Chapter 45
It was an hour later, and more and more guests had arrived, each one coming over to Alex and her to say “Happy Birthday” and congratulate them on their marriage over and over again. Tina had gone to see her father earlier, and they were running late, but still, the party was in full swing and everyone seemed to be having a great time, Cole and Robert were nowhere to be found. They seemed to have disappeared. Maybe they decided to leave since they weren’t going to get what they came for anyway- connections with Alex, or a chance to rile her up.
She sighed in relief, finally able to breathe freely again. For once there wasn’t going to be anything embarrassing happening, or anything worthy of being recorded and leaked to the press. Although Cole and Robert were able to sneak past security, she hadn’t seen any other person who wasn’t supposed to be there. Their guests weren’t just friends of the Blackwoods, but business associates too, and they wouldn’t upload anything on social media that was going to damage or tarnish their image and ruin their relationship with the Blackwoods. But just as she was letting down her guard and deciding to calm down, the entire room went silent. Frowning, Ruby and Alex turned to the entrance to see what was so surprising. It was grandpa and Tina and next to her, was James Blackwood, her husband. Ruby felt Alex stiffen next to her, and she inconspicuously slipped her hands into his and squeezed. He looked down at her in surprise and smiled, still a bit rigid. The trio walked straight to them and people made way for them and parted like the red sea.
“Happy birthday, darling.” Tina gushed, beaming as she took Ruby into a hug.
“Thank you” she whispered, letting go of Alex to hug her mother in law
She repeated the same gesture with grandpa, and shook the uninterested hand James outstretched toward her. Tina looked absolutely radiant in her pale pink dress. And Ruby couldn’t decide which was more dreamy- the big carefree smile on her face or the way that her skin glowed and radiated. The party had continued and everyone had gone back to their drinks and conversation now. Alex threw his father a cold glare.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
Tina waved a hand in front of Alex. That’s no way to speak to your father. It’s a family event, so of course he’s here.”
“I can’t even attend a party with my wife?” James asked with an amused expression on his face.
James Blackwood was a fine man, much like his sons. He was well into his 50s and he looked his age, but he didn’t look old. He had this youthfulness to him, a lean build and a glint in his eyes. Ruby could easily understand why young girls flocked to him like ants to honey.
Alex’s jaw ticked as he looked at his mother, and Ruby didn’t miss the subtle nod she gave to Alex, before his shoulders. finally sagged a little. “Thank you for coming. Enjoy the party.” he said.
They walked into the room, already getting intercepted by people wanting to talk to them, and Ruby looked at Alex now that they were alone. “You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, are you?*
“Actually no, I have a headache,” she should be relieved, grateful even, but her head was throbbing from hours of tension squeezing her skull, and her cheeks felt like rubber from smiling for so long. She put her hand on Alex’s sleeve. “I’m gonna grals some tylenol from the pantry. Do you want anything?”
He cradled her cheek in his warm palm, the gesture protective and husbandly. “Are you all right?”
She smiled. “It’s just a headache, nothing serious. I’ll be back soon
“Okay,” he kissed her cheek.
She sensed some women around them sigh with envy. But she maintained a smile full of warm hospitality as she made her way to the pantry. She was halfway there when a coolly smooth voice said, “Such a fabulous party.”
Chapter 45
come in with
Her mouth went dry as she turned and saw Natalie. How did she get in? She wasn’t invited, and she hadn’t com Cole. Now her head pounded even harder. But long–ingrained manners dictated she said something polite in response. “Thank you,” she managed, her temples pulsing.
“I know you want to make sure everyone knows you won Alex from me, but this is pretty low, even for you.”
“Well, if you didn’t crash the party.. her tone was sharper than she would prefer. But right now she didn’t have a lot of patience, especially when Natalie was being unfair.-
“Crash, She laughed. “As if.”
“Isn’t that what you call it?”
Her face twisted. “You invited me.”
“What?” Ruby asked in confusion
“Look, I know you’re jealous, but just leave me out of your marriage, okay?” Her red lips curved slowly into a cynical smile. “Just enjoy what you have while you can. Alex’s great in bed, you should enjoy that, for now.”
Was she supposed to respond to that comment? She didn’t know why or how Natalie was here, or what she was hoping to achieve. Her head hurt too much to even come up with a suitable response, much less decide how she should feel about this. Her stomach churned and she wondered if the nausea was from seeing Natalie–or the image of Alex and her rolling around in bed together.
She turned away and proceeded to go to the kitchen pantry. In her experience, it was best not to engage. Fortunately, no one else stopped her. She exited the ballroom and let the door shut behind her. The noise died down abruptly, plunging her into blessed silence. She sighed softly, letting her shoulders droop a little as she rolled her neck. The encounters with Cole, Robert, Alex’s dad and Natalie should be as had as the party was going to get. But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was going to get worse. She walked past the arched doorway into the pantry. A bottle of Tylenol was on one of the shelves. She tossed a couple of pills into her mouth, then pulled out a bottle from a case of water and washed them down. The water was lukewarm, but it was nice after being inside the chilly ballroom.
“There you u are.” Cole’s gravelly voice came from behind her.
The tension returned in full and the muscles at the base of her neck bunched and her shoulders rose until they almost hit her ears. She turned around and stared at him. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “This area is off limits.”
“What? I can’t visit my
y sister’s home?”
“You’re not visiting, you’re trespassing” she said flatly.
“Do you always have to be such a bitch? It’s no wonder nobody likes you”
“Get out of the way!” irritation dripped into her like poison. The pantry had only one entry point, and Cole was blocking it.
“Make me,” he said.
The taunt was juvenile, but the expression on his face was serious. The amused air was gone, and in its place was an anger that had been simmering for a while. Dread wrapped its arms around her pounding heart, but she did her best to hide her
fear.
“Get out of
my way Cole!” I screamed, trying to push past him. I
He stepped forward. “You fucking bitch!”
Pain exploded in her face. Stars burst in her dimming vision. Ametallic taste flooded her mouth and she lost her balance and hit the shelves hard enough to make the things behind her ule.
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Chapter 45
Cole moved toward her. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson.”
