Chapter 189

Natalie knew she was no match for Joshua, the third master of Basterel’s York family. But pulling a few tricks to embarrass him? That was doable. "Since he’s targeting Black River Company anyway, and I can ruin Shermaine’s reputation in the process–why not?"

"Jason’s a whiz with computers anyway," Natalie thought. "Wiping the digital trail to cover my tracks is a piece of cake. Even if someone tries to investigate, they’ll never trace it back to me."

Jason had been in a foul mood since yesterday. He could tell that Danielle was quite interested in Ross. He’d also looked into her and found she had a soft spot for gentle, refined men–just like Ross. He was just her type.

“Jason,” Natalie said with motherly warmth, "after you start college, if you still have feelings for Dr. Shelly, Mom will make sure you win her heart."

“No need, Mom. The woman I like–I’ll win her over myself,” Jason replied.

“That’s good to hear. If you ever need help, just let Mom know–I’ll always have your back,” she said gently.

That paparazzo, Marcus Leonard, had exposed plenty of dirt on celebrities, making him the most hated paparazzo in showbiz. True or not, anything he leaked would inevitably go viral.

The moment he received those photos taken from suggestive angles, he immediately recognized the woman as Shermaine and the man as Trance, the football legend. The real bombshell? Shermaine was engaged to Joshua.

With these photos–especially after Trance’s citywide, sensational confession yesterday–this was bound to spark wild speculation and was prime tabloid material.

Truth be told, no one in Basterel ever dared to write about Joshua–partly out of fear, and partly because there was simply nothing scandalous to report.

He stood at the pinnacle, and his private life was so impeccable that there was nothing for anyone to write about.

But now, the game changed.

He’s got a fiancée, and she was out having a late-night dinner with a guy who once confessed his feelings to her. "Does this mean the mighty Mr. York is getting played? Or maybe his engagement to Shermaine isn’t as picture-perfect as it seems?"

Without wasting another second, he opened a document and began drafting tonight’s breaking story.

Meanwhile, night had fallen.

After dinner, Owen didn’t invite Sarah to stay at the mansion. Once it was getting late, he simply signaled that it was time for her to leave.

Sarah didn’t state outright the purpose of her return. Noticing that her elder brother had no intention of asking her to stay, she simply said she’d come back another day for a game of chess, then called her driver to take her back to her hotel.

However, she did know some updates about Joshua. For instance, the Jean family’s lost heiress had been found and had gotten engaged to him. She had even moved into his residence, and the two were now practically living together.

At that moment, unaware that paparazzi were secretly taking her photos, Shermaine was engrossed in her meat fondue when Joshua’s call came through.

Without a second thought, she picked up.

“Done with work?” Shermaine asked.

“Mm.”

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“Not yet,” Joshua replied.

“Trance and I are at Fondue Paradise,” Shermaine said.

“I’ll be right there.”

“Got it,” Shermaine said.

Joshua called right at dinnertime–obviously angling to mooch a meal. Anticipating his arrival, Shermaine signaled the waiter. “Set an extra place, please.” Then she ordered beef slices, and plenty of greens.

Truth be told, none of the other diners recognized Trance at all. He kept his cap on the entire time–even while eating–and only took it off briefly to wipe his sweat before immediately putting it back on.

As for Shermaine, while everyone knew of the Jean family heiress by reputation, only those in high society had actually seen her in person.

Despite her social status, she could sit there eating and not a single person would recognize her or come to say hello.

At the mention of Joshua’s arrival, Trance let out a dismissive snort. Still sore about losing their drinking contest last night, he was clearly a bit miffed.

Of course, it was just being a sore loser–it had nothing to do with Shermaine at all.

By then, Natalie and Jason had already slipped out through a side exit.

In less than fifteen minutes, Joshua arrived. Without hesitation, he took the seat beside Shermaine. After being apart for most of the day, he missed her terribly.

The man who never made a single mistake when reviewing documents–this time, absentmindedly wrote Shermaine’s name on the file, leaving Bradley no choice but to prepare a new contract.

The waiter handed him a hot towel.

Joshua took the towel and wiped his hands, then nodded to Trance across the table with a faint smile. “We meet again, Trance,” he said.

Trance noticed the cold hostility in Joshua’s tone had faded. "Damn," he thought bitterly, "overnight, I’m not even worthy of being his rival anymore."

But he couldn’t help himself–Trance blurted out, “Man, I gotta know, how did you get to be such a heavyweight when it comes to drinking?”

Joshua smiled gently. “Been at it since I was knee-high.”

That explained everything.

A strikingly handsome couple was joined by a man in a baseball cap. Even with most of his face hidden, the glimpse of his chiseled features made it clear he was just as good-looking.

Truth be told, the trio was a real feast for the eyes.

Having had meat fondue with Joshua before, Shermaine remembered he was particularly fond of potato slices. So this time, she ordered two extra portions just for him, carefully timed when to add them to the pot, and now they were almost ready to serve.

Shermaine scooped up some potato slices and placed them in Joshua’s bowl. “Did you two go drinking together last night?”

“To be precise, it was a drinking contest,” Joshua replied.

Shermaine looked at Trance with a teasing smile. “So, was it your idea to start the drinking contest?”

Trance nodded, looking a bit sheepish. “Well, I lost. I’ll keep my word and just be friends with you.”

Joshua delivered the final blow. “Sorry, but friends is all you’ll ever be. Shermaine is my girl now–and unless something crazy happens, she’s not going anywhere.”

Trance was utterly crushed. "Man, if I were the villain here, I’d have taken this arrogant guy down in a heartbeat," he thought.

Anyway, Trance was utterly satisfied with the meal–he’d fallen head over heels for authentic meat fondue. Once he got back home, he already knew he’d be making regular trips to the meat fondue joints in Wallingtontown.

At 9 PM, after finishing their meal, the three of them finally stepped out of the restaurant.

After dropping Trance off at his hotel, the two returned to Riverswood Villa.

The moment they stepped inside, Joshua wrapped his arm around Shermaine’s waist and pulled her in for a deep, hungry kiss, as if only this could ease the ache of missing her all day.

The taste of lemon iced coffee lingered on Shermaine’s lips as his kisses grew deeper and more demanding. Teasing her relentlessly, he coaxed her into responding.

Just then, King Tiki waddled out from inside, teasing, “Ooh la la! Get a room!” He covered his eyes with his paws, clearly embarrassed by what he saw.

Shermaine had to admit, kissing Joshua was really nice. But she knew that if she didn’t stop him, he wouldn’t stop himself. The sudden appearance of King Tiki snapped her out of it.

Realizing it was about time, she pushed him away and said, “We both reek of the food. I’m heading upstairs to shower and get some sleep–gotta take Trance to Mount Longty first thing tomorrow.”

Joshua lowered his head and gave Shermaine’s arm a playful nip, as if reluctant to let her go.