Chapter 260: Compensation

Throughout the entire time, Joshua's eyes were fixed on Ivy. He had not heard a word anybody had said. He had observed her thoroughly and he realized that his woman looked beautiful even from the side. His hands were itching to caress her cheeks which by now had turned rosy. He could see that his presence was affecting her and she was yearning for his love just like him.

He coughed lightly to gain her attention but in vain. His woman did not even react. She had made up her mind to ignore him. He was just a hanging on the wall meant for decoration, nothing more right now. Not getting the result he wanted, Joshua stopped coughing. He bit his lips thinking about what he should execute next and he got a brilliant idea. He pushed himself closer to Ivy such that their legs were almost touching. He leaned forward slightly and he breathed lowly on her face, startling her. His lips were too close to her ears and if she turned to him, she would end up giving him a peck.

Her body stiffened due to this sudden proximity and goosebumps rose on her skin. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and ears and she blushed unknowingly. She tried to move away, but Joshua's long legs held her chair in position. She could only bend her position forward to escape him. 

Joshua smiled seeing her trying to escape from him and he pushed himself even more close. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Noah giving him a smile before his eyes went back to Max. Nobody else noticed what was happening between the two as everybody's attention was on Max and Kira and their attention was on Noah. So, Joshua could take full liberties with the woman beside him. He was doing what he wanted to do while he also followed Ivy's condition. He was not touching her anywhere.

Ivy glowered at him in anger. He was embarrassing her in front of everyone. What if someone saw them in this position and misunderstood them? She was not ready for it. No. She was not ready to announce her relationship to the world yet.

Joshua looked at her innocently as though he did not know what she meant. She pleaded him with her eyes and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. He shrugged his shoulders indicating her he had no clue what she wanted.

Ivy huffed and went back to listening to Max, trying to avoid the irritating man as much as possible. However, the man in question had other plans in mind. As soon as she turned her head, he pulled her chair towards him slightly and it collided with his with a loud thud. Max stopped speaking on being interrupted suddenly and everybody's eyes darted towards the two. Ivy went rigid with the sudden attention on them and she blinked innocently.

"Is anything the matter?" Noah asked even though he knew what was happening. Ivy saw the smirk on his face and she lowered her head in shame. She was caught and it was all due to this man.

"No, nothing at all." She answered immediately and coughed lightly to hide her awkwardness.

"Let's continue then," Noah ordered and Max started speaking after getting the orders.

Ivy took a deep breath. She knew what the man wanted and she had to give in. Else, she was sure that by the end of the day all her colleagues would know about her and Joshua. It was a win-win situation in any case for him, but not for her. She had her reasons for not wanting anybody to know about her and Joshua. Ivy wanted Aria to know about it before anyone else and second and most important of all, she did not have the courage to stand before everyone and claim herself to be his girlfriend.

Joshua was a popular man. Almost everyone in the country knew him and once their relationship came to surface, people were bound to dig about her and her family. Her father's issue would come out and she knew this would only lead to more problems. Since the time her Dad had gone missing, she had guessed the people behind it to be dangerous. She had managed to hide from them. Unlike her father who worked in the open, she put up a disguise whenever she went on a mission. This was her way of protecting herself and Aria from the dangers she would attract. Her relationship being exposed would attract more problems and she already had a lot to deal with right now.

When Joshua was about to pull Ivy's chair once again, she made up her mind and begged him with her eyes. He gave her a knowing smile that said, 'You know what I want.'

Having no other choice, Ivy gave in and opened her mouth. "Please." She whispered softly so that only he could hear her and immediately the man moved away from her. He had attained his goal and had won the bet with a lot of time to spare.

Ivy took a deep breath and thanked the heavens for sparing her today. The meeting then went on smoothly and Joshua did not disturb her anymore. Ivy could finally concentrate on what was happening around her while Joshua had no interest in it. He had come to the meeting with a different purpose in mind altogether. 

After Max finished with his speech, he waited for Noah to give his opinion with a hopeful gaze.

"The draft planning in good. Send them to me and I'll take a look at it once again. Also, I have certain modifications to make. I'll inform you about it once it has been confirmed. For now, let me tell you that I am going to hire some experienced journalists and they will be the department leaders. Also, I have chosen Mr. Williams to be one of them, if he has no objections to it."

Max gasped in surprise when he heard Noah's suggestion. He had no reason to deny it, this was a dream come true for many and he was getting it this easily. So, he accepted it happily. 

"You can choose a department of your choice and let me know. While I get the transfer documents, prepare the complete plan and incorporate the ideas I'll be sending you in a few days. Any questions?" He darted his eyes around the room, but nobody spoke.

"I have one, Mr. Carter." Ivy voiced out loudly and everybody's heads snapped in her direction.

"Please go ahead."

"What is the duty of these department managers? Is it as simple as it states or does he have another job in secret?"

Noah praised the intelligent woman in his mind. She could see things which others could not and she had a mind that thought differently. She was the most capable woman he had ever seen and his admiration for her grew all the more. "Your analysis is correct. I have another objective in hiring them. But I'll be keeping it a secret for now. Don't worry, it's not something bad or against your conscience. Rest assured, it is similar to the work of a supervisor. Any more questions?"

When he did not get any answers, he stood up and buttoned his coat. "Good job everyone. I'll be waiting for your email."

With that, Noah left the room first. Max, Kira, Sasha and Cedric followed him outside while they were immersed in their own talk. Everybody was smiling brightly and they did not notice how Joshua had trapped Ivy and had prevented her from running away.

When it was just Ivy and him, she seethed in a low voice, "What the heck were you doing?"

"What did I do?" Joshua gave her an expression that said he was being wrongly accused.

Ivy was tongue-tied seeing his shamelessness. She got up to leave, but he pulled her immediately and she stumbled and fell on him.

"I won the bet fair and square. Remember, you now have to follow my orders for a day."

"I..I.."

Joshua placed his finger on her lips to stop her from talking. "Shh. Let me continue. I will decide the day when will execute this setup. But the problem is I can't wait until then. So, be prepared. I will be taking a small compensation from you tonight."

With that, he released her leaving a gaping Ivy behind.