Library

Search

Home / Emotional Realism Short Story / She Named My First / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of She Named My First: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

The entire hall fell into dead silence.Ruby Wheeler’s face shifted from ashen pale to a dark, blotchy purple, then to a black so deep it looked as if ink might drip from it at any moment.Inside me, ten years of love collapsed in an instant.Her fingers tightened around the wine glass until her knuckles turned white, veins rising sharply along the back of her hand. In that moment, whatever restraint she had left snapped.Hayden Gibson’s smug expression froze. His face flickered between red and white as Yara Morris’s careless words crushed what little pride he had left.Around us, the guests’ whispers buzzed like a swarm of flies.I looped my arm through Yara’s, a faint smile resting on my lips.“Ruby, happy birthday.” I raised my glass toward her from across the room, then tipped my head back and drained it in one motion.Ruby did not move. Her gaze cut like a blade, sharp enough to tear me apart.I set the glass down and turned to leave with Yara.“Jeff!”Her voice forced

Chapter 2

“I know.”The moment I returned to the house Ruby and I shared, I did not waste a second. I started packing.I did not have much. I had a few sets of clothes I wore often, some professional books, and the belongings my father had left me.I was placing a locked walnut jewelry box into my suitcase when the door swung open.Hayden stood there with his arms crossed, leaning lazily against the frame. He wore Ruby’s bathrobe, the collar hanging wide open to reveal his toned chest.He acted like he owned the place.“Jeff, packing this late at night?” His eyes dropped to my suitcase, the contempt in them completely clear.“Ruby asked me to check on you,” he said with a smirk. “She was worried you might do something impulsive.”I ignored him and zipped up my suitcase.He walked in anyway and picked up a handcrafted brass fidget spinner from my desk.I had made it in a metalworking class back in college. It was also the first gift I ever gave Ruby.She had loved it back then. She use

Chapter 3

Ruby used that perfectly executed charity campaign to pave the way for her company’s successful IPO.No one knew that the true designer of that tea set was the late artisan, Shane Ellis.I was his last student before he retired.The Brighton Charity Auction was one of the biggest social events of the year, where the city’s elite gathered.Ruby had poured massive resources into it.She needed a flawless public‑relations moment to boost the company’s image and build hype for their upcoming product launch.Hayden’s genius‑designer persona was the centerpiece of it all.In my previous life, I had been locked inside the house, forced to watch everything unfold through the news.I watched as the two of them stepped onto the stage together, bathed in flashing cameras.Ruby stood there, confident and radiant, announcing that all proceeds from the auction of First Light would be donated to children in remote mountain areas.Beside her, Hayden carried himself with effortless charm, tal

Chapter 4

Hayden’s face turned pale in an instant as he shot Ruby a desperate look, his lips trembling with no words coming out.Ruby’s smile froze. A flicker of panic flashed through her eyes. “Mr. Carter, you must be joking. It is normal for design styles to be similar.”“Is it?” Brian’s gaze sharpened behind his glasses. “In the final years of his life, Shane developed a molding technique that left almost no visible seams. It was used to create porcelain of extreme thinness. He never passed this method on to anyone.”He paused, his voice calm yet cutting. “So, tell me, Mr. Gibson. Where did you learn it.”The entire room erupted.Every eye shifted away from the artwork and locked onto Hayden, whose face had gone completely white.Camera flashes exploded nonstop, like blades trying to slice through the mask he had been wearing.I turned off the livestream and picked up the glass of red wine beside me, swirling it lightly.The real show was only beginning.The auction collapsed into to

Chapter 5

“For revenge, you would really stoop this low.” Ruby stepped toward me, one step at a time, her presence heavy and suffocating.“Answer me. Did you tip off Brian.”I met her gaze without flinching. “So, what if I did.”My calmness seemed to enrage her even more. She grabbed my wrist hard.“Do you have any idea how much the company lost because of you? Hayden, he…”“He deserved it.” I cut her off. “If you steal something, you pay for it eventually.”“You!” Her hand shot up.Yara reacted instantly. She caught Ruby’s arm and pulled me behind her. Her palm pressed firmly against my waist, its warmth and steadiness cutting straight through the anger and pain inside me. For the first time, I understood what it felt like to be protected.Yara’s voice turned icy. “Ruby, are you really going to hit him.”The two of them stood there, facing off. The air between them felt ready to explode.In the end, Ruby lowered her hand. She looked at me, her eyes filled with anger, disappointment, a

Chapter 6

For a while, Shane Studio rose to fame almost overnight. Media outlets started seeking me out. I gave interviews, and my professional skills and restoration philosophy were widely shared.My studio was no longer relying on word of mouth alone. Real, proven expertise began to draw in a steady stream of clients.One day, while I was restoring a damaged antique, an unexpected visitor showed up.It was Ruby’s mother, Natasha.Her usual arrogance was gone. She looked worn out, her expression carrying a hint of forced friendliness.“Jeff, this place of yours is quite tasteful.” She looked around the studio, her eyes still carrying that familiar critical edge.I set down my tools and said nothing.“Jeff, I know I was wrong before. I said some harsh things. Do not take them to heart.”She pulled out a chair and sat down like she owned the place. “Look, you and Ruby have been together for so many years. Couples fight, yet it does not mean you go straight to divorce.“Ruby has been unde

Chapter 7

He threw out a few last insults, all bark and no bite, then clutched his so‑called treasure and ran off in embarrassment.Just like that, the farce ended.I knew exactly what this was. Natasha had probably sent him to cause trouble, and a cheap trick like that only made me laugh.However, something else came up that I could not ignore.Yara told me my father’s company had run into serious trouble. Several long‑time clients had suddenly terminated their contracts without warning. The bank had also started pushing for loan repayments.The company’s cash flow tightened almost overnight.My father’s business was a traditional high‑end timber supplier that had been running steadily for decades, so there was no way so many problems would appear all at once. There could only be one explanation. Someone was working behind the scenes.The only person with both the ability and the motive was Ruby.Using the people I cared about most to threaten me.You were really something now, Ruby, I

Chapter 8

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into a corner of the stairwell, lowering his voice.“Who are you, really. What do you want.”“I want to help you.” I met his eyes. “And I want to help all the consumers who have been kept in the dark.”“Help me.” He let out a bitter laugh. “How are you going to help me. Do you even know what I have lost over this? I have been blacklisted from the industry. My wife divorced me. Even my kid will not acknowledge me anymore.“I am nothing now. Just a joke.” His voice shook, his eyes red with emotion.I waited quietly until he finished venting. “I know you have evidence.”I spoke calmly. “A lab report showing that the raw materials in PureSource Essence contain banned substances.”He stared at me in shock. “How do you know that.”“That is not important.” I handed him a business card. “What matters is whether you want the truth to come out. Whether you want the people who look down on you to pay for what they have done.”“I do not have money. I do not

Chapter 9

“She was able to push the bank to call in the loans because our cash‑flow management had problems.“These were not unsolvable issues. We just needed to make changes.”My father stayed silent for a long time. He looked at me, his eyes full of complicated emotions. In the end, he placed all his hopes on me and gave a firm nod.“Alright. The company… I am handing it over to you.“However, do not go begging Ruby.”He looked straight at me, speaking slowly and clearly. “Remember this. The Baker family could fail, yet we would never bow our heads.”“I understand.”I took control of the company.The first thing I did was invest all the remaining liquid funds into developing a new product.It was a sleep‑aid fragrance based on a refined natural botanical formula.In my previous life, after my father’s company went bankrupt, that formula had been bought cheaply by another company. Once launched, it quickly took over the market.This time, it was going to shine in our own hands.Duri

Chapter 10

I knew she was talking about me.I looked at her confident, glowing face on the TV screen, then turned it off.Take your time, Ruby. Fly a little higher, so the fall would hurt even more. That was what I thought.I had Maddox send the report anonymously to the National Medical Products Administration.At the same time, I forwarded the digital copy to several well‑known professional review agencies in the industry, the kind famous for being strict and uncompromising.I did not explain anything.I only added one sentence.[For conscience’s sake.]After that, I gave my father some time off and sent him and my mother overseas for a vacation.I did not want them caught in the storm that was coming.One week later, the bomb dropped.An official notice was released on the NMPA’s website.Ruby’s company was ordered to immediately pull PureSource Essence from shelves nationwide, issue a full recall, and undergo formal investigation.The notice clearly stated that the product contai

PREV

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status