RUBY'S POVThe cafe smelled like roasted coffee beans and baked pastries, a comforting aroma that might have soothed me on another day. I sipped my cappuccino, but its warmth didn't do much to settle my nerves. Sitting in this booth—the very booth where I’d called Gabriel and heard another woman’s voice in the background—was funny to me. Only a week and a half had passed since then, but it felt like a lifetime ago.“Dominic Rutherford. CEO of Rutherford Conglomerate. Family business. Billionaire, obviously,” Ariana’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She was glued to my laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she muttered under her breath.“Very cliché,” I said, setting my cup down. “A mysterious billionaire with a family business. Shocking.”Ariana snorted, not looking up. “Well, excuse me for stating the obvious. This man is like a ghost, Ruby. He’s done a stellar job at keeping his private life private. You sure you want to go chasing after him?”I didn’t answer, instead
DOMINIC'S POVThe glossy picture felt heavier in my hand than it should have. Ruby DanCliffe. Her name played in my mind like an endless loop, and her image burned into my brain. The way her red hair caught the light in the photo, flowing down in waves that begged to be touched. Her green eyes sparkled with a mischief I was sure she carried in spades.I sighed, dragging my fingers through my hair as I leaned back in my chair. My laptop sat open on my desk, a Skype meeting droning on. The voices of my board of directors filled the office, but I wasn’t listening.“…As you can see, the projections for the third quarter…”Blah, blah, blah. Numbers, graphs, plans—I couldn’t care less. The only thing that mattered was the picture in my hand. I didn’t even know why I printed it out, but it felt more tangible this way. Like she was closer to me.Ruby wasn’t just haunting my waking hours; she’d taken over my nights too. Every time I closed my eyes, there she was. That fiery hair, those mesmeri
RUBY'S POVThe mirror in my hotel room reflected a woman I barely recognized. All I had on for make up was a bold red lipstick and red eyeshadow. My red hair had been replaced with glossy black that I dyed earlier that day. My dress matched my hair in the colour, and it was armless with a sweetheart neckline, the length stopping just above my knee. I would pair It with a black silk scarf thrown around my shoulders.Tonight, I was determined to make an impression—and to find Dominic Rutherford.As I fastened my earrings, my phone pinged. I picked it up, smiling as I saw the message in our group chat.Lilac: I’m bringing my car. I’ll pick @Ruby up at the hotel first.Ariana: Don’t forget me! Unless you plan to leave me behind.Lilac: Tempting, but no. I’ll pick you up after I get Ruby. Don’t forget to wear something that doesn’t scream “college hobo.”Ariana: Don’t forget to mind your business, Lilac.I laughed softly, shaking my head. Their banter was always so ridiculous, but I loved
RUBY'S POVThe beauty of the hotel simply took my breath away the moment I stepped out of Lilac’s car. The towering structure seemed to touch the skies. I stood there, not even realising that my black dress was catching the soft evening breeze, as I tilted my head back to take it all in.“Wow,” Ariana whispered beside me, holding her bejeweled clutch to her chest. “I’ve only seen this place in magazines. It's so beautiful!"“Same,” Lilac added, linking her arm with mine. “You sure you’ve never been here before, Ruby? I mean, your family has a reserved suite and all.”I shook my head. “Never. My father used to come here for business when I was younger, but I guess I never had a reason to visit.”Even though my father had enough money to put a small country's economy to shame, he never exposed me much to this life. I attended private boarding schools in the suburbs. And even after my father died and I finished high school, I was shipped off to Yale University, miles away from home. The
DOMINIC'S POV The moment Damien spotted me, his face broke into a wide grin, and before I could stop him, he pulled me into a bear hug. I froze immediately. I wasn’t a fan of physical affection—especially in public—but this was Damien, my best friend. The one person in this world who could get away with something like this.So, for once, I allowed it.“Dominic!” he boomed, “you look as sharp as ever! Man, it’s been too long.”I sighed, patting his back awkwardly. “Damien, we saw each other less than a year ago. Not exactly a lifetime.”“Still too long. And we only saw each other for one day,” he replied, grinning and pulling back to look at me. “I missed you, bro.”“Keep your voice down,” I muttered, stepping out of his grip and brushing imaginary lint off my jacket. “We’re not at a family reunion. You’re embarrassing me.”Damien laughed, loud enough to turn a few heads at the party. “Embarrassing you? Oh, come on, Dom. You need to lighten up. Let people see you’re human for once.”
RUBY'S POV“I need to go rest,” I hastily told Ariana and Lilac, not even waiting for their response. I bolted before they could stop me, making a beeline for the first thing my eyes saw.The staircase."Excuse me," I murmured to some of the guests as I passed them by. I rushed past the dozens of people packed in the room, my heels clicking against the marble floor as I made my way to the spiraling staircase. My heart was roaring in my ears, my breathing was rapid and erratic, and my hands shook with the pressure of the presence of the man I had just seen. I had spotted Dominic Rutherford across the room, those blue eyes locking onto mine like a heat-seeking missile. Suddenly, all the confidence I’d built up for this night evaporated. Suddenly, everything I had told myself about him disappeared into thin air.Suddenly, all I wanted to do was to escape him.When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I chanced a glance behind me. I gasped in alarm when I saw him striding towards me with
DOMINIC'S POVAs if she'd been waiting for that moment, Ruby took over the kiss in two seconds.I wrapped my hands around her neck and pulled her closer as she held me in place. Despite my gold mask, kissing her wasn't hard at all. It was all I could do to let her stay in control when I wanted to grab her arms, pin her against the elevator wall and fuck her from the back.We started off just brushing our lips together, and when that was almost driving me crazy, I broached her with my tongue. She tasted like champagne and something minty—toothpaste probably. The combination did things to my groin that no expensive perfumes or flowery creams could do to me.The sound of the rumbling elevator faded behind the sound of my own blood roaring, behind the increase in my heartbeat. Ruby's skin had grown oddly warm, as though the same thing was happening to her. She and I were completely in sync. The rubbing against my dick, the quick stolen breaths, the way she moved in the same moment I pull
Ruby's POVAt any moment now, I would collapse. I tried to put one shaky foot after another as I led the way out of the elevator. My legs felt like cooked spaghetti straight out of the pot. Dominic Rutherford was chuckling behind me, apparently proud of what he'd done to my body. The sneaky bastard!I got to the door of my family's suite and fished out the key card from my bag. The doors parted with a ding, and I led the way inside.The last time I'd been in this suite was a few months before my father had died, for some event I could no longer remember. It was obvious that nobody had used the suite since then, even though it looked very well taken care of."Shouldn't we get back to the cocktail party?" I asked Dominic as I set my bag down on a nearby shelf.“No.” He stopped me from the back and kissed my bare shoulder, then slid a hand down my chest to the corset that surrounded my waist.“Right.” I briefly closed my eyes to catch my bearings before I fell apart again. “We won’t tal
Dominic’s POVThe past week had been hell for me.I barely left my study, barely ate meals, barely spoke to anyone. My days blurred together. I'd stopped going to the office and moved my work to the house. It was endless hours of staring at my laptop, pretending to work when all I could think about was Ruby. The house was too quiet without her. Too empty.I didn’t even know where Ariel was half the time. Not that she’d come looking for me, after our last conversation.Tonight was no different. I sat at my desk, peering at the screen, but the words meant nothing. My coffee had gone cold beside me. My body ached from sitting too long, but I didn’t move.The door creaked open."I said I don’t want to be disturbed!" I snapped. "I told the house manager that I don't want to be disturbed!""Nice to see you too, Dad."I exhaled slowly and brushed a tired hand against my face. "Ariel, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."She stepped inside, balancing a tray in her hands. "I brought yo
Ruby's POVI had one peaceful sleep after some days, and I could say that I slept like a baby, or maybe, like a log of wood. Who knows?It did not matter how I slept, as long as I was able to forget everything that had happened these past few days.Now I was awake, but I felt too lazy to get out of bed. I just wished it was not morning already. I closed my eyes again hoping I could fall asleep again but then came some noise outside my room.Sliding into my slippers, I walked towards the door and pinned my ear against it."Do you think she's okay?" Someone asked. I immediately recognized the voice as Lilac's.A heavy sigh, then Ariana replied. "I don't know, Lilac. She appeared at my front steps yesterday, looking like a bat out of hell. She's sleeping in there right now.""This is why I don't like powerful men like Dominic." Lilac grumbled. "They think they can do anything they like to anyone."I shook my head slowly as I listened to my friends. I knew they were only looking out for m
Ruby's POVThe darkness seemed like it would swallow me whole, as I could not see anything in front of me or behind me. I was terrified, perhaps because I had not stepped out of my cage for a while.I sighed and glanced around; the road was dark. Mid drive to my condo, I'd told the Uber driver to stop. I wasn't sure I could afford to stay in that silent house, all by myself. I just might run mad. I'd paid the Uber driver and now I stood by the roadside, with four bags and no car in sight.I needed my friends tonight.I'd tried to call Lilac and Ariana, but neither of them were picking up. I couldn't blame them; it was eleven at night. Lilac was an early sleeper, and Ariana would most likely be binge watching New Housewives of New York or some such show on Netflix.The wind blew West, sweeping my hair off my back. I felt like someone would come out of nowhere, and pull me by the hair, so I threw the cap of my hoodie over my head and wrapped my arms around myself.Dominic would surely
Dominic’s POVThe drive home that evening felt longer than usual. Streetlights flashed past in a blur, but my mind was stuck in one place.I kept thinking about Rosalie. In my mind, I saw her smirk and heard her threats. The way she had moved close to me, whispering filth in my ear like she actually thought I wanted it. The way she had suggested sex to me.I had agreed. I had said yes to her, because I wanted to protect Ruby from the truth. But the moment we stepped into that hotel room, I knew I couldn't do it. Not with her or with anyone else. Not when Ruby existed and she was a part of my life now. I had never been attracted to any woman since Ruby came into my life.Rosalie had been livid, as I'd expected. She spat out her threats, said she’d tell Ruby the truth, that I had been lying to her from the start. But I didn’t care. Let her tell Ruby. Let the whole damn world know.Because nothing, no secret or lie, was worse than betraying Ruby like that.I gripped the steering wheel ti
Ruby’s POVThe office felt off that day. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something wasn’t right.It started when Dominic walked out of his office and called for Rosalie.I barely looked up from my computer when he did it at first, but then Rosalie’s response made my head snap up."Coming, Dominic!" She purred.Dominic?!I turned to him, expecting him to correct her, to tell her to keep it professional. But he didn’t. He didn’t even look at me. He just stood there, staring straight ahead, then turned and walked back into his office. The door closed behind him.I turned to her in surprise. Rosalie smirked, flipping her hair over one shoulder. She stood from her desk, adjusting her blouse like she wanted to make sure she looked perfect before going in.My stomach twisted."What the hell is going on?" I demanded, marching over to her side of the office.Rosalie just chuckled. "Things are changing in this office, Ruby," she said sweetly, grabbing a folder from her desk. "You migh
Dominic’s POVI turned off the ignition and glanced at Ruby. She hadn’t moved or even spoken a word to me. She just sat there, staring out the window like she wasn’t really seeing anything."Talk to me, Ruby."She said nothing."You can’t keep this bottled up," I tried again. "I know you’re hurting."She scoffed, but it was barely audible. I could tell she was hurting. She had been hurting for three days since Julia died. I didn't understand why she still felt so much emotion for a person who ha stabbed her in the back, but I tried to reason with her anyway."I see it," I continued. "You pretend when you’re around others, but I know you. You’re not okay."She shifted slightly but still didn’t meet my eyes."You’ve barely slept," I said. "You don’t eat properly. You look like a ghost of yourself."Her fingers dug into her lap. "Drop it, Dominic.""I’m not dropping it.""Well, I’m not talking."I exhaled sharply. "Julia’s death...."Her head snapped toward me. "Don’t.""You need to let
Ruby’s POVThe smell of coffee pulled me from sleep. I blinked against the morning light and turned to the side to see Dominic sitting beside me. He was eating breakfast in bed. He lifted a forkful of scrambled eggs and grinned."I figured the smell would wake you up," he said. "Thought it’d be a nice way to start your day."I groaned and smacked his arm. "You are a villain in my life!"He chuckled and waved another fork heaped with some bacon close to my mouth. "You want some?"I rolled my eyes and sat up. "I don't like you, Mr Rutherford."Dominic smirked and bit off the bacon. "Are you coming to work today? You know I’d understand if you needed some time off, after everything that happened last night."I didn’t even need to think about it. "No. I'm not staying away from work."He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that, Ruby?""Staying away will give nasty people like Rosalie the chance to talk all kinds of trash about me," I muttered. "And I can't have that."Dominic sighed an
Dominic’s POVRuby pulled back. Her lips were parted, her eyes searching mine."Why did you do that?" she asked."Don't blame me, Nurse Ruby." I let out a faint smile. "Dizziness from the injury."Her brows pulled together like she didn’t believe me. Before she could say anything, footsteps sounded from the hall. We both turned.Ariel stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She lifted a hand and waved it lazily. "Oh, don’t stop on my account."Ruby let out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. I turned back to my daughter. "What are you doing awake by this hour?"Being disorganized, I didn't realize she left before.She leaned against the doorframe. "Your lousy car woke me up.""It's lousy because six men were tearing It apart." I frowned. "And you never wake up for that."She shrugged. "I had a restless sleep anyway."I studied her. There were faint shadows under her eyes. She wasn’t lying.Ariel’s gaze dropped to my arm. "Are you okay, dad?""Yeah." I nodded. "Ruby handled t
Ruby’s POVThe car ride was too quiet. Ariel sat beside me, but she wasn't saying anything, which was unlike her. Her arms were crossed and her lips were pressed together. The streetlights outside flashed over her face, and I saw the worry on it.“Are you okay?” I asked.She shrugged. “I guess.”I waited, but she stayed silent. That wasn’t like her. “What’s on your mind?”She exhaled sharply and stared at the roof of the car. “What’s happening? Why did we have to leave the dinner so fast?”I gave her a small smile. “Nothing you need to worry about, Ruby. Your father just didn't want us to stay too long at that place.”"Oh, give me a break!" Her eyes rolled. “I am not a child, Ruby. I know my dad is always dealing with dangerous people. It's in his line of work.”I shifted in my seat. "Well...."“That’s why my mom died." She continued. “Because of the kind of people he worked with. They wanted to get at my dad, so they killed my mum."I hesitated. She looked at me like she already knew