Married To a Stranger

Chapter 41

Leo's words hung in the air.

One by one, all eyes turned to Carter.

Carter looked stunned.

“Wait. Did Owen arrange this room?” he asked, his voice unsteady.

“That's right,” Leo replied calmly.

Owen, however, said nothing. Maintaining a composed, distant expression, he stepped out into the hallway, clearly giving the family their privacy.

Only Ruby knew he was there, but she kept her lips sealed despite her surprise.

Natalia was stunned, too, but she recovered quickly, forcing a smile.

“So, Carter, your uncle secured the suite for you. How nice of him.”

Leo chimed in with a smile.

“Actually, Miss Ruby asked the boss to arrange this.”

“Did you ask him too, Carter?”

Ruby's eyes grew wide, a complex emotion rising in her heart.

Carter was so mortified he wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

“I made a bunch of calls, asked a few people, they all said they'd help.”

“I guess I just got my wires crossed.”

Isabel, who had been looking so proud moments earlier, felt her confidence crumble.

She clenched her fists, realizing for the first time that Carter Knight might not be as powerful as she had believed.

The heavy silence was broken by Natalia.

She cleared her throat and turned to Leo.

“Please thank Mr. Knight for me. The room is very comfortable.”

“Once I'm feeling better, I'll visit Madam Knight in person.”

Leo nodded.

“Madam Knight is very fond of Miss Ruby. She'll be glad to know you're satisfied.”

The message was clear.

Several people in the room felt uneasy, suddenly understanding just how much Matilda valued Ruby.

Natalia, however, felt only relief.

Ruby had always been alone, and Natalia had long worried about her.

With the Anderson family so complicated, it wasn't easy for her to openly show affection.

Knowing that Matilda was watching over Ruby eased a burden she'd carried for years.

Ruby, on the other hand, felt a strange rush.

No one other than Natalia had ever stood up for her.

She never expected it from Owen, out of everyone.

But she couldn't deny that it felt good.

She glanced at Sheila, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smirk, the sarcasm impossible to miss.

Sheila's face contorted with fury.

“You little brat. What are you so smug about?”

“Don't think you're so special just because someone's in your corner.”

“That's enough,” Warren snapped.

“My wife is sick and needs to rest.”

“You think this is some kind of circus?”

“Get away, Sheila.”

Sheila looked like she'd been slapped.

Her expression wounded, her face flushed crimson.

She shot Ruby a venomous glare before turning and running out of the room.

After she was gone, Ruby finally looked at Natalia.

“How did you sleep last night?”

Mrs. Anderson's hand instinctively tightened around the small vial hidden under the covers.

“I slept wonderfully,” she said slowly.

“It's been a long time since I've slept that soundly.”

“That's good to hear.”

Ruby smiled but didn't explain any further.

“I should get going now.”

As Ruby stepped out with Leo, she saw Owen waiting quietly in the hallway.

He was leaning against the wall, dressed in a sharp suit that highlighted his long, straight legs.

He looked both refined and untouchable.

His head bent over his phone, his dark hair framing his intense eyes, and the hallway light carved out his sharp, serious profile.

Sensing her presence, he looked up.

Their eyes met, and Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Grandma was worried,” Owen explained.

“She insisted I come check on things myself.”

Although his words were formal, they warmed her heart.

She gave him a genuine smile.

“Thank you.”

Her smile dazzled Owen, momentarily entrancing him.

Just then Carter's voice drifted out from the room.

“Mrs. Anderson, I'll head out now.”

“Please rest and call me if you need anything.”

The door opened and he stepped out with Isabel.

Both of them froze when they saw Owen and Ruby standing together.

Isabel immediately tensed, her eyes flicking between the two of them, trying to piece together what was going on.

Carter's expression darkened.

“Oh, Owen,” he said awkwardly.

“What are you doing here?”

A hint of amusement flickered across Owen's face.

“I don't recall needing to report my movements to you.”

The words were calm, but they carried weight.

Carter felt his palms sweat.

“That's not what I meant.”

He took a breath and glanced at Ruby standing beside Owen.

She looked striking, wild and unrestrained, and Owen himself was effortlessly handsome.

Seeing them together made his blood boil.

They looked like they belonged to each other.

A powerful wave of jealousy crashed over Carter.

Unable to stop himself, he said sharply:

“Ruby, you've been spending all this time at the hospital with my great-grandmother.”

“Doesn't your husband mind?”

Ruby's eyes narrowed, catching the obvious malice behind those provocative words.

But then she glanced at Owen, a slow, playful smirk spreading across her face.

“No, I don't think he does.”

Owen blinked and bit back the heat in his cheeks.

Carter's face fell.

Before he could say another word, Owen spoke.

“Ready to head back? Grandma's waiting for us.”

Ruby paused.

The feeling was so unfamiliar to her.

No one had ever waited for her.

She smiled faintly.

“Let's go.”

The two of them turned and walked away as if wrapped in a quiet world of their own.

Carter's eyes filled with rage as he glared at Ruby's retreating back.

For a split second, he felt an overwhelming urge to pull her back, no matter the cost.

But Isabel, who couldn't stand his lingering gaze, linked her arm through his.

“Carter, I promise I'll help you get to Dr. N.”

The words snapped him back to himself.

Carter said nothing.

He only nodded, his jaw set.

After seeing him off, Isabel was left with a deep sense of unease.

When she returned to the room, she saw Natalia up and moving around.

Isabel's eyes narrowed.

She walked over to the bed, pretending to straighten the sheets, then suddenly gasped.

“Mom, why is there a medicine bottle on your bed?”

Warren frowned.

“Isn't that the strange pill Ruby gave you?”

“Now why did you take it out again?”

“I took it last night,” Natalia replied calmly.

“I think it might actually be helping.”

“How could that be?”

Warren snapped, grabbing the vial from her hand.

“It was obviously the sleeping pills that worked.”

He scoffed, his voice sharp with disgust.

“Who knows where she got this from?”

“You can't just take random medicine.”

“What if it's dangerous?”

Natalia reached out quickly.

“Don't throw it away.”

“I won't take it tonight.”

“We'll see which one really works.”

Warren let out a long sigh.

“Fine.”

Isabel was unhappy with her mother's decision but didn't dare push her further.

The day flew by.

That evening, Nancy held the sleeping pills like they were a miracle d**g.

After watching Natalia take them, she turned off the light and slipped quietly out of the room.

After half an hour of silence, Nancy whispered excitedly:

“Mr. Carter's medicine really works.”

“Madam hasn't slept this well in 20 years.”

Isabel forced a shy smile.

“Oh, please.”

“Carter couldn't even get Mama a hospital room.”

“We embarrassed ourselves today.”

Warren immediately disagreed.

“The room doesn't matter. The medicine does,” he said firmly.

“Natalia could have slept anywhere.”

“Carter helped quietly, unlike Ruby, who dragged Mr. Yates here just to show off.”

He cast a scornful look at the vial Ruby had brought.

“Nancy, get rid of that unproven junk before Natalia takes it by mistake.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a violent hacking cough erupted from inside the room.

Warren froze for a beat.

He and Nancy exchanged a worried glance and rushed into the room.

A neurogenic cough, as they all knew too well, had a nasty habit of getting worse at night.

Nancy flicked on the light, revealing Natalia sitting upright in bed.

She was covering her mouth, her face flushed and tight from coughing.

She clutched at her chest.

Her frail body racked with each violent cough.

It was a terrifying sight.

Warren rushed to her side, his hand landing on her shoulder.

“Nat, are you okay?”

Natalia gasped, pointing weakly.

“I need the medicine.”

She choked out before another fit of coughing seized her.

Warren stared, baffled.

Nancy, however, understood immediately.

She rushed out, returning a moment later with the vial Ruby had given.

“Ma'am, I have it. The medicine.”

Natalia nodded weakly.

As Nancy fumbled to open the vial and shake out a pill, Isabel shot forward and grabbed her wrist.

“Mom, let's not be hasty.”

“What if it's this medicine that's causing the bad reaction?”

“We can't just give you some random pill.”

A nasty little voice in her gut whispered that this medicine might actually work, which was exactly why she couldn't let her mother take it.

She looked to Warren for support.

Warren's prejudice against Ruby colored everything.

The fact that she was Sheila Sutton's daughter was all the proof he needed to distrust her completely.

“That girl is nothing but trouble,” he fumed.

“I told you we couldn't trust her.”

“Now you were so kind to her, and this is how she repays you.”

“By trying to poison you with this junk.”

Isabel had a barely visible smile, unbothered by her mother's agony.

But Natalia fixed her gaze on Nancy.

“Give it to me,” she rasped between coughs.

“Now.”

Nancy's loyalty was to Natalia alone.

She shook Isabel's hand off and pressed the pill into Natalia's outstretched palm.

Natalia swallowed it immediately.

“Nat—”

Warren started lunging forward to stop her, but he froze.

The coughing had stopped immediately.

The silence in the room was deafening.

Natalia let out a long, shuddering breath.

Only then did she open her eyes.

Her gaze sharp as she looked at them.

“Well,” she said, her voice clear and firm.

“It's obvious Ruby's medicine worked.”

“And I won't hear any more nonsense against her.”

Moments later, after she fell into a deep sleep, everyone quietly left the room. Isabel's face was oozing paranoia.

She bit her lip.

“Dad. Ruby is really something. How on earth did she get her hands on a restricted medicine like that?”

“Oh, please,” Warren scoffed. “She probably just begged Mr. Knight to buy it for her.”

Then his frown deepened.

“But one thing is crystal clear, it seems Matilda Knight has really taken a liking to Ruby.”

Isabel's hands curled into tight fists. Warren's words poured salt into the wound. Hatred and humiliation twisted together in her chest as Ruby's image burned in her mind.