Chapter 40

No one said anything to how the engaged couple came to dinner almost ten minutes after Penelope had told them to come down. Even if Henry had tried his best to cover it up, the evidence of his heavy crying was still displayed on his face for all to see.

Thankfully, for the sake of the Reyes's collective sanity, even though he seemed a little down, he seemed a little lighter.

In that moment, Caroline was glad that her second son had grown up to be more like her husband, because even if Henry was sometimes too quiet about things, he had a strong heart. For her and Samuel, if someone had done even half of what Caleb had done to her son, they would be out for blood, so boiling for rage that by the time they cooled down and were ready to move on, the event would have left a deep imprint on their hearts.

This was not the case for her husband and younger son. As much as they were hurt, they had always been quick to calm down and get on with their lives, almost as if brushing the entire thing off. She had seen it many times growing up with Marcus and had seen signs of it early on with Henry. She always thought of it as an annoyance and shame considering his capabilities with ruining people – not something a parent usually values so highly within a child – however now she was happy he was like that. If not, she does not want to think about how horribly this event may have ruined her child.

It was Hanna and John who were a little worried.

Joshua hadn't shown it outwardly since he became a teenager, however he had always been a sensitive child. Not in the conventional sense, in fact he could be outrageously numb to some people's emotions; it would make his family want to pull their hair in frustration. However, when it came to people he cared about or people he could understand, Joshua would feel too much of their pain, sometimes even more than the original person felt. A lot of this was attributed to his high level of comprehension from a young age combined with his perfect recall. His memory meant it could also go on for a long period of time before he could slowly forget the horrible memories and get along with his life.

At that moment, his frustrating emotional numbness would lead him to completely disregard the entire thing, however it always left a mark.

The Lore parents could only hope that Henry seeming a little better so quickly would also have an effect on Joshua.

The parents really did know their two second sons exceptionally well… excluding the shy virgin part.

And their sexuality of course.

The two young men sat down and quietly started eating.

Joshua could not help but compare it to the curry he had on Saturday, the cook's food really didn't have the same feel. He could not help but want it again. How he would go about that, he had no idea.

Even though the Reyes family did not have a habit with keeping quiet during mealtimes, the calm atmosphere had them follow suit. The Lore's normally would not subject guests to how their family operate, normally accommodating to others. They found it a little strange to have outsiders go along with it. Then again, with a second thought, Hanna and John realised they were not outsiders at all, not anymore.

They had shared a few meals now, Caroline and Marcus quickly picking up that, unless alcohol was involved, the Lore's would all put their food down and pause their meal when talking. It was not hard for them to realise the family did not usually converse during meals. Meera had also picked it up, giving her husband a warning. Henry was one to just follow the mood of a situation – of course he did not feel particularly talkative in that moment anyway.

It was not until they were presented with dessert – a pavlova the young home bound pianist had been helping decorate when Henry arrived – that a discussion was struck, by none other than the boisterous Lore heir himself.

"So, now that we have settled the shareholders and board, let's focus on the next most important thing: the engagement party."

Immediately, the majority of the table perked up, a glint in their eyes. It was safe to assume that every single one of them were greatly anticipating the engagement party, even if the couple in question had inadvertently made them combine the party with the merger's celebration. They had all gotten used to the shy, lowkey ways of the seconds sons.

The two men at the end of the table were once again reminded they were getting married, faces filled with black lines once noticing the excitement next to them. It was as if the entire table was in a sunny field of happiness, only the end two stuck in a freak blizzard no one else had noticed.

If anyone had taken the time to look at the disparity, without doubt they would laugh themselves silly at the 'couple's' misfortune.

"That's right! I almost forgot with all the stress today."

Everyone else felt Caroline's sentiment wholeheartedly. They eight of them quickly threw themselves into a discussion of what they wanted at the party, who to invite to the party, who would fund what parts of the party, where the party would be held. It was never ending, the talented families somehow juggling four separate conversations at the same time.

The fact that the event would be jointly celebrating the successful merger as well as the engagement had been promptly thrown out of the window.

The scene in front of him made Henry felt like he might spit blood. Everyone was getting so lively all on their own, who exactly was getting married, him or them? Not that he wanted to get married, of course.

Joshua could feel an aneurysm growing, why else would he be getting such a bad pressure headache? Such a thing could not be possible just from watching everyone getting ahead of themselves. Yet, evidently it was. The man could only pinch the bridge of his nose and continue eating the rich yet tart desert.

While his face could only show the disdain he felt to the behaviour of his family – even he was not capable of hiding it – there was a deeper conflict within him. ­As a closeted romantic, even if it was embarrassing to admit, he had thought of his own wedding more than a handful of times.

…well, to say thought of would be an understatement.

Over the years, the man had planned his own wedding a few times over, quite seriously too.

Before this whole fiasco, the main concern in terms of a relationship was finding someone that did not trigger his beauty complex. Other than that, it really did not matter who he married, he had enough trust in his own ability to discern a person and find a suitable woman to marry. However, because it was almost impossible for him to find someone who did not set off his complex – partly his own fault for almost always being focused on his work and rarely going out to be social – in the end, his romantic heart could do nothing but plan relationships and weddings to quench his yearning.

The entire thing was not a priority, obviously. He was still young and had plenty of time, so it was not as though he spent every waking hour on it. However, when accumulated, the time he had spent the on various weddings came to a few diligent weeks. And for the ever-meticulous man, the plans themselves were incredibly in detail with a lot of thought behind each choice.

If their families ever failed and collapsed to the dirt, Joshua could make a pretty living as a wedding planner, that was how good his plans were.

How this was relevant to his inner turmoil?

It was because, even if he really did have no desire to marry any man, this really would be his one and only first wedding. Actually, the fact that his first wedding would not be his only was a little disappointing to his romantic heart. Joshua was not happy with the marriage, but there was going to be a wedding, it was going to be his wedding.

And here is where the conflict came in.

His head told him to let his family do whatever.

The marriage was a means to an end. Of course there was no real meaning behind it, it was impossible for anything to come out of a wedding with a man. The only reason he was lying to his family was so that they would not worry. The only reason behind the wedding was to give them a good chance of downing the Q Group. After that, no matter what kind of backlash he is faced with when the truth comes out, he could get married for real. It would be a real wedding with real intent. This wedding didn't even really count since it was not a real marriage.

In the end, he should let his family do as they please and when it comes to the time he really gets married, he can use one of his plans then.

The man's heart, on the other hand, it bled at the idea that his first wedding would not be to his liking.

Even if the marriage was a lie, the relationship not real, why did that mean he could not have the wedding how he wanted. Of course, it is disappointing having to go through a fruitless wedding, but nothing could be done about that. It was simply impossible to get out of the wedding now, not when everyone is this excited and the Q Group still had their eyes on them. It would be one thing to disappoint his family after the fall of the treacherous group, however if they had been so weak as to be brought to ruins in a matter of weeks, they would never have reached such heights to begin with.

If the wedding was happening, he should indulge himself a little. Why let the situation completely shatter his own hopes and dreams of his wedding? Why let himself be completely robbed of the chance to plan his only ever first wedding?

The entire situation completely confused the man. Joshua really did want to plan his own wedding, but also, he did not want to look forward to it.

As their families chattered on excitedly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, dragging him back to reality. With small movements, as to not attract the excited family members' attention, he took his phone out and checked to see what the message he had received was for. It was most probably one of his subordinates from work

To his surprise, he found himself looking up, meeting with a pair of warm amber-hazel eyes. The message on his screen read: [Do you feel sick? You don't look too good.]

What the beautiful man hadn't realised was that he had been so caught up in his thoughts, his ugly expression had gotten progressively worse, to the point where worried the man sitting opposite him.

When Henry had finally torn his eyes away from the two insane families, he was met with Joshua's pained expression. He tried a couple of times to grab the older man's attention without notifying the rest, all to no avail. In the end, all he could think of was messaging the man, hoping he had brought his phone down with him. Thankfully, it all worked in his favour.

Meanwhile, Joshua was reminded that all weddings, even empty ones, required two people. Of course, he would prefer a woman he loved, but that was not the matter at hand. He had been so caught up in whether he wanted to plan his own wedding or not, he had forgotten a very simple fact: it was not just his wedding.

The man suddenly wanted to dig a hole for him hide in shame. He had let himself go so far ahead with things, disregarding that he was not the only person in this situation.

Of course, without a doubt, Henry would not be as caught up in something as foolish as this. Knowing that only made the man want to lament further.

Seeing as Henry was waiting for a response, Joshua mulled over things for a split second before going ahead with what was on his mind. As stupid as it was, the other man would not laugh… right? The more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself. But his quick fingers meant it was already too late to take back the message.

Feeling his phone buzz, Henry looked down at the message. He was surprised, to say the least.

Joshua [Is it strange for me to still want to plan the wedding stuff myself even though none of it is real?]

He looked back up and saw that the beautiful man, who was almost always the very definition of perfect and poised, had once again broken away from his usual form. His face was flushed with embarrassment, his skin seeming more translucent.

Henry wanted to gouge his eyes out for a moment, there was no need for a man to look so alluring.

However, ignoring Joshua's beauty, this time it was Henry who was met with inner conflict. He felt both the urge to protect the older man from his worries – which he did not think was too big a deal, what Joshua wanted really was not strange of – as well as one to tease the perfect man relentlessly.

His conflict was not nearly as deep as Joshua's had been, mostly due to the fact that Henry knew the answer immediately. As much as he wanted to further embarrass Joshua, he could blatantly see the worry he was trying to hide. And the ugly, pained expression he held while lost in his thoughts looked a little too serious. Even if Henry had only just come to find out the man was a fan of the romance genre, it was clear that weddings held a significant importance for Joshua. He was most probably a romantic, that is what his reading selection pointed to.

There was no way Henry could bring himself to tease the other man when he was acting so conflicted and insecure. Naturally, that meant he would help instead.

Joshua saw Henry's lip quirk up as the blond man focused back on his phone. 'He is definitely laughing at me,' Joshua thought to himself. Maybe he should not have asked such a weird question. But his growing doubt was interrupted by a stream of messages.

Henry [Well, a wedding's a wedding]

Henry [Even if the marriage is fake, it doesn't change that]

Henry [You want to plan your first wedding? Let's do it! We're friends, right]

Henry [Why let your only ever first wedding experience be completely robbed by the situation?]

Henry [Besides]

Henry [No point in making a shitty situation shittier]

Henry [I don't want to hate my own wedding]

Henry [Real or not, let's have what fun we can]

The younger man studied his fiancé's face, glad that the verbal vomit that followed him saying the two of them was friends hadn't been caught. Henry did mean every word he said, but he also felt a little embarrassed saying something like that to Joshua; their whole situation was a little strange, after all.

Joshua had been taken aback at the mention that they were friends, especially since he hadn't made many since leaving university. He did think they were friendly he just felt a little awkward about confirming if they really were or not. When he looked up, he was met with a pleasant, calming smile, easing his nerves. Overall, however, he felt touched by Henry's comforting.

Although, he was a little embarrassed as well.

Even though they had kept the entire thing discrete, it did not go unnoticed. Haerin and Ramy, who had been stood to the side of the room, quietly chatting, between themselves, watching the entire interaction unfold.

They still couldn't quite believe their bosses had made such a perfect match without even having them meet beforehand.

With things settled, both men turned back to their families, faces falling flat again. They may be notoriously geniuses, but with such a messy conversation, it was clear that no real discussion had been held, it was just people throwing around opinions.

Henry decided it was finally time to shut the ecstatic chatter up, he was starting to develop a headache now that his attention as back on them.

"Anyone would think it is you all getting married. Why are you planning engagement and wedding arrangements without including the two it actually matters for?"

Henry's voice rang clear through the dining room, catching everyone's attention before they had even processed what the young man had said. As the words slowly registered, jaws started to physically drop. Joshua's fell the lowest, in disbelief at the sudden confidence, something both had been lacking when even considering the fact they were getting married.

"Honestly, I was getting a headache even trying to figure out what everyone was trying to say. Leave the planning of our parts to us. Just give us rough dates and then focus on the merger. We can start the rest between us."

It was only when he noticed the silence, he realised what reaction he was getting, his face immediately reddening with embarrassment. Turning away, he added with a mutter, "That's what Joshua wants." He had wasted no thought when throwing the other man under the bus.

Both families continued to stare in shock, Henry and Joshua both facing the opposite way, faces burning red with embarrassment.