Chapter 16 Successfully signed
CHAPTER 16
Successfully signed
The pen had barely left the paper when Leo closed the contract, slid it back into its folder, and locked it inside his desk drawer as if sealing away a dangerous secret.
Ruby watched every movement with a strange mixture of relief and dread.
She had signed away six months of her life. Six months living under his roof. Six months pretending to be something she had never been—loved.
Leo turned sharply. “I’ll have the head maid prepare a room for you.”
“A room?” Ruby echoed.
“You’re not staying in the guest wing,” he said without looking at her. “You’ll stay in the East wing.”
Ruby didn’t understand the difference, but the tone in his voice told her the East wing mattered.
“Why there?” she whispered.
“Because,” he replied, “that’s where a girlfriend would stay.”
The word girlfriend hit her chest like a shock.
Temporary—Contractual—Fake.
He wasn’t hers. She wasn’t his.
But the world would think otherwise.
“Follow me,” he said simply.
Ruby rose to her feet, her legs unsteady. Leo noticed and placed a hand on her lower back—barely touching her, just guiding her forward. Even that small contact made her breath falter.
They stepped into the hallway, which was even more overwhelming than the study. The mansion felt endless, with long corridors lit by soft gold sconces, polished floors that reflected like mirrors, and paintings that looked older than her father.
Leo walked ahead without needing to look back, trusting she would follow.
Ruby tried to memorize the turns,left…..right…..another right—a staircase curved like a ribbon—another hallway lined with statues. She felt like a lost child in a palace. Leo stopped at a grand double door.
“This will be your room.”
Ruby hesitated. “Won’t people think it’s strange… us staying in different rooms?”
Leo glanced at her, and for a moment something soft flickered in his eyes.
“Those people don’t enter this wing,” he said. “And my father doesn’t stay overnight.”
“Oh.”
“Besides,” Leo added, voice steady again, “sharing a room is only necessary for marriage, not a relationship.”
Ruby dropped her gaze, embarrassed she had even asked.
He opened the door.
Ruby gasped.
The room was a dream—soft cream walls, warm lighting, a huge canopy bed draped in white fabric, a crystal chandelier, a private sitting area, and windows that showed the glittering city like stars spilled across the earth.
“This… this is too much,” she whispered.
“It’s standard,” Leo replied with a smirk on his face.
Standard?
This looked like the room of a princess in a storybook.
“There’s a bathroom inside, and a walk in closet,” he said. “Someone will bring clothes for you tomorrow.”
“Clothes?” Ruby echoed.
“You can’t attend public events in what you have now.”
Ruby felt the humiliation again—she owned nothing.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Leo nodded, already stepping back. “Rest tonight. In the morning, your schedule begins.”
“My… schedule?”
“Yes. Training, etiquette, brand briefings, event preparation. Blake will also check your health.”
Ruby’s head spun.
Training?
Events?
Health checks?
Her new life felt like a storm.
Leo studied her expression, and for a moment, his voice softened.
“If you feel overwhelmed, say so. You’re not a prisoner, Ruby. You agreed to this.”
She nodded.
He hesitated at the doorway—just a fraction longer than necessary—then spoke, quiet and distant:
“Sleep well.”
And then he left, the door clicked shut.
Ruby stood alone in silence, the weight of everything settling on her shoulders.
She walked slowly to the bed and touched the blanket. It felt softer than anything she had ever owned. She sank onto it, tears filling her eyes—quiet tears, the kind she had taught herself to cry without sound.
Ruby curled on the bed, whispering to herself, “Don’t get used to this. It’s not real.”
But her heart didn’t listen.
Leo returned to his study, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and threw it back in one swallow. He hated contracts like this…. hated pretending….. hated exposing someone innocent to the world’s flames.
But he needed this.
His father’s condition was non negotiable.
The company’s leadership was at stake. And time was running out. He leaned against the window, staring out at the city, his jaw clenching.
Why did it have to be her?
Ruby—the fragile girl he found lying unconscious on the street, with eyes filled with quiet terror and quiet strength at the same time, who reminded him so painfully of someone he had once lost. He closed his eyes. This was a contract. A business transaction. Nothing more.
But the way she had looked at him while reading the terms…
The way she whispered Why me?
The way she trembled but still signed…
It stirred something unwanted inside him.
Leo swallowed hard and forced the feeling away. Tomorrow, they will begin the performance of their lives. Tonight, he needed sleep.
A soft knock startled Ruby awake.
She sat up quickly, fear flashing—old habits from living under Vivian’s roof.
“Yes?” she whispered.
The door opened slowly, revealing Grace—one of the maids Leo had mentioned.
Grace was in her thirties, stern faced but composed, with years of discipline in her posture.
“Miss Ruby,” she said flatly. “Mr. Leo requested that I check on you.”
Ruby nodded nervously. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
She stepped inside, her eyes assessing Ruby like she was examining a fragile object.
“Your clothes will arrive by morning. Breakfast is at eight. Mr. Leo’s father is visiting next week; you will be trained before then.”
Her voice was professional, but Ruby could sense something else—curiosity? Suspicion? Disapproval?
Then Grace's gaze softened just a little.
It was unexpected.
“I know this must be overwhelming,” she said quietly. “But… the East wing has not been prepared for anyone in many years.”
Ruby frowned. “Why?”
Grace hesitated.
She almost said something, then she straightened suddenly.
“Good night, Miss Ruby.” And she left.
Ruby sat there, heart pounding, wondering, who stayed in the East wing before me?
And why did Leo put her there?
Something told her the answer wouldn’t be simple.