Fourteen

Lucian's POV:

I had never experienced such intense embarrassment in my entire life as I pondered over Ruby spilling wine on me and telling me to stay away from her.

"This is so embarrassing," I thought to myself.

"What could she have been thinking? Does she have someone supporting her that I'm not aware of?" These thoughts raced through my mind as the memory of how she embarrassed me in my own house resurfaced.

The most painful part of the whole incident was her rejection of my offer. As soon as she left, I instructed my driver to drop her off. However, I was genuinely confused as to why she refused my driver's assistance despite her distress that day.

I checked the CCTV footage to see how she was living in my place, and to my surprise, I saw Tyler packing things at the front door and driving her away. I felt a sense of betrayal from Tyler and wondered where they might be heading.

"Could it be that Ruby called him herself?" I asked myself, filled with confusion and doubt. I replayed the CCTV footage and clearly saw Ruby making a call, which confirmed my suspicion that she had indeed called him.

"But does that even make sense? How could Ruby do that to me after I warned her to stay away from him? This is unbelievable," I muttered to myself in annoyance as I stood up from the CCTV monitor and stormed out.

Immediately, I called one of my employees and instructed him to track down Adam's whereabouts and provide me with a report, as usual. He promptly left the house and set off to search for Adam.

Ruby's POV:

With a heavy heart, I returned home, replaying the unfortunate events that had unfolded. The hotel experience had brought nothing but misfortune, and the emptiness of my house felt particularly dreadful, knowing that Adam had instructed me to leave before his return.

"What should I do now?" I kept pondering, unable to find the best course of action in that moment.

I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Adam found me at home. The thought of facing his anger, which I had never witnessed to such an extent, was unsettling.

After much contemplation, I made the difficult decision to pack up and leave his house. I started gathering my clothes and personal belongings, wanting to avoid any further embarrassment when he returned.

Once I had packed some of my things, I left a note expressing my emotions regarding the recent events.

"It's truly heartbreaking, and I feel immense pain. I regret that you have to endure hardship because of me. While I made mistakes in the past, I tried my best to rectify them in a way that wouldn't harm our relationship. Everything I did was to protect you and our marriage, but unfortunately, you overreacted and didn't allow me a chance to explain. There was nothing going on between Lucian and me; he was merely trying to console me in my vulnerable state. The incident at the hotel was a setup orchestrated by him. I would never betray you, please believe me," I poured my emotions onto the paper, feeling deeply disappointed in myself.

After writing the note, I left it in a special place where Adam would find it upon his return. I moved out of his house and checked into a hotel far away from home.

I spent a few days there, having lunch and trying to collect myself. However, after four days, the realization struck that I couldn't sustain this lifestyle without earning an income.

I attempted to find a job but was unsuccessful in my search. That's when a thought of Tyler's offer crossed my mind, and I picked up my phone to call him immediately. He was delighted to receive my call and offered me the opportunity to visit his office whenever I was ready.

Feeling relieved, I informed him that I would come to his office the following day.

***

Ruby's POV:

The cloudy night kept me confined to my room, lost in my thoughts. I couldn't help but dwell on the misfortune that Lucian had brought into my life, causing me to lose everything—my relationship, my job, and more. After much contemplation on how to navigate the hardships I was facing, I finally arrived at a solution that seemed fitting at that moment: I recalled Tyler's invitation to work at his company.

"I must visit Tyler as early as possible tomorrow," I resolved before retiring to bed that night.

The next morning, I woke up early and immediately got out of bed. I hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower, and within minutes, I was done. After my shower, I called the hotel receptionist to order some toasted bread with eggs and a bottle of fruit juice, creating a balanced breakfast. My order arrived shortly after, and I enjoyed my meal.

Not long after finishing my breakfast, I left my hotel room and headed to Tyler's office. I arrived at exactly 9 o'clock in the morning, only to discover that Tyler had not yet arrived. Annoyed, I approached the receptionist to inquire about his expected arrival time, and was informed that he would be back soon. So, I decided to wait for him.

As I waited for Tyler, more than ten minutes passed, and the thought crossed my mind to call him instead. I picked up my phone and dialed his number several times, but he didn't answer my calls.

"Is he deliberately ignoring my calls, or is he simply occupied?" I wondered to myself, dialing his number again. Just then, I heard someone mentioning his name at the entrance of the office.

"Welcome, sir," one of his employees greeted him as he entered the office.

I quickly stood up from where I was seated and approached him. "Good morning, Tyler," I greeted.

Tyler appeared surprised yet excited to see me in his company. "Good morning, Ruby. How was your night? I hope I didn't keep you waiting... Why didn't you just call me when you arrived at the office, at least?" he responded with a hint of happiness on his face.

"Why don't you check your phone before jumping to conclusions?" I shyly retorted.

Tyler immediately reached into his pocket to confirm what I had said. He was taken aback to see several missed calls from me on his phone. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I just realized that my phone notifications were on silent," Tyler explained, clearly emotional about his mistake.

"It's alright, Tyler. I'm here to see you," I reassured him, nodding.

"Okay, let's move to my office then," Tyler responded, gesturing for us to head towards his workspace.

His office turned out to be even more beautiful and charming than I had anticipated.

"Please have a seat," Tyler said excitedly, offering me a chair in front of him. I sat down, feeling a bit uncomfortable and shy about asking for his help.

"You mentioned that you came to see me. Can you be more specific? I'll be glad to assist," Tyler asked, displaying his confusion.

"I think I just have to tell him, even if he doesn't offer," I thought to myself, mustering the courage to speak up. "Yes, Tyler, I need your help. Given my current situation—you know, losing my job, home, and even my relationship—plus the financial instability I'm facing, I thought of coming to you. I would appreciate it if you could offer me a job," I explained emotionally, awaiting his response. Tyler's immediate reaction surprised me as he burst into laughter.

"Are my words that amusing?" I asked silently, observing Tyler's

laughter. "Please, I'm serious... I really need a job," I said, growing slightly frustrated with Tyler's reaction.

"It's alright, Ruby. I apologize if my reaction upset you in any way. What I meant was, why didn't you just connect with me through a phone call instead of going through the trouble of coming to my office?" Tyler responded.

"I thought of that too, but my current situation is more complex than that," I explained.

Upon hearing the challenges I was facing, Tyler's eyes reflected a tinge of concern. I could tell how worried he was just by looking at him.

"Don't worry about the job. I'll offer you one," Tyler responded with a deep sigh and heavy breath. "May I ask where you're currently living?"

"Right now, I don't have a specific place to stay, so I've been staying in a hotel," I replied.

Tyler empathized with my hardship and kindly offered me a place to live. Initially, I felt uneasy about his offer and tried to refuse, but he insisted, explaining that I could use my income to start anew instead of paying for hotel accommodations.

After careful consideration, I agreed to live at his place and promised to join his office as soon as possible. I returned to my hotel room with a sense of excitement about my new job.