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79. DINING ON THORNS
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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
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 81. THE DARKEST DAY
~RUBY I gasped. Horror filled me as I watched my husband and his brother fall to the other side. The broken railing fell away, and I heard it land into the water. My feet refused to move for what seemed like hours, but when I heard nothing, I forced them to move. They were okay. They had to be. I refused to think about the alternatives. Thinking in that line would only horrify me further, and I was already having issues keeping my fear down. Looking around, I realized that I could not call for help. Ethan had booked the whole place, and the waiters were no where to be found. I walked to the edge of the cliff with shaky legs, and took a deep breathe. Look down, Ruby. Look down. I didn't want to look down. I didn't want to see the body of my husband and his brother impaled on some rocks in the water. I didn't want to see, but I had no choice. I had to. Swallowing my fear and horror, I looked down. There was no bodies on the water. No blood. Broken ribs
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 82. DESTROYED
~ASH Ruby went limp in my arms, and the terror that had seemed to soak into my bones gripped me again as I tried to shake her awake. My head was pounding from everything that happened, and I had a very hard time wrapping my head around it. Ethan was gone. I stopped shaking Ruby for a while to look down, but his body had still not floated to the surface of the water. Fear crawled from the abyss of my being and lodged in my throat. “Help,” I yelled. My hands were trembling and I almost dropped Ruby, but I held on and tried shaking her awake again. “Jesus. Ruby. I need you. Don't go unconscious on me, please. Baby. Wake up. Wake up,” she didn't do as much as stir, and tears filled my eyes as I continued to shake her. My life had been upended in just one evening. How did things escalate this fast? And it was all my fault. I caused it. My blind rage made me do something foolish, and I threw a stone at my perfect glass house. I should be the one at the bottom of t
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 83. INTERROGATION ROOM
~ASH I was taken to the police station, and no one listened to me when I tried to explain. I yelled, screamed, threatened to beat them up, and cried. But they didn't listen. Dumped unceremoniously into a cell, my head bowed with shame and guilt and anger. I was prepared to tell the truth, but the police seemed determined to hear and see lies. So I said nothing and continued to simmer in pain. The cell door opened, and I was led out by a skinny police who smelled like rotten food. He poked me with his baton and directed me to the investigation room. His rotten breath and rude attitude made me want to bash his head in, and by the time I was seated before a detective in the interrogation room, I was shaking with anger. The detective smiled, an oily, slimy thing that made my stomach turn, and I growled at him in return. “Hello, Mr. Riverstone. I trust you're comfortable?” He asked, his uneven teeth making an appearance. They were trying to rile me up, but I was not goi
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 84. FOR MY FRIEND
~ELLA I dropped down on my bed with a groan as I searched around for my phone. Finding it on the blanket beside me, I yawned as I picked it up and opened it. Work had been demanding these days, and as much as I looked forward to working with this brand for years, sometimes, I just wanted to go home and sleep. Most especially, I wanted to see my baby. Ruby's contact had been unreachable the last few times I tried her contact, but I didn't really pay attention to it. It was probably due to the fact that I was calling from a great distance, and at unorthodox times, too. Checking the time difference, I was glad to see that it was just morning over there, so I opened my phone and was about to click on the call icon when a breaking news flashed on my phone. I was about to swipe away when a very familiar name caught my eye. Riverstone. Heart thudding at this sudden news flash, I sat up and opened the news. My jaw dropped open. The headline was: DISASTER AT THE RIV
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 85. THE LAWYER & ASH
~ASH The days passed in a blur, and the only people I saw were the wardens, bringing in terrible food at irregular intervals. I had nothing to do, so I thought long and hard about what happened. It should have been obvious that Ethan had lost his sense of reasoning when he called us both for a meal. But then, his episodes had always been explosive, so I was surprised, still am, to think about how calm and collected he was. How did it escalate that quickly, though? One moment Ruby was looking so happy as she ate, and the next she was frozen with horror, as Ethan reached out to hit her. Come to think of it, the fight should not have ended the way it did. The wooden rails should have been sturdy enough to take both our weights. How did it break so easily? My brows furrowed in confusion. And hold on, I remember about six waiters bringing in platters after platters of food, and where the hell did they disappear to when Ruby was screaming for help? They could not
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 86. CLOSER TRIAL
~COLE The agony on Ella's face as she beheld her comatose friend made my heart shatter over and over again. But there was nothing I could do about it, except to hold her and comfort her, praying for Ruby to come into consciousness. We were sitting at the waiting room as usual. It had become a routine between me, Mr Lakewood, and Ella. I tried as much as possible to be here, despite the fact that I had so much to do to help Ash’s case. “I don't understand how or why Richard could kill the boys’ father and that girl. If we are going with what Ash told us, then we have a whole lot to do. Richard has to pay for his sins,” Ella said suddenly after several long minutes of silence. “Ash wasn't lying. He was serious. More serious than I've ever seen him,” I replied and she stood up and started to pace. “There is no evidence though. I mean, Ruby must have found out somehow, but she's lying there, unconscious, unable to help. There's no way to prove that, and I doubt anyone woul
THE TWIN BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDE 87. THE TRIAL
~ASH Today was the trial. I was so restless that I could not sleep, and when dawn finally broke through the dark, gloomy clouds, I didn't know how or what to feel. I could not decide if I should be happy that we were about to get this over with or I should be in high despair. When the officers came to lead me out of my cell though, I had come to a decision. It was unfortunate as hell to be in this position. I hadn't eaten properly in days, and my head felt faint. Bowing my head in defeat, I let them lead me into the black Maria that was to convey me to court. There was still no lawyer. Cole had not gotten back to me and I was sure I would lose control if Richard turned out to be my lawyer. But I was still scared. Asides from Richard, I was scared and tired and lonely. I wanted this to end so bad. I wanted things to go back to the way they were. I would gladly leave the country for Ethan and Ruby. If only he wasn't dead. But he was. And everything was ruined.
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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
