RUBY'S POVThe streets of Milan were alive with energy, and I was enjoying every second of it. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe. Even the thought of Gabriel was like a fading memory.Dominic and I walked side by side, and though his face was blank, I could see the amusement in his eyes every time I reacted to something.“Oh my God, look at that!” I exclaimed, pointing to a street artist sketching portraits near a cathedral. “Dom, do you think he’d draw me?”He glanced at the artist’s work, then at me. “Only if he has enough time to get all your details right.”I laughed but ignored his words, skipping down the street instead.Dominic guided me effortlessly through the streets. He didn’t need a map; he seemed to know Milan like the back of his hand. Eventually, we found ourselves in front of a small, tucked-away shop. The window display was filled with glass figurines that drew my eye.“Let’s go in,” I said, already stepping toward the door.“You’re like a magpi
DOMINIC'S POVOne week later, we were on our way back home. The drive was silent except for the occasional soft murmur of the driver updating us on how long it would take to get there. Ruby’s hand was in mine, her fingers loosely in between my own. I’d never been the type to like physical touch, but with her, it was different. It wasn’t an invasion of my space. It felt like a comfort.“It’s bittersweet, isn’t it?” she murmured.I turned my head to look at her, watching the way her eyes wandered over the Italian city fading behind us. “What is?”“Leaving.” She smiled faintly. “I mean, I know I’ll carry this one week with me, but I’ll miss it. The last time I was here was the worst one week of my life. But this one is the best. I'll miss everything about it.” She turned to me and smiled. “And, of course, annoying you.”I chuckled. “You’ve gotten very good at that.”She laughed. “You’re welcome, I guess.”We pulled into the hangar moments later, and Ruby’s face seemed to brighten up as s
DOMINIC'S POVIt was the Sunday after our trip to Milan, and we were back in my Seattle mansion. A plate of toast sat in front of me, beside my signature coffee. Beside the plate was my laptop, open to a Skype video call page.I bit into a corner of my toast as I spoke. "Go on, Matthew.""A lot of work was left unfinished before your trip, Mr Rutherford." Matthew notified me. "I was wondering when we'd be able to get down to it.""When I come to the office." I dropped my toast and took a sip of my coffee. "Which will be later this week; Wednesday, most probably."Gregory opened his mouth to speak again, but was silenced by the sound of footsteps coming down the staircase behind me."Would you like us to reschedule a meeting for you, Mr Rutherford?" Another worker named Mrs Bellick asked. "It seems you have a visitor.""I do." I replied. "I will inform my secretary to schedule a physical meeting on Wednesday and send you all the memo. Thank you."Without waiting for a reply from them,
DOMINIC'S POV“Who the hell is that?” Ruby whispered curiously. "Are you expecting visitors?"Ruby looked even more of a mess than I realised. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her lips were swollen and pinkish from my kisses. Her bathrobe even rode high on her thighs, and her eyes squinted toward the front door where the knocking had only grown more insistent.I cursed under my breath. I hadn’t even told her about Ariel. How could I have forgotten? Guilt stabbed me in the chest as I realized the day had arrived far quicker than I anticipated. Ariel was here.“That,” I said, attempting to sound composed, “would be my daughter.”Ruby’s eyes widened. “Your WHAT?!”“I’ll explain later,” I said quickly, waving her off. “Just fix yourself up.”I rushed to the front door, barely sparing her another glance. My heart pounded as I twisted the handle and pulled it open.Standing there, suitcase in hand, was Ariel. She looked just as I remembered: tall like me, her waist-length brown hair flo
RUBY'S POVThe moment I stepped out of Dominic’s house, tears began to fall from my eyes, and I didn’t bother wiping them away. Let them fall. Maybe they’d take some of the anger and hurt with them. I hated this. I hated feeling so exposed and so raw. Why was it so easy for the people I cared about to keep secrets from me? Was I the problem?The streets were busy. People were bustling past me as I walked aimlessly, clutching my phone like a lifeline. I didn’t care about the odd stares I got from strangers. My thoughts were a mess, tangled between how much I cared for Dominic and how tired I was of being the one left in the dark.First Gabriel, now him. How many times would I let someone shut me out before I learned my lesson?I kept walking until I realized I took nothing from Damien's house, no bag or clothes, not even my favorite lip balm. Just my phone. Great.I pulled it out and stared at the screen, debating my next move. Calling Dominic was out of the question. The thought of li
RUBY'S POVI sat across from Lilac at the little café on the corner. I’d just finished unloading everything on her, from Dominic's dead wife to his daughter and the money. Every little detail spilled out of me like a flood.Lilac as usual, sat calmly, listening without interrupting. It was one of the things I loved most about her. She never cut me off or tried to fix things too early. She just listened.When I finally stopped, my voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. Lilac motioned for the waitress. “One cappuccino and a bottle of water, please,” she said softly, then turned back to me.“You done?” she asked.“Yeah.” I slumped back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. “I think that’s everything.”Lilac nodded, her eyes scanning me carefully. “And you’re sure you’re not leaving anything out? Because this feels like one of those drama series where there’s always one last bombshell.”“Very funny.” I rubbed my temples. “No, Lilac. That’s it. His dead wife, his secret daughter, and the freak
RUBY'S POV"It's probably nothing," I muttered to myself.I tried to shake off the strange encounter and focus on the task at hand. Lilac would probably roll her eyes at me if I came back empty-handed after agreeing to this shopping trip.Stepping into the shirts section, I began flipping through a rack of vintage round necks. A particular dark green one caught my eye, and I reached for it. Just as I was pulling it off the hanger, I collided with someone.“Sorry....” I apologized and looked up. My words froze in my throat when I saw him.It was the same man in all-black.His face broke into that same gap-toothed smile. “Well, fancy meeting you here again.”At this point, I was already growing annoyed. “Yeah, what a coincidence,” I muttered and stepped back.“I swear I’m not following you,” he said with a chuckle, raising his hands as if in defense. “But it’s kind of funny, don’t you think? Bumping into each other like this.”I forced a tight smile, gripping the shirt I’d just picked o
RUBY'S POVLilac drove in silence while my thoughts were all over the place. The man in black was dangerous, I knew that much and I knew it the moment I saw him. His entire look screamed trouble, and now the pieces were rapidly falling into place.The men who dressed like that worked for Ambrose. I remembered their all-black attire, and now that I think about it, the insignia on that man's cap was very similar to the one Ambrose's men usually wore. Gabriel must have gone behind Ambrose's back and sent the man to me, to threaten my peace. My stomach lurched. Of course, he had.Suddenly my phone buzzed in my lap. The sound made me jump, and a sharp yelp escaped my throat.Lilac glanced at me. “Ruby, it’s just your phone. Relax.""Yeah, yeah. Sure." I fumbled for the phone, the screen blurring under my shaky fingers. When I finally answered, the first thing I heard was cold, maniacal laughter.A chill made its way down my spine. I'd recognize that voice anywhere, even in my sleep.Gabri
Ruby's POV“Ariel, stop moving! I can’t fix your hair if you keep squirming!”Ariel groaned dramatically, tossing her head back. “I swear, Lilac, if you pull my scalp one more time...”Lilac scoffed, not even looking up from the curling iron in her hand. “Then what? You’ll go out there with lopsided curls? Please.”Ariana snickered from where she was wrestling with a stubborn zipper on a garment bag. “She has a point, Ariel. Just sit still and suffer through it like the rest of us.”I laughed as I stood in front of the mirror, carefully stepping out of my wedding gown. The dress slid off my body, leaving me in just my underwear as I reached for the dinner dress waiting on the hanger.“God!” I sighed, rolling my shoulders. “That thing is gorgeous, but it weighs like two elephants.”Ariel turned to me and arched a brow. “You chose it, Stepmom. Can I call you that?”"Please, don't."Ariana laughed at the look of horror on my face. Lilac clapped her hands together. “Okay! Ariel, you’re do
Dominic's POV“You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you, Dominic! I swear I’ll kill you!”Ambrose’s face was twisted with rage. He looked like he was ready to throttle me to the ground and beat me up. Spit flew from his mouth as he screamed. I didn’t flinch at his numerous threats. I didn’t even blink.I just laughed right in his face. The man really thought he could outsmart me.Ambrose's fury only increased. Like I predicted, he lunged forward at me, but my men raised their guns instantly, stopping him in his tracks. He knew better than to test them.Still chuckling, I turned to one of my men. “Put my daughter on the phone.”The man nodded, pulling out my phone which was with him and dialing Ariel’s number. He placed it in my hand as the call connected.It rang loudly twice, then the screen lit up with her face. The agonizing breath I had been holding since realising she was in danger finally left my lungs. I felt like I could breathe with ease again.Ariel was safe. Damien had saved her l
Ambrose's POV“To Dominic Rutherford, the man who lost everything in one night!”A loud cheer erupted around the long dining table as glasses clinked together. Laughter filled the room, bouncing off the cracked walls of the old Château Beaumont. The air smelled of whiskey, cigar smoke and greasy pizza. My men were in high spirits, stuffing their faces and drinking like kings. Seven of them were the seven other convicts that I had escaped with.Sergio, one of my more talkative men, laughed with a cigar dangling from his fingers. “I still can’t believe it. The great Dominic Rutherford, completely wiped out overnight.”Another man chuckled, slapping the table. “That’s what happens when you play a game against Ambrose Vandyke. You lose.”I took a slow sip of my drink. “He thought he was untouchable.” I shook my head, smiling. “He should have learned by now. No one is untouchable. Not even him.”More laughter.Another man spoke up. “And his little Hollywood princess, Ruby. That one who act
Dominic's POVThe apartment was quiet. The kind of quiet that wrapped around a place when no one had been home for hours. I sat in the darkness with my gun in hand, my thumb tracing the cool metal absently.I was waiting for him.The only source of light came from the faint glow of the city bleeding through the curtains. Shadows were thrown across the walls, shifting slightly whenever the wind moved the blinds.Brandon was taking his time, and I was slowly losing my patience.I could have gone after him sooner. I could have tracked him down, dragged him out of whatever hole he was hiding in, but that wasn’t what I wanted. No, I wanted this. I wanted him to walk in, thinking he was safe. Thinking that after everything, he still had a place to return to.Because that was the cruelest part of it all.Brandon was a young man of twenty three. He was still naive enough to believe that there was a way out of this. That he could betray Ariel and walk away with his hands clean. No, the sins of
Ruby's POVThe car was quiet, but the silence wasn’t comfortable. It was the kind of silence that left you agitated and jumpy.I sat in the front seat beside Damien, staring at my phone. The time read 11:49 PM. It had been almost fifty minutes since Dominic sent us the location that Ambrose had given him.Fifty minutes that felt like a whole lifetime. We had been waiting here for that long.I wrapped my fingers around the phone and peered out of the window. Ambrose had promised to let Ariel go, but I didn’t trust him. At this point, I couldn't see anything in the foggy, moonless night that showed that Ariel had been released.The Ambrose I had known growing up had been a reliable man, someone I once looked up to. But the Ambrose of the past five years was a different creature entirely. He was a scary monster. A man who had ruined lives, destroyed families and now, kidnapped an innocent young woman just to threaten her father.I was sick of it.I turned my head slightly, glancing at Da
Dominic's POVI curled my hands into fist so hard that my nails bit into my palms. Every single cell in my body screamed at me to put a bullet in Ambrose’s head, but the image of Ariel tied to that bomb was burned into my skull.I had no choice. I couldn't put Ariel's life at risk. I just had to take his word for it. Ambrose grinned, watching me wrestle with the decision. He thrived off this, watching me break under his thumb."It's really heartwarming to watch a father willing to do anything for his daughter." He mused. "Including giving away all the assets that he'd spent almost twenty-five years gathering. Personally, I can't say I am willing to go to that length for any child of mine."I swallowed my pride and spoke through gritted teeth. “I have the signed transfer papers in my car. I’ll hand them over to you, but you’ll tell your people to deactivate the bomb first.”Ambrose hummed, rubbing his chin. “That’s a tempting offer, Dominic. But I have one condition.”I glared at him.
Dominic's POVThe tires screeched as I sped down the empty road, towards the outskirts of the city, where Illinois met Missouri. That place was all trees and forest and shrubbery, and that was where Ambrose had set the location to meet with him.Trees blurred past in a mess of green and shadow. Even the sky overhead was growing darker by the minute. It was almost night. The signed contracts sat on the seat beside me. It was a last resort. A bluff. I had one final plan up my sleeve, and if it didn’t work, I knew I would be walking into my own grave. I just had to make sure Ariel was out of harm's way before doing it.I had told Damien and the others not to follow. I told them I had it under control. It was a lie. But I couldn’t risk Ariel’s life by bringing an army with me.Ambrose wanted me alone? Fine. I’d give him exactly what he asked for.The road stretched on endlessly, winding deeper into the forest. Eventually, the GPS told me to stop. The location Ambrose sent wasn’t accessib
Dominic's POVThe second I heard Damien’s voice outside the door, I bolted upright.Ruby gasped beside me, scrambling to find her dress. “Shit, shit, shit!”“Ruby?" Ariana’s high-pitched voice rang out. "We're coming in!”“No, you’re not!” Ruby hissed, fumbling with the zipper on her dress. I yanked my shirt over my head, hopping on one leg to get my pants back on.It was like some ridiculous game, one where losing meant our friends walking in on something they would never let us live down.Just as Ruby managed to smooth out her dress, and I ran a hand through my cornrows to look somewhat presentable, the door opened.Damien, Ariana and Lilac walked in, stopping just past the doorway. One look at the messy bed, the slightly disheveled clothes and Ruby’s flushed cheeks, and they all knew exactly what had happened.Damien’s eyes moved from the unmade bed to me, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “Really, Dominic?”"We were gone for forty five minutes!" Lilac exclaimed. "You guys couldn't
Ruby's POV Naturally, all I wanted was to argue.... until his fingers brushed up my thighs. When he got to the end of the road, he stroked my pussy gently. I closed my eyes as his breath warmed my delicate skin. My head went back, my hands clutched the pillows. He won. So it wasn’t my life. I might as well enjoy myself.The warm breath on the very edge of my thighs narrowed and then it was his lips. The tip of his tongue, licking, nipping.A fingertip slid slightly inside me, moving slowly, just teasing me with the promise of things to come. He nibbled one thigh, then the other, increasing the pressure against my clit so slowly I had to thrust up against him.He moaned at the movement, rewarding me by concentrating on the one spot with tiny circles.The nibbles stopped. He used both thumbs to spread me open. I held my breath as he found my clit with the hardened tip of his tongue.I gasped and my hands moved to the back of his head, fingers running through his thick, dark cornrows. I