Thirty Eight

Damian:

"Ruby, are you okay?" Liam asked, his gaze filled with concern, which made me subtly adjust my stance, leveraging my height as an advantage to cast a protective shadow over her.

Liam, being about an inch shorter than me, made it quite easy to obstruct his view with the bulk of my frame.

Why couldn't he just mind his damn business for once?

I could sense Ruby's fear and her reluctance for Liam to come near her, especially in such a vulnerable moment with her son. Guilt filled my heart suddenly, knowing I used her weakness against her, but it was the only way to get her to submit to me.

I hadn't conversed much or spent considerable time with Ruby, but her stubborn nature was evident. And with the unfortunate history she had with Liam, it was obvious she had unconsciously erected protective walls around her heart.

Getting her to fall in love with me appeared nearly impossible and time-consuming, a luxury I didn't have. Resorting to blackmail seemed to be my only immediate option.