"No means no." Ivy almost yelled in frustration. She sighed as she looked at the daunting man, who was not affecting her in any way, sitting in front of her.

"Ivy, please try to understand. This is to ensure your safety. Please."

"No, Joshua. I cannot come and stay at your house. It will not be right." 

"Ivy, I am not asking you to be in a relationship with me. I am just asking you to stay with me at my house. We can be roommates, you see." 

"But.."

"Also, you will have the guest room to yourself. What is there to worry about?" He added trying to sway her stubborn mind to accept his offer. 

Ivy narrowed her eyes unable to believe the man's audacity. Early in the morning, Ivy had decided that she had had enough of the bastard Tim lurking around her. Fearing him and his possible attempts to harm her, Ivy could not stay at home forever and she was not the one to do it either. So, she had made up her mind to leave her house and go meet her friends to prepare for their agenda.

They still had a lot of work to do and ideas to come up with for their agency. Noah had entrusted them with all the work. He would only be responsible for setting up their agency and providing them with the funds. All other work would be handled by them and them alone. He would not interfere in their work unless they did something which was against his morals. 

When she had readied herself to leave the house, unexpectedly she saw Joshua entering her apartment floor from the lift, surprising her. Seeing her outside, he sauntered towards her with a small smile on his face. "I need to talk to you. It's urgent." He then pulled her hand and went inside her house, the door to which was still unlocked. 

"Joshua, what are you doing?" Ivy asked when he released her hand.

"Pack up your bags. Get all those things which are necessary and important to you. You need to leave from here."

Ivy gaped at him in shock. 'Did I just hear right? Did he just ask me to pack my bags?'

"I am not leaving my house. You have gone crazy." 

"Ivy, listen to me. You need to move away from here, especially when you are staying all alone. Your life might be in danger. It's best to be aware and take precautions."

"No way. I am not moving from here. Even if I do, where will I go?" She asked plopping on the sofa. Joshua sat in front of her and folded his hands in an intimidating manner. Ivy was too busy in her thoughts to notice how mesmerizing and irresistible he looked at that moment.

"You can stay in my house during the time."

"What?" Ivy exclaimed at once with disbelief. "No way. I am not staying with you. Never."

"Why?"

"Because you are a man and I don't think it would be good for me to stay with you."

"Why? Are you worried that something might happen between us if we stay in the same house? If that is what is concerning you, I'll guarantee you that nothing like that will happen at least from my side. But if you cannot control your hormones and come on to me, then I'll not reject you." He flirted and when her eyes met his, he did not forget to wink making her scoff.

"Why will I do something foolish? I am not crazy."

"Then, what is the problem with you staying in my house?" He shrugged as though he was not asking her to move in with him, but to take a stroll in the neighborhood.

"How about this? I'll stay with a friend meanwhile. That would not be a problem, right?"

"No." Joshua rejected her at once, his domineering voice starling her.

"Why?" Ivy followed his pose and folded her hands. She was getting irked with the way the man was behaving and she was just an inch away from losing her cool. 

"Ivy, you do realize that you moving in with a friend will only put them in danger too, right? Do you want to do that?"

Ivy pondered on his words and he was right. If Tim really was adamant about harming her, then she would be putting her friend in trouble too which she would never want. "What about you? Will you not be in danger if I move in with you?" Ivy twisted his words and fed them to him right away.

Joshua gave her a mysterious smile. The naive girl before him had no idea how capable he was. He was the Master of the Underworld. There was no one who could beat him or touch him even, against his will. The only people who could fight him and still be alive were his friends who were of the same caliber as him. Ian and Noah were the only ones who could fight him till the end, but then nobody would win or lose in the end. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses.

They had tried to see who would end up victorious in a bout once, but the end results had been surprisingly different. They had sustained a lot of injuries in the match, but they had not been able to surpass the other, making it highly difficult for their mentor Theo to declare the winner. So, he had proclaimed all three to be winners and losers at the same time.

Now when Ivy asked if he would be in danger because of her, he could not help but snicker in amusement. This young lady had no idea who he was. "Ivy, you are forgetting that I knowing some fighting." Though he did not want to seem boastful, he had said it to assure her. "Also, I have guards around me. So, I don't think any harm will even dare approach me."

Ivy agreed with him when he claimed to know some fighting. The scene from the club where he had fought against those hooligans were etched in her mind. His movements had been fluid and unexpected. Every strike he had delivered was perfect, sending the other man on his knees. 'Those moves and skills could not have been developed overnight. He must have taken training to get those skills.' She deduced and her eyes subconsciously went to his body. Every muscle looked perfect. He really had the body of a god that was now being hidden beneath the layer of clothes he was wearing. 

Joshua noticed her gaze and his smile widened. He did not say a thing as he watched her eyes fixed on him. This went on until Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and shifted her eyes away from him.

"So, what do you say?" Joshua prompted seeing her being silent.

"No means no." Ivy almost in determination leading to Joshua to get annoyed. He was now losing it. He had to think of something else to make her agree. He would never allow her to stay alone when there was a dangerous man lurking around her.