When she appeared before him again, how would he treat her?

No matter how he treated her, she would have no complaints.

Chris Bluen remained silent.

Even though Glades Horne had married Julia Bluen, Ruby Bluen knew she still had to apologize to him; they needed to have a proper talk.

"Ruby, Glades is now your brother-in-law." Chris Bluen hadn't yet informed Ruby Bluen of this when Scarlett Taylor interjected.

Ruby Bluen was shocked at first, then realization dawned.

But she didn't speak.

"After you ran away, Glades was furious. His simmering anger frightened us all; we didn't know what he would do next. We went to the Horne Family, but he refused to see us, not even Julia. At that time, our hearts sank. We were in the wrong; he had every right to be angry and to refuse to see us..."

Scarlett Taylor paused before continuing, "When we were preparing to leave, the Old Madam Horne called Julia back, asking her to go to the top floor to meet Glades. We don't know what they talked about, but that evening, the Horne family's driver brought Julia home. The next day, Glades called Julia, telling her to bring her household registration book to the Civil Affairs Office. Just like that, they registered their marriage. The wedding date remained the same. Everything changed so quickly that we were all caught off guard, and nobody knew why. After Glades and Julia registered, we couldn't see any anger on his face anymore, only an inscrutable expression. We worried he might use Julia to take revenge on our family, but there was nothing we could do to change things. We could only await the wedding day with uneasy hearts..." Scarlett Taylor recounted everything to Ruby Bluen.

After hearing her mother's words, remorse surged in Ruby Bluen's heart once more.

She had hurt Glades and her family, causing them to fear and worry on her behalf. If she had recklessly pursued true love, left everything behind, and returned fulfilled, she would have considered it worthwhile. But now, she returned with a broken heart—no love, no marriage, nothing.

Yet, she still had no regrets!

"Mom, we'll go to the Horne Family later. I'll explain everything clearly to Glades," Ruby Bluen said gently, holding her mother's hand tightly.

"Ruby, about your feelings for Glades..." After recounting everything, Scarlett Taylor suddenly began to worry about Julia again. It was joyful that her eldest daughter had returned, but Glades Horne, originally Ruby's fiancé, had married her younger daughter. Was her eldest daughter genuinely letting go? If not, the sisters could become enemies—a situation their parents desperately wanted to avoid.

"In my heart, Glades is like an older brother," Ruby Bluen confessed, revealing her true feelings for Glades Horne for the first time.

Glades Horne had always pampered and cherished her. The care she felt from him was purely fraternal, without a hint of romance. She'd never felt that electric spark with Glades Horne; seeing him, her heart remained perfectly calm. But when she thought of Marcel Horne, her heart would race.

"That's a relief. It seems Glades has now transferred all his affection for you to Julia. I don't want to see you two sisters become rivals in love," Scarlett Taylor said, sighing in relief.

Ruby Bluen merely gave a bitter smile and remained silent.

Glades Horne's affection for Julia Bluen was no less than it had been for her. Even though she was once Glades Horne's fiancée, who could guarantee that the one Glades truly loved wasn't her sister?

"Glades and Julia went abroad for their honeymoon and happen to be returning today. They should come over later, so you don't have to go to the Horne Family yourself. The Horne household harbors a lot of resentment towards you right now, and Mrs. Horne even holds a grudge against Julia because of your elopement. If you go to the Horne Family in person, I'm afraid they'll scold you," Scarlett Taylor said softly.

Her mood grew somewhat heavy.

The eldest daughter, who had disappeared for a month, was back. However, her return also brought some awkward issues to the forefront.

"Mom, I should still go to the Horne Family in person to apologize." Ruby Bluen felt that a personal visit was the only way to show sincerity.

"That's necessary," Chris Bluen agreed with a soft sigh.

Scarlett Taylor was silent, and so was Ruby Bluen.

"Are you hungry? I'll have someone prepare something for you to eat," Scarlett Taylor said, helping Ruby Bluen to the sofa. She looked at her daughter's haggard, sorrowful face with concern, choosing not to ask why she had run away from her wedding.

"I am a bit hungry," Ruby Bluen replied, managing a faint smile.

Scarlett Taylor immediately instructed the Housekeeper, who was still standing at the entrance to the Side Hall, "Have the kitchen prepare something for the Eldest Miss to eat. Also, make tonight's dinner a bit more substantial. If Glades and Julia come later, ask them to stay for dinner."

The Housekeeper acknowledged the command and left immediately to make the preparations.

The Side Hall fell silent once more, the quiet occasionally broken by Scarlett Taylor's concerned questions.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Allen was stationed fifty meters from the entrance of the Horne Family villa.

He had only learned that Glades Horne was returning to the country today after asking Hansen Ruiz.

Half a month earlier, he had discovered Ruby Bluen's whereabouts and taken photos showing she was all right. Glades Horne had privately instructed him not to call during the honeymoon, so he hadn't. Besides, Ruby Bluen hadn't met with any misfortune, so delivering the news to Glades Horne half a month later wouldn't be too late.

The only thing making Jonathan Allen somewhat anxious was the surprising result of his investigation: Ruby Bluen had run off to a Military Camp in Tibet where Marcel Horne, the second son of the Horne Family, was stationed. The information his men had gathered indicated that Ruby Bluen was in love with Marcel Horne. Although Glades Horne was already married to the younger Miss Bluen, this news would still be a tremendous blow to his pride and self-esteem.

Once he delivered the news and photos to Glades Horne, he'd better skedaddle quickly to avoid being caught in the fallout of Glades's anger, he thought.

The Rolls-Royce, like a dignified Emperor, glided along the winding yet smooth and clean concrete road.

Jonathan Allen hurriedly stepped into the middle of the road, waving at the Rolls-Royce to signal Glades Horne's Bodyguards to stop.

The car quickly came to a halt.

Grinning, Jonathan Allen approached the rear car door. Glades Horne had already rolled down the window. His handsome yet composed face appeared before Jonathan Allen. Glades's dark, piercing eyes radiated a sharp gaze that seemed to stick to Jonathan Allen's face, and his full lips were tightly pursed. He clearly had no intention of asking questions, merely waiting for Jonathan Allen to explain why he had flagged him down.