The Arrogant Love

That still didn’t stop her from trying to make him her boyfriend. Ruby went even further by sending a photo of her and him in swimsuits to Chris’s girlfriend, falsely claiming that he had feelings for her—even though it was just a normal sibling-like swim outing.‘Sending those stupid pictures to make Molly misunderstand—what’s wrong with your mind, Ruby?’‘Because I love you, Chris.’‘But I don’t love you.’‘But I’ve loved you for a long time. Molly came after me.’‘Love me or what? Love shouldn’t look like this. This is more like a slut. From now on, please don’t come to my house. Keep some distance from me and Molly.’‘I will come!’‘Ruby!’‘I came to see you. Paula never stopped me.’‘Little brat! Well, I’m curious to see if you’ll dare come again.’Chris stared at her strangely, then pushed her against the bedroom wall. Ruby began to sense that something was off because Chris had never been this rough before. At most, he would just scold her for pretending not to listen.

“I’m just here helping my mother.” she said, half-sarcastic, half-hurt. “If you’re done, Chris, may I mop the floor for about ten minutes? You can go outside if you want,” she continued, seeing him standing with his arms crossed, watching her instead of leaving the room.“Why should I go out? This is my room. If you want to mop the floor, go ahead. I can stay anywhere in the room.” Chris shrugged and jumped onto the bed, undoing the bedsheet that Ruby had neatly folded earlier, leaving it messy again.Ruby frowned slightly as she looked at him. In the past, she would have jumped onto the bed and playfully wrestled with him. But now, everything was different. Chris seemed more mature and composed around her. He kept more distance between them, and she had toned down her daring behavior.While the temporary housemaid cleaned the room, Chris lounged on the bed, phone in hand. He wondered when Ruby would finally reveal her true self. Once, she wore a playful smile and rarely took chores

“Weren’t you the one who liked it so much before? You used to enjoy it so much, now you complain that women are like leeches. Aren’t these leeches the ones who made you happy every day?” Chris shook his head at his younger brother. He understood very well the playful, non-committal relationships between the beautiful social butterflies and his brother.“I’ll admit that, but after a long time, it gets boring, you know, Chris. I understand how you felt when Ruby was always following you around like a shadow.” Theo couldn’t help bringing up the girl from the neighboring house. His older brother paused slightly when he heard Ruby’s name.“Why do you seem to be especially interested in Ruby?”“I’m not especially interested, don’t be nonsense.” Even now, Theo’s expression looked amused in a way that made his older brother raise an eyebrow in surprise.“Where did you go just now? I saw you coming in through the front door,” Chris changed the question.“I went to see Ruby.” Chris immediat

“Ouch!” Ruby landed awkwardly after jumping down, ending up flat on her back on the lawn. She realized—too late—that Chris’s side lacked a chair to climb, unlike her own house. The jump stung, but she rose slowly and went to retrieve the ball.“Flynn, can you hear me?” she shouted back.“I can hear you!” Flynn shouted in reply.“I’m going to throw the ball to you, so be ready to catch it!”“Yes! Throw it over!” Eager, Flynn got into position to catch the ball as it sailed high above the wall. Yet, her aim faltered; the ball rolled into another corner. The little boy dashed after it, then hurried back, eyes shining, to wait for his beautiful sister.“Wait for me a bit, okay? I’ll find a way to climb back over first,” she shouted to Flynn, who was standing on the other side.“Okay.”Ruby jumped and grabbed for the beam atop the wall. Each time she tried to climb, she slipped and tumbled onto the grass. Again and again she attempted, Flynn calling out from the other side, her voice

This morning, Amber prepared coconut cakes and arranged them in a basket for her daughter to deliver as an apology to Paula for climbing over the fence yesterday. Ruby dressed herself with care, choosing a sleeveless white lace top and a cream-colored skirt that brushed just below her knees.“Putting the desserts in boxes… Mom, can you really do it alone? Will you finish in time?” Ruby was still worried about her mother, who hadn’t finished packing yet.“Of course, Ruby. The customers are schedul ed to pick up the snacks at ten o’clock, so there’s plenty of time. Besides, you’ve been up helping me since early morning. Hurry up, mid-morning is perfect for a dessert.”“Then I’ll go first.” Ruby carried the basket and walked out the front door. She stopped and rang the doorbell at Paula’s house.Because the housekeeper was still away, Theo answered the door. The young man froze momentarily before recognizing the person standing outside his house.“Is that you, Ruby?”“Theo.” Ruby lo