Chapter 139. FIONA

Chapter 139. FIONA
I thought Joshua was deceiving me when he said we were going on a very long journey. I thought he was just trying to ease the tension between us, but he wasn’t. He was telling the truth. We really did have a long journey after we left the pizza restaurant.
We had been driving for three and a half hours, passing through the interstate and winding country roads, but we still hadn't reached our destination. The view outside the window was breathtaking. Wheat fields stretched along the road. The heads of wheat swayed gently in the breeze. The breathtakingly beautiful scenery managed to soothe me from the sadness weighing on my heart.
I opened the window and let the gentle breeze caress my face. The pizza box sat on my lap, the lid open. I had already eaten two slices, and now I was on to my third.
Joshua was right again; I was starving on this long drive, and these pizzas were my savior. I had a pizza-eating experience I will never forget. The breathtaking view and these pizzas were the perfect combination.
“Do you want some?”
I pushed a paperoni pizza to Joshua's lips. He'd been very quiet since we left the pizzeria. Neither of us had spoken. So, this would be our first conversation in almost four hours.
"Maybe you're hungry."
Joshua was about to take the pizza from me, but I shook my head.
"Just focus on driving. I'll feed you."
Joshua opened his mouth and took a big bite of the pizza. I could see he was hungry too. His face showed relief as the pizza slid down his throat. I gave him a tuna pizza after he finished the paperoni pizza. His aura brightened after he finished two slices.
"Water?"
"Yes. Please."
I frowned in surprise. He said "please" as I rummaged through the plastic bag to pull out a bottle of water.
"You sound like Melissa."
"What?"
He glanced at me briefly before taking a sip. My eyes fell on his Adam's apple, which bobbed sexily. A few drops of water escaped his lips and slid down his neck. I quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped his wet neck.
“You spilled water on your shirt,” I said nervously as Joshua looked at me.
“Thanks.”
I quickly withdrew my hand and placed it on my lap as the atmosphere between us turned awkward. I crumpled the tissue into a ball in my hand and tossed it into the paper bag under my feet.
“What were you trying to say? I’m like Melissa?”
“Oh, yes. You’re like Melissa when you say please.”
“Because I learned from her. I remember her saying that when you left to handle your case.”
“I taught her to say please whenever she asks for help. It’s good for her character development.”
“I agree with you. Manners are important.”
Joshua took a deep breath.
“My mother taught me that too. But after she died, all my manners went haywire. Grandpa didn't demand perfect manners from me. He demanded that I be a leader and a ruler. He said manners wouldn't matter if I succeeded in ascending the social ladder. Everyone would bow to me naturally. And he was right. Everyone bowed to me when I succeeded in ascending to the top.”
“You've lived with that for years. It will be difficult to change.”
“I know. But difficult doesn't mean impossible. I can change, as long as you're willing to teach me patiently.”
He turned to me and smiled.
My heart was pounding in my ribcage. His eyes showed determination and sincerity. I didn't understand what he meant by that. But I guessed he was trying to show me that he could change into a better man if I were willing to teach him to do so.
I cleared my throat softly to break the growing awkwardness between us.
“How much longer until we reach our destination?”
“Half an hour left. Are you tired?”
“A little. It’s a really long trip. It’s even longer than Chicago to NYC. By plane,” I grinned.
Joshua laughed softly at my lame joke.
“Yes. I can’t build this factory near Chicago. I need a large area far from residential areas to decompose the waste.”
“What factory? How long have you owned it?”
“Actually, it’s not a new factory. It existed before, but it wasn’t as big or sophisticated as it is now. It went bankrupt and was auctioned off four years ago. I wasn’t very optimistic when I first acquired it.”
“From?”
“From the local government. It was a state government project that failed due to mismanagement. They implemented poor production and marketing strategies. It took me a year to overhaul everything and turn that bankrupt factory into something that is now generating huge profits.”
“What factory is that?”
“You’ll find out later.”
“Why later? Why not now? You’re making me curious.”
“That’s exactly my purpose. To make you curious,” he winked mischievously.
Joshua had me completely intrigued. I kept wondering what kind of factory it was. I briefly wondered if it was a factory for illegal goods, but that wasn't possible since Joshua said he acquired it from the local government. So it was definitely a legal factory producing legal goods. But the question was, what was the factory producing that Joshua needed a place so far from Chicago to build it?
"We're here."
"Where is the factory?"
I looked around in confusion. There was nothing but empty land as far as the eye could see.
"Over there. Can you see the chimney from here?"
"Wow, that's a big chimney."
"That's just one of them."
My breath hitched as we arrived at the giant gate towering before us. Joshua rolled down his car window and performed a retinal scan to open the massive gate.
"Welcome to my weapons factory, Fiona."
"What?"
"Yeah, I know it's crazy. I shut down some of my illegal businesses and moved them here. It's a huge investment with very high risks."
“I can’t believe you went from being a mobster to being a weapons manufacturer CEO.”
Joshua chuckled at the look of amazement on my face.
“I’m still a mobster, but I don’t play like I used to. You won’t find my name on the DEA list anymore. I’m not part of their party anymore.”
“So, what are you now?”
“I’m their partner.”
I gaped in disbelief.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No, you know I never joke with you. Come on down.”
I followed Joshua, who had just gotten out of the car. The factory felt unreal to me. I had to pat my cheeks several times to convince myself it was real.
“Lident Industries?”
I read the giant sign at the main entrance.
“Yeah, Lident Industries. I’ll explain the details as we tour the place.”
“Are you sure we’ll finish the tour in one day? I have a feeling this place is huge.”
“The total area is one hundred and eighty acres. That doesn’t include the vacant lot you see outside the gate. I don’t know what the future holds, but this company might expand into the technology sector.”
“One hundred and eighty acres, and we’re going on foot?”
Joshua chuckled and turned my shoulders one hundred and eighty degrees.
“Erick is waiting for us in the buggy. He’ll be your tour guide. I have a meeting with some government officials in an hour.”
“Hey guys!”
Erick waved from the black buggy. He was wearing a black helmet and goggles. I waved back. The buggy moved closer to us.
“You said you’re now partners with the DEA. Does that mean you’re also partners with the FBI?”
“I’ve been their weapons supplier since last year. The FBI, the DEA, and all law enforcement agencies in and around Chicago. This business is growing faster than I thought.”
“That’s why you have access to the FBI.”
"Not just the FBI, I have access to information from other law enforcement agencies."
"That's a little unfair. You say you're still a mobster, but you're partnering with them?"
Joshua grinned.
“Welcome to the Jungle. I told you they weren’t 100% clean. They kept the mobsters who made them money. They wouldn’t mess with me as long as I didn’t deal in drugs and human trafficking. Those are the two most illegal things in America.”
“Josh, I don't know what to say. But it’s really complicated.”
At first, I didn't know why I was building all this. It completely contradicted the business principles my grandfather taught me as a child. I was just trying to follow my instincts. Recently, I realized that I wasn't building all this for nothing, as I thought. Deep down, I hoped that one day I would have a family, and I wanted to provide them with a decent life.
Joshua’s fingers caressed my arm, then slid down to intertwine with mine. I felt goosebumps at his touch and the way he squeezed my palm.
"I want to give you and Mellisa a decent life. Even if it's not completely free from dirty things and bloodshed, I'm doing my best to keep you away from those horrible things. I rebuilt the security system in my house to keep everyone who lives there safe. I want you and Melissa to live safely in that house. Our house."
"Josh, I—I—"
“You don’t need to say anything now. Enjoy the tour. I built all of this for you and Melissa.”
Joshua brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently.
It felt like I was being electrocuted by thousands of volts. My whole body was shaking, my heart was pounding, and my legs were weak like jelly. The words Joshua had just said had an extraordinary effect on my heart. That's what made Joshua different from other men. He didn't say "I love you" often like other men out there. This was the first time I had heard Joshua say "I love you" to me. However, behind his romantic words, he proved his sincerity and love through real actions. It made my chest swell with pride and happiness.
“Hey, lovey-dovey couple. You guys make me want to throw up.”
I turned to Erick and smiled.
Joshua led me to the buggy. He didn’t let go of my hand for a moment. He helped me into the buggy and held me close to him.
“You’re just jealous of us because you’re still single at your age,” Joshua mocked him.
“Damn you. You’re older than me. And I’m not single, I’m just enjoying life as a free man.”
“Bullshit. Hurry up and get going. I have a meeting in an hour, but before that, I want to show Fiona some of the factory’s features.”
“Aye aye, boss. Welcome to Lident Industries. I hope you enjoy your tour, Mrs. Lident.”
“Fiona. Please.”
“Still, you were Mrs. Lident once, and soon you’ll officially be Mrs. Lident again.”
Joshua remained silent and didn’t say anything.
He confused me. Wasn’t our wedding canceled? But he acted as if it would still go on.