Chapter 41: Fumbled QueenRUE.The road stretched ahead of me, quiet but taunting.I gripped the steering wheel tighter than usual. The wind slid through the my half-open window but it didn’t cool the heat crawling under my skin.I shouldn’t have texted her that.I knew it the second I hit send.Don’t cross boundaries. I hate it when people do that.It sounded colder than I meant,But damn, she stood in front of a moving car. Who does that?Still… maybe she was just hurt and it was because of what i said . “ This isn’t your first time doing weddings “ I remembered her face, those words hurt her but i was agitated.The way she stood there, arms folded, her voice trembling but firm.“Is this because of Sienna?”I didn’t answer her then.But the truth? Maybe it was.Maybe I hated how she saw right through me last night, and I took it out on her this morning.I pulled into the office parking lot, exhaling sharply. The building loomed tall in front of me, but I didn’t feel ready , i knew
Chapter 40: Crossing BoundariesDay 11/365VICKY.I woke up with a dull ache in my neck and a weight in my chest I couldn’t quite shake.Last night kept replaying in my head like a scene on loop, Rue coming home drunk, the blood on his fingers, the way he collapsed into me, and “Sienna” Everything he said was bothering me .I sat up slowly, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. The curtains were cracked just enough to let in a slice of morning light. I glanced at the time. Almost nine, That meant he hasn’t left for work yet .My feet touched the cold floor, and I hesitated for a second before getting up. I hadn’t heard any sounds upstairs or from the hallway. Curiosity—or worry—got the better of me. I walked toward his room.The door was slightly open.I peeked in.Empty. The bed was made and it looked like the blood from last night had been cleaned up , i was guessing he had the maid do it , i didn’t call them in last night cause of the way he was .No sign he’d even slept there last
Chapter 39: The Woman — SiennaDay 10/365VICKY.In Rue’s note, he told me not to wait up.But I wanted to thank him for preparing dinner—and for sending Bella down to check if I was okay.And truthfully, I just wanted to know how the talk with his family went.I checked my wrist. It was almost midnight.I rushed to the window like I had been doing for the past three hours. Still no Rue.My fingers tapped the window pane nervously.“I hope nothing’s wrong,” I murmured.I checked the wall clock again.Still midnight.I grabbed my phone and hesitated before calling Bella. Maybe he stayed over at the estate. Maybe he was just tired.Still, I dialed.“Vickyyy,” Bella mumbled from the other end.Her voice was sleepy. I’d clearly just woken her up.“Bella, I’m sorry, but… is Rue over there? He isn’t home yet.”“Rue?” she yawned. “Your man left the house before I even got there. Maybe he stopped by the office. Don’t worry yourself too much. You should go to bed.”“Oh… right. Thanks. Good nig
Chapter 38: The Family GossiperDay 10/365 VICKY. I blinked awake to a quiet room.The sky outside was dark, and the curtains swayed gently from the night breeze. My heart skipped when I turned and saw the space beside me empty.Rue was gone.For a second, panic bubbled up again. I sat up quickly, but then I noticed the folded paper on the bedside table.I reached for it, fingers trembling a little.“I didn’t want to wake you, I went to handle something at home. There’s food downstairs, i cooked ,don’t wait up. I’ll be back tonight. – Rue.”I stared at the note for a long time.Handle something.I already knew what that meant.Someone in his family had leaked that video. And he was going to find out who.I hugged the note to my chest for a second, then got up.The house was too quiet.When I reached the kitchen, the lights were on, and on the marble counter was a covered dish, still warm. My stomach growled as I lifted the lid.Spaghetti. His usual comfort dinner. With extra sauce
.Chapter 37: Everyone is a suspect RUE.It was almost 2 a.m. when I left Vicky’s room.She was finally asleep—barely. I could still hear her breathing unevenly through the door.But I couldn’t rest.Not after what I saw.Not after what she showed me.A video from the family house kitchen trending online. TOnly people close to us would have had access.And we had a estate that the whole family lived in except me and that video was taken in our main kitchen , it had to be one of them . Someone had leaked that video to disgrace Vicky . No, not just her—me.I drove straight to the estate.I didn’t wait till the heat had died down . I didn’t care if they were busy . I summoned all of them—Mom, Dad, Jeremy , Calvin and their wives , Even Grandma if she was awake. I didn’t knock. I barged in.They were all in the living room except Grandma when I arrived, wearing a mix of robes, pajamas, and confused expressions.“Why do you want to see us , Again ? Talking about that girl is giving me
Chapter 36: The Trending TopicDay 9/365VICKY.I woke up to noise.Not just the usual clinking and humming from downstairs, but full-blown chaos. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. I blinked against the bright light coming from the screen and reached for it.“#RUEANDVICKY”“THE MAID WHO STOLE THE CEO’S HEART?”“LOVE OR SOCIAL CLIMBING?”“REAL LIFE FAIRYTALE?”“What the hell…” I whispered.My inbox was a mess. I had hundreds of messages—some calling me an inspiration, some calling me names I wouldn’t even say out loud.“Vicky, you need to see this,” Julia barged into the room, phone in hand, panic on her face.“What now?”She didn’t say anything. She just handed me her phone. The video was already playing.It was me.In the Roger’s mansion kitchen.In a maid uniform.Washing dishes.Someone had zoomed in on my face, and the caption read:“And this is who Rue Rogers is marrying? His maid?”I felt my heart drop.“Where did this come from?” I asked, trying to keep calm.“No idea. It’s every