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54. REALIZATION
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THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 55. THE WAR IS ON
~RUBY I held hands with Ethan during the drive home, my eyes still puffy from the tears. But everything was fine. The bad man had been caught. All was right with the world again. Ethan didn't say anything about Ash walking out on him– us, when we approached him earlier. We just watched, Ethan slightly bewildered as Ash walked through the court room door without a backwards glance. I knew Ash’s reaction had something to do with me, but I really could not place my finger on why or perhaps, what exactly I did. The duality surprised me though. One moment he was there, holding me, patting me on the back as I cried. And the next his eyes had turned black with emotions I couldn't decipher, his face expressionless, his shoulders stiff. Sigh. I didn't put much thought to it though, focusing on Ethan and the peace that came with not having to lie and pretend I was something–someone I hated. “Should we grab takeout. I've not really had anything since…well…you know,” Et
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 56. SECRET AGENT RUBY
~RUBY Surprise flitted across the lawyer's face, as he took my words in. He looked stunned, as though he hadn't been expecting that kind of response from me. I smiled at him, and that seemed to jolt him out of his surprise. “Well. That's a pretty good determination, if you ask me. I wish you erm…good luck in finding whoever it is you want to find,” he said and made to step around me. I cleared my throat. “Sorry to ask, but why are you here? And how did you know we were at the hospital?” I raised my eyebrows at him. The man always seemed to appear wherever we were, and when something happened, too. He smiled and glanced at my husband. “I need to see Ethan about work. We have some legal proceedings we are falling behind on. I texted earlier, and he mentioned he would be here,” he said and walked inside. I never liked the man, his presence unsettled me all the time. Maybe I should just keep an eye on him. I was about to turn around and go back into the room
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 57. HIS CONFLICTED MIND
~ASH Her question kept echoing in my head. She might have meant anything, but from the way her eyes didn't quite look into mine, the way she held her body as though to protect it from me, how choppy her breaths were, made me know what exactly she was asking me about. Smart girl. Somehow, my fireball must have figured something was up. She probably connected the dots due to my confession in the art room, maybe? But I didn't give anything away, did I? And I knew Ruby to never be suspicious unless she was aware of even a tiny piece of the truth. Well, she asked a question. I might as well damn everything to hell and answer. Of course. Of course I am keeping a lot of things from you. Things like how I vowed to ruin Ethan on his wedding day through you. Things like how I drugged your husband on your wedding night and slept with you in his stead. Things like how I held myself and came to the memory of you clenching beneath me on nights when I drug your husban
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 58. THE ELEPHANT’S MOVE
~RUBY I watched in horror as the fire spread slowly in the lower floor, the smoke drifting upwards. I had jumped out of Ash’s car before he even got the chance to properly park the car. I dashed through the crowd that had begun to form. “What happened here?” I yelled, hoping that someone would give me an answer. But people were too worried or in panic to respond to me. Every employee of my father's were outside, some with singed clothes. Apparently, the people working on the top floor had come close to getting burnt or injured when they were escaping. No one got killed though, so that provided some relief. But my relief didn't last long when I discovered that among the throng of people outside, my father was not there. I grabbed a man by his arm, stopping his frantic conversation with another employee midway. “Where is my father? WHERE IS MY FATHER?” The air felt suffocating now, and I couldn't breath. Dad. Daddy. My father's company was on fire, and my
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 59. THE FIRST CALL
~RUBY My blood was humming with anger. Such audacity! To think the shifty anonymous man, who is somehow blackmailing my father into doing what he ordered, had the guts to speak to my father this way. “Damnit. Daddy give me your phone,” I said and grabbed it from his hands before he could react. “Ruby. What are you doing?” He called out, the alarm in his voice was clear and sharp. It got the attention of Ash and Ella too, and they marched toward me. I copied the number and gave my father back his phone, dialing the number on mine instead. Ash grabbed my wrist, trying to stop me. “What do you think you're doing, Ruby? Why the hell are you dialing that man's number?” His coldness seeped into me and I hardened my resolve. “I am doing exactly what I should have done earlier now that his sim is active. If he isn't such a coward, that fool should be able to show his face. I have found that I rather prefer a face to face battle,” I said back, my voice matching his col
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 60. THE ALLERGY
~ASH I watched the interaction between Ruby and the girl, and it was not until I heard Ella scream, a short, panicked scream that turned my blood into ice. I scrambled down from the car, pushing my body to run, or fly, anything to reach Ruby as she hit the ground. The flower basket tumbled from Ruby's hands and fell to the floor, flowers spilling everywhere. I got to Ruby, shoving Ella, who had been hovering over her, away. She was entirely unconscious. Ruby was wheezing quietly, her eyes rolling in and out of her head as she struggled, tethering between consciousness and unconsciousness. I gathered her up in my arm, not knowing what to do. “Shhhh. Shhh. It's okay,” I crooned helplessly, my heart breaking as I watched my fireball struggle. I was halfway to my car, deciding to go to the hospital, when Ella called me. It felt as though we had been spending a lot of time in hospitals these days, and I hated how Ruby fell victim to the hospital victim, too. I tu
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 61. THE AMBUSH
~ASH Men filtered in from nooks and corners, surrounding us as they formed a circle. Ethan, Cole and I both stood back to back, trying to decide on a stance that was formidable enough. The men didn't wear masks, so it was pretty obvious that they were young. Scars marked their faces, and they held batons with a quiet confidence that suggested regular usage. These people were a gang. A slightly older man, who seemed like their leader stood slightly apart from the others, watching us with an unreadable expression. Someone stood behind him, the form of the person was small and slight that it was almost not noticeable. “Sweetheart. Come on out. Are they the ones chasing you?” He called out and the small form I noticed stepped out, turning out to be the girl who delivered the flowers. “Yes,” she nodded in affirmative. The man nodded and gestured for her to leave. He didn't speak until the girl was out of sight. “You wanted to kidnap my daughter,” the man stated, his v
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 62. THE POLICE STATION
~ASH I watched Cole tense as the siren continued to blast, and frowned when his shoulders became rigid, his body going into a stance that didn't convey comfortability. The door was blasted open, and a police officer strode in, his minions flooding in behind him to surround us. The man surveyed the room, and stopped short when he saw Cole. His eyes flickered to the gun Cole was holding and I saw them harden. “You. What are you doing here?” He spat out the question as he stared at Cole with anger. “I…we were just asking some questions, sir,” Cole shifted uncomfortably. The man, clearly a superior, sighed. “After clearly asking you to stay out of trouble. Look at you, in the midst of a gang, sporting bruises. You don't ever listen,” the man sighed. He turned to face the gang. “We won't be coming here for a warning anymore. Keep your activities down. The damned paperwork keeps piling on my desk. I'll round you up when next I come here,” he warned and turned bac
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THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE EPILOGUE
~RUBY ~FIVE YEARS LATER~ I was flipping a pancake when I heard a loud splash, immediately accompanied by a squeal, and I sighed as I walked and poked my head out of the pool door. “Jesus Christ. Ash. Jules. Keep it down,” I chastised, but Ash just looked up from his painting and grinned at me. “I don't know what you're talking about, fireball. As you can see, I'm innocent,” he winked and went back to painting. “Mummy see. I can do a backflip,” my daughter squealed and before I could stop her, she ran to the pool steps, closed her eyes, and flipped back into the water with a loud splash. “If you keep doing that there'll be no pancakes for you,” I said and she popped her head out immediately. “Oh no. I love pancakes!” “Then stop making such a loud noise,” I snapped and walked back to the kitchen, hiding a smile. The only way to get Jules into submissiveness was to threaten to take away her food. Soft footsteps pattered behind me. “I'm sorry, mum. I won't ma
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 96. THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
~RUBY I watched in horror as Ash lunged at Richard. The move took Richard by surprise and he stumbled backwards. He glanced up and spat, a trickle of blood running down his jaw. Ash's attack had taken him in the jaw, and he cursed as he glared at my husband's brother. “You bastard,” Richard growled and he attacked Ash with a ferocity that scared me so much that I took a step back, my legs trembling. They exchanged blows that left Richard reeling, but Ash was taking the worst of it. He had been beaten and bruised, and even though anger fueled his movements, his body was badly battered, making his movements sloppy and clumsy. Richard landed a blow on Ash's face, and a sharp crack filled the air. My horror grew as I saw blood trickle down Ash's nose, and I realized that his nose was broken. My hands started to shake as they continued to beat each other, and the grunts made me flinch. I had to do something. If I stood there and watched, helpless and useless, som
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 95. HEROIC FIREBALL
~RUBY I knew deciding to go to the location was me walking into a trap, but this was Ash. There was no saying what that man could do to him, and I honestly could not stand losing another member of my family. He was my husband's brother. And my friend. Besides, I would not be able to go on for long as a member of the Riverstone's family with no one to help me. But the greater factor of all, that made me pick up a pen and write a note to Ella, that made me decide that I would go, even when it was glaringly obvious that there was nothing I could do to help, was because he had always been there for me. Ash had always, always given me a shoulder to cry on. He had comforted me countless times, being there for me, took risks for me, and loved me all the same. The least I could do was to be there for him, too. So I placed the note I wrote on the bedside table where Ella's phone was, took a deep breath, and picked up my phone. The location he sent was a secluded area not
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 94. THE SILENT PROTECTOR
~ETHAN I staggered out of the hospital room, my vision swimming and my head pounding. But I didn't stop. Every step was agony to my limbs, and I was sure the pain was going to rip me out from inside. But I continued to walk. I had ruined everything. Memories of how I acted that day played over and over in my head, so frequently that I thought I was going to lose my mind. I wanted to scream, to shake myself out of the pain. But I didn't. Doing that would only draw attention to me, and I really needed to get to Ruby. To salvage the situation. But if I let out this scream of horror and pain that was building in me, they would detain me and stop me from going to Ruby, so I swallowed it. Gritting my teeth in pain and dizziness, I made it to a side door that led outside the hospital. A cab pulled up as soon as I managed to drag myself to the sidewalk, and I stumbled inside. “The.. River…Riverstone's Villa, please,” I gasped in short breaths as I spoke, and the cab man
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 93. THE WALKING DEAD
~A FEW HOURS EARLIER~ ~ETHAN My body felt as though it was being dragged through mud as I tried to regain consciousness. Straining against the strange sensation, I opened my eyes. I was in a hospital. The ‘drop drop’ sound of the drip sounded like a ticking bomb to my ears, and I closed my eyes, trying to shut the sound away to no avail. Wires ran across my body, connected to different types of machines, and my heart rate picked up as I tried to remember what happened. My head hurt so bad though, and it made it so hard to think, so I relaxed a bit, trying to coax the information out of my brain. Something was at the edge of my brain, something important, but I couldn't access it. It was as though my brain was asleep, and reviving it would take a lot to work. Footsteps sounded down the hall, and I closed my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep. Two people stepped into my room, and I could feel their scrutiny as they peered down at
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 92. FALLING INTO PLACE
~RUBY Everything clicked into place for me. How he always seemed to know when something happened, how he always appeared out of thin air whenever Mr A struck. It explained how he knew about my allergy. He must have read about it in the marriage document I exchanged with Ethan. Oh my goodness. My knees got weak and could not hold me up any longer, so I slid down the floor, the coolness grounding me a little bit. Ella was worried, and she stood up from the couch to join me on the floor. “Baby. What is it again? What did Patrick say?” Her voice was choked with worry and panic, while my mind whirled at the extensiveness of Richard's cruelty. “Mr. A. Richard is Mr. A,” I managed to whisper, and the tremor of shock that went through Ella reverberated in me. “How…why…” she wanted to talk, but words eluded her, as they did me. “God. Richard's scheme was so…” I tried speaking too, but I could not wrap my head around it. Everything that has been wrong, that ha
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 91. A FEW MINUTES
~RUBY It's been twenty four hours since the trial, Ash's kidnap, and the accusations, but it felt like years to me. I laid on my hospital bed and didn't say a word. There was nothing to say, anyway. Ella and my father exchanged worried glances all the time, but they could not help me. So they waited for me, and I waited for my husband. If only Ethan had listened. If only I had been strong enough to save them both. If only I hadn't found the diary. If only… Damnit. There was no point in wishing things had happened differently, but I couldn't help myself. If I had a genie, I would not even ask for three wishes. What I would have wished for was for Ethan to come back to life, and set things right. If he came back, I would make him listen, and the three of us would raise the kid together. I would not even give a damn about Richard and his shenanigans. He could go to hell for all I care. All I wanted was Ethan. But a dead person always remain dead. They never ca
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 90. THE NEWS
~RUBY I was shaken from facing that crowd and telling the truth, but I was glad I did it. I was so scared, that I feared I would not be able to speak, but I did it. “My darling. I'm so proud of you,” Ella whispered as she hugged me, and I sagged against her, watching them lead Ash away. Cole went with them, and the courtroom bustled around me and Ella. No one paid attention to us though, so I let my facade down, and let her hold me. I felt weak, since I didn't allow my body to recover before rushing all the way here, letting Ella brief me in the taxi. The short burst of energy that carried me through the whole process of running here and giving my account was gone now, and my body ached so bad. “I'm so tired. I feel like my legs are going to give out any minute,” I groaned and Ella shifted her weight slightly away from mine. “Come on. Let's go back to the hospital,” she said and I nodded. We made our way slowly through the court room, Ella calling for a taxi as we wal
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 89. MY STRONG FIREBALL
~ASH I was shocked. Surprised. Befuddled. Stunned. I didn't expect Ruby to wake up soon, and from Cole's expression, he didn't expect it too. But she was here and she was awake, and that was all that mattered. I was happy. She seemed okay, no matter how weak she looked. She was okay. Even if I was sentenced to jail or death, I would die happily. The judge started at her words. “You are a witness to what happened?” He asked. “Yes, I am.” The prosecutor stood up with an uncomfortable expression, and Ruby, standing in the witness box, took the oath of truth. “Speak, witness,” the judge ordered. “Ethan, my husband, invited us both to the restaurant. He was acting weird, but I was too absorbed in the information I wanted to pass across to them to notice. It was when he showed us the pictures and started acting up that I noticed. I tried reasoning with him, but he was too far gone in his answer to listen. It was when he wanted to hit me that Ash stepped in and s
