed toe back to his ce.
Just thinking about it made Joshua rx inside. ‘Maybe things will turn out okay after all, he thought.
They were a couple, and yet Xylia actually praised another man right in front of him. That felt like a real sign of disrespect–almost like she was dissatisfied with him.
Stuff like that could really hurt their rtionship.
‘Maybe I should make Xylia pay a little for that,‘ Joshua thought to himself.
His expression shifted from dissatisfaction to anger, then all the way to excitement–his mood dropping and soaring like he was strapped into an emotional drop tower, changing from one extreme to another in seconds.
Out of the corner of her eye, Xylia noticed Joshua’s lips curling up slightly, as if he’d managed to cheer himself up.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Sometimes, dealing with Joshua’s random bouts of jealousy was just too much for her.
Joshua lingered beside her for a bit, then picked up hisptop and headed over to the coffee table.
He settled in, typing away rapidly, totallyser–focused on whatever he was doing.
Xylia could only hear the steady click–ck of the keyboard filling the room.
Even though Joshua had been spending a ton of time with hertely, he still had plenty of responsibilities of his own. There was no way Aaron could shoulder all the duties of Garcia Group alone.
Xylia knew Joshua was dealing with a lot.
She didn’t need to be glued to him all the time, but she also didn’t want to kill his vibe whenever he was being
sweet to her.
She’d heard Eliza’s birthday wasing up soon.
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So Xylia decided to pick out a thoughtful gift–as a gesture for both Joshua and herself, a way <i>to </i>express her true feelings.
Lines of code flickered in Joshua’s eyes, reflected from hisptop screen.
Hisptop was hooked up to Xylia’s phone, and whenever a message from Richard popped up in her chat app, Joshua wasted no time tracking down the sender’s IP.
The address pinged as Royal Heights Community in Daltonia–the exact same location he’d previously found linked to Richard.
‘Looks like my hunch was spot–on,‘ Joshua thought.
Meanwhile, David sent Joshua a file.
Joshua opened it and saw when Richard had started at the office upstairs.
It was exactly five days ago–the day Xylia first ran into Richard.
A chill swept across Joshua’s face. ‘So Richard’s after Xylia,‘ he thought grimly.
Joshua shut hisptop and got up, walking over to Xylia.
Xylia looked up, thinking he had something to say. She was just about to speak when Joshua’s hand slipped to the back of her head, and he pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss.
The kiss was fierce, stamped with Joshua’s signature dominance and possession, leaving her nowhere to
escape.
Xylia felt flustered, her hands clinging tightly to his shirt, each breath stolen by his demanding kiss.
After what felt like an eternity, Joshua finally let Xylia go.
His shirt, which started out crisp and smooth, was nowpletely crumpled from the way she’d grabbed
onto him.
Joshua pressed his forehead to hers, feeling how fast she was breathing. His voice was low and gentle as he whispered, “I’ve got to head out for a bit this afternoon.”
Once Xylia finally caught her breath, she pushed Joshua’s head away with mock annoyance,
“You’re just heading out, but you suddenly ambush me with a kiss? What’s up with that?” Xylia teased.
“I just can’t bear being away from my sweetheart for a whole afternoon,” Joshua replied, grinning fondly.
Xylia shot Joshua a re and pushed him away.
Her cheeks still rosy, she turned back to herputer, but the pile of files on the screen had be aplete blur–she couldn’t make sense of any of them anymore.
And the culprit behind it all just let out a briefugh and strode out of the office.
Xylia let out a long sigh, burying her face in her hands as she slumped over the desk.
‘Honestly, Joshua isn’t just immature–he’s like two totally different guys rolled into one!‘ Xylia thought.
After lunch, Joshua drove straight over to Royal Heights Community.
He went directly to Richard’s apartment.
When Joshua knocked, it was Richard who answered the door.
Richard was clearly caught off guard when he saw Joshua, but after a brief hesitation, he stepped aside and let him inside.
“Wow, Mr. Garcia, you’re faster than I thought you’d be,” Richard chuckled, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Joshua didn’t budge, lingering in the doorway. His gaze was icy as he fixed his eyes on Richard, speaking with zero warmth.
“Mr. Shaw, you came all the way to Daltonia–why not give us a heads–up? Your father used to work for my family, after all. Out of respect for that history, my dad would’ve wanted to wee you properly,” Joshua replied.
Richard’s father used to work for Aaron, which meant their family was always considered beneath his household.
In terms of status, the Shaws were constantly looked down upon.
Joshua’s reminder instantly brought back memories for Richard–the years his family had been driven from their home, left to eke out a living in Daltonia, all because of what Aaron and his son had done to them.
The two of them faced off in the entryway, the atmosphere bristling with challenge, neither willing to back down.
Joshua caught Richard’s brows knitting together–his expression shifting from rxed to tense in a heartbeat. That faux–gentle look in Richard’s eyes didn’tst; beneath it shed a cold, dangerous glint, like a warning that things could get ugly real fast.
Joshua couldn’t help but feel pleased with himself. ‘Right where I want him,‘ Joshua thought, satisfaction curling in his chest.
Without waiting for permission, Joshua strode right in and sprawled out on the couch, acting like he owned the ce.
Richard wasn’t home alone–his enforcer Holt was there with him too.
When Joshua walked in, Holt fixed him with a cold, watchful stare, eyes glinting with a silent threat. It was
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clear Holt wasn’t just suspicious–he looked ready to pounce if things went south.
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Richardposed himself with a deep breath, then took a seat right across from Joshua. He flicked his hand, silently signaling Holt to head into the other room.
<b>“</b>What can I get you to drink?” Richard asked, his face slipping back into that calm, polite mask.
Joshua shrugged, his tone casual. “Coffee’s fine. Your dad used to make a mean cup. I bet you picked up his skills, right?”
For a split second, a dangerous glint shed in Richard’s eyes–his killer instinct leaking through before he could rein it back in.
Joshua spoke like he was royalty, every word oozing superiority, as if Richard and his father were nothing but lowly ants beneath his feet. It had been ages since anyone dared talk to Richard like that.
After all, the people who used to look down on him? These days, they’re all lining up in hell, waiting for their next round.
Even on Richard’s home turf, Joshua wasn’t fazed in the slightest.
He wore a mocking smile. “What’s the matter, Mr. Shaw? Don’t tell me you can’t even make your guest a cup of coffee.”
Richard’s fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Joshua’s smug grin was like a red g, and Richard had half a mind to wipe it off his face.
But this was Alvend, and starting a fight here would only make things messy.
Without a word, Richard turned and walked over to make Joshua a cup of coffee.
When Richard set the coffee down in front of him, Joshua didn’t even nce at it.
His voice was calm, almost bored. “I didn’te here for coffee. I just heard you were in Norhill, so I thought there were some things we needed to discuss.”
Richard met Joshua’s gaze with totalposure, not the slightest hint of flinching.
“We’ve still got unfinished business,” Joshua warned, his tone ice–cold. “So you’d better watch your back every second you stay in Norhill, Mr. Shaw. The blood I lost overseas? You’ll pay it back–right here in Norhill.”
It was pure, undiluted threat–no beating around the bush.
Richard had honestly expected Joshua to show up about Xylia, but he came out swinging with a threat instead. That was unexpected.
‘So these are mind games–he wants the spotlight off Xylia and all on me,‘ Richard thought.
‘Joshua’s crazy for Xylia–no doubt about it, Richard mused, a flicker <b>of </b>something unreadable passing over
his face.
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