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72. FINDING ASH
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THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 73. STABBING PAIN
~ASH My chest was hurting so bad, and the agony was like nothing I had felt before. I didn't even feel this way when Xena died, and the thought of feeling like this over Ruby made me realize how gone I was. Guilt was all I felt, and I had no idea where I ended and where it started. It pierced through my blood and bone and soul and the very essence I breathed, tearing me apart over and over. I wandered through the pack, ignoring all of the familiar faces I had gotten accustomed to during the course of coming here. There was a tree in the secluded part of the park, and I walked towards it, my hands clenched into fists. Why did I do that? What on earth prompted me to do that? Now she was hurt, and I was in pain. The look on her face as she took me in before she lost consciousness made me want to…I don't know. It made me want to crawl out of my body and become someone else. Someone she wouldn't hate. But I had been foolish, and now I was going to suffer the c
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 74. BROKEN HEARTED
~RUBY I stilled. “What– what did you just say?” I asked, my hands limp against his chest. His eyes were mirrors of my pain, and we both stared at each other, as though we wanted to drown in the pain that threatened to consume us both. “I did it for revenge. I wanted to hurt Ethan. I wanted him to feel what I felt, I wanted him to know what it felt like when something…someone that belonged to you was not entirely yours,” he said. His words were barely a whisper, and tears rolled down his face. He didn't even bother to wipe them off, and he looked so different, so unlike the Ash, I knew. “What do you mean?” His pain suddenly seemed greater, like he was reliving a past he didn't want to be reminded of. “Have you ever wondered how Ethan became mentally ill? Did you ever wonder when and why his episodes started? Did you ever wonder how—” he choked on his words, “Xena died?” I dropped my fists and moved back. What he was implying made no sense. Why the fuck was h
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 75. A MYSTERIOUS TRUTH
~RUBY I turned back to stare at Ash slowly. He was on the floor, ashamed and undignified. A part of me wanted to feel pity for him, but I squashed that part. Ash Riverstone was a liar, a sick, twisted man. He didn't deserve my pity. He didn't deserve my attention or my sympathy. All he deserved was hell and the wracking pain he was facing right now. “I swear it with everything in me. I swear it with my soul. I love you, Ruby. I don't know why I'm telling you this but I honestly, really do,” he said and my anger glared, burning hotter than it ever had. I suddenly began to walk toward him with determination. Ash stared back at me in hope. I had no idea what he thought I was about to do but I sure as hell was not going to do anything close to whatever he was expecting. Because the moment I got close enough, I landed the hottest slap I could muster across his face. He staggered back in shock and glared at me as if he had never been slapped his entire life. “Don't yo
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 76. TAKEN
~RUBY My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I read articles after articles, detailing the accident that led to Mr Riverstone's death. There was articles about Xena too, but it didn't get much acclaim, and minimal attention was paid to her. The dates though. The dates was exactly the same, and it coincided with Xena's last entry. I suddenly fell into an abyss of fear. If what I read from Xena's diary was right, then we were in deep, deep trouble. Mr Richard seemed to have dangerous bones in his body. But what if I was jumping to conclusions? What if Xena has heard it all wrong? Could Mr. Richard really be the one behind the death of Ethan's father? I could not shake off the feeling of dread though, and my heart raced, temporarily blocking out the pregnancy from my mind. Ethan. I needed to call Ethan. If my suspicions turned out to be true, he needed to stay away from that man. I dialed his number several times, but it wasn't going through. Was his phone d
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 77. THE KIDNAPPED
~RUBY My head throbbed like hell. I opened my eyes, fear simmering beneath my bones as I took in my surroundings. My jaw felt tender and hurt like hell, and I knew I would be sporting a nasty bruise that would definitely take a lot of time to heal. I didn't need to rack my brain as to why I was in a strange environment, I remembered from the moment I became conscious. Even before I opened my eyes. My hands and legs were tied to the chair I was sitting on, and my clothes clung to my body from the sweat that was rolling down my body. The room had only one small window at the highest part of the wall, and the only way in and out was a single door that was adjacent to where I was sitting. Heat rolled in the air, and I shifted uncomfortably. But that was the least of my worries. I was more worried about Ethan and how he was handling my disappearance. Has he listened to the voice mail I left him yet? He would have. The room wasn't entirely dark yet, and from the lim
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 78. CHEATERS
~ETHAN ~SOME HOURS AGO~ Work was relatively boring and monotonous. It took a lot of willpower to stay in the office and listen to Richard drone on and on about some legal discussions. I let my mind wander, and thought about my sweet, sweet darling. My Ruby. My wife. The one that was now carrying my baby. Christ. I was so happy. I was already beginning to imagine how I would spoil the kid rotten, and shower Ruby with love, attention, and every fucking thing she wanted. I was about to be a father That one thought kept ringing in my head that I barely paid attention to what was discussed in the conference meeting I held. Richard had to nudge me whenever the discussion required my input, and I was about to damn it all to hell and leave for home when the meeting, finally ended. Richard was a darling. If he had been absent, the meeting would have been a flop. I watched as my employees trickled out one after the other, and Richard stayed behind, holding a document. I
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 79. DINING ON THORNS
~RUBY After waiting for several long minutes, the car finally arrived. It was driven by one of Ethan's company drivers, so I did not have to question who it was that sent him before walking into the car. Exhaustion weighed me down, and I sagged against the back seat. It took me a while to realize, but when I did, I sat straight up. “This is not the way home,” I called out to the driver. My voice was hoarse, and I had to repeat myself again before he heard me. “Yes ma'am. Mr Ethan asked us to bring you somewhere else. You're to meet him there instead,” the driver answered politely and I frowned. If I wasn't familiar with the driver, I would have been suspicious. But he worked for Ethan, so he had to be telling the truth. And besides, I had no cell phone to confirm from my husband. So I just trusted my instincts and let it go. It took me driving for a while before we finally arrived at our destination. I gasped as I sat up. It was…magnificent. As we drove throu
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 80. ESCALATION
~RUBY The world stopped moving. The waves of the water below us, Ash's quiet breathing, the sound of the waiters pattering somewhere far from our table, the slow, sensuous music. Everything faded away. I was frozen on my seat, unable to breathe, unable to move. Ash's lips were parted midway, and Ethan seemed to be the only living thing in this environment. Dread filled me. Ash's eyes never left mine, and memories of the kiss floated through my mind. I remembered how he kissed me suddenly, how guilt flashed in his eyes when I slapped him. And I remember us being very alone. Which meant that Richard must have planted a spy on us. My breathe hitched when I remembered how smug he was, how utterly confident he spoke when he asked me to be set free. ‘Go and undo yourself, Ruby.’ Oh my God. This was what he meant. Ethan was still staring at me, lethal malice in his gaze. I knew there was no way I could get through him or convince him that it was not what it lo
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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
