Worthless In Their Eyes, Perfect In His

Chapter 10

Ruby's POV

I doubted if I could sleep through the night. Since I and Sandra left the meeting, my mind had been unsettled. While I sat in a corner of the house, wondering what my tomorrow's punishment would be, Sandra was the exact opposite of me.

She twirled around in the room, clutching her contract papers to her chest like they were sacred. She kept talking about Eleanor's words and about more opportunities that could come her way. Her voice pitched high, and I felt like screaming just to silence her.

I sat on the couch, my outing dress and makeup still sat on my body. The weight of Mr. Malcolm's words lodged in my chest. His parting words of how he would penalize me at work made me dread how the next day would be.

Sandra noticed that I wasn't adding anything to her talk. “Ruby,” she said, moving to the sofa beside me. Her perfume still clung to her body even after taking off the dress. “You have to stop looking like the world is ending. Nothing happened, he even helped us.”

I sighed.

“You don't get it. You're happy because you got what you finally wanted. But me? I managed to get a real job but I'm going to lose it, because of you. Because I let you drag me into this madness.” I raised my voice slightly as I dropped the last statement.

Sandra's smile faded. She could see I was upset. “Ruby, I'm sorry.”

“Just forget it.” I snapped.

My wolf chose that moment to sneer in my head. “You should have been working on your body instead of wasting your time on jobs. Do you really think you could lie without consequences? You've always been a joke.”

I shut my eyes tight, wishing I could tear Joey out of my body. She was always there, lurking and waiting to remind me of my misfortunes.

By morning, my eyes felt heavy and sore. I barely had any sleep. I dragged myself to Vixen Couture, sat behind the desk and forced my lips into a polite smile for the visitors. My hands trembled each time I reached for the tablet, fearing if Malcolm would call.

It was almost approaching 12 noon and there was no sign of Malcolm appearing to penalize me. I heaved a sigh of relief, although still keeping my hopes low.

Roselyn's heels clicked as she walked towards me. “Mr Smith asked to see you.”

My pulse quickened and I could feel my heart racing.

“Yes ma'am.” I managed to stutter.

She didn't spare another glance and left.

I took several deep breaths, already knowing the reason he requested me. Roselyn was always professional, addressing him as Mr. Smith and not his first name, Malcolm.

This was the moment I dreaded. I rose slowly, smoothing the wrinkles from my dress. My legs felt heavy as I dragged them towards his office.

He sat behind his mahogany desk, his posture straight. Before he could speak, I dropped to my knees, my palms pressed together as I begged for mercy.

“Please forgive me sir,” I said with my voice shaking. “I only did it to help a friend. I wasn't trying to disrespect the company. I promise it won't happen again. Please, don't fire me.”

Silence followed as I kept my gaze on the floor, too afraid to look up.

Then, he finally spoke, but his voice was not as cold as I had expected. “How was the cello class?”

I froze, narrowing my eyes in confusion. I lifted my head to face him. “I don't understand.”

His expression softened and a faint smile played at his lips. “The cello classes. You used to be part of them in high school. Always wanting to join Mr. Richard's Cello classes that everyone found boring. Do you still play?”

My mouth fell open as I processed his words.

“Wait,” I whispered, disbelief evident in my tone. “You were my highschool mate?”

He chuckled lightly. “Yes. I remember you. You were quiet, always looking serious and never talked to anyone. I always noticed you,” His gaze lingered on me in a way that made my chest flutter. “You probably never noticed me though.”

I raised myself from the floor and tried going down memory lane, but I still couldn't remember him. I never noticed anyone, especially not the boys.

He leaned back slightly, his hand folded on the desk. “That's why when I saw you applying for the cleaner's position, I told Roselyn to put you at the front desk instead. You deserved better.”

A rush of emotions surged through me, gratitude, confusion and many others that I couldn't name.

“I…” My voice cracked. “I don't know what to say. I'm grateful. Thank you sir. I'd do anything to repay this kindness.”

He chuckled once again. “Anything?”

I blinked, unsure why he repeated that statement. “Yes,”

He leaned forward, his elbow resting on the desk now. His gaze was still fixed on me. “There's something I want you to consider.” He paused for a while before continuing. “I need a wife. Not in the way you think. A temporary convenient contract marriage. You will benefit from it, and so will I.”

I was taken aback by his words. My eyes widened slightly.

“A what?” My lips parted in confusion.

“A marriage contract between us.” His gaze didn't waver from me. “If you accept, I'd draft the contract immediately, and you can definitely take your time to think, but I'd prefer you give an answer within tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

My mind spiraled, and my wolf whispered harshly. “He's mocking you. He doesn't mean it. Who would want you as a wife?”

“I…I don't know what to say,” I stuttered.

“If you refuse, the conversation stays between us. I don't want to force you, but I hope you accept.”

I looked away and stared at the wall beside him. A marriage contract with him wasn't on the list of things I expected when I walked in here.