Chapter 5 We're Not Breaking Up!
1113 Words
Ruth let out a yawn and said, "I'm tired. Let's talk about this tomorrow."
"This needs to be settled as soon as possible," Raymond insisted.
Just then, Ruth waved her ringing phone in front of Raymond. "Justin's call. What a surprise, but I don't feel like saying a single word to him!"
She hung up the phone right in front of Raymond and added, "Now it's his turn to taste how it feels when someone disappears on him. I'm going to sleep. Are you leaving or not?"
Raymond lowered his gaze, his gray eyes always seemed to ripple with something whenever they met her blue ones.
Ruth stared at him for a long while. Then, she suddenly stood on tiptoe, her lips almost brushing against his tightly pressed lips. Their breaths mingled, and both of them turned silent for a couple of seconds.
Raymond didn't move an inch, and Ruth pulled back with a giggle.
"You wouldn't even let me kiss you a while ago, even grabbed me by the neck, and now you're lingering like you want to sleep with me?"
Her eyes gleamed with a fiery challenge.
"Judging by your build, it wouldn't be the worst thing to sleep with you. But wait, I gotta take a shower first," said Ruth with a grin.
Raymond stared at the bathroom door as it closed. His phone then rang—Justin couldn't reach Ruth, so he was calling him.
Raymond stepped out of the hotel room before answering. Listening to Justin's frantic shouting on the other end, Raymond cut him off. "Justin, mind your tone."
"And don't ask me where Ruth is. She's your girlfriend. That's your problem, not mine."
"You brought this on yourself. She's under no obligation to help you, so don't yell at me. Have you forgotten basic manners? Stop spewing nonsense online, and when you've calmed down, have your agent get in touch with me."
"And one more thing, if you want to fix this soon, stop harassing Ruth."
Justin stared at his phone in disbelief as Raymond hung up on him. Furious, he hurled his phone onto the couch.
The staff around him exchanged glances, none of them daring to approach Justin in his rage. Normally, Ruth would be the one to calm him down at times like this, but she wasn't here now. And who knew if she ever would be again?
While Justin had plenty of women around him these years, his team only recognized Ruth as his girlfriend. Everyone assumed the other women were just flings, but it seemed like this time, he'd taken things too far.
Lily finally washed off all the cake and came out in a slip dress. She immediately walked towards Justin and clung to him.
"Those reporters were definitely sent by Ruth. How else would they know about your breakup right after you two had a fight? She did this on purpose just to control you and make you apologize to her!"
Justin kicked the coffee table in front of him, sending it flying. His assistant, Peter, who initially wanted to say something in Ruth's defense was startled and shut his mouth.
"You can't let her get her way, Justin. If you compromise this time, she'll only get worse. I've told you she's not right in the head! Is your head still hurting? And look at my face! We should call the police and have her locked up..." Lily kept nagging in front of Justin.
Justin, feeling annoyed, shoved her away as she kept trying to cling to him. "Shut up!"
Lily huffed, "She even said breakup first! If you really want to end things with her, she'll come crawling back and begging you to take her back. You're a huge star, and no one else would dare try to control you like she does. Are you really going to let her get the upper hand?"
"You've crossed the line," Justin warned in a low voice. "What happens between her and me is none of your business."
Lily was clearly unhappy to hear that. She didn't want to miss the opportunity to drive a wedge further between Justin and Ruth. However, before she could say something more, Justin's agent, William, walked in and cleared the room of everyone who wasn't supposed to be there.
William said, "The brand's reps asked for an explanation. I've managed to hold them off for now, but they want us to address this and calm the situation down as soon as possible."
"Why are they always staring at me?!" Justin grumbled. He couldn't understand why everyone seemed intent on making his life difficult.
William knew Justin's temper all too well. He'd been raised in luxury, used to doing whatever he pleased, often acting impulsively. Having Ruth around to keep him grounded had seemed like a good thing.
But maybe things had gone too smoothly for Justin these past few years. Now he was a superstar, always in the spotlight, surrounded by people with all kinds of motives. The temptations had gotten to him, and once he gave in, it was hard to stop.
The fact that Ruth had put up with him this long surprised William. If things hadn't gotten so ugly, he could've managed a peaceful breakup between them.
"We've come up with a plan," William continued. "You'll go to Ruth's place for a family dinner, we'll take a few photos, and then we'll steer the narrative towards the two of you considering an engagement."
"Whatever," Justin replied in a casual tone.
"After this, you need to lay low. The gigs you're getting are the result of the team's hard work and strategic planning. You need to start respecting that, unless you plan on ditching it all to go back and be a spoiled rich kid." William's tone grew serious.
Justin knew William was pissed through his tone. He reined in his attitude and nodded in agreement.
William caught the scent of alcohol on Justin and decided to drop the matter for now. As he was leaving, he turned back to ask, "Ruth's not answering my calls. Can you get in touch with her?"
"I can't reach her..."
Justin was almost never ignored by Ruth. She always responded to his calls and texts immediately. But this time, she'd hung up on him!
"I heard she left with your brother. I'll take care of it," William said as he stood up and walked towards the door. He then looked back at Justin, who slumped on the couch, and offered one last piece of advice. "Even if you two do break up, I hope you can—"
"We're not breaking up!" Justin cut him off.
- Writer
