Josh's workplace was a cozy, middle-class restaurant, in a quiet neighborhood. The exterior boasted a welcoming facade with large windows decorated by potted plants, offering a glimpse of the warm and inviting interior. The restaurant was known for its comfortable atmosphere and friendly staff.
Josh had been working at this place ever since he turned 18 and that was two years ago. He had a lot of memories of the place, some of them were good ones, while some were not.Inside, soft lighting bathed the wooden tables and cushioned chairs, creating an ambiance that was both relaxed and inviting. The walls were adorned with rustic artwork, and a chalkboard near the entrance displayed the daily specials. Patrons would often find themselves enveloped in the comforting aroma of freshly cooked meals.The menu featured a variety of classic dishes, from hearty burgers and pasta to flavorful salads and sandwiches. It was the kind of place where regulars felt like family, and newcomers quickly became regulars. Despite the day's challenges, Josh felt a sense of belonging when he finally stepped through the restaurant's familiar entrance.Josh pushed through the busy restaurant entrance, immediately greeted by the sight of every table occupied with hungry customers. He knew he couldn't afford any more delays, so he hurried toward the kitchen, his footsteps quickening with a sense of urgency.En route to the kitchen, he collided with a colleague, a man named Mark, who appeared to be around the same age as Josh. Mark had a disapproving frown on his face, as he shot Josh a cold look for being late. "Look who decided to show up, at last," Mark remarked, his tone laced with annoyance."I'm sorry, I got held up," Josh replied, his voice filled with regret."Yeah right," Mark replied, his tone showing that he didn't believe Josh's words. He thought Josh was just making excuses. "Don't answer to me, answer to Mrs Betty," he gave him a dirty look before walking away.Josh sighed and headed towards the kitchen.After entering the kitchen, Josh spotted the owner, a plus-size woman in her late forties, overseeing the kitchen staff. Her stern expression deepened into a frown as she noticed him, and without any introduction, she asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"Josh quickly began explaining, "I'm sorry Mrs Betty, for being late, but..." He barely managed to start his sentence before the woman cut him off abruptly."I don't care," she snapped, her voice filled with anger. "You're fired." The finality in her tone left Josh stunned, realizing the consequences of his tardiness had just taken a dire turn. "Now get your ass out of here." She demanded.This was the only job Josh had, and he couldn't lose it. Josh knew he had to try and keep it, so he tried talking to Mrs Betty. "Ma'am, I promise this will never happen again. I'll do whatever it takes to make amends. I can even work extra hours."However Mrs Betty seemed unmoved by his words. And why would she listen to his plea, when this was exactly what she had been waiting for? She never really liked Josh in the first place and she had always wanted to fire him. And his lateness had given her the perfect opportunity to do just that.Mrs. Betty's anger and frustration reached a boiling point, and her tone took on a cruel edge as she said to Josh. "You're a disgrace, Josh," she let out, her voice dripping with disdain and disrespect. "I've never seen someone as useless and unreliable as you. You're not even worth the trouble of firing properly."After hearing her cruel words, Josh knew there was no point in begging her to keep the job, so he just stopped trying to keep the job. Looking over at her, he asked. "What about the previous month's payment?" He had worked hard, and he was hoping that she would pay him for the work he had done. It was also his only source of income,and without it, he wouldn't be able to pay the months rent.Mrs. Betty's cruel demeanor persisted as she scoffed at Josh's request. "Payment? You actually have the audacity to ask for payment after this disaster? You're unbelievable.""But, I worked for it, shouldn't I get paid?" Josh asked. Even though he was starting to feel irritated by her tone, he remained calm as he spoke to her."I won't pay you a single cent. In fact, consider it compensation for the inconvenience you've caused." Her words were laced with disdain, and she continued with a threat,"If you don't leave right now, I'll call the police."Josh felt a sense of hopelessness wash over him. He knew arguing further was futile, and Mrs. Betty had made it clear that she would not relent. With a heavy heart and his livelihood in shreds, he had no choice but to comply. "Fine," he muttered, defeated. He didn't want to insist, knowing that she was not bluffing when she said she would call the police.Turning around, Josh left the place, the weight of his job loss heavy on his shoulders. As he walked down the streets, an intense sense of heartbreak and uncertainty weighed on him. The reality of losing his job, his only source of income worried him, and he couldn't help but wonder what the future held in store.Josh continued down the streets, lost in his thoughts, his mind clouded with the recent turn of events. As he wandered, lost deep in his head, he happened to glance across the street and was jolted out of his reverie by a surprising sight.There, in a luxurious restaurant, he spotted someone all too familiar, his girlfriend Kathy, she was seated at a table opposite a man who appeared to be in his forties. The sight of her in such a setting, especially with another man, sent a wave of mixed emotions rushing through Josh.Kathy and the man's animated conversation and the laughter that filled the air seemed oddly intimate, and the way Kathy touched the man's arm in a familiar gesture raised an unsettling question in Josh's mind. As Josh watched what was happening, the man moved from the table and leaned in to kiss Kathy.Kathy reciprocated, kissing him, a scene that shocked Josh, leaving him completely heartbroken. He never thought he would ever see his girlfriend do something like that, with another man, it was so unexpected and so heartbreaking for him.Josh couldn't bear to watch the scene unfold any longer. The image of Kathy kissing another man had shaken him to the core, and he needed answers. Mustering his courage, he started walking towards the restaurant's entrance.As entered the restaurant and approached Kathy's table, his heart was heavy with hurt and confusion. He couldn't believe, someone he trusted so much would betray him, in the worst way.Kathy spotted Josh approaching her, and she was startled by his sudden appearance. Rising from her chair she looked at him with a shocked expression. "Josh!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here, Josh?"Josh's gaze shifted between Kathy and the man at the table. He could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on him. His voice was cold as he replied, "I could ask you the same thing."Kathy furrowed her brows, a mix of disbelief and irritation clouding her expression. She seemed to think that Josh might have been following her around. How else could he have known where she was? "Oh my god, Josh, are you following me?" she asked, her tone filled with a lot of frustration and disbelief. She was even starting to feel embarrassed at the moment, as she didn't want people to know that this beggar, who was so beneath her, was actually her boyfriend.Kathy and Josh's relationship didn't begin in the usual way, at least not for Kathy. For Josh, it might have seemed like a typical start, but for Kathy, it was far from what she had wanted. In her eyes, Josh was the most poverty-stricken, pitiable and miserable guy she had ever come across, and she had no intention of associating herself with him. The only reason she had entered into a relationship with him was due to a bet. One of her friends, Cynthia, had challenged her, offering a tempting prize of 5 million dollars if Kathy could convince Josh that she liked him and wanted to be in a relationship with him. It was a wager that had led to a chain of events she had never expected.And Josh had no idea about the bet, he was convinced that she genuinely loved him. Well at least now that he had caught her with someone else, he realized that she might have been pretending to love him.Josh's voice was cold as he responded, "No, I'm not. Mind telling me what you're doing with this man." He gestured towards the middle-aged stranger seated across from Kathy. He already knew what was going on, but he wanted to hear her say it. He was still in disbelief, he never thought she would do something like this to him.Kathy briefly glanced at the man behind her, before looking at Josh and replying, "Oh, this is Mr Carlos Rodriguez, he is my English teacher." She tried to fool Josh into believing that there was nothing going on between her and the middle aged man, but unbeknownst to her, Josh already knew, as he had already seen her kissing the man.The fact that she was trying to lie to him, by claiming that the man was her English teacher, when in fact he was her lover, made Josh feel disrespected and even more betrayed. Back when they had started dating, she had promised him that she would never betray him, but looks like that was a false promise. "Is that so? Well, do you kiss all your teachers?" Josh asked. He was still in disbelief, because he never thought Kathy capable of such a betrayal. Why would she even do something like that to him? Josh looked at Kathy with a serious expression as he said, "Kathy don't lie to me."Realizing that Josh had seen through her lies, and there was no point in pretending any longer, Kathy sighed, rolled her eyes in annoyance, and finally admitted, "Congratulations, you've figured it out." The confession hung in the air, marking the undeniable end of their relationship.The commotion between the three of them didn't go unnoticed by the other diners in the restaurant, and some of them couldn't help but focus their attention on the drama unfolding.And then, Kathy boldly walked toward the older man, who remained seated, and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. She glanced back at Josh with a cruel smirk. "This is Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, my sugar daddy."Josh could feel his heart breaking even further as Kathy's words confirmed the extent of her betrayal. The humiliation and heartbreak he felt were almost unbearable, and he couldn't help but wonder how someone he had loved and trusted so deeply could hurt him in such a cruel manner. "Kathy, how could you?"Kathy let out a soft mocking chuckle as she kissed the older man on the cheek. She looked at Josh and replied, "How could I do it? It's simple, he is rich, and you're poor, Josh." She sneered.The old man looked at Josh from head to toe, a look of disgust on his face. Just one look at Josh and he could tell that he was a very poor person, who couldn't even afford a nice pair of clothes for himself. Taking his eyes off Josh, he looked at Kathy and asked, "Who is this guy?"Kathy, now fully committed to embarrassing Josh, looked at him with a smirk before turning to the man and saying, "Oh, this is just my ex-boyfriend, Josh. He's a bit... financially challenged." She emphasized the last words to underscore her point.The man smirked as he looked at Josh and mockingly said, "Well, I can see why you left him then, who would want to be with such a loser."The man's derogatory comments hit Josh hard, but he refused to let the humiliation overpower him. Gathering what little pride he had left, Josh stared back at the man,"Well sir, it's better to be a 'loser' than a shameless old man."The man's face turned red with anger, his pride wounded by Josh's retort. He clenched his fists, seething with rage, and growled, "You dare speak to me that way, you insolent brat!"With a snap of his fingers, the man signaled to his henchmen who had been discreetly watching the scene unfold. In a matter of seconds, they surrounded Josh, their menacing presence casting an intimidating shadow over him.In that moment, as the henchmen closed in on him, Josh felt the familiar sensations of fear and desperation. These were two emotions he had sadly grown accustomed to, and now they swelled within him, leaving him with a sinking feeling of helplessness.He instinctively began to back away slowly, searching for an escape route, but the henchmen were quick to surround him, swiftly cutting off any chance of getting away.Carlos Rodriguez had a satisfied grin on his face as he observed the look of desperation and fear in Josh's eyes. Even though tried to hide the fear, it was becoming visible with each passing second, and Carlos couldn't resist mocking him. "What's the matter, boy, suddenly lost your voice?" He then turned his attention to the henchmen and gave them a cold command, "Teach him a lesson." Saying that he put his arm around Kathy.With no way out and facing the overwhelming presence of the henchmen, Josh knew he was in serious trouble. But even so, he still refused to back down
The man's words left Josh surprised. He couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions, he was confused, doubtful, and a bit hopeful all at once. It was hard to believe that this stranger claimed to work for Josh's grandfather, someone Josh didn't even know existed until now.At first, Josh didn't want to trust the man's story, thinking that the man had the wrong person. But when he showed Josh some scientific proof with DNA results, Josh began to wonder if it might be true.The man looked at Josh, seeing the skepticism in his eyes and he felt like he had to convince him even more. Going back to his master without Josh was not an option, so he had to do anything to convince him."Your mother's name was Lyra, right?" He asked, then continued by saying her last name, "And her last name was Smith." Josh was surprised that the man knew his mom's name, it only showed that the man might be telling him the truth. "Yes, how do you know that?" He asked curiously."As I said, I work for your grandfa
Josh's curiosity was piqued by his grandfather's words. He leaned in, his eyes fixed on Giovanni de la Cruz, as he couldn't help but wonder about the enigmatic world of danger the old man was alluding to.Giovanni De La Cruz leaned back in his chair, studying Josh carefully. "Have you ever heard the name Giovanni de la Cruz?" he inquired, his voice carrying a weight of expectation. Everyone in the city knew the name, so he was expecting his grandson to know it too.Josh took a moment to think about it. He had indeed heard the name before, it was a name that was always on the news, so it was hard for Josh to miss it.Giovanni De La Cruz,was not just any name. It represented one of the most powerful and influential Mafia bosses in the country. Giovanni controlled vast territories and businesses, from legitimate enterprises to more shadowy operations. He was known for his ruthless tactics and the web of connections that allowed him to maintain his grip on power.The city where he held sig
Josh slept soundly in the king-sized bed, feeling incredibly comfortable and pampered. This was his first time experiencing such luxury in both the room and the bed, and it had undoubtedly been one of the best nights of sleep he had ever had.When he finally rose from the bed, he couldn't resist the urge to take in his opulent surroundings, his eyes sweeping across the lavish room. He still couldn't believe the event happening in his life. Only a day ago, he believed that he was all alone in this world, with no family, but he was proven wrong as he had discovered that he had a family, his grandfather. As he lost himself in thought, reminiscing about the whirlwind of recent events, the sound of someone knocking at the door abruptly snapped him out of his thoughts. Josh walked towards the door, opening it to see a man dressed in a black suit standing outside the door. "Hello." Josh greeted hesitantly, he couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by the man's aura. The man's muscular
As the man's hushed words reached Giovanni's ears, his expression suddenly shifted, and a dark, intense expression crossed his face. He slowly, calmly stood up from the table, causing the conversation and laughter at the table to come to an abrupt stop."Looks like we have a rat in our family… someone among you, is working with the feds," Giovanni said in an icy tone, walking behind the guests. And then he took out a pistol, covered in gold.Seeing the pistol in Giovanni's hand,the shock and fear on everyone's faces couldn't be hidden no matter how hard they tried, and they exchanged puzzled, concerned glances. Giovanni's sudden change in attitude made them feel extremely suspenseful and anxious "Don Giovanni, what are you saying?" one of the guests questioned, voicing the collective confusion.Josh, unable to understand the developing situation, watched his grandfather intently, his heart racing anxiously. The presence of the pistol made him uneasy, and he scanned the faces around the
Wait! He had been unceremoniously booted out of his own home? Josh was absolutely flabbergasted by the news.The news hit him like a ton of bricks. Not only was he dealing with the difficult decision his grandfather had just presented, but he was now faced with the sudden reality of being homeless. It was a very unfortunate event, and Josh could hardly believe his situation.When he had met his grandfather he was so happy, he had even thought that things would start getting better from now on, for him, but that was looking very unlikely now.Giovanni studied Josh's expression and he could see that something was bothering him. "Is everything alright Josh?" He asked.Josh looked at his grandfather, a sigh escaping his lips as he said, "Guess, I don't have a choice…" He said hesitantly, he then raised his head to look his grandfather in the eye as he said, "Count me in." He agreed to be part of the family business.Honestly he didn't want to agree with his grandfather and be part of the
"They did what?! Are they trying to die?!" Giovanni exclaimed angrily, his voice laced with a hint of menace. He then briefly shifted his gaze towards Josh and stated, "Josh, we'll talk later." Without waiting for Josh's reply, he briskly walked away, heading for the waiting limousine.With Giovanni's abrupt departure, Josh felt slightly uneasy and curious about the situation. He wondered what it was that the henchman had said to his grandfather that had made him mad all of a sudden. As he stood there wondering, Rafael returned and addressed him respectfully, "Your car is ready, Josh."Josh nodded in acknowledgment, his thoughts drifting to the car. He couldn't wait for his car. He couldn't wait to get in the car and drive it around. He had never owned the car before, so one could imagine the excitement in his heart.Rafael led Josh to the garage where the car was kept. As they entered the spacious garage, he gestured toward a sleek, fiery red Ferrari 488 Pista.The moment Josh laid ey
Josh's mind raced, desperately searching for a way to prove his ownership of the high-end sports car. He glanced at the two women who had accused him of stealing, a furrow forming on his brow. He couldn't help but feel frustration and annoyance building up inside him. He was thinking, why did people have to jump to conclusions without knowing the full story? Why couldn't they just leave him alone? It was both irritating and disheartening that strangers, who knew completely nothing about him, saw him get out of an expensive car, and taken it upon themselves to label him a car thief and report him to the police.The two women, unmoved by his distress, rolled their eyes and shot him disdainful glances. "Look at him," one of them remarked with a sneer. "I bet he can't prove this is his car. Because it doesn't belong to him in the first place, he stole it."Her friend chimed in with a disgusted look, "I feel sorry for the real owner. They must be tearing their hair out wondering where the