AMBROSE'S POVI climbed into the backseat of the car and slammed the door hard. From the window, I watched Gabriel and Julia step back into their car. Gabriel leaned over to murmur something, and Julia threw her head back, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.Even from this distance, I could tell they were mocking me. Gabriel always had that smirk, that smug tilt of his head like he thought he was untouchable. It made me so angry that I gritted my teeth.“Back to the city, sir?” my driver asked.“Yes, yes!” I snapped.As we pulled away, I sat back and let out a frustrated breath. How many times had I cursed the day I let Gabriel into my life? Too many to count.I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to remember. It had been more than a decade ago when I first met him. Then, he was a scrawny nineteen-year-old boy, shivering on the streets of Chicago with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. He had been timid then, all wide eyes and desperation. He wasn’t much to look
RUBY'S POVDominic pulled up in front of the local government office. He turned off the ignition of his car and we both stared at the building. It looked plain and almost unassuming, with its beige walls and narrow windows. Yet to me, it felt like the doorway to my real truth, a part of my life that my father had tried so hard to bury away from me.I shifted in my seat, my palms clammy despite the cool air from the car’s vents. I had spent my entire life piecing together fragments of my father’s stories, trying to build an image of the woman who had disappeared so completely from my life. I knew she was a redhead and she was not a U.S citizen from Ambrose, but that was hardly information one ought to know about one's mother. Now, with no other options left, I was here.Dominic reached over and his large hand covered mine, his thumb drawing slow, soothing circles on my skin. His touch was warm, grounding me in a moment where I felt anything but steady.“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
RUBY'S POVThe second I stepped outside, I fell apart. My legs gave way, and I dropped onto the cold steps of the government building. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears came hard and fast, leaving me trembling as I buried my face in my hands.All I had was her name. Just a name and nothing else. It felt cruel, like the universe dangled a lifeline in front of me only to yank it away.The pain was suffocating me, I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t care who saw me, who heard me. I was tired of feeling like this. I was tired of feeling lost, small and abandoned. I had no family.A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. I looked up, and Dominic was standing there.“You waited?” My voice was hoarse and broken.“Of course.” He sat on the dusty staircase beside me, even with his expensive pants, and placed his elbows on his knees. “I wasn’t going to leave you.”That was all it took for the tears to start again. He sat down next to me and pulled me against him. His arms wrapped around me, s
RUBY'S POVSilence. That was the answer I got: utter, unbearable silence. I clutched Dominic’s phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white. “Hello?” I tried again. "Hello!"Finally, a soft voice with a distinct British accent broke through the static. “I… I’m sorry, but who is this?”I exhaled sharply in relief and Dominic squeezed my shoulder. “It’s Ruby. Ruby DanCliffe. I... I know you probably weren’t expecting me to call after twenty-one years, but I needed to… I needed to talk to you, Mom.”The word "Mom" felt alien and heavy in my mouth. There was another pause, and I could hear faint sounds in the background, perhaps a TV or a distant conversation. The voice on the other end hesitated. “I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”My stomach dropped. “What do you mean? I’m your daughter! You abandoned me when I was a baby! Do you even care about me? Have you ever cared about me?”“I...” The voice sighed, clearly uncomfortable. “You must be mistaken. I do
RUBY'S POVEstelle Tredwell could have passed for my mother. Almost. The red hair was the same, bright and vibrant, but that was where the similarities ended for us. Estelle was tall and lanky, towering over me even when she stood by the table. I was also a tall woman, but my figure had always been more curvy, pear shaped. Estelle's gray eyes brightened up when they met my green ones, and her British accent wrapped around her words with a grace that felt foreign to me.She walked over, unbuttoning her coat and draping it over the back of a chair. Every movement was elegant and practiced. Her clothes were tailored, her jewelry was understated but expensive. It was obvious that her family, my mother’s family, had money. Maybe as much as my father's family.“You’re Ruby,” she noted. Then her red-lipped mouth dropped open. “Good heavens, you look just like Eleanor. The green eyes, the dimples… It’s so uncanny. It's like I am staring into the face of my sister again!”I smiled, feeling a
RUBY'S POVDamien. The name sounded familiar, like someone I had known a long time ago.Estelle continued. “Ruby, your mother's family comes from a long line of nobility. Damien is next in line to inherit the dukedom of our hometown. But he…” She paused and sighed. “He’s refused to accept it until he finds you.”"What?”“He’s spent years searching for you,” she said. “After Eleanor passed, he became consumed with the idea of finding his sister. The last time I saw him, he was preparing to come to the U.S. to look for you.”I couldn’t speak. The idea of having a brother, an older brother nonetheless, was overwhelming enough. But knowing he’d been looking for me all this time? That he’d put his life on hold for it?Estelle reached out and touched my hand gently. “He loves you, Ruby. Even though he doesn’t know you, he loves you. Eleanor made sure of that.”Tears stung my eyes but I blinked them away. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? I have been so terribly alone for eleven years. Why did nob
GABRIEL’S POVThe hot spray of the shower hit my shoulders as I thought about Ambrose. That old, smug fossil had the audacity to intercept me on my way to Wisconsin some days ago, spewing his sanctimonious bullshit about “jeopardizing the plan.”I scrubbed the soap against my chest with a ferocity that nearly tore my skin. “Jeopardizing the plan,” I sneered. If I had my way, Ambrose would be nothing but a mangled corpse rotting in a ditch. But I couldn’t kill him, not yet anyway. The key was still out of reach, and Ambrose, unfortunately, was a necessary evil for now.I tilted my head back, letting the water rinse the soap suds from my body. The steam around me thickened, clouding the bathroom mirror. My hands baller into fists, knuckles white as I imagined Ambrose’s neck in between my hands. How satisfying it would be to feel his life drain under my fingers.When the water ran clear, I turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack. It smelled faintly of mildew
DOMINIC’S POVI came down the staircase, my laptop balanced on my arm, AirPods plugged into my ears. The screen was crowded with the faces of my management team scattered across time zones. A man in London was talking about projections, his voice echoing in my ear. I nodded occasionally, giving curt responses when necessary but my focus was all over the place.As I reached the living room, I paused. Ariel was perched on the couch at her usual spot, her legs tucked under her, completely absorbed in her phone. Her face glowed faintly from the screen’s light, and she didn’t look up as I approached.“Ariel,” I called out to her and pulled one AirPod out. She glanced up lazily.“Hmm?”“Is Ruby back yet?”“Nope,” she replied, popping the “p” as she turned back to her phone, her fingers moving rapidly across the screen.I frowned and glanced at the clock on my laptop. 9:45 p.m. That was far too late.The last time I’d spoken to Ruby was this afternoon around 1 p.m., if I remembered correctly
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