Ruby's POVThere was definitely more to this Willow woman than met the eye, and I was going to find out what it was.However, I left the building, brushing aside the strange encounter with Willow. I was going to worry about that later. Right now, there were bigger problems to deal with, and I needed a clear head. The cafe where I usually had my lunch break wasn’t far, and the thought of sitting down with a coffee and something warm to eat was comforting. As I walked down the street, something felt off. I glanced behind me and saw three men in black shirts and black trousers, paired with black sunglasses. I knew who they were. Ambrose’s men. Again. Only Ambrose's men dressed like that.I knew without thinking much that this was another antic of Gabriel. What was he trying to do this time? Scare me again, or order me to give up that stupid key he was always going on about?My heart was spiralling away but I forced myself to stay calm. Maybe if I walked faster, they would lose interest
RUBY'S POVWhen my consciousness returned, I felt as weak and as useless as a sack of potatoes.My eyes fluttered open to blinding light, seeping through the bag over my eyes. Wincing against the brightness, I twisted and realized I was bound, sitting on a rigid wooden chair that dug into my back and behind. Thirst clawed at my throat, my body ached, and fear made me start to pant loudly.A very unfamiliar world greeted me through a small tear in the bag. Shadows danced in the light, and all I could see were dark corners and even darker objects. Or were they people? I had no idea. I strained to gather any clues about where I was, but the limited view didn't do much for me.The creak of a door opening to my left jolted me. Quickly, I let my head fall to my chest, pretending to still be unconscious. I couldn't let them know I was awake. I was not sure of what they might do if they realized I was aware of my surroundings.Ominous footsteps approached, echoing in the large space. I tried
Ruby's POVGabriel grabbed another chair and sat across from me. I scoffed and tipped my head. "So, are we doing this again? You’ll ask about the key, I’ll tell you I don’t have it, and you’ll keep pretending I’m lying?"His lips curled into something resembling a smile, though it didn't have any warmth. "You’ve always been so predictable, Ruby. Always trying to push buttons that don’t exist."I glared at him. "I don't think so. I married you, didn’t I? That’s not predictable. That’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made."His nostrils flared, but he didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he clasped his hands and stared at me, as though I were some puzzle he could solve."I don’t have your key, Gabriel," I snapped. "How many times do I have to say it before it gets through your thick skull?"His voice dropped, and his words came slowly. "You know, Ruby, you really should learn when to stop talking. It might save you from unnecessary pain."I barked out a bitter laugh. "Oh, please. You’re not
Ruby's POVI didn’t stop running until my legs ached and my lungs burned. My eyes moved around wildly, searching for Gabriel or his men. No sign of them, thank God.I stumbled onto a highway and slowed down. But I could not stop now; they could be coming after me already.Then I noticed something familiar. I recognized the stretch of road and the bend up ahead. The Rutherford office wasn’t far from here. Just at the corner, I spotted the cafe where I’d planned to have lunch before my entire day fell apart.I crossed the street quickly and entered the cafe, pushing through the glass door. Warm air greeted me along with the smell of coffee and baked goods. For a moment, it felt strange. People sat at tables chatting, sipping drinks, completely unaware of what I’d just been through.I stopped the first waitress I saw. “Excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” My hands were shaking as I touched her shoulder, and she gave me a curious look before pointing to the back.“Down the hall to the left,”
Dominic's POVI closed the door behind Ruby and walked toward my desk. The view from the glass wall stretched out before me, but I barely saw it. I merely looked at the busy streets below me but my mind was elsewhere.Ruby had disappeared.I had returned after lunch to find her desk empty, her phone and bag still sitting there. I had called her phone repeatedly and heard nothing but the voicemail. Panic had clawed at me. I’d sent my men to look for her, scouring the city.Now three hours later, she waltzed in like nothing had happened.Behind me, she cleared her throat. I didn’t turn around. “Are you going to say something, Dominic?”I folded my arms and stared out the window. “Where were you all day?"“I was out," she said softly. “I had lunch with Ariana and Lilac and we kind of got carried away talking.”I turned and faced her, raising a brow. “Carried away for three hours?”She nodded. “I get distracted easily. You know that. It’s not a big deal, right?”“Not a big deal?” I repeat
Ruby’s POVI snapped the laptop shut and rubbed my temples. It had been two days since I'd escaped from Gabriel's custody, and I still hadn't recovered from it all.The last two weeks had been a whole nasty mess. First, Estelle showed up with news that my mother had died and that I had an older brother. Now, I had found out that my father hid a key inside the pendant he gave me when I was fourteen, right after my ex-husband kidnapped me.Funny enough, with just the name I was given, I haven't been able to find anything about my brother from the Internet. It was like he didn't want to be found.I exhaled sharply and shook my head. It almost felt like the season finale of a soap opera.Maybe my life really was a soap opera.Laughter and arguing voices echoed through the hallway. I frowned and craned my head toward HR’s office, but it was empty. Usually, It was Rosalie and her motley crew of friends from HR that made so much noise.I stood and walked to the door. The voices became louder
Ruby's POVTogether, we stepped into Dominic’s office and he closed the door behind us. His movements were quick and furtive. I wanted to catch his eyes and silently ask what this was about, but he didn’t look at me. His jaw was tight. What the hell was going on?“Sit down, both of you.” He ordered.Willow lowered herself into the chair closest to the door. Her hands gripped the edge of the seat. I hesitated before sitting beside her. Dominic walked to his desk and placed both palms on its surface, staring down at us.“What is this about?” I asked. "Did something happen? Did Rosalie...."He lifted a hand to silence me and I stopped talking. My fingers curled against my lap. I glanced at Willow; she was sweating and looking like she was being dragged to the gallows.“I do routine background checks on employees,” Dominic started. His voice was calm, but I knew him enough to know that he was tense. “Especially the newer ones.”I glanced at Willow again. She kept her head down, staring at
Ruby's POVI could not concentrate for the rest of the day. No matter how much I tried to focus on my work, my thoughts kept drifting back to Julia. The way she had looked at me. The way she had begged. The way I had turned my back on her.I didn’t pity her. She deserved everything she was currently facing, and even more. All I wished was that Gabriel was here to suffer with her.The office moved around me, but I barely registered any of it. I tapped my pen against my desk and stared at nothing.At some point, I heard the loud click of heels on the floor. When I looked up, Rosalie was strutting into the office and walking towards me. She leaned against my desk and gave me a coy look."Nice save for Miss Willow back there, Super Woman.""Piss off, Rosalie!" I replied. "I don't have time for your games.""Why was your little friend being dragged away by Dominic's men, though?" she asked in amusement. "Did she finally cross the wrong person?"I picked up a pen and pretended to review the
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