Chapter 32: Chapter 32

The end of the day was already approaching. I packed up my things to leave the office. Samantha was also getting ready to leave.

"If you need help finding a great hotel, I have some references," she said with a sly smile on her face. I didn't even want to imagine Samantha's references, and I let out a brief laugh. I grabbed my bag and walked to the elevator. I saw Joshua approaching and joining us. A sudden silence fell over us.

The three of us waited patiently and silently for the elevator to arrive on our floor. After a few minutes of waiting, the doors opened, and Samantha stepped back.

"Oh! I just remembered that I forgot to check something," she said, taking a few steps back.

"What did you forget?" I asked.

"Something," she said, casting a suggestive glance in my direction and smiling cunningly. It was obvious that she did it on purpose just to leave me alone with our boss. I entered the elevator after Joshua.

I let out a sigh. There were still a few floors to go before we reached the first, and the almost deafening silence that surrounded us made me impatient.

"How was your day?" he asked, saving me from my desperate thoughts.

"It was good. And yours?"

"Good too."

And once again, silence invaded us. What an embarrassing situation.

"Um..." Joshua seemed to be thinking of something to say to prevent that silence from dominating us. "Do you want to come to my place?"

I furrowed my brow. Go to his place?

"To do what?"

"Just to talk."

Just talk? Was it just for that? My forehead remained wrinkled.

"Alice, we're not going to have sex," he retorted to my thoughts, rolling his eyes. "There are some things I need to tell you. And I can't say them here."

"And why did it have to be at your apartment?"

"Because your place is crowded?" he said shrewdly. "And it's close to your college. You won't be late."

"And what do you want to talk about?"

"About some things. And... About my father too."

My heart froze as I remembered that I had completely forgotten about Mr. Scott. What would he think about the former housekeeper of his house dating his son?

***

I didn't think twice about accepting Joshua's invitation to come to his apartment. I looked around the place that brought me old memories that were... embarrassing, but enjoyable at the same time.

"Is Mrs. Taylor not here?" I asked, looking around and not finding any trace of her.

"She has a reduced workload while she takes care of some personal matters," Joshua said, taking off his coat and placing it on the arm of the sofa before sitting down on the cushions.

"Are you not going to sit down?" he asks as he sees me standing in the middle of the room.

I walk hesitantly towards the couch, sitting a little far from Joshua. Just remembering that it seemed like we had a magnet to feel pleasure on sofas, a chill runs down my spine.

"So? What do you have to tell me?" I dispel those sensations.

"My family is coming to London this weekend. They want to celebrate my sister's graduation. And... I think it's time they knew about us."

"Are you sure?"

"Why would I hide our relationship from them?" he raised his eyebrows and looked at me. "Because I was the maid in their house?"

"I saw Mr. Scott talking to Madelyn on the day of that dinner. They seemed very close."

"Madelyn was the first girl I went out with that my father actually had contact with. That's when he thought I was finally not a lost cause with women. But it doesn't mean anything now." He shrugged. "And... Betty is coming too."

"No way!" an excited smile soon takes over my lips. "Sometimes, I even miss Betty's sermons. After my mother, she was the person who supported me the most in my goals."

"I imagine you got along well."

"Yes! I always considered her as if she were a second mother to me."

Joshua stretches his lips into a small smile, but he seemed consumed by guilt.

"I took you away from the place where you felt most comfortable... To live a life of persecution and threats."

I soon understand that he was referring to Madelyn.

"But you're not to blame for that. No one imagined this would happen."

"I did. But even so, I insisted." He shook his head, questioning himself. "I think I was too selfish. I only thought about my happiness."

"I don't feel unhappy here, Joshua." I reprimand his pessimism. "I also found good people here who wanted to help me. And... There's you. If I hadn't come to London, we wouldn't have fallen in love."

"And do you think it's worth going through all this to live a passion?"

"Why not? Falling in love, in itself, is already making you walk towards a cliff." I approach him. "Look, just because Madelyn with her threats tells me to stay away from you, doesn't mean I'll follow what she says. She already had the opportunity to be happy and discarded it."

"But I don't want you to suffer because of this. She's impulsive and won't stop."

"Then she found an opponent at her level, because I won't give up." I say firmly. "Joshua," I touch his arm that was on his crossed leg. "I hate Madelyn's provocations. I feel exhausted many times, but I won't let anyone get in the way of my life. And every time she tries to ruin something, the more I feel like showing her that she's just wasting her time, because it won't result in anything."

Joshua still seemed a little hesitant, but he puts his hand on mine, squeezing it gently.

"I've already told you that every day that passes... I feel even more in love with you, Alice Collins?"

Your eyes shone at that moment, conveying total credibility. I couldn't contain the desire to smile and give myself to him. I lean towards his body, initiating a slow kiss. His hand, resting on his thigh, rose to my nape, pulling me towards him. I push myself and sit on his lap. I bring my hands to his hair, pulling it slowly. Gradually, I try to increase the intensity of the kiss, but Joshua breaks it, slowly separating our lips. I let out a repressed groan. His hands freeze on my hips.

"We know where this is going, Alice," he says with a sly smile. "And that wasn't the purpose of coming here."

I scold his attitude. Screw what he had said.

"And why can't it become that?" I whisper against his lips and slide towards his ear, kissing it slowly and giving it a little bite on the lobe before returning to his lips.

"Because I have to keep my word."

Joshua resists my provocations.

"It's not fair. You left me last night. It's the least you could do."

I slowly move my hips on his lap, intending to stimulate his erection. I hear Joshua gasp against my mouth and squeeze my thighs.

"Alice..." he whispers and bites his lower lip. "Do you think it's a good idea to provoke me?"

I press my hips into his lap.

"And why not?" I give him a mischievous look and a wicked smile. I continue to instigate him.

The apartment intercom rings, interrupting my act. I mentally curse that interruption. Who could it be?

"When I said it was just to talk... It also included Jack and Madelyn. The real Madelyn."

I retreat from his lap, stunned. So, there really was another Madelyn.

A few minutes later, there's a knock on the door. Joshua opens it, and I see Jack and Madelyn entering the apartment.

"I hope we haven't arrived at an inappropriate moment," Madelyn comments, noticing Joshua's messy hair.

And how they arrived...

"Um..." Joshua clears his throat a bit. "Alice still doesn't know what's going on. And I think the best person to explain is you."

Madelyn agrees and approaches me, sitting next to me.

"I believe you've already seen my face. But... In another person. In my sister," the British accent in that girl matched perfectly with her style, which differed greatly from her sister's. "And I didn't know about your relationship with Joshua. Until this morning. So, I immediately deduced that you were one of Emeraude's victims. She's been obsessed with Joshua since I started dating him. And... She planned our breakup, pretending that I cheated on him with my former manager."

Everything she had just said fit perfectly with what Gregory had deduced.

"And since we broke up, I went to France. I took a break from my career. And I recently returned to London, as soon as I found out that Emeraude was pretending to be me. It was a way she found to get close to Joshua. And he ended up believing that she really was me."

"And why didn't you stop this from happening?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Because my sister has never been exposed to the public, and I didn't even tell Joshua about her, so... Why would Joshua believe me? And... At that time, I thought it was easier to let go and run away."

"And how did you make him believe you now?"

"I had Jack's help. We've been friends since before I got involved with Joshua. And I only managed to finally tell the truth yesterday."

So, that explained why Joshua acted the way he did.

"I don't want to interfere with your relationship with him. I just want my sister to get the treatment she needs and to stop deceiving and tormenting others," Madelyn says.

"She even fooled her own aunt," Joshua interjects. "Mrs. Taylor had no idea it was Emeraude, which is why she seemed to be so hard on her." Joshua looks at me.

"My mother was the only one who knew that she was impersonating me. But she couldn't do anything because when Emeraude is contradicted, she freaks out. And to avoid that, my mother thought it was better to let her deceive herself."

"And why was she hidden from the public?"

"Emeraude was born with some psychological problems. My mother thought that if she wasn't exposed, it could make her improve. And when she thought she was better, she simply decided to be like me. Even more so because we're twins."

My mouth opened and closed several times as I listened to what Madelyn was saying. That story went far beyond what I had imagined.