CHAPTER 268: WAS SHE JEALOUS?

Ruby frowned, "I don’t know what you are talking about."

A small smile curved on Ronan’s lips as he nodded. In the streak of lightning, the small smile added an evil charm to him.

"It’s inappropriate for you to be in a woman’s room at this hour. So, it would be better for both of us if you just leave."

Ruby had just taken a step forward when Ronan gripped both her wrists, holding them above her as he pinned her to the door.

"You tell me you love your fiance without batting an eyelid. But you’d rather down a shot than repeat the same words when somebody asks you if you want to dump him."

Ruby frowned, tilting her head to meet his gaze, "That’s between..."

"That’s between you and that bastard?" Ronan nodded, chuckling, "Then, why would you look at me that way when I talked about my childhood? Why was that frosty face of yours looking so gentle? Why were you looking at me like you wanted to hold me?

Ruby paused for a beat, "I—"

"Don’t say it’s because you pitied me. I was a nameless orphan, and I was pathetic but your pity is the last thing I need, Miss Ruby Ambrose."

Ruby looked up at the man, her gaze deep as she tilted her head.

Ronan narrowed his eyes, his gaze dropping to her parting lips for a moment before he looked into her eyes again.

He leaned in towards her.

Their breaths intermingled, the tips of their noses touched.

A faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air.

"Ruby..." Ronan whispered her first name for a rare occurrence. There was no sarcasm or mockery in his voice, only sincerity... and almost a hint of desperation.

He angled his head, his lips barely grazing hers.

Ruby tilted her head to the side, "Leave the room."

Ronan’s eyes darkened as he released her hands. He pinched her chin, "You don’t mean it."

Her eyelashes fluttered, her gaze lowering slightly, "You are drunk. Just... leave."

Ronan stroked her chin, gently raising her head as he leaned in towards her.

Suddenly, Ruby pushed the man away.

’Thud’

Ronan crashed on the floor.

Ruby’s eyes widened.

She rushed to him, "Ronan, get up..." She grabbed his arm, trying to help him up.

Ronan remained still on the floor for a moment before he swung her hand away, "Hah..." He laughed, half sitting as he placed a wrist on his knee.

Ruby reached out towards him, "I will help you to your room..."

"I have faced all kinds of humiliation when I was young. But since the day I rose, I never looked back..." Ronan whispered, slowly looking up at her, "I trampled anyone who dared to cross me."

"But out of all of them, you are the most exceptional case, Miss Ambrose," He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze dark.

Ruby looked at his back, "I didn’t mean to—"

"You claim to love Maxwell, you don’t love that fucker. You let me in, and then push me away. It seems like I misunderstood you, hmm?" He looked at her from above his shoulder.

Ruby’s remained silent.

"You have him in your heart, don’t you? Is that why you’d be so close to him?" Ronan turned, bending down to grip her chin as he angled her head, "Is that why you’d meet him at this hour?"

A hint of confusion flickered in Ruby’s eyes, "W-What...?"

"Is this how you pulled him in too? By acting all cold and uncaring?" Ronan chuckled, the rims of his eyes turning red, "Well played, Ruby."

As the man left the room, Ruby slumped on the floor, looking at the spot where he had fallen.

"But I... am unworthy of you."

...

In Ella’s bedroom.

When Adrian pushed open the door, his eyes met with a pair of wandering eyes.

The moment Ella spotted him, she burrowed herself into the blankets again.

Adrian’s lips faintly twitched.

He walked to the other side of the bed and placed the water bottle on the bedside table.

Adrian then moved to sit beside Ella.

The moment he did, the girl scooted away from him.

Adrian pulled her blankets away.

"Didn’t I say I don’t want to talk—" Her words were yet to finish when Adrian captured her wrist and yanked her up.

Ella nearly crashed into his arms.

"You are not asleep..." Adrian tucked her hair behind her hair, "so we are talking."

Ella pursed her lips.

"Are you jealous?" Adrian asked suddenly.

Ella stiffened.

The sound of that word sounded so foreign that Ella’s mind completely blanked out.

Jealous?

Jealous???

That’s impossible, right...?

He said he first fell in love when he was 15... Then, that sketch of that little girl in his study... the magnolia tree.. Was it...?

Ella shook her head.

Not to mention that Adrian was now her husband, his first love is in his past. Wait... Why would she be jealous at all?

Ella lowered her head. She no longer hated him, she cared for him and they... ahem... got along well together.

That was all. Jealousy stemmed from romantic entanglements. But did... she even see Adrian that way?

As the silent stretched between, Adrian did not interrupt her thoughts.

He sat there patiently, watching every change on her face.

After a while, when Ella’s face was shadowed in conflict, Adrian pressed a finger under her chin tilting her face, "It’s in..."

"I am not..."

They both spoke at the same time.

Ella blinked slowly, "I am not jealous," she repeated, with more conviction this time.

Adrian opened his mouth to speak.

Ella pressed a finger on his lips, "Don’t say anything. Don’t explain anything at all."

If he went on to explain, won’t it seem like she was jealous? And he was explaining things to his unreasonable wife who got jealous over his first love who doesn’t exist in his life now?

Ah, Ella could not live with such embarrassment.

Adrian blinked.

...

The next morning, by the time Ella woke up, Ronan and Kade had left. Adrian had also left for work.

It was almost bizarre how all of them left like that. But Ella had no time to dwell on it.

She took Ruby to the cloakroom upstairs and put her heart into dressing her up.

By the time she finished, Ella looked at her masterpiece in pride, "You look so stunning..." she trailed off, "What happened, Ruby?"

At first, Ella thought Ruby was probably nervous for her first official photoshoot but now, something felt amiss.

Ruby’s face was cold as usual but there was something else, Ella could not finger on it.

Ruby checked the time, "Let’s go. We will be late."

Ella sighed. From the look on Ruby’s face, it was obvious that she did not want to talk about it.

After giving it a thought, Ella did not push her further, "Alright, let’s go."

Ruby and Ella reached the venue on time, but an unexpected situation awaited them there.