Chapter 272 - Three days

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As Noah had expected, Ivy's mind was wandering in all directions. She couldn't help but be suspicious of the two friends. They were hiding something from her and she was sure it was huge and important. She had seen the way Noah's eyes had changed. It was as though he was a completely different person behind her back. She could now relate to how her colleagues felt as she too had felt the chills when he was talking on his phone in the apartment complex.

She was deep in thought when the door opened and Noah and Joshua entered inside. Her eyes snapped in their direction and she looked at them in suspicion. She did not want to be reckless and question them out of the blue. But she couldn't stop herself from asking about things which were highly unexpected in her eyes.

"What did Tim want from you guys?" Ivy asked the question before they could even sit comfortably on the sofa. Noah and Joshua paused for a second before they sat down and gave each other a knowing look.

"He wanted help from us," Joshua answered as he yawned loudly. Ivy could see that the man was tired with the way his eyes were drooping and how he was fighting to stay awake.

"Are you feeling sleepy? Didn't you sleep well yesterday?" Ivy asked, her voice laced with concern and Joshua smiled inwardly. Though Ivy was a tough woman, her heart was too soft and gentle. Her cold demeanor would change completely when somebody would act pitiful before her. But he wrong about her. If he thought that his actions could make her forget her question, then he was utterly mistaken.

Ivy was as stubborn as a mule. If she had set her eyes on something, then she would not quit until she had finished it and was satisfied with the results. Now the mission here was to get answers to her questions.

"No, I had work to do until dawn. So, I didn't get much sleep." Joshua answered lazily and yawned again.

"Is that so? You can go take a nap. I'll call you when dinner's ready." Ivy smiled at him and Joshua smiled back. He stood to go to his room but Ivy's next words stopped.

"Noah, I have something to ask." Ivy started and Joshua's feet which had already reached the foot of the stairs retreated their steps. He could guess what Ivy was going to ask his friend and he could not leave him in this situation.

"Why did you come back?" Ivy asked he came and sat beside her. She narrowed her eyes and her suspicions grew all the more.

"I am not sleepy yet. I'll wait until dinner." Joshua answered Noah shook his head in helplessness.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. What did you want to ask Noah?"

"Yeah." Ivy turned to face her brother-in-law who was staring at her expectantly. "How do you know Tim?"

"I told him about Tim," Joshua answered instead of Noah.

"Okay. How does Tim know Noah?" Ivy changed the structure of her question and asked again.

"Duh." Joshua poked her forehead in ridicule. "Noah is a successful businessman. Everybody knows who he is. Why are you asking the obvious?"

Ivy glared at him and her eyes were blazing in such anger that Joshua was taken back for a second. He then shut up immediately and started sulking like a lost puppy.

"Now, you tell me. How do you know Tim?" Ivy's question was directed at Noah this time and she sent a warning signal to Joshua to not open his mouth unless asked.

"He and I are enemies. We go long back." Noah answered honestly.

"Okay. What did he want from you?"

"He wanted my help to solve the fix he was in."

"And why would he do that? Why does he think you can help me?" Ivy folded her hands and asked him a domineering manner. Her gaze did not waver even when Noah gave her a small look as though he was calculating something.

"He has something which I want."

"Okay," Ivy said skeptically and her mind tried to sort the things she had just found out. But nothing made sense. Noah was speaking in riddles and she knew about it.

"Why do I feel that there is something missing here? Are you hiding something from me?" 

At her question, Joshua's eyes went to Noah only to find that he was sitting calmly, completely unaffected by her question.

"Yes. I am hiding something from you." Noah answered honestly making Jo's jaw drop while Ivy waited for him to continue. "But I'll not tell them to right now. Let's wait until Aria comes back."

Noah's ambiguous answer increased Ivy's confusion. Her eyes darted back and forth between Noah and Joshua before she voiced her question again. "How is Aria even involved in this matter?"

"Oh, she is very much involved. Both of you need to know somethings about us and as well as other things. I can only tell you this much and we, Joshua and I, apologize to you beforehand. There are some things that might hurt you and Aria while some might come as a shock to you. You can do anything you want with us, punish us even however you like. Until then please be patient Ivy. It's a request."

Ivy glanced at Joshua who he nodded at her in return, pleading her with his eyes. Ivy sighed. She knew she had reached the limit today and she could not get anything out of them anymore. So, she gave up in defeat. But Noah's words had made their house in her mind. 'What is he talking about and how does it involves and Aria and I? What is he hiding from us?' Her mind started to form a new set of questions and even after a lot of pondering, she could not come to any conclusion.

"Fine. I'll wait for the day." Ivy said after a while much to the two men's relief.

"Thank you for understanding," Joshua commented from beside and hugged her shoulders. "I told you my girlfriend is the best. She is a sweetheart." Joshua started boasting and Ivy rolled her eyes, though she was very happy hearing his praise secretly within.

Unable to stand his friend show off his love while he was living like a single man, Noah decided to leave and stood up. "I am going to go now. You guys can carry on once I leave."

"Wait." Ivy stopped him suddenly. "Why don't you stay for dinner. It's almost time."

"That's okay. I need to go home. There's a guest waiting for me and he will not eat without me. So, I need to go home."

Before Ivy could stop her tongue, she had blurted out the question. "Who?"

Noah smiled at her and replied honestly this time. "My friends father-in-law."

"That's nice. You must go back then. It's not wise to keep a guest waiting." Ivy said in all honesty that Noah and Joshua wanted to laugh out loud in amus_e_m_e_nt. She had no idea that he was talking about her father and the friend he was talking about was none other than Joshua. So, she did not know what was running through their minds at that moment.

"Sure. I'll take your leave then." 

"Did you forget our bet?"

Joshua scowled hearing her words. Why did she have such a good memory? Why did she like torturing him? He wondered that she must be a sadist with the way she liked to torment him.

"Ivy. this is not fair." He started only to shut up when he realized what her reply to his words would be. They had gone through it before and it was all his mistake. He had shot his own foot when Ivy had fed him with his own dialogue.

"I think you got your answer. Now move away before I get a broom to shoo you away."

"Do you take me for a c_o_c_kroach to hit me with a broom?" Joshua asked perplexed. "By the way, where will find a broom in my house," Joshua smirked at her and leaned in to steal a kiss. It was true that there were no brooms in his house. The maids used the vacuum cleaner to clean the house. Thinking that Jo had won the war of tongues, he leaned closer. But smacked his cheek lightly much to his anguish.

"If I cannot find a broom, I'll find something else. So, don't try to challenge me. Now shoo, move away from me." She swatted her hands and tried to push him away.

"Fine. I'll allow you to win this time. Remember you owe me a day." Joshua said and started sulking again.

"And you remember, you owe me three days." Ivy giggled and gave him a victoriously look.

'Just you wait and watch, Ivy. You might be having your part of your fun now. But I am the winner and I'll show you who will be having the last laugh. Just three days and after that, how are you going to escape from my clutches?' Joshua thought inwardly and satisfied himself for now.