CHAPTER 17

Joshua woke up quite late which was rather unusual for him. Turning to the other side of the bed he found nobody, she wasn't there. He made his way to the bathroom took a quick bath before heading out reality sinking in. He was a married man now and should act as one. He was now partly Raymond and had to act like him

"Morning babe." a voice called out once he walked out of his room. Unsure of what to do he walked down the stairs gave her a light forehead kiss before looking into the pots

"You are quite amusing. How did you gather all these?" he asked picking a slice from one of the two plates

"Well i woke up quite early in order to familiarize myself with the place. I had to feel my way around. Are you impressed?"

"I am. Its rather surprising but i am. Now go sit down i will serve you."

"No you sit i will do it."

"I insist, please." Unable to argue any longer Julia slow paced her way into the dining room her stick leading her there. Joshua watched in amusement wondering how she could have familiarized herself with such a huge house in a matter of hours. Watching her closely she did not falter in her steps managing to easily settle down in the dining room. His kitchen on the other hand was quite big and the food packed away in different places but she had managed to gather it all and make breakfast. Strange.

"We should go shopping. I don't usually buy food, i'm used to do takeaways." he said carrying the tray of food over to her

"Takeaways? Didn't Helen cook?"

"Well...Helen does not like cooking so we stuck with takeaways. My father does not like maids the last time we had a maid she tried to seduce him." Julia was perplexed at that revelation and burst out laughing. The sound of her laughter somehow had an effect on Joshua. It was a relaxing kind of sound he could not help but smile remembering how Raymond had narrated the whole incident to him

"Your dad must be a really cool person. I wished i could meet him but its okay. I just hope i will someday." There was a moment of silence before Joshua changed the topic

"I will be going out in a few will be back later. You will be good right?"

"I sometimes mistake you for Joshua. I can take care of myself Ray so don't be like Joshua okay?" Joshua swallowed hard before blurting a calm yes

"I will familiarize myself more with the house while you are gone. Don't be out late." she said smiling innocently making Joshua realize the extent of the charade he was playing. He would normally come home pretty late but here he was tied to a fake marriage playing husband and unconvincing himself

"I wont. I will go get my car keys." he said sipping on his tea one more time before heading back to to their bedroom. Julia was left finishing up the rest of her food happiness clearly written all over her face. She was finally married to the man of her dreams and there was no way she was letting him go. Still pondering over the reality of things she could hear footsteps drawing closer before "Raymond" bid farewell

"I wanted to ask for something. May i have a room like private room? I often meditate, read and pray. I will be needing some space you know to uhm...do that. I hope i am not offending you."

"I will get one ready when i come back. Have a great day." he said before shutting the door on his way out. He was being weird. Raymond was loving and there was no way he could leave without a proper goodbye. It was the first day of their marriage and they were supposed to at least spend the day together but he had gone out. Sighing heavily Julia carried the tray back to the kitchen wondering if Raymond was regretting getting married to her. Nevertheless she was liking this side of him because surprisingly, she needed her space too.

******

Helen dragged herself out of the bathroom still feeling nauseous. She was now rather sick of that feeling and had to act on it fast before Timothy got the hang of it. Her original plan to pin the pregnancy on Joshua had failed and there was no way she was keeping the baby after that, it would mean Timothy finding out as well as her plan to marry Joshua becoming invalid. Raymond was a firm ticket to achieving her goal and she knew Joshua would not say no to Raymond so she had to get her priorities straight and get rid of the pregnancy. Throwing herself onto her bed and switching on the television she came across the news of her father. The man had been stuck in his room if not study ever since the investigation had began and she was only but glad to learn about the case dismissal. She knew her father was not capable of murder and there was no way he had murdered his fellows. Her only fear was that the murderer was on the lose and her father was most likely going to be the very next target. Right?

******

Walking into the club for a drink Joshua made his way to the seat opposite the barman. He made his order and glanced around noticing how almost empty the club was. It was a weekday and many were at work. Once night time settled in, the noise would know no bounds. He took in a few shots drowning all his sorrows in every gulp his took. The call he had received from Raymond once he left the house was not making matters easy either. He had thought when Julia was off to work he would have time to himself and all the space he needed but no, Raymond had made Julia quit her job and apparently become a housewife. Cute right? He had made his bed and now he had to lie on it, period.

"I will have a bottle of whiskey please." a familiar voice said triggering Joshua's attention. Shifting his gaze to trace it he met Timothy.

"Joshua. You hang around here?" he asked making Joshua regret stepping foot into that club. Timothy was definitely the last person he wanted to see at that particular moment

"Tim my man. Its good to see you." he gave a slight fake smile voice contradicting his body language. Timothy faked a smile in response before taking in a glass his stare constantly shifting to an unsettled Joshua. He always wondered how he looked so fine yet whenever he looked into him he found out he had no job. The man owned a house just as huge and expensive as Richard's, a fleet of extravagant cars accompanying it. He had been on Joshua's case ever since he found out he was the reason Helen was rejecting him and was determined to take him down. Joshua was mysterious and no matter how hard he dug he could not find any information about him. He had less friends by less we mean Raymond only and there was no way he was going to get Raymond spill out the beans. In his eyes he was just his father's puppet. If only he knew what he was doing with his sister behind closed doors

"Thanks man i will see you around." said Joshua to the smiling barman before heading out neither sparing Timothy a glance

"Does he come here often?" he asked the bartender who shook his head, frustrating Timothy even further. He knew Joshua was a regular at that club but why was the barman denying it? Wait, he didn't even recall Joshua paying his bill so what exactly was going on? Frustrated, he paid his own bill and walked out of the club leaving behind a smirking bartender. There indeed was something fishy and he was so going to fish it out.