Joshua had already reached her room leaving Ivy behind in anger. But he waited for her to come up. He did not barge inside in her absence as it would appear rude and uncultured. Due to this reason, he had waited for her arrival rather than going on a search rampage in her room. He had all the time in the world as he had come home right after his meeting with Noah. But his mind was against doing anything that he was not comfortable with. The guilt of lying to her and hiding secrets from her was already eating him alive. Now, he did not want to invade her privacy too, and add to the list.

Ivy came five minutes later and appreciated the fact that he had waited for her instead of going inside. She had calmed her heart and she gave him a sweet smile which rendered Joshua thinking. He gave her a suspicious look as he was getting used to the way her mind worked. If somebody tried to trick her, then she would not rest until she got back at him with interest.

But the person here was not just somebody. He was Joshua Martin. If she was good at playing tricks, then he was a master in tricking the trickster and rendering her tricks useless. Now that he had got a strong player against him, he could unleash all the ruses he had up his sleeve. Only he knew what those pranks were, but the end result was fixed. Joshua would be the one to rejoice and have his feast and here the feast being Ivy.

They did not have to search for long as the diary was in one of the boxes Ivy had brought along with her.

"Why do you need this diary? It is useless anyway."

"Why do say so? Joshua asked with a frown. "We could try contacting the people whose details are here and ask them about your father. We might find something." He blatantly lied to her again and apologized to her sincerely in his mind. When the truth would come forward in the future, he would apologize to her with all his heart and accept all the punishments she would bestow upon him. But not right now. Now they had other things to concentrate on.

"I have tried calling all of them. Some numbers are not in existence anymore and the ones that got connected to have no idea about my father. They do not even want me to call them back again. It was frustrating dealing with them at first. But I got used to it later." Ivy sighed thinking about the rough days she and her sister had experienced in the beginning when her father went missing and her mother died of a heart attack. Everything was destroyed in the blink of an eye and the sisters were left alone in the world to fend for themselves. Their happy family was gone, but the good part was they had each other.

It had taken them some time to get used to life without their parents. But later they had come to terms with it. They knew certain things were inevitable. Despite the circumstances they were in, they did not lose hope. They continued their attempt to search for their father while they gradually tried to stabilize their life. None of their family members from either side came forward to help them.

However, there was one family who stood by them through their bad times. It was Daniel and his parents. They had helped the sisters a lot and had given them the moral support they needed especially when their parents were not around. Though Ivy fought with Daniel like he was her mortal enemy, secretly she was grateful towards him for being there for her and Aria when they needed them the most. However, this was something she had kept a secret and would never reveal it to him for life lest he should get puffed up with pride.

Joshua noticed her blank expression and he could sense what she must be thinking right now. He hugged her tightly and patted her back trying to soothe her. "It's okay, Ivy. Everything will be alright. Trust me. I'll make everything alright. I promise." Joshua coaxed her gently and kissed her hair twice.

Not wanting to sadden her more, he tried to change the mood. "Ivy, I like the position we are in." He started and looked down to see Ivy's confused expression. He realized that she was oblivious to their position and he continued the tease. "We are both glued to each other and I can feel your heartbeat which is slowly picking up its pace right now. And most importantly, I can touch you to my heart's content."

Ivy pulled back and stared at him only to meet his scheming eye. She knew nothing good would come out of it if she continued to stay here any moment longer. He would surely eat her alive with the way his wolfish gaze was fixed on her face. She tried to push him, but the man was too strong for her and he tightened his hold around her waist. He was hell-bound about having his way with her and this time she could not escape.

"Joshua?"

"Hmm?"

"Leave me."

"No." He denied her request immediately and smiled at her.

"I need to cook."

"Sure, go ahead. Who is stopping you?" Joshua stated and leaned in for a brief kiss. Before Ivy could even respond, the kiss had ended.

"You...." She was speechless by his attempts in sneaking a kiss from her every time. How can I cook this way?"

"Why? Do you want my help? I can give you a demonstration." His words rendered Ivy dumbstruck and stared at him blankly.

"But.."

"Shh.." Joshua shushed her immediately and picked her up. He then carried her towards the bed. Ivy's heart jumped out of her chest and it started beating quite vigorously. She was a little scared thinking about what Joshua wanted to do to her. She trusted him not to break his promise and do anything which she was not comfortable with. But she could not stop the anticipation she was having as she waited for his next move.

"You can cook later. Let me have my appetizer first." With that, Joshua locked his lips with hers and time stopped at that moment. All Ivy could feel was the pleasant torture the man was showering her with. Her body had gone rigid, but she calmed down when Joshua grasped her hands on either side of her head and deepened the kiss.

'How long had it been since he last kissed her?' He wondered. Although it had been less than a day since the last time they had gotten this intimate, he felt it to be days rather than just a few hours. Just the thought of not seeing Ivy made him lose his mind. He pondered how his friend, Noah was doing in his love's absence and he wished never to face a situation like his in his life.

As he deepened the kiss, Joshua also pushed himself slightly towards Ivy's body. He wanted to make her realize what he felt for her and what she made him feel. His already hardened buddy pressed onto her just below her stomach and Ivy widened her eyes in shock. She wanted to speak, but the man did not stop his attack on her lips and her abdomen. Occasionally he would push himself closer to her entrance and she could feel his hardness even though they were thoroughly clothed.

The man only let her go when he had savaged her lips rigorously to the extent they had gone red and swollen. He saw her glazed eyes and little amount of tears in them. The sight before him was a sight to behold and he almost lost control. All he wanted to do was to rip off her clothes and bury himself inside her. But he would not do so, not when he had promised her. He would take it slow, not as slowly as Ivy wanted it to be. But slower than the pace Joshua usually followed. Moreover, he had the entire life to love her and make love to her. She was his for life. So, he was not a hurry right now.

Joshua took one last glance at Ivy who was still in a daze and was delighted that it was he who was responsible for her condition. Even in the future, it would be him who would bring her to this state again and pleasure her in ways he had in mind. He then let her go and waited until she came back to normal.

"Let's have dinner. Shall we?" Joshua asked after some time and Ivy nodded.

"I'll go and cook. Wait for some time."

"There is no need for it."

"What do you mean?" Ivy who was ready to head out of the room stopped to stare at him.

"The maid has already prepared dinner for today. You don't have to worry about it."

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