Chapter 1797 Joyce’s Unrequited Love (Part One)


    The most beautiful sign that shows a party is full of joy and fun-filled activities is the sound ofughter.


    The moon was in full bloom, casting its rays onto the partygoers. The heat only served to spur the


    people''s excitement like gasoline to a me.


    Justin was the bona fide leader of the kids. He was charming and respected. He could be decisive if


    need be, and was always dignified in his actions; sometimes, he was also caring, a key aspect on how


    a leader should be. People tended to forget that leaders needed to care about the ones they were


    leading. The kids loved him for that.


    "Hey, Justin. When are you going to get married?" Eden, whose nosiness was a match even for Rain,


    asked while grilling some chicken wings over the glowing coals. As a medical student, he wasn''t very


    tactful and was often blunt with his words.


    "Don''t be absurd. It''s way too early for that kind of thing. I''m still really young." Justin, for all his genius,


    actually believed in fate. If he was ever going to get married, it would be with someone he loved deeply,


    and of course, fate should give him signs that she was the one. He set the girlfriend bar pretty high. As


    the boss of the FX International group, he just wouldn''t fall for any girl he saw.


    "You''re not that young. You''re almost thirty for God''s sake," Eden quipped. Some of the hot embers


    drifted onto his hand. He recoiled in pain and started waving his hand up and down. He then backed


    away from the barbeque.


    "What''s this almost nonsense? Thirty is still a ways to go," Justin protested. He wasn''t really against


    marriage. What he was totally averse to was the idea of a loveless marriage. Also, he absolutely did


    not want to turn into his father, whose private and personal life was preyed upon by the media. Even


    the birth of Jasmine hit headlines back then. The reporters loved to spread gossip like wildfire,


    particrly about his private life, but nothing they said in the news was true.


    Hearing his protests to Eden''s question, Joyce turned to look at Justin. Sooner orter, he would have


    to choose someone to marry and be a father of his own. The days of them being together like this


    were getting fewer and fewer, Joyce thought.


    "Joyce, what''s wrong?" Jasmine asked in concern when she saw her troubled expression.


    "Oh, It''s nothing. I''m just really full. I''m going to take a walk over there." Joyce forced an apologetic


    smile and stood up. From her worries she didn''t notice her troubles were already manifesting


    themselves on her expression.


    "I''ll go with you," Jasmine said and stood up as well. The glow of the mes illuminated her already


    beautiful face. Her perfectly chiseled features were only made more apparent by the light.


    "It''s okay. I''d like to be alone, to be honest. Stay here and eat some more barbeque," Joyce quickly


    said, her hands gesturing Jasmine to stop. She then turned around and slowly walked away.


    Unbeknownst to even herself, her eyes had been glued to Justin all this time. She knew she had lost


    her heart to him.


    She always knew he had always seen her only as a sister, no more, no less. She didn''t dare confess to


    him about how she felt. She was too afraid to lose what they had now - a solid friendship.


    She stood there, eyes downcast, arms crossed over her chest. She was so consumed by her thoughts


    that she didn''t notice someone was already standing in front of her.


    "Joyce, what''re you doing here all alone? Don''t you like the barbeque?" Daisy had been talking with


    Belinda and the others over the fire. Joyce''s abruptly standing up and walking away alone caught her


    eye. So, she followed her.


    "I love it, Aunt Daisy. How about you? Why''re you here?" Joyce hid her sadness through a graceful


    smile. This prompted Daisy to smile back.


    "I just saw that you were alone out here, so I thought maybe we could walk together," Daisy answered.


    Daisy saw Joyce''s eyes whenever they fell upon Justin. They reminded her of the days when she first


    met Edward. She had that exact same look when she started falling for him. It was a pity Justin hadn''t


    realized the looks Joyce had been giving him, or maybe he knew but didn''t want to change the


    rtionship between him and Joyce.


    "Aunt Daisy, how did you and Uncle Edward meet?" Joyce asked innocently. She had always been


    curious, but nobody seemed to know the exact story.


    "Do you really want to know? Well, let''s see. It''s actually kind of silly. One day we met when were


    young and I kind of couldn''t get him out of my head anymore. I fell in love with him. Then we met years


    after, and he didn''t remember me at all." Daisy stared upwards to the sky and started to vividly recall


    the old days. They yed in her head clearly as if it was just yesterday.


    "So you secretly admired Uncle Edward?" Joyce asked, intrigued. That was exactly her situation right


    now with Justin. She was a secret admirer, watching him from afar, too afraid to open herself up to him.


    She even went as far as to attend university in a different city so that maybe, in time, her feelings would


    fade. She was never more wrong in her life. The distance only kept her thinking about him more often


    than before.


    "Yes, I did," Daisy admitted, a faint smile forming on her lips.


    "But you and Uncle Edward are very happy now. So maybe people get what they want as long as they


    hang on a little longer, right?" It sounded like a question, but it seemed more like Joyce was trying to


    convince herself not to let go.


    "Not always. Love isplicated and it takes two people to make it work. Love can''t be forced. It just


    chance. Love also requires effort. Even if you get shot down, at least you know the answer instead of


    spending a long time regretting the what ifs," Daisy exined to her. As much as she liked Joyce and


    would be d to be her mother-inw, she also had a high regard for her son''s feelings. It was a


    delicate bncing act. She didn''t want to side with either one.


    "I see. Thank you, Aunt Daisy." Joyce took a deep breath, puffed up her cheeks and decided to take


    the leap. Even if she got rejected, she would face it with courage.


    "You''re wee. I''m d that you figured it out," Daisy said, stroking Joyce''s hair. ''What a lovely girl!


    Polite and sensible. Her kind is slowly bing extinct these days. It''s a shame that Justin doesn''t feel


    the same, '' Daisy thought to herself. Love was never about perfection, but feelings.


    "Aunt Daisy, do you know something?" Joyce asked her in surprise. She thought she had disguised her


    emotions well. But Daisy seemed to have it all figured out. She felt so exposed.


    "You mean the fact that you like my son? If it is, then yes, I know a little." Daisy never meant to hide the


    fact that she knew. She smiled wryly.


    "Sorry, Aunt Daisy. I..." Joyce almost curled up in embarrassment. Her Aunt saw through her like ss.


    She wanted the ground to swallow her up at that moment.


    "Now. Don''t apologize. Open your heart to the outside world, Joyce. Maybe after some time, you never


    know, you''ll realize that the feelings you have for Justin now is just some kind of puppy love. It will


    pass," Daisy pointed out. She didn''t want Joyce to be disappointed and regretful someday.


    "That''s what I initially thought. I assumed my feelings for him would disappear over time, but they


    didn''t! They only became stronger." Joyce cried out helplessly. She closed her eyes in frustration.


    "Youngdy, you know what? In the game of love, the first to fall loses," Daisy reminded her the painful


    lesson she learned all those years ago. She let out a sigh when she realized the kid wouldn''t back


    down. She saw so much of herself in Joyce back when she was young, confused and struggling in


    love, so she understood exactly what Joyce might''ve been feeling. It pained Daisy, but she also knew


    this was exactly why Joyce had to face this all by herself. Daisy couldn''t interfere by telling Justin how


    she felt and nor could she force him into reciprocating Joyce''s feelings.


    "I''m fine. I might look delicate but I''m tough. Aunt Daisy, please don''t tell Justin that I like him. I''m afraid


    that once he knows, he''ll try to avoid me," Joyce pleaded. Even if it was unrequited love, she treasured


    every minute with Justin. She didn''t want to ruin that.


    "Of course. I won''t tell him. Please don''t beat yourself up about this. If he doesn''t love you back, it only


    proves he''s still a silly boy; you deserve better then." Since she had also been in a simr situation with


    Edward in the past, Daisy felt that it wouldn''t hurt to give Joyce some advice. No one had ever offered


    her such advice when she was faced with this problem. So, she had to wait for Edward for a long time.


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    She was lucky because they ended up together. Otherwise, she couldn''t even begin to imagine how


    her life would be right now if they didn''t. However, she didn''t want Joyce to wait for Justin hopelessly.


    They were different people with different circumstances. What worked for her might not work for Joyce.


    "I understand." Her eyes started to get blurry and wet, but Joyce managed to fight back the tears as


    she looked up at the sky.


    The coals were extinguished, and everybody cleaned up. The party was over. Everyone made their


    way to their rooms to rest. Daisy decided to have a serious talk with Justin. She barged into his


    bedroom without even knocking to announce herself, a bad habit she picked up from her husband.