Lucius brought the car to a stop in front of the towering glass building that bore the na Anderson Organization in bold, tallic letters. "This is as far as we can go," he said firmly, his gaze flickering toward the building’s entrance.
Ruby stepped out of the car, her heels clicking on the pavent as she handed the keys to the waiting chauffeur, who had appeared promptly to take over.
Without sparing a glance back, she strode confidently toward the building’s grand entrance.
"Why did she go in there?" Layla murmured, her brow furrowing in confusion. She leaned forward slightly, her curiosity getting the better of her. "We should follow her," she added decisively, already reaching for the door handle.
Lucius nodded, glancing at her briefly. "Go ahead and wait for at the entrance. I’ll park the car and catch up with you," he replied.
As Layla stepped out while he made his way to the parking lot. She waited for Lucius to co and stayed near the rotating door. It didn’t take long for Lucius to return and the two headed inside.
"I think we need to wait in the lobby. In the anti, you can tell what you’ve found out," she suggested.
"Ruby belongs to a well-off family. And she’s in a relationship with David Anderson, the chairman of the Anderson Organization," he began and revealed to her everything he knew so far.
"Why did she hide such a truth from ? I an..." Layla paused and lowered her gaze, feeling a bit lost. With trembling hands, she again took out the phone from inside her handbag and dialed Ruby’s number. As usual, the response was sa. Her phone was switched off.
The employees who would cross the lobby look behind to make sure if they saw Lucius. Gossips started among them.
"Only Ruby can answer your questions," Lucius asserted, taking her hand in his.
"Mr. De Salvo!" A voice interrupted them and the two of them looked at the person. Lucius recognized him imdiately. He was David’s assistant, Byron Petrov. "Are you here to see the Chairman?"
Both Lucius and Layla left their seats. She gazed at her husband, realizing he was acquaintance with them.
"Kind of. How’s David these days?" Lucius response was vague.
"The chairman was under the weather a few days ago. I will tell him you are here to see him," Byron stated when Lucius stopped him.
"That’s not needed. I am here for so other work," Lucius asserted, refraining from explaining about it.
"Byron, whom are you talking with?" David’s voice reached them from a certain distance. He could feel it was Lucius from behind, but he wasn’t sure.
Lucius turned on his heels and waved at him with a grin on his face. He saw Ruby standing by his side, who reacted as if she had seen a ghost. Layla, too, turned to look and her gaze t with Ruby’s, who was holding David’s arm.
David frowned to see Lucius in his territory. Before he could speak, he saw Layla coming in their direction.
"Ruby, you suddenly have disappeared and didn’t answer any of my calls. I-I thought sothing bad happened to you," she said. Despite her initial shock to find out the truth regarding Ruby, she remained composed.
David looked at Ruby in confusion.
"I’ll see you later," Ruby told David and asked Layla if she could her so spare ti.
"Yeah," Layla promptly replied.
"Then, let’s go out from here. Lucius, we will nearby in a cafe," Ruby said and held her hand before leaving with her.
Lucius decided to stay close to his wife and walked out without saying a word to David. Even he went after him, wanting to know what was happening.
~~~~
In the cozy corner of the café, Ruby and Layla settled into their seats. A waiter approached swiftly, setting down two tall glasses of iced latte before retreating. Ruby wrapped her hands around the cold glass, her fingers trembling slightly as she bit her bottom lip nervously, searching for the right words.
Finally, she broke the silence. "How much do you know?" she asked, her voice low but strained with anxiety.
Across the room, Lucius entered the café, his sharp gaze scanning for familiar faces. He chose a table a safe distance away from Ruby and Layla, pulling out a chair with an air of calm indifference. David followed closely behind, taking the seat beside him.
"What’s going on?" David demanded in a low, tense voice, his anger barely concealed. "And didn’t we agree never to cross paths again?"
Lucius turned his head slightly, fixing David with a sharp glare. "Keep quiet. You’re as irritatingly loud as you’ve always been," he said curtly.
David’s jaw tightened as he clenched his fists, but he swallowed his retort, settling for silence under Lucius’s piercing stare.
Back at the corner table, Layla took a sip of her iced latte. "That you co from a well-off family," she began. "And that you’re dating David Anderson. I was worried about you, Ruby. You should’ve told sothing—anything."
Ruby’s grip on her glass tightened. "Did Lucius tell you all this?" she asked cautiously, her eyes narrowing.
Layla nodded. "He did, but not before. He only told after I asked him to follow your car a few minutes ago," she explained.
"Oh. So, he’s been keeping tabs on ," Ruby murmured, her lips curling into a bitter smile. She leaned back slightly, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her glass. "Your husband is a mafia, Layla. I probably shouldn’t say this, but he’s dangerous—for you."
Layla’s expression hardened, her tone calm but firm. "I know what Lucius is, Ruby. But we’re not here to talk about him." She leaned forward, her gaze sharp and unrelenting. "What I don’t understand is—why did you lie?"
Ruby exhaled slowly, her eyes dropping to the table as if the weight of her past had suddenly pressed down on her shoulders. "My grandmother raised for most of my life," she began, her voice tinged with an unmistakable sorrow. "I loved living with her; she gave the care my parents never did. They were always too busy with their work to bother about . Even after I graduated, I decided to stay away from them and live my own life."
She paused, her fingers tightening around the glass. "But then, out of nowhere, my father contacted . He told my mother had been sick for the past month. She... she wanted to co back. And not just that—she wanted to get married by the end of this year." Her voice broke slightly, and the pain behind her words was evident despite her efforts to hide it.
Layla’s heart ached for her friend. "Ruby," she said softly, reaching out to touch her hand. "I’m so sorry I didn’t know what you’ve been going through. Is there anything I can do to help you? Please, let ."
Ruby looked up, her eyes shimring with gratitude and vulnerability. "I appreciate it, Layla. But there’s nothing you can do in this. David is a nice guy. I thought he was a rich brat, but he takes care of ."
"That’s nice to hear," Layla said warmly, a soft smile gracing her lips.
"Forgive , okay? For never telling you about my family," Ruby added in an apologetic tone.
"I’ve already forgiven you," Layla replied.
Ruby hesitated for a mont, glancing around the café before leaning in slightly. "Well, I’ve heard so strange rumors about Lucius. Now that I’m in the social circles where your husband is well-known, these things keep coming up. I hope you’ll ask him to leave his mafia activities behind—for your own good. Of course, I don’t an to ddle in your affairs after your marriage, but as a friend, I felt I should caution you."
Layla’s smile faded slightly, replaced by a thoughtful expression. "There are many rumors about him. What exactly have you heard?"
Ruby hesitated, her fingers toying with the rim of her glass. "You don’t need to know," she whispered, gesturing for Layla to focus on her latte.
But Layla wasn’t one to let things go so easily. "As my friend, you should tell ," she insisted, her tone firm yet kind.
Ruby sighed, giving in to Layla’s persistence. "You must have heard how Roderick is supposed to inherit the company chairmanship. Well, so say Lucius conspired against his own brother to take over everything. That’s why his elder brother’s son will get everything. And... there are darker rumors. People whisper about his involvent in the disappearance of certain individuals in the past, including the children of so wealthy businessn."
Ruby’s voice dropped to a near-whisper. "I know you love him because he’s given you everything. But Layla... his hands aren’t clean. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you."
Layla lowered her gaze, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her glass as she processed Ruby’s words. Finally, she shook her head and looked up.
"No, Ruby. You haven’t offended . If I weren’t Lucius’s wife, I might have believed those rumors too. But I know my husband. I will prove to everyone that he’s not the man they think he is. He’s never killed anyone—he’s a victim of circumstance himself," she declared.
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