The Ring on the table
806 Words
“Mr. Qin. You’re early.”
He nodded. “Where’s Dr. Lee?”
“On the third floor. The girls are ready.”
Girls?
Katriel’s steps slowed as they took the elevator up. She turned to him carefully.
“What are we doing here?”
Zayn didn’t answer until the elevator opened. “I sponsor an education program for displaced teenage girls. Today’s their scholarship interviews. You’re coming with me.”
She blinked. “Why?”
He finally looked at her. “Because a wife who looks good beside me isn’t enough. She should know how to handle real people, too.”
There was something in his voice tired, flat, but almost human.
For a second, she saw something c***k behind the walls of ice.
---
The hallway opened into a glass room with several young girls seated at a table. They looked no older than sixteen. Some wore mismatched shoes. Some clutched notebooks to their chests.
A woman with kind eyes greeted them. “Mr. Qin, thank you again for doing this. And… is this your wife?”
Zayn looked at Katriel and gave a tight nod. “Katriel.”
The woman smiled warmly. “You’re just as graceful as the papers say.”
Katriel gave a polite nod and sat beside Zayn as the interviews began. One by one, the girls came forward, telling their stories about losing their parents, being forced to leave school, and living in shelters.
Katriel listened silently. By the third girl, her heart was aching.
They were strong. Braver than she ever had to be. She couldn’t stop herself from asking questions, encouraging them, even promising one that she’d review her essay personally.
Zayn said nothing, but every so often, she felt his eyes on her.
Not in judgment.
But in… observation.
It was almost like he was seeing her differently.
---
After the final girl left, Zayn stood and offered a quiet thank you to Dr. Lee. Katriel followed him back to the elevator, still touched by what she'd heard.
“I didn’t expect this,” she said softly.
“I don’t advertise it,” he replied.
“Why not?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Then he said, “Charity is only charity when no one claps for it.”
Katriel glanced at him. That was the first time he said something that didn’t sound like it came from stone.
---
Back in the car...
The moment softened.
Until a notification popped up on Zayn’s phone.
Katriel glanced down and froze.
Sender: Katie Miller
“You promised you wouldn’t tell her about the stock transfer. When will we get our part of the payout?”
Her stomach dropped.
Zayn picked up the phone quickly, but it was too late. She’d seen it.
“Katriel” he began.
She turned to him slowly, every inch of her spine stiff. “You’re working with my stepmother?”
Zayn clenched his jaw. “It’s not what you think.”
“Really?” Her voice cracked. “Because I think you just used me as a pawn to screw over my family. And now you're paying her off behind my back?”
Zayn exhaled sharply. “I told you this marriage wasn’t about feelings. It was business.”
“You’re disgusting.”
The driver shifted nervously in front.
Katriel turned away, fists clenched in her lap, heart beating too hard. Her entire body buzzed with betrayal.
First her family. Now Zayn.
Was there anyone in her life who hadn’t lied to her?
Later that night...
Katriel didn’t come down for dinner.
She didn’t respond to his message.
Didn’t answer the knock at her door.
Didn’t speak when he said, “Katriel. Open the damn door.”
Inside, she sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her ring.
She pulled it off and set it on the table.
It sparkled… and meant nothing.
---
Meanwhile, in his study...
Zayn sat alone, whiskey in hand, eyes staring at the fire.
Andro entered quietly. “You didn’t tell her?”
Zayn didn’t look up. “She wasn’t supposed to find out yet.”
“She looked hurt.”
“She’ll survive.”
“You didn’t have to go this far,” Andro said carefully. “You could’ve just said no to Katie Miller’s offer.”
Zayn downed the drink.
“This way, I control all of them."
In the darkness of her room, Katriel stood by the window, the city lights casting shadows across her face.
She whispered to herself:
“He may have forced me into this marriage…
but I swear… one day, I’ll make him regret it.”
And
In another part of the house, Zayn stared down at the ring she left behind on his study table.
He didn’t touch it.
But something in his chest twisted, just slightly.
- Writer
