From pawn to queen 1

From pawn to queen 17From pawn to queen 17Chapter 1
Betrayal had a scent.
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And for Ruby, it smelled like cinnamon and well cooked steak. The aroma clung to her like a second skin as she pushed open the kitchen door. It was her father’s birthday, and he had decided to celebrate with dinner at home with everyone. She was tires from all the music and conversation, but she was enduring it all for her father. It wasn’t like he cared though. Fake festive cheer hung in the air, ready to be choked by the scene before her.
Ethan, her boyfriend of three years, had his back to her, his hands entangled in her half-sister’s hair, their lips locked in a picture of forbidden passion. Her half sister, Melanie, all porcelain perfection and smug satisfaction, cast a glance at her with her fingers trailing possessively down Ethan’s chest.
A strangled cry escaped Ruby’s throat, sharp and metallic like a dropped blade, followed by the sound of the glass she had been holding as it made contact with the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Ethan’s head snapped up, eyes widening in that infuriatingly practiced surprise. Melanie, startled by the sound despite already knowing Ruby was there, broke the kiss, leaving a crimson stain on the side of Ethan’s mouth, a mocking reflection of Ruby’s own lipstick.
Ethan, she rasped, the word twisted by betrayal and hurt. “What Why?
Ethan shrugged, the nonchalance an icy fist to her already shattered heart. “Look, Ruby,” he drawled, “it’s simple. I never loved you. It was always Melanie. You were just..convenient
Her world tilted. Convenient? That was how he saw her. Convenient like a napkin, used then absentmindedly tossed aside? The room spun, and tears burned at the back of her eyes, blurring all the lights in front of her
“Convenient?” she spat, her disbelief twisting into fury. “For three years, it was convenient? Every laugh, every secret, every promise?”
He scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. It was fun, sure. But nothing ever compared to this. She’s the real heiress in your family anyways.” He gestured towards Melanie, whose smug smile widened. “You don’t look half as good as she does, I’m sure even you can admit that.”
Ruby felt a primal scream claw its way up her throat, but before it could erupt, the kitchen door swung open, revealing her father and her stepmom, Beatrice.
“What in heaven’s name… her father boomed, eyes widening at the scene in front of him. Beatrice’s face, usually a mask of practiced perfection, cracked into something ugly, something akin to satisfaction.
Ethan, ever the charmer, switched gears in a heartbeat. “Mr Smith, Mrs Smith, thank goodness you’re here. You need to understand, Ruby and L…..
“No!” Ruby roared, cutting him off like a rusty axe. “He doesn’t get to explain! He cheated on me, with my own sister, and he thinks he has the right to explain?”
Her father’s face darkened. “Ruby, don’t be dramatic. There’s obviously more to this than you’re seeing
More?” she echoed, sporting an incredulous expression. “How much more does there need to be? He betrayed me, mocked me, right here while I was in the other room and you’re defending them? They obviously didn’t care how this would hurt
me!
Beatrice, in a voice dripping with fake sympathy, intervened. “Darling, you know Ethan wouldn’t hurt a fly. Maybe you misinterpreted something”
Misinterpreted? This wasn’t a drama set she had stumbled upon. This was blatant, naked betrayal, endorsed by the very people who were supposed to love her. She understood Beatrice defending her daughter, in fact, she expected it. But her own father supporting this act of injustice against her hurt more than she would like to admit
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Chapter 1
They were kissing under the same roof as me, with no care in the world. She’s even wearing my lipstick-”
“Really Ruby “Her father asked, cutting her off. “You can’t evender your sister share your lipstick! You’ve never been kind your sister and I definitely didn’t raise you to be like this. I didn’t raise you with so much love for you to act like this toward
your sister
The tears she had been trying so hard to hold hack spilled over, burning trails down her cheeks. Lipstick? This wasn’t about Lipstick. She could see that her father was blatantly trying to change the subject like her feelings didn’t matter. She turned to him with hate is her eyes. “Love” She croaked, laughter bubbling up, cold and bitter. “You wouldn’t know love if it smacked you in the face dad.”
This wasn’t just a stolen kiss in a dimly lit kitchen. It was a rejection, a confirmation of her isolation. With one last scathing glare at Ethan and Melanie who stood together hand in hand, she turned to walk out of the kitchen. But before she could move past the door, her brother walked in, blocking her from leaving. Cole was her older brother, and in normal circumstances, she should be relieved that he was there to fight for her, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Cole had repeatedly proven that he would stand with the rest of the family against her. She was an outcast, it was no secret.
“I think now would be the perfect time to share the news with her.” Cole said, “don’t you agree dad?”
She looked around the room in confusion. “What news?” She asked in panic, already thinking the worst.
“Right,” her-father said and turned to face her. “Ruby, it’s about your future..”
“My future! What do y
you mean?” She asked in confusion.
“Think of it as a way to rise above all this unpleasantness. And as a sacrifice for your family”
“What
are you talking about dad?”
Beatrice smiled at her and her blood ran cold. She knew whatever was about to come next wouldn’t be good. “Your marriage to Alex Blackwood Beatrice announced.
A shiver ran down her spine. “What?”
“You have no choice in the matter, it’s already been sorted, you’re to marry him.” Her father added.
You really think I’m going to marry someone I don’t love just because you said so?”
“Like I said, Ruby, you have no choice in the matter. The papers have already been signed
Alex Blackwood was the black sheep of his family. A dark taint in the otherwise pristine reputation of the Blackwood family. She knew this because her family had been close to the Blackwoods once upon a time. Alex had always been known for his rebellious ways, causing him to be cut off by his father a year ago, and now he was rumored to be bankrupt, with only a small percent of his family’s shares to his name. Alex’s father was desperate to get him married off, claiming that he might learn some responsibility from being a family man.
Her father had somehow made a deal with Alex’s father to get the two percent shares Alex owned. A deal that had been in the making for at least three years now. Two percent was barely anything, but her father was that greedy. But the plan had always been for Melanie to marry him, so this revelation was quite shocking
“Wasn’t he supposed to marry Melanie?” She asked. She knew all about the arrangement. She’d overheard them talking about it a few months ago.
Melanie scoffed. “You really thought I was going to marry that disgrace of a man? That nobody? You’re the perfect bride for lum, since you both have that in common.” She sneered
Ruby turned to her father. “So you want me to marry him? For your own selfish reasons?”
“It’s not a want, darling, think of it as a sacrifice for your family. There’s not much you can do for us anyways.”
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“No.” She said defiantly. “I won’t do it”
Her father took a step closer to her. “I don’t think you understand darling, you don’t have a choice. Marry Alex Blackwood and you get the one thing you’ve been begging for; we’ll pay of your mother’s medical bills, and if you refuse to do so, your
mother dies.”