Chapter 5: All for My Father
932 Words
Faith begged Joshua, but his response was blunt.
"I warned you, I don't give second chances. Stand up and stop begging," he said coldly, his expression so strange that Faith knew she was lost.
She had always heard that Mr. Moore never turned down a challenge or a bet and loved racing. Despite her delicate and cultured nature, she enjoyed the thrill of races, especially motorcycle races with Andrew, which had always made her happy.
Once again, her thoughts turned to him. Mr. Moore walked away elegantly, flanked by more than a dozen bodyguards.
Faith shouted, "Joshua, I challenge you to a race!"
He stopped, though he didn’t turn to look at her. People around them were stunned and began to murmur.
"She’s crazy. Doesn’t she know that man never loses? She’ll end up dead."
"I challenge you! I know you never say no to a challenge. If I win, I’ll be your wife," she declared. Faith knew the odds were slim, but she had nothing left to lose.
"And if I accept, what do I get?" Joshua asked.
"I know I can't offer you anything. In fact, if you win, I'll lose everything. But I don't care about further humiliation. Look around us; just days ago, these people called themselves my friends. They’ve turned their backs on me and revel in my misery. So I offer you my dignity. If you win, it will be shattered."
One of Joshua’s security men, sensing the boss's disapproval, interjected, "Sir, you don’t need to do this. It seems ridiculous, given you have everything and..."
He fell silent under Joshua’s glare, knowing further protest could be fatal.
"Fine. I accept. If you win, you'll be my wife. But if you lose, you'll be my personal servant, my maid. Do you accept?" Joshua said with a faint smile, confident he wouldn’t lose and eager to make her pay for rejecting him the other day.
Faith didn’t hesitate. Her life was already in ruins, and this was her only chance to save her father from prison.
"Of course, I accept," she said, and they headed outside to start the race. Everyone from the club followed, eager to witness her failure.
Joshua got into his luxurious sports car adorned with gold accents and looked at her arrogantly through the window.
"Where's your car? Are you going to race in a taxi?" he mocked.
"My car's at home, but I can drive anything. I saw a great motorcycle over there," she pointed, and got on it. The wealthy owner had left the keys in the ignition, trusting the area’s security.
Seeing her intention, the motorcycle’s owner tried to stop her, explaining it was a gift from his father.
Julieth intervened, offering to pay for any damages. She just wanted to see Faith humiliated.
"Ready to lose?" Joshua taunted.
"I hope you are," Faith replied with a forced smile, hiding her nerves.
The race began, and she took the lead. The deserted streets were perfect for this moment. Through her rearview mirror, Faith saw Joshua giving her a head start. Moments later, he caught up and smiled—something rarely seen on his usually cold and cruel face.
He pulled ahead, just barely, intending to draw out her suffering until the last moment.
Faith realized his plan and knew her only option to save her father was to comply with those disgusting men’s desires. But she couldn't allow that.
Desperately, she sped up and aimed to collide her motorcycle with the rear of Joshua’s car. Seeing her desperation, he swerved, and she crossed the finish line first, victorious.
The crowd was stunned, shouting accusations of cheating and hurling insults.
Ignoring them, Faith approached Joshua as he exited his car, glaring at her.
"Sir, you don’t have to marry her. We all saw she cheated," Robert said.
Faith met Joshua’s gaze, triumphant despite the crowd’s condemnation.
"I know you’ll say I cheated, but..."
"You won. Be at the town hall tomorrow at ten in the morning. Don’t be late, and come dressed appropriately," he said, calling his bodyguards to leave. She stopped him.
"Wait. I’ll be your wife tomorrow, but I have a condition."
"Your father won’t go to jail. I assure you, those men will do nothing against you or your father," Joshua replied, speeding away in his car. Faith wondered how he knew about her father. She was about to marry a stranger who seemed to know everything about her life. What was his motive?
"You’re so pathetic and insignificant that you have to do this to get a man?" Julieth sneered.
"The only pathetic one here is you. You've always been envious of me. Get over it. You’re not the center of the universe."
Faith handed the keys back to the motorcycle’s owner, thanking him.
"You're lucky I let you use it. Thank your friend."
"I knew you were involved. You thought I'd lose and be humiliated. But nothing went your way. You’ll have to settle for second place, because even in this hospital gown, I’m still better than you."
Faith couldn’t believe she had the courage to say that. She had always been quiet, but she was tired of being hurt for no reason.
"You’re trash. You don’t deserve to be Mrs. Joshua Moore. Don’t you know who he is? You’re nothing next to him. A woman who just failed in her marriage, whose husband left her for his ex, who had a dead child—you’re nothing."
Faith smiled and hailed a taxi, leaving with a shattered heart but the satisfaction of standing up to Julieth.
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