Chapter 2 The Regretful Lover
1380 Words
Their lips clashed. His kiss was rough and punishing, stealing the air from her lungs. Ruth couldn't breathe, fear creeping in as the violent kiss continued. She tried to pull away, gasping for mercy.
"W-Wait... Ah..."
Raymond bit down hard, and the metallic taste of blood on his tongue finally made him ease up. His gray eyes burned with anger as he pressed his forehead against hers, his voice low and menacing.
"Don't mess with me. I'm not into your boring games."
The fear sobered Ruth up instantly. It hit her like a ton of bricks—she had the wrong guy.
This wasn't her boyfriend Justin Wilson; it was his twin brother, Raymond Wilson!
Raymond had been groomed from a young age to be the family heir. Now, as the youngest board member at HZ Group and the founder of Blue Ocean Capital, he managed an empire that most people couldn't even fathom. He was the kind of power player that men envied and women threw themselves at.
Though the twins looked alike, their personalities couldn't be more different. Justin never turned away a woman who came his way.
But Raymond just shoved her drunken advances aside.
"Want more?"
Raymond asked in a deep voice, frightening Ruth, making her legs go weak.
She slapped at the hand tightening around her neck, and when he finally let go, she slid down the wall. Her legs gave out as she crumpled to the floor while covering her face in shame.
"I'm sorry... I... I mistook you for Justin."
Raymond looked at her from his towering height, his handsome features expressionless, his entire presence radiating coldness.
"Is this how you act when you're drunk? Hugging some random man and kissing him? Do you want to wake up in the arms of a stranger tomorrow morning?"
Ruth lowered her head, feeling embarrassed, wanting to explain that she had never behaved like this. But Raymond had no intention of listening. He turned to leave, when suddenly, Ruth's phone, which had fallen at the door, rang.
Raymond glanced at the name on the screen, picked it up, and answered, holding it out in front of Ruth.
"Ruth, Justin's drunk, and there are reporters outside. You need to come get him!" Justin's assistant sounded frantic.
Ruth wobbled to her feet, and Raymond reached out to steady her. "I'll take you there," said Raymond.
The address wasn't far, and Ruth sat quietly in the passenger seat, her eyes downcast, catching only the tense line of Raymond's jaw out of the corner of her eye.
She couldn't believe how reckless was—drunk enough to mess with Raymond. She was lucky Raymond hadn't made her pay for it.
By the time they arrived, Ruth was fully sober. She mumbled a quick thank you to Raymond as she got out and rushed ahead, not daring to look back. After winding her way through the place, she finally reached Justin's usual private room. Just as she was about to walk in, she heard a familiar, mocking voice.
"Sure, she's pretty, but I'm bored of her. She's like a well-trained little dog—nice to show off sometimes, but who marries their pet?"
Hearing those words, Ruth went pale, as if she were struck by lightning, shattered right there on the spot.
She had long stopped seeing a future with Justin, but the memories of their sweet past always kept a flicker of hope alive in her heart. She believed that one day, Justin would turn around and notice her again.
Inside the room, someone chimed in, "Hey, Justin, if you're tired of her, why not pass her to me? I kinda like her type."
Justin waved it off without a care. "If you want her, go ahead. You'd be doing me a favor if you could take her off my hands. I've tried to break up with her before, but she always goes into full-on drama mode. My agent says I've got to keep up this 'hopeless romantic' image. If I'd known this, I would've kept our relationship under wraps from the start."
Ruth trembled all over uncontrollably. She could still remember how Justin dealt with their relationship when he was just starting to make a name for himself on that talent show. Back then, he had the unshakable resolve to publicly declare their relationship even when he could've easily ridden the wave of fame solo. He was pure, passionate, ready to take on the world just to be with her.
But now, Justin regretted it all.
Ruth kicked open the door to the private room.
She was met with familiar faces all around.
In the center was a towering custom-made cake, over six feet tall—last year's trendy must-have, something people had to book months in advance.
Staring at the cake, Ruth felt a lump form in her throat. It finally hit her that today wasn't just her birthday; it was Lily's too.
So the "work" Justin couldn't get out of was a birthday party for Lily with all his friends.
Back when Ruth was born, her dad had been by Lily's mom's side. And now, on her own birthday, her boyfriend was by Lily's side too. He even gifted Lily the present Ruth had been longing for.
Justin froze when he saw Ruth suddenly appear.
The rest of the group watched with amusement, their eyes gleaming as they took in the unfolding drama.
"Ruth, why are you here too? Came to celebrate my birthday?" Lily looked at Ruth with a smug smile.
Of course, she knew today was also Ruth's birthday. Now, she was the winner, Ruth was the loser, and she was eager to see Ruth's painful tears.
Ruth suddenly burst out laughing, and even she herself felt surprised with the sound.
"What's so funny? It's Lily's birthday. Don't make a scene here," Justin said in a cold tone.
"Do you even remember today's my birthday too?" Ruth's voice was calm but laced with mockery. "And who taught you to betray me? Can't even keep your pants on, huh?"
Every eye in the room turned to Ruth; they stared at her like she was from another planet.
Justin also glared at her like she'd lost her mind. "Ruth, could you stop being so childish? Are you having an episode or something? Don't take it out here and mess up our party!"
Ruth pressed her lips together, a flicker of sadness washing over her. Even though she'd already made up her mind, hearing his words still sent a sharp pain through her chest.
Lily gently placed a hand on Justin's chest, her gaze at Ruth full of smugness and challenge.
"Ruth, everyone's having such a good time. Don't be a buzzkill," said Lily.
"This is between Justin and me. Stay the hell out of it!" Ruth snapped at Lily. She'd had enough of Lily—ever since they were kids, all Lily had done was try to take what was hers!
Lily shrank back, feigning fear and hiding behind Justin. "Look, Ruth is so mean."
Justin stood up and stepped in front of Lily protectively, the stance leaving no doubt where his loyalty lay.
The look of irritation on Justin's face cut through Ruth, followed by a wave of unfamiliarity. The person standing in front of her wasn't the man she once knew.
"Justin, we're done."
Ruth never imagined she'd be the one to say those words, but when they finally left her mouth, it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.
The room fell silent. Justin looked stunned, and then his face twisted with anger. He took a few steps forward, his eyes locking onto Ruth.
"What the hell happened to your mouth?" Justin retorted.
Justin knew that kind of mark all too well—it was from kissing, a bite for sure.
Since Ruth had decided to end things, she wasn't going to hold back. She touched her lips and flashed a vengeful smile.
"Exactly what you think—a guy bit me. You're too busy for me, but there are plenty of others who aren't."
Justin's face darkened, and he grabbed Ruth by the wrist, dragging her towards the door.
"You're gonna tell me who the hell that bastard is!" Justin shouted.
- Writer
