Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

716  International call

Joshua was quicker than they had anticipated and everyone had nothing but admiration for him. If only he did not have the antics of a joker, they would indeed have held him in higher regard.

"That's awesome." Aria chirped and nodded at Joshua in appreciation. "You sure are a magician to have found Theo's details this quickly." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You can say that, Aria. It was not easy, considering that Grandpa Carter had found a brilliant software engineer and hacker to erase all traces of their past conversation." Joshua's expression turned serious and Noah sat up straight and placed the bowl on the table, giving his friend his utmost concentration.

"Theo kept changing phone numbers, making it impossible for me to find his contact details. But I found his email id, which is linked to his bank account. I am sure this is how Grandpa Carter conversed with Theo before Theo called him back every time." Joshua revealed all he had found out and looked around him, trying to find a place to sit.

Sensing his dilemma, Ian offered his seat, which Joshua took with a grateful smile.

"Theo is in the Netherlands. We already know that." Joshua opened his laptop and turned the screen slightly towards Noah while Aria and Ian walked over to Noah's other side for a good look.

"And he goes by the name of Manny Vazquez. He had changed places seven times in the last three years and did not stay in one country for more than a year." "I found his contact details somehow and have yet to contact him. What do we do now?" He queried as he looked at Noah, who was looking at the laptop thoughtfully, precisely the picture on the screen. It was Theo, there was no doubt about it. Even if he had changed names, hairstyles and even hair color, they could recognize him and a tense silence filled the ward, with each man having different thoughts.

"Can we send an email to him?" Noah questioned all of a sudden.

"Of course. What do you want me to send?"

"Inform Theo about Grandpa's health. Also, tell him we three know about him and ask him to call any of us."

Joshua did as he was told and once he got approvals from Ian and Noah, he sent the email immediately.

"Do you think he will respond to us or call us?" Joshua was skeptical about it and pursed his lips as he looked at the email he had just sent.

"Oh, he will, for sure. Don't worry. If not for us, at least for Grandpa. Just wait and watch." Noah was confident about it and Ian too nodded immediately, forcing Joshua to swallow the next question that was on the tip of his tongue.

22:05

"I hope so too. The thought that Theo lied to all of us and stayed hidden all these years is killing me and until I find the reason behind his actions, I will not be able to rest well."

It was not just Joshua, Ian and Noah too had the same feeling and could not wait to uncover the mystery they had no idea about until a day ago.

"How is Grandpa Carter?" Joshua did not forget about the main person behind all this and frowned lightly when he recalled what Oliver had told about the old Carter before all the commotion started.

"Still the same. His condition is stable, but he is yet to gain consciousness." Aria answered for everyone and Joshua closed his laptop and cursed inwardly, feeling helpless all of a sudden.

Ian realized that the atmosphere was turning way too serious for his liking. So, he turned towards Aria, seeking her help to break the tension.

Aria did not understand the meaning behind his glance for a moment. But when she looked at Joshua and Noah, she understood at once and nodded at Ian.

"By the way, Joshua, did you spend your entire night finding more about Theo, or did you do something else too?" Aria grinned evilly at the man who had no idea he would soon be doomed.

"What else would I be doing?" Joshua did not notice her evil smile and lamented, his expression crestfallen and lost.

"I assumed you did something, maybe something to do with hands."

Joshua's gaze snapped towards her immediately, and he glared at the two people now smiling wickedly at him.

"You...you..." He pointed at Ian, now irked to the core. "You too, Aria." He touched his heart and started crying pitifully, although no tears flowed from his eyes. "How could you do this to me?"

"Why are you blaming her? Weren't you the one who sounded exhausted on the call?" Ian intervened and Noah almost choked on his saliva when he realized where the conversation was going.

"I hate you, guys." Joshua pointed at each of them and, when he raised his finger at Noah, he dropped it right away. "Not you."

"Oh, I am honored. But did you really use your hands? Did you spend your entire night doing this? Is this why you are this exhausted?" Noah questioned innocently and Aria almost doubled over in laughter.

"Now it's confirmed. I hate you all. All of you. I HATE YOU." Joshua was fuming mad and he enunciated each word slowly. "I only love Ivy. Everybody else, bye bye."

"Joshua, I did not expect this from you." Aria shook her head and sighed, and Joshua glared at her immediately.

"And I did not expect this from you. You are not as innocent as I deemed you to be." He accused and Aria snuck out her tongue mischievously at him, making Ian and Noah laugh at her antics.

"Wait, I am going to complain to Ivy. I am sure she'll bring justice to me. Just wait and watch."

"Sure, go ahead. We will be here and will wait and watch." Noah challenged and Joshua gritted his teeth in anger. However, before he could fight him, Ian's phone rang all of a sudden, gaining everyone's attention.

At first, Ian did not react. But the moment he saw the number, his eyes widened immediately. "It's an international number."

He answered the call immediately without waiting for the other people to speak or react as the others held their breath.

"Hello?"