After dropping Aria, Noah and Oliver at Noah's mansion, Joshua drove towards his house with Ivy at the back seat. Although he wanted to, he had no idea how to start the conversation. Ivy too had not spoken a word to him nor had she looked at him. She was looking out of the window while she took in her surroundings as the car zoomed by.

Ivy could feel Joshua's eyes on her whenever he glanced at her from the mirror. But she did not even turn towards him. She was not angry at him. No. She was hurt by him, she was hurt at the words he had spoken to her when it was not her fault. She had been blamed for something she had not even done.

The previous night, Ivy had only been concerned about her man. Who knew that her concern was a thorn to the man? If that was the case, she had decided to not show him any concern. At least, this way, she would not hurt him or make him lose his temper.

Ivy did not even have her phone with her. Otherwise, she would have spent her time on it. She was dying to know how Valarie had resolved the issue with the factory. The previous night, she had been worried sick about Joshua and this morning, she had gone to meet her mother. So, she had no idea what had happened. 'Guess, I'll have to wait until I reach home to find out.'

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not realize where they were going. Since they were already out, Joshua decided to take her out on a date. He knew Ivy had not eaten a thing since the time she had left home and now it was almost time for lunch. He was not sure if there was anything prepared at home right now other than the food that had gone cold. Also, this way, he could use his time to cheer her and make it up to her.

The idea seemed fair to him and he decided to appease Ivy before the end of the day. Until then, he would neither allow Ivy to go home nor would he himself go home. He would make sure they entered their home with happy smiles on their faces.

Taking a detour, he drove towards Ivy's favorite restaurant. He remembered the time when Ivy had brought him here. It was when they had followed Linda to a club and they had come here to have dinner on their way back. It was a small cafe restaurant that made awesome pizzas and Joshua, who had tried a lot of restaurants, had been blown over by the amazing taste of the food prepared here.

"We have arrived," Joshua announced startling Ivy. However, before he could even get off the car, Ivy had already got down and her eyes widened seeing where she was. It was her favorite restaurant which sold the best pizzas. She gave Joshua one questioning glance waiting for him to explain why they were even here.

The man scratched his neck seeing her gaze and he smiled at her cheekily. "You have not eaten anything since morning and I thought you must be hungry. Then, I remembered this place as I was craving for some pizzas. So, I brought you here." Joshua answered on his own when he realized that Ivy had decided to go mute.

He took it upon himself rather than telling her that he had brought her here to pacify her. Given Ivy's character, if she found out about it, there was a possibility that she would leave him here alone and starve herself. And he did not want to take a chance. So, he conveniently lied to her.

Ivy narrowed her eyes at him trying to find out what was actually running in his mind. She knew that his words did not hold the truth and he was trying his best to appease her. But she did not expose him. She wanted to see how far he would go and how long it would take for him to apologize to her.

Moreover, as Joshua had said, Ivy was actually very hungry. Her stomach was causing a riot and she was losing her mind slowly. The delicious aroma from the restaurant was not helping her either. 'I am angry at Joshua, not at myself. Why should I torture myself and starve to death?' She thought inwardly.

Ivy then lifted her chin, averted her gaze, and went inside the restaurant much to Joshua's relief. "Thank you, Ivy, for not harming yourself. I will apologize to you for sure and we return to the loving couple we were by the end of the day." He too followed Ivy and the couple settled at a table that overlooked the small street outside.

As usual, it was Caleb who came to take the order. He had seen Ivy enter inside and seeing his friend after a long time, made him rush to her immediately. "Long time, Ivy."

"Yes, Caleb. Been busy recently. How's old Bob?" Ivy smiled at him and Joshua noticed that this was her first smile of the day. Although he was not the one responsible for it, he was relieved that she at least smiled.

"Same as ever. Stubborn and crazy, but his sense of humor has deteriorated." Caleb joked and handed the menus to them. "I wonder why he even cracks jokes when he himself knows that they are lame."

Ivy chuckled at his words and took a look at the menu. "Any new ones in the list?"

"Try Pizza Carbonara or Bella Italia. They are the new additions and they sure seem to be running good."

"Great. Get one of both and a diet soda please."

"And what about you, gentleman?" Caleb stared at Joshua waiting for him to place his order. Although Joshua was going through the menu, his ears were trained at Ivy and he was listening to whatever she was telling.

"I'll have the same," Joshua replied with a smile and Caleb nodded at him.

An awkward silence ensued between the two and there was high tension in the air. "Now is the right time, Jo. Buck up and apologize to her." Joshua muttered to himself and saw Ivy turning towards him seeing him mumble. She gave him one look as though he was crazy before she went back to looking outside.

"Ivy, I.." Joshua started only to be interrupted by his phone which started to ring right at this moment. "Shit," He cursed softly and answered the call, his mood turning worse on being disturbed.

"Master, did you find Miss West?" Kaito enquired, his voice soft and hurried. Joshua realized that in his rush, he had not informed the man about it at all.

"Yes, I found her. We will be back soon." Joshua replied, not trying to reduce his voice at all. Ivy raised an eyebrow hearing his words. 'Were they looking for me? Was Joshua worried for me?' Even though she had these doubts, she did not voice them out loud.

Joshua ended the call and once again tried speaking to Ivy and this time, nobody interrupted him. "Ivy, I am sorry." He blurted out. Only Joshua knew how much courage it had taken him to utter these words; not because he was prideful to apologize to anyone. No. He was unsure as to how Ivy would take it after hearing his apology and if she will even willing to forgive him or not. He was more worried about getting her forgiveness than anything else.

"Ivy, I know I hurt you greatly and it was all my mistake. I was not in a good state of mind and I took out my frustration on you. I am sorry, Ivy. I shouldn't have done it. You were only concerned about me and I scolded you for it. I know I am at fault and you can punish me however you want. But please don't leave me." Joshua pleaded, his eyes turning sorrowful and even Ivy was pulled in by his sincerity.

She was just about to reply when Caleb returned with their orders and the delicious aroma made Ivy concentrate on the pizzas more than a sulking Joshua. Her stomach was more important than the man right now. She devoted herself to the pizzas and devoured them hungrily. Her stomach was starving for some food and she did not hesitate any longer to grab a bite.

Joshua reluctantly took a bite when he did not receive an answer from Ivy and seeing her state, he knew that he would not be receiving one until she finished the pizzas. Although the pizzas were delicious, he was in no mood to enjoy them. Unlike Ivy who was savoring every bite she took.

Ivy took her sweet time to finish her food and made Joshua to wait for her. Only when Joshua was sure that there would not be any more hindrances for the day, he started to speak again. "Ivy, you did not give me any answer. Am I forgiven?"

For the first time in the day, Ivy looked at him in the eyes and replied. "No."

Her words shattered Joshua's heart. But he had expected it, yet, he did not give up. "Then, what should I do get your forgiveness? I will do anything."

"Don't say that, Mr. Martin. You may not be able to afford whatever I ask." Ivy replied with her hands folded. For the first time, Joshua found Ivy to be domineering with the way she sat and spoke to him. Although it was intimidating, it was such a turn on for him and he found her to be incredibly sexy.

"You just have to ask. We will then decide if I can afford it or not. But please don't leave me. I cannot afford to leave you."

"Who told you that I am leaving you?" Her words stunned the man and he stared at her dumbfoundedly. The next second, a charming smile broke out on his face and he tried to reach out to Ivy only to catch the air. She had pulled back right on time. His smile had not worked on her.

"I told you I am not leaving you. But that does not mean I have forgiven you." Ivy stated, her face cold and expressionless. Even though she seemed to not care about what Joshua intended to do, her heart was already waiting in anticipation. She wanted to know how far the man would go for an apology.

"That's fine. As long as you are willing to stay with me, I don't mind you being angry at me. However, I will win over you by the end of the day. So tell me. What do you want me to do?"

"You are the one asking for forgiveness. You decide how you want to win over me." With that, Ivy walked away from him leaving a shocked Joshua to take care of the bill.

-------------------------------------------------

Hey guys,

Please do read my other book, 'Trapped for Eternity' and give your reviews.