Chapter 3 I Gave Her Two Slaps
1243 Words
Ruth couldn't break free from Justin's grip.
Lily rushed over to block them, whining, "Justin, you promised you'd spend all your time with me today."
Justin hesitated, and Lily seized the moment, wrapping herself around him while casting a mocking glance at Ruth. "Ruth, you've really outdone yourself this time with your little stunt."
"Not as much as those dirty tricks your mother taught you!" Ruth snapped back.
"Well, at least my mom knew how to keep a man, and your mother couldn't even manage that!" Lily retorted, not planning to lose the verbal battle.
"Damn you, shameless woman! You..." Ruth's words cut off as her eyes landed on the conch pearl bracelet peeking out from Lily's wrist. Without thinking, she reached out, and Lily shrieked in fear.
Justin grabbed Ruth's hand, but before he could react, a sharp slap echoed through the room. Ruth's head snapped to the side, the pale skin of her cheek now marked with Lily's handprint.
But it was Lily who took a step back, pretending to be shocked. "I didn't mean to! I thought Ruth was going to hit me!"
Justin started to say something, but Ruth's cold gaze froze him.
"That bracelet belongs to my mother. Did you give it to her?" Ruth asked while staring into Justin's eyes.
Justin frowned, not taking it as a big deal. He just lent it to match Lily's outfit.
"Come on, don't be so petty!" Justin said in an impatient tone.
Ruth yanked her hand out of his grip and looked straight at Lily, who was still putting on her pathetic act. "Give it back," Ruth growled, her tone dripped with threat.
Lily clutched the bracelet tighter, thinking that possession was nine-tenths of the law. If Ruth wasn't strong enough to hold onto it, that was her problem.
"Just because you say it's yours doesn't make it so! This is a family heirloom from Grandma!" Lily shot back.
"I'm only going to say this one more time..."
Ruth just took a step forward, and Justin was quick to block her path. "Are you really going to make a scene today, Ruth Wilson?"
"Get out of my way!" Ruth shouted while giving Justin's shoulder a push.
But Justin didn't budge, making it clear he was going to stand by Lily no matter what.
In the past, Ruth would've swallowed her grievance to keep the peace, but she'd given in so many times that everyone thought she was easy to push around.
Ruth looked up at Justin, a slight smile playing on her lips. She turned around, giving him the impression that she was backing down. Justin thought she was finally calming down and let his guard down, but the next second, Ruth grabbed a bottle from the table and smashed it over Justin's head.
Several people jumped to their feet in shock, and just as Lily let out a scream, Ruth was already striding towards her and delivering a heavy slap on her cheek. Ruth grabbed Lily by her hair, yanking her back and landing another slap.
Lily's vision blurred as she cried out for Justin to help her.
"Ruth!"
Justin covered his dizzy head and tried to stand, but Ruth wasn't paying him any mind. She dragged Lily and flung her into the giant cake nearby.
The room completely descended into chaos. No matter how many people tried to pull Ruth away, she held onto Lily's hair with a death grip, slamming that infuriating face into the cake over and over again.
Justin rushed forward, only to have Ruth throw cream all over his face.
"Ruth!" Justin was beyond furious, his grip tightening as he forcibly pulled Ruth to the side.
Lily, a mess of frosting and tears, scrambled to her feet. She instantly grabbed a nearby bottle and aimed it at Ruth.
Restrained by Justin, Ruth couldn't dodge, so she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the hit. But the blow never came—someone's hand had knocked the bottle away.
"Let her go! You want to be tomorrow's headline and a laughingstock for everyone to see?"
A deep voice, dripping with authority, cut through the chaos, making everyone freeze in place.
Raymond's handsome face looked like it was carved from ice. He grabbed Justin by his collar and flung him aside. He then stepped in front of Ruth, his broad back blocking her from the prying eyes in the room.
Justin's lips were pressed into a tight line, while Lily, still seething, tried to speak up, "But Ruth—"
Raymond ignored Lily completely and focused only on Justin. "What the hell are you doing? She's your girlfriend—what kind of man treats his girlfriend like this? Bullying women doesn't make you tough, you know? Now, clean up your mess!"
No one dared to argue with Raymond. Even Lily, seeing the icy gaze in his gray eyes, was too scared to make a sound.
After giving the room a cold, sweeping glance, Raymond grabbed Ruth's hand and led her out.
Ruth had to jog to keep up with Raymond's long strides. It wasn't until they were both in the car that she snapped out of it, and she realized she'd gotten cake all over Raymond's suit jacket.
"Sorry," Ruth murmured.
Raymond didn't respond but only started the car in silence.
He hadn't planned on going upstairs, thinking he'd just wait in the car until things settled down. But after a long while, Ruth still didn't come out. He noticed a few reporters sneaking in with their cameras. That was when he knew he had to intervene.
He had someone contact the club's owner to block the press, and he went to the private room himself, only to walk in on a full-blown brawl. If the press took any pictures of the scene, the Wilson family would be plastered all over the media for months.
Ruth kept her head down as they returned to the hotel.
Raymond glanced at her swollen cheek but said nothing.
Ruth could feel his eyes on her, so she quickly looked up, catching his stern expression. Realizing she'd caused him trouble yet again, she hurried to apologize and make a promise. "It won't happen again. I've broken up with Justin."
Raymond shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa. "Who hit you?"
"Lily," Ruth replied with a faint smile, almost amused. "But I got her back—I gave her two slaps."
Raymond could hear the satisfaction in her voice. He couldn't understand how she could still find humor after being treated so badly.
"Justin took her side," Ruth added, sneaking another glance at Raymond. "I hit him too... I was hoping we could end things peacefully."
Raymond almost laughed in disbelief. "Did it ever occur to you to think about the consequences before throwing punches?"
Ruth turned her head away, knowing full well that even if she had the chance to do it all over again, she'd make the same decision.
"Mr. Wilson, whatever the consequences are, I'll take them. Thank you, and I won't take up any more of your time today."
She gave Raymond a wide-eyed, innocent look, clearly trying to get rid of him.
Raymond's Adam's apple bobbed as he put down his phone, which had just buzzed with a message. He said in a firm tone, "You can't break up with Justin just yet."
"Why the hell not?!" Ruth asked, her voice instantly turning higher.
- Writer
