Oh, crap! this will frustrate her even more!
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" asked Clarice, shocked. She couldn't show her surprise and couldn't deny that the news had completely made her forget about Tristan. Her heart was beating fast just hearing his name mentioned along with the news of his unexpected presence. Clarice had only expected that Joshua would not be able to attend due to his busy schedule, just like in previous years. Even when friends sought him out, he always apologized for his absence. Unless it was because he didn't want to see me with Joel ... Clarice thought. "Are you really surprised by his presence, Clarice?" asked Kristi. "I thought you were surprised because he's Joel's big brother, but I get the feeling there's something else about your expression." Clarice blinked her eyes repeatedly. She bit her lower lip because of her fear that the closer the time got, the more it would seem like she would die of a heart attack. "That's because he's Joel's big brother, yes. But–" "But there's another story between
JOSHUA PULLED CLARICE'S HAND OUT. They were now face to face in a place where their college friends didn't see them, but of course, many of them were curious about what happened to the two of them. "Well, let's talk. What do you want to talk about, Clarice?" asked Joshua, calmly. "Aren't you the one who wanted to talk to me? That was just an excuse for Kristi to leave me, I know you're a man who can't be denied." Joshua smiled wryly. "I don't like you wearing clothes like that." "It's not what I wanted!" "But you can say no. You know, you almost seduced a few guys in there, including ... me." Clarice swallowed. How could she get out of Joshua's sight if it was like this? She didn't even have a change of clothes and she certainly hadn't thought of anything like this. "There's a clothes shop nearby, I'll take you there," Joshua said suddenly. He pulled her hand back to the car park, but this time Clarice stopped him by dismissing his hand. "No!" Joshua's eyes darkened.
SHE STAYED WHERE SHE WAS WHEN SHE HEARD HIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Her expression couldn't lie that she was completely shocked. Although she knew that on the seventh day, she would answer that she would become his wife, but who would have thought that in this reunion event, Joshua had trapped her without her being able to refuse or get angry. Her life has completely changed since Joel's death with Joshua's sudden presence making her unable to move. Plus Clarice had no one but herself and her weakness really couldn't help herself. "C'mon, Clarice ... why are you being so quiet?" Joshua's voice startled her, but she moved closer until she stopped right in front of him with a look that was hard to express, but she was disappointed in him. Joshua's hand slipped around her waist, the first touch Clarice felt, making her body stiff and strange. "Yeah, as you heard. We're engaged and about to get married. I know our engagement is a family affair. But you won't be missing our wedding," Joshua
"Explain to me, Kristi!" said Clarice, grabbing her hand. Right now she just wanted to talk to Kristi, she wanted to know if Kristi knew all about Joshua's plans or not. "I don't know, Clarice. I only found out when Edo told me when Joshua was with you. If I had known from the beginning, I would have told you." Clarice sighed, looking frustrated. She looked away from where Joshua was because she knew he was still watching her. "I'm really stuck and can't do anything!" Kristi felt bad that she couldn't help her friend after seeing how frustrated Clarice was. Everyone here knew how powerful Joshua had always been, of course, they didn't speculate because they knew what Joshua was like. They all even knew that there was something strange about the way Clarice looked at Joshua. Her look of fear towards someone who threatened her. But again, no one could do anything but watch and enjoy the show. "Did he hurt you?" asked Kristi with concern and worried. Clarice shook her head. J
THE KISS ENDED WHEN JOSHUA PULLED AWAY. He was still watching Clarice's flushed face under the streetlight with her eyes closed. Joshua smiled at Clarice's expression as he could sense how Clarice was enjoying the kiss without rebelling or resisting. Meanwhile, when Clarice sensed that the kiss was over, she caught her breath and then opened her eyes. From such a close distance she could see Joshua, handsome and ... charismatic. "You seemed to enjoy it, Clarice." His words jolted her out of her slumber and into full consciousness. She sat up straight and the chair Joshua had pushed back returned with a triumphant smile. "You took a chance!" said Clarice, venting her nervousness and annoyance. But Joshua didn't say anything back. He just smiled and drove back to the car. He didn't want to talk too much when he was with Clarice, because if he did, then his happy expressions would be obvious and he didn't want Clarice to take advantage of that and oppose him. "There will be no mor
CLARICE GOT A CALL FROM TRISTAN. She was in her office, busy staring at her laptop screen without seeing who was calling her. Then she was surprised to hear Tristan's voice, and she confirmed on her cell phone screen that it was him. Clarice was almost at a loss for what to say because, since last night, she hadn't contacted him. Because before Joshua threatened her by saying he would destroy Tristan if she fell in love with him, she wanted to call him and explain, but after hearing his threat, Clarice decided against it. "Clarice," Tristan called back to her. "Ah– y–yes!" "Did he sleep in your apartment last night so you didn't call me?" Apparently, Tristan was waiting for her to call him. Yet she didn't. It was for Tristan's sake as well as her own. She had had enough of the pressure of the deal Joshua had made with her. "He didn't stay over, and sorry, I was sleepy so I didn't call you," Clarice replied. "Clarice I'd like us to meet after you get off work. Meet me at my offic
"When?" asked Tristan. "What?" Clarice didn't understand what he meant as she tried to read his expression. Tristan wasn't even looking at her, he was looking down at his desk. "When is he going to marry you? Aren't you going to marry him?" She swallowed. She really didn't know when she was going to marry Joshua. All she knew was that she had to give him an answer that was definitely not a rejection. "Why are you silent? If you knew, you wouldn't be silent like this, right?" "He–he hasn't decided anything yet. I just need to meet him formally in a few days," Clarice replied. Tristan was silent for a few moments. His heart broke as he learned everything in one go. He who was in love was heartbroken at the same time. No one spoke between him and Clarice. Even Clarice was silent, bowing her head. She really wished she could leave Tristan's presence immediately and bury her face in her pillow. Clarice's most minor favorite thing to do was to hurt someone. But if she were t
This was that day. A day that would be a moment Joshua would never forget, but he didn't know how Clarice felt. He had been waiting for a few minutes at the designated restaurant to talk to Clarice. He couldn't wait to see Clarice in the dress she had bought him and the jewelry too. Joshua's heart was pounding. It never stopped pounding when it came to Clarice. He had fallen in love with her so many times that it almost drove him crazy every day, when he had been waiting for a moment like this for so long. "She must be beautiful in that dress. I can already tell," he said with confidence and a sense of determination. "Sir, Miss Morgan is here," the waiter said, informing him. "Escort her here." Joshua stood beside his chair. He stuffed his hands into his two pockets, wearing a cold expression, befitting his character in Clarice's presence. His eyes kept looking towards the entrance until a waiter accompanied Clarice who walked behind her. Joshua was completely mesmerized by Cla