Chapter 25
812 Words
"Your sister was so good to you. She didn't just let you go to school with her. She shared her clothes."
"And when you were born so weak, do you remember? You survived because you drank the milk meant for Izzie."
Ruby felt a familiar knot form in her chest, but she waited, letting Sheila talk herself into a corner.
"The Andersons didn't even want to take us in," Sheila continued. "The only reason they did was because you and your sister were born on the same day."
"You owe your sister your entire life, Ruby. It's time you repay that debt."
It had been ten years since Ruby had heard that tired old speech.
Once, she believed every word, slaving away for the Andersons while Isabel bullied her relentlessly.
Hearing it now, it sounded even more pathetic.
Yes, the Andersons had raised her, but only because they had no other choice.
School with Isabel?
Ruby carried her backpack and ran her errands.
If Isabel so much as coughed, Ruby was slapped.
Grades were deliberately kept low so she'd never outshine the family's princess.
Clothes?
They'd never bought Ruby a single thing.
She wore Isabel's discarded hand-me-downs, always too small.
One time, Natalia bought Ruby a new dress.
Sheila snatched it away and hissed that Ruby wasn't worthy of it.
And fragile?
Any newborn would be after being starved for four days.
A sharp edge crept into Ruby's eyes.
But Sheila was too focused on her own agenda to notice.
All that mattered to her was making her point.
"Ruby," she pressed eagerly. "Matilda Knight listens to you, doesn't she? Go tell her to give the 2% shares back to your sister."
Ruby lowered her gaze and smiled softly.
"You're right."
Sheila's face lit up, thinking she'd won.
But Ruby wasn't finished.
"I'm just the girl from the wrong side of the sheets," she said calmly. "Why would someone like Matilda Knight listen to a word I say?"
The smile vanished from Sheila's face.
Before she could recover, Ruby walked straight past her and slid into Owen's car.
"Let's go," she said.
Owen said nothing.
He glanced at Ruby in the backseat, about to tell her the driver hadn't arrived yet.
But when he caught sight of Sheila hovering nearby, looking ready to claw her way into the car, he made a split-second decision.
He moved to the driver's seat himself, buckled up, and pulled out of the garage.
Without a word, the black Bentley glided smoothly down the road.
Owen glanced at Ruby through the rearview mirror.
She was staring out the window, her expression unreadable as the city blurred past.
Whatever lecture he'd planned dissolved on his tongue.
He turned his eyes back to the road and drove in silence.
Soon the car came to a stop outside the city clerk's office.
The moment the engine cut off, a sharp knock sounded on the driver's window.
Owen rolled it down to find Leo Yates, slightly out of breath.
"Sir, the driver said you just took off," Leo blurted.
"Scared the heck out of me, so I tracked your location and came straight here. Is everything okay?"
"Yes," Owen said flatly.
Leo followed his gaze, then noticed the building behind them.
"Why are we at the city clerk's office?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Don't tell me that Ruby woman actually got to you."
"Don't worry, I told you she wouldn't be able to see you again or else I'd livestream myself eating dirt."
A voice cut in.
Leo froze.
Slowly, he craned his neck toward the backseat and met Ruby's amused gaze.
There was a playful glint in her eyes.
"What's your channel name?" she asked lightly.
Leo went completely speechless.
Inside, the three of them approached the service window.
Leo leaned forward with confidence.
"Hi, quick question. Can a couple get a marriage certificate without showing up in person?"
The clerk blinked.
"Absolutely not."
Leo straightened immediately, triumphant.
"Did you hear that?"
He shot Ruby a mocking look, then sneered at the red booklet in her hand.
"There is no way a marriage certificate could be issued without the couple present."
"And the boss has never been here, which means that thing you're holding is fake."
He pulled out his phone.
"I'm calling the police right now."
"Forgery, harassment. Enjoy rotting."
Owen ignored him completely.
He slid the red booklet across the counter.
"Could you please verify whether this is authentic?"
The clerk picked it up, his brows knitting together.
He studied the booklet, then looked at Owen, then back at the booklet.
His thumb paused on one page, as if something had caught his attention.
Silence stretched.
Then something shifted in the clerk's expression.
Ruby's stomach dropped.
Leo didn't waste time to mistake the clerk's reaction.
He pounced, eyes lighting up.
"It's fake, isn't it?" he exclaimed. "I knew it."
- Writer
