T saw her not speaking and suddenly beca a bit nervous, "I heard you’ve started your own company. Are you here for... a business trip?"
"Yes, the original plan was to leave the day after tomorrow morning. How about... I invite you to lunch tomorrow? I have a restaurant I really like, and whenever I co to Caelus, if I have ti, I always go there. The food is quite good."
"Sure." A faint smile appeared on T’s face, and he stopped speaking, just continued drinking. Actually, he usually speaks very little.
Ruby Sullivan didn’t know why that fellow Luna hadn’t returned yet. Seeing the cup of hot cocoa finished, she quickly stood up, "I’ll go check on Luna."
T nodded.
All this ti, Luna hasn’t been drinking, so she definitely wasn’t in the restroom, Ruby thought, as she went around the bar, finding no one there either. When she returned, T handed her a note, "Luna had an urgent matter and left first."
The corner of Ruby Sullivan’s mouth twitched, envisioning Luna’s "for your own good" expression.
The note said her daughter had a nightmare and insisted on finding her mother right away, so she had to leave imdiately and asked T to take Ruby back to the hotel.
Ruby Sullivan slung her small crossbody bag over her shoulder, "Well..." She didn’t know if T was going to continue drinking there or planning to leave as well.
Alright, she was really quite perplexed by this man.
T looked at her nervous deanor and couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t be afraid of ."
"Is it obvious?" Ruby Sullivan blurted out, seeing him nod and feeling slightly embarrassed as she smiled, "Sorry." Here she was treating him like a big shot while he treated her like a friend, and it was a bit rude to be seen through.
T stood up, "Let’s go, I’ll take you back."
"No need, I can call a car myself."
"Don’t worry, my driver is outside, and Caelus’s safety isn’t as good as you imagine." T said, walking ahead.
Ruby Sullivan took a deep breath and obediently followed.
Although T’s car was spacious and the seats were comfortable, Ruby Sullivan just couldn’t shake the feeling of being restrained.
The silence between them lasted for nearly ten minutes, and suddenly T rembered Ruby Sullivan’s adorable daughter and smiled as he asked, "How’s Honey?"
"Hmm, she’s fully recovered." Ruby Sullivan happily shared.
"She’s a lucky little girl."
"Yes, and I didn’t expect to find my son this ti returning." Ruby Sullivan said, feeling much more relaxed discussing her two children.
"You have a son?"
"Yes, originally twins, but due to so circumstances, my son was separated from after birth." Thinking of this, Ruby Sullivan felt uneasy—she had always thought it was accidental, but later discovered it was intentional.
T saw the regret in her eyes and said softly, "The nature of life is its unpredictability."
"Indeed..."
Although T spoke like an elderly sage, he was actually two years younger than Ruby Sullivan. He had lived a life on the edge since childhood, and had already reached his current position at twenty-three. Every story from behind him could support a thrilling two-hour movie.
Before long, the car arrived below the hotel.
"Thank you for bringing back. Let’s et tomorrow at eleven a.m. at XX restaurant."
"Okay."
As Ruby Sullivan said this and got out of the car, she noticed T also getting out.
"I’ll walk you to the elevator."
"No need."
"Caelus’s safety isn’t as good as you think."
Ruby Sullivan felt exasperated, thinking to herself how concerned he seed about Caelus’s security.
The two walked side by side into the lobby, where Ethan Sterling stood up from his spot, sipping coffee. He glanced at the man beside Ruby Sullivan before his gaze fell on her face.
T suddenly pulled Ruby Sullivan to shield her behind him, "Do you know him?"
Ethan Sterling strode over, his expression more solemn, "I should be the one asking that question."
Ruby Sullivan gasped, afraid that Ethan Sterling might cause trouble with T, and quickly intervened, "We’re all friends." She noticed the electric tension between the two n and forced a smile to introduce them, "This is Ethan Sterling, my... ex-husband, and this is T, my friend."
"Ex-husband?" After hearing this introduction, T faintly smiled and withdrew his gaze from Ethan Sterling, turning to Ruby Sullivan, "If he troubles you, I can make him disappear right away."
"No!" Ruby Sullivan was instantly alard, hurriedly waving her hand, "He’s not troubling ."
"That’s good." T smiled, "See you tomorrow." He wasn’t soone to annoy others intentionally, so he understood Ruby Sullivan might want to talk to her ex-husband, and didn’t insist on escorting her upstairs.
"See you tomorrow." Ruby Sullivan appreciated his thoughtfulness, watching him walk out through the hotel’s door.
Imdiately after, she heard a cold question floating over her head, "Is this the man your friend introduced to you?"
Ruby Sullivan’s face darkened; she turned to glare at him, "No comnt." She said angrily and headed for the elevator.
She didn’t know why she was angry, but Ethan Sterling’s scrutinizing gaze just infuriated her.
anwhile, in the car, T had just settled in and suddenly said leisurely, "Seems I forgot sothing."
The car had already started, and the driver quickly stepped on the brakes, "Need to go back?"
T thought for a mont and said, "No need, maybe it’s inconvenient for her. Let’s go." He rembered their lunch tomorrow and realized he hadn’t gotten her phone number.
*
Ruby Sullivan saw Ethan Sterling had followed her into the elevator but hadn’t pressed a floor number. She frowned, "Don’t tell you’re staying next door again."
"Turns out you’re not so clueless." Mr. Sterling stated matter-of-factly as if staying next door was natural.
Ruby Sullivan felt frustrated, looking up at him, biting her lip, unsure what to say, she huffed, crossed her arms, and sulked.
Ethan Sterling didn’t know why she was upset, but her sulky expression was quite off-putting, "Are you mad because I interrupted your plans?"
Ruby Sullivan listened to his sarcastic tone and couldn’t help but shout, "Ethan Sterling, do you know who that man was just now?"
The elevator stopped, the door slowly opened, and Ruby Sullivan didn’t want to look at him for another second, quickly walking out.
The hallway was carpeted, and Ethan Sterling wasn’t the type to argue with soone in the hallway late at night. So he held back until she unlocked her door and was about to close it when he stepped forward and used his arm to block it, "In your heart, am I Ethan Sterling, soone who can’t offend anyone?"
His face showed no expression, his voice was very low, his tone was deeply hurt.
Concerned with his dignity as a man, it was strange if he wasn’t hurt.
Ruby Sullivan stared at him, and after a while, sighed, and walked away from the door.
Ethan Sterling followed her in, closing the door behind him.
Ruby Sullivan sat on the bed, crossed her legs, folded her hands over her lap, and said earnestly, "If it were L, I’d know how to protect you, but with T, if he wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t know how to handle it, you understand? His words about making you disappear weren’t threats, for him it’s easy."
Ethan Sterling watched her worried expression and slowly raised his eyebrows, "You’re worried about ?"
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