“Alex.” I said it in shock, like I hadn’t been the one at his door.“Ruby?” His pupils were widening in surprise as he looked at me. “I wasn’t expecting you so fast.”“Yea. Me too.” I said beneath my breath. I didn’t even think I was going to come here, yet I was standing in front of his room. He was still standing at the door, and I looked at him pointedly. “Am I going to stay outside?”“Please come in.” He said, gesturing to the room and moving to the side to allow me in. The smile refused to leave his lip, and it had me melting.“Thank you.” I entered the luxury suites and made for the sofa I had seen.Alex was still tending awkwardly to the side, swinging his hands around like he didn’t know what to do with them. And it was almost cute watching him.At the same time, he was the one who had invited me, yet he looked so shocked.My eyes widened as I saw the serpent in front of me, and I was screaming before I knew it. “Wow.” But I was quick to turn it into a cough and a bout of snee
“Children?” To say I was surprised is an understatement. That was the last thing I had expected from him.“Yeah, it wouldn’t be bad. I am an only child, and sometimes I’ve always wished I had a sibling; that is no longer possible, hence why I would like a large family so my children will not be lonely.”“That is fine.” I mean, the man wants a large number of children, and that is on him, but I wasn't going to be popping out kids like candy.For me, I felt the opposite about children. Back when I was still struggling to make ends meet, I had vowed never to have a child and bring them into this world; otherwise, they would continue my line of poverty.That was one of the reasons I was consistent with my birth control option and almost always had an implant in my arm.I knew I wasn’t cut out to be celibate, but I also had to make sure I eliminated any risk of unwanted pregnancy, and that has been working for years.It has become a part of me that I often forget that I had an implant, exc
As I walked down the stairs, I half expected him to follow me; that was the reason I had taken the stairs instead of the elevator and the reason I was walking like I was a snail, just to stall time.Who was I kidding?I should have known that Alex’s ego was too big for that, and I had already angered him more than I could count. I had pushed him to his limit, and he had backed down.As I walked out of the lobby, I bowed my head down, trying to make myself small. Even though the staff didn’t say anything, I could feel their judge gaze on me, and just the walk felt very much like the walk of shame.I made it through my own personal hell, and I was rushing to where I had parked my car, entering into it, and driving off without looking back. I headed straight for home, although it was a little difficult trying to see the road when my eyes were filled with water.I had just blown my chance of having anything with Alex, and tomorrow he will be going back to New York, and that will be the en
I enjoyed the stay with Anna more than I thought I would; it was just the right thing I needed at that moment to get me back on track.Since most of their children were hardly around, Anna doted on me like her daughter, and Charles was left out doting on me. I was so spoiled and cared for that I was reluctant to go.It was my last day with them, and Anna was in my room, helping me pack. It wasn’t supposed to be much, but I had gone shopping with them. Of course I had to get more clothes since it was catered for, and now I had a lot of things to pack.“Anna?”“Hmm?” She turned to look at me, giving me her full attention. “I am getting a divorce.”“Good, it has been a long time coming. You should have ditched his ass since the very first time.”"Well, I was going to get a divorce, but the judge refused to, as she believed we still had a lot to settle. She gave us about 6 more months to get to know ourselves and come back.”“Six months is a long time; how do you feel about this?”“I don’
In all the times that I had known Jeremy, this was the first time I heard such a tone from him, and I couldn’t bear to hear it. It was monotone and dull, as if all life had been sucked out of him and there was nothing else he would do.“Jeremy?” I came closer to him, but he shifted away from me, and that hurt me more than I could have imagined.“I must apologize; I didn’t know you had a visitor. I will be on my way now, but here, I have something for you.” He said, stretching his hand towards me to reveal a hint box. “Goodbye,” he said, turning to go, but I held his hands to prevent him from doing so.“You just came here; surely you can’t just leave like that,” I said to him, completely ignoring Alex.“I don’t see any need for me to stay here any longer; you have a visitor, and you seemed to be busy. I wouldn’t want to disturb what you have.”I rolled my eyes at him. Men, why do they have so much ego?“Come on, it wouldn’t be bad if we could all gather in the living room and celebrate
I waited for a moment, watching his ripped back as he went far away from me, and I whispered to the air, hoping it would carry it to him. “I will miss you, Jeremy.”I got on with watching until he disappeared completely from my sight, and I went back inside to meet Alex. The oblivious man was still sitting in the same spot I had left him. I came to meet him, and he took one look at my demeanor and was instantly standing up.“What is wrong? Did he hurt you? Because I swear I will make him pay.” I shook my head, indicating he didn't, and before I could say anything, the floodgates opened and I began to cry.Alex was at a loss for words, seeing me in such a state, and he had no idea what to do. Instead, he held me and drew me closer, hugging me tight.“It is alright.’ He kept on whispering gently on and on, allowing me to cry out of my heart. And whenever I wanted to stop, I would hear his gentle voice coursing through me, and I would begin another round of tears.I cried until I couldn’
“Fucking hell.” Alex growled as he saw me, and he was already on his feet, walking towards me as if he were enchanted. “Ruby.” He groaned as if he were in pain.“How do I look?” I asked, twirling for him. I already knew the answer from the way he was devouring me, but I needed to hear him say it.“Magnificent. If you weren’t single, I would have fought your man just to be with you.” Alex had said, and I shielded my mouth with my hands as I laughed.His eyes raked over my entire being, looking at me appreciatively, and I was beaming with pride. I have never been so happy that I got this dress.“I think you have asthma because anytime I see you, you take my breath away,” Alex said, and I was shaking my head, almost doubling in laughter.I think I like this new side of Alex; he was flirtatious and fun—everything the old one wasn’t.“Shall we, my lady?” He held out his arms for me, and I gladly took them.“Of course, my prince.” I took his arms and let him lead me out, but not before turn
I couldn’t keep off the nagging voice in my head as I made it to my hospital appointment, and all the while I was occupied thinking about the last time I got my implant.It has become a part of me so much that I have forgotten about it, and now I am regretting it. I have been unsafe for the past month, and I needed to be sure.I arrived at the hospital and headed straight to the fertility clinic, wearing huge sunglasses even though I was inside. I was trying to avoid an unnecessary run-in with someone I know.I sat in the waiting area, waiting for my turn, while I busied myself with my calendar, trying to remember the last time I had a period.All that was only giving me headaches, and I couldn’t be more grateful when the doctor called my name and I entered in.“Miss Ruby, it has been a while.” The female doctor said with a huge smile that threatened to tear her lips. It was even surprising that she remembered me because I couldn’t remember the last time I was here, nor could I rememb
Honestly, this wasn’t how I imagined the book to end. I still had a lot of ideas, but as I gave it some thought, I knew that I was dragging the plot unnecessarily, and I think Alex and Ruby deserve their happy ending after all they had been through, even though it may not be what you wished for.I have learned that sometimes less is more, and that is what I am looking for in this book.Their future is left for you readers to decide, so be creative and leave a message on how you think they should have ended, and I would be happy to contribute and add my own theory.I want to thank everyone that has been reading the book even up to this point; you are the reason I kept this going.Your comments and gems were really appreciated.I do have a tiny favor for you. If you enjoyed reading this book or have read it to this point, you could click on the three lines at the bottom left of the screen, click on book details, and leave a rating for the book.You can also look forward to my future pro
I stood on my tiptoes, and my hands flew up to circle his neck, even as I connected my lips to his. Alex was frozen in place, not expecting my reaction, but the man was quick to recover.I heard a low growl from his belly, and he held my neck, pulling me closer to him. His lips were firm as they pressed against me, the complete opposite of the gentle butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach.Alex pulled back for a split second, his warm breath fanning my skin and sending delicious tingles down my body. He was looking at me with stormy eyes, and I could see nothing but love in his gaze.“Before we go forward, I need your verbal response. I don’t want to have any casual relationships anymore. I am tired of chasing the clouds, and I want something authentic with you. If you are saying yes, that means you are all in.” His eyebrow creased with serious intent as he spoke.I gave it a little thought, even though I already knew what my reply would be. In all honesty, I was tired of this
I looked at my phone, squinting at the mail I had just received, just to be sure that it was actually from Alex.Why couldn’t he tell me if they had accepted or rejected our offer in the mail? Did he have to see me face-to-face so he could gloat at my dejected face?He didn’t even give a specific date, so he had expected me to be omniscient and know when I should come. I looked up at the top left-hand corner of my phone, where the time was reading some minutes before one.A flitting thought crossed my mind about how it was so close to time. It took me some seconds to process the information before I was jumping to my feet.He obviously meant today, and if he did, I needed to be extra fast to make it on time. Thank goodness for the little things. I had already taken my bath, so it was going to make things easier.I padded my wardrobe, which was only seen to be overflowing no matter how much I debunk and declutter. I think I was going to have another yard sale so I could create more spa
“Hmm.” Alex’s lips were in a thin line as he looked at me. He finally allowed our eyes to meet, and I wasn’t sure I liked what I was seeing there.They were unreadable and barely giving anything out, and honestly, I didn’t know how to feel about that. But I could feel the huge divide between us, and I had no idea how I was going to mend it.“Alex? I asked a question.” I reminded him when I got no response again.“Yeah, I heard you the first time; I was just wondering why you decided to come to me.” He folded his arms, and I watched as his muscles bulged, giving him a menacing look. But I wasn’t fazed. “Why are you coming to me? What happened to all the numerous investors that gave you the contract? Are they suddenly backing out of the contract?”I whined with each sentence, each sentence delivering a lash on my back, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Alex sure had a way with words, and he knew how best to make it hurt.“I came to you for a reason, Alex.” I said while I practiced
“Hey, I need your help.” I said into the speaker, and I waited, unconsciously holding my breath, to hear his reply. A few seconds had passed, and I didn’t hear anything from him. I was sure he heard me, but I was going to repeat it again to clarify any doubt. “I need your help.”“Yes, I heard you for the first time. What do you need?” No matter how he tried, he couldn’t hide the hostility in his voice, and I was cringing as I heard it.I deserved it. I had hurt him beyond measure, yet I was the one on his phone, seeking his favor.“Uhm, it is a long story, but I think it is better if we meet in person.” I said, my heart pounding in my chest for no apparent reason.I heard the ruffling of pages and a small pause before he replied. “Alright, tomorrow should be fine with me by 6 p.m. I will send you the location.”“Alright, thank you.” He was disconnecting the call even before I even finished talking, and I looked at the blank screen for a moment, wondering where it had all gone wrong.I
“We need to talk.” I spoke into the speaker, and I didn’t care if he had heard me or not, but I disconnected the call and flung my phone on the bed—only carefully, of course.That particular phone had cost me a ton, and I didn’t think I had the strength to replace it just yet. Plus, all of my important information was there; I couldn’t afford to lose it because of a tantrum.I held my head in my hand, cradling it like I would a baby. I wanted to scream out my frustration, bang my head on the wall, or do something crazy.But I couldn’t find the strength to do so.I have never been one to resort to violence if I didn’t have my way. Okay? I was lying, I used to in the past, but I'm a changed person now, and I don’t do such things now.I sat on my bed, unmoving, while I waited for the person on the other end of the phone to come back home. All this time, I was numb, not allowing myself to feel anything, but my brain was still working on how to come up with a solution.I was snapping out o
Work began in earnest the next day, which means that we were going to be staying in New York for a great deal of time—well, only Jeremy and I.Charles and Anna had gone back to Seattle as they had a lot of things to do and couldn’t always be here for us.However, I understood how much of a sacrifice they had made to make us reach such levels, and I was never taking it for granted. That was why I was eager to make sure this project was a success.It had to beJeremy and I had rented an Airbnb that would accommodate us during our stay in New York. Nothing fancy though; it was a modest house with 3 bedrooms and well-furnished rooms, and it had all the essentials we needed.We had decided on a 3-bedroom in case we had visitors; they could always stay in the guest bedroom without having to inconvenience anyone. I flew back to Seattle during the weekend just to check on how things were going over there while Jeremy was holding out his end in New York.We had no ongoing project anymore in Se
I held my breath as I opened the door, but I realized too late that it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the one that I dreamed of every waking hour, the one that somehow found a way to occupy my thoughts even though I didn’t want him to.Anna was quick to notice the frown on my face, and frown lines were etched on her face. “Are we interrupting something?” She asked in a worrisome tone, and I was quick to shake my head, denying her claim.“No, of course not. It is fine; please come in.” I said, moving out of the door so she could enter inside. “I had just woken up not so long ago, and it wasn’t to good news.”“Yeah, about that.” She began entering the room and taking up the empty space on the sofa while her husband sat on the only chair that was in the room. “We heard, or rather saw, what happened, and we just wanted to check on you.”“Yeah, Jeremy was just telling me about it, but it is pretty much under control.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. There was no need to start remembering the hurtfu
“What have you done?” Jeremy yelled as he entered my room. I was taken aback by the outburst, and my eyebrows rose in question.“I don’t understand. What happened?” I asked, confusion written all over my face. I had just woken up from a sweet, albeit short, nap, and I was still trying to get my bearings.There was no way I would have done something between those times, except I had a Dopplerganger somewhere who was wreaking havoc when I was sleeping.Thinking of it, if I had a dopplerganger somewhere, I would want to meet with her; maybe we could exchange jobs or something.“Don’t try to play ignorant about this; your face is literally plastered all over the internet.” Jeremy barked, cutting into my thoughts.“Ohkayyy…” I dragged out the words as I was still trying to recall what bad I had done. “I mean, it should be a good thing, right? Some exposure means more opportunities.”Jeremy looked at me. His jaw was hanging low, like he couldn’t believe what I had just said, and I was even m