Chapter 11
be dala
spected in any here with
The bad per acqntendi
atmanding in there made her think
nuoma, the dude i realide how much de bad mould this ho
spert together the I been an haary working and caring for her mother that the
placed the had allowed herself to become Growing.
| have been. And she suddenly felt barf for not trying det to keep in touch. She should’ve contacted him when she the chance, but she had felt like it was too late Years had used and they had grown too far apart She felt way too cry even though it hadn’t exactly been her fault that she
dalty, hall broken contact with him.
“L” she looked up in the mention of her mother’s name Alex’s mother. Tina, who was now downstairs, left her position at the bottom of the stain and ran towards her, her eyes seide
No Ruby
She nodded eagerly and Tina wrapped her in a bear hug and shequeezed the older woman back just as hard, holding back tears. Ruby couldn’t remember the last time someone had hugged her with so much love. Yet, two people had held her that way today
“Tina” she whispered, as though saying the name out loud would wake her up from the nostalgic dream that she was curtently in Tina kissed the top of her head and tightened her big even more.
“Oh my God, you look just like your mother. Tina crooned
Alex deared his throat and Ruby reluctantly stepped back but remained close enough with Tina, it felt good to feel some
and of motherly affection after so long and she wasn’t ready to let go just yet. She glanced at Alex, and saw him looking at has modier with an expression that she couldn’t decipher. It was most like he hadn’t seen her in a long time. “Ruby is throwing an with us” he said.
am” she asked, her eyes wide in shock
“About damn time” Tina said, playfully smacking Alex across the chest. “Who marries a woman and then leaves her in her parents house, huh? I raised you better than that.”
Scott, Ales and her gave each other knowing looks but nobody said a word. She bit down on her lip in a bid to keep her tears atty Tikoaked around the room with her eyebrows creased and a small frown on her face. “Where’s all her luggage?”
be asked, looking at Alex. “And how’s your mother been. Ruby’s been a really long while.”
Scott cleared his throat Ruby looked down at her feet Alex scratched the back of his neck
“What going on Tina asked, looking between all three of them “Ruby)”
“Maybe we should all take a seat Alex suggested already moving to one of the sofas in the living room.
“What’s goong vor” Tita asked again when they were all seated.
Trah, what exactly is going on?” Alex chipped in, looking at her from his seat across from her
“It seems like you already know more than I would have told your she said with a faint smile gracing her lips. She wasn‘ stupad She knew how the Blackwood operated she knew Alex would have done a background check on her the second be recognized let at the gentlemen’s club And she wasn’t comfortable with how much he probably knew about her right now. Everything and how she had been living her life. And how much she had strayed from the gri that she used to be
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Chapter 1
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Alex’s expression softened and he looked at her pleadingly. “Tell like to hear it from you,” he said in a soft voice
She hesitated, looking around the room. Tina was looking at her with worry filled eyes, and she knew that they would eventually find out everything anyways. It would be better if they had her own version of the story to go by. So she told the story over again. She told them about her mother vaccident, camung Tina to break down in tears. She told them about how her father and brother abandoned her and refused to pay her mother s medical bills, insisting that it was a waste of resources about the new wide and her half sister’s schemes and about the difficulties she was facing to pay the bill. Tina distened carefully nodding every once in a while to encourage her to keep talking
“God. “Tina exclaimed with a shuddering breath when she was done talking. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry I didn’t know.
en 1 was unable to reach your mother, your father told me she had left him and fled the country, and there was no way to ach her after that Why didn’t you come to me Ruby? You know I would’ve taken care of you.”
“When my father decided to get married again and abandon my mother, I was 18, of course I wanted to run to you. You were the only other person that could help het. But my father threatened me. He told me he would definitely pull the plug on her if I did anything stupid. The only way he could allow me to take responsibility for my mother was if I cut ties with everyone. I glanced at Scott
you poor thing” Tina whispered. “You were just a child, how could he expect you to shoulder such responsibility?”
“I was already 18, so I had access to my trust fund. And over the past six years. I’ve been using the money to pay the bills. But of course I pan through the money pretty quickly. And now she swallowed back a sob that was threatening to escape her Tina wrapped her in a hug again, whispering words of consolation in her ear
