Chapter 12 Moving in
CHAPTER 12
Moving in
Ruby didn’t know the name, but she saw the way Leo’s face changed. His jaw clenched. His eyes went cold. His grip on the phone tightened.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Ruby’s heart pounded.
Mrs. Gale raised a brow. “Sir?”
Leo exhaled sharply. “I have an urgent meeting. I need to deal with my brother.”
The maids glanced at each other knowingly.
Mrs. Gale’s eyes darkened with concern.
Ruby stood still, feeling suddenly useless, invisible—like someone who accidentally stepped into a world she had no right entering.
Leo turned to Mrs. Gale,
“Take care of her,” he said simply. “Make sure she doesn’t wander around.”
Ruby's chest tightened.
Not wander around?
He didn’t trust her.
Or worse… he didn’t care.
Without waiting for an answer, Leo strode toward the door again. His expression was stormy. His steps fast. His voice was sharp as he answered the incoming call.
“What did he do now—? No, I’m on my way.”
The door slammed behind him.
His absence left a heavy silence behind.
Ruby stood frozen in the vast foyer, feeling smaller by the second. The warmth of the mansion suddenly felt intimidating. The walls towered over her. The golden lights felt too bright.
Mrs. Gale approached with a calm smile. “Ruby, follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”
Ruby nodded wordlessly.
But as she stepped forward, the maids shifted aside—not to help her—but to whisper amongst themselves.
“She looks poor.”
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“He brings strays now?”
“Did you see her shoes? They’re soaked and ugly.”
Ruby’s throat tightened.
She kept her eyes on the floor.
Mrs. Gale noticed the whispers but didn’t react. “Come, dear,” she said gently, placing a hand on Ruby’s back.
Ruby followed.
But she felt every pair of eyes stabbing her from behind.
The hallway was long and glowing, with framed paintings of mountains and oceans. The carpets were thick beneath her feet. Every corner smelled like lavender and warm vanilla.
Ruby admired it all—quietly, inwardly—but her heart beat fast.
Beautiful things scared her.
She wasn’t used to belonging anywhere that looked like this.
Mrs. Gale opened the door.
The guest room was enormous—white-gold walls, soft bed, elegant curtains, a warm lamp casting a soft glow. Ruby stepped inside slowly, feeling like her breath had been stolen.
“It’s… beautiful,” she whispered, though barely loud enough for anyone to hear.
Mrs. Gale nodded approvingly. “You’ll stay here.”
Ruby swallowed. “Is… is this really okay?”
“Sir Leo gave the instruction,” Mrs. Gale replied. “We follow it.”
Ruby nodded again.
The older woman studied her closely. “You’re trembling. Sit.”
Ruby obeyed.
Mrs. Gale brought a warm towel and placed it gently on Ruby’s hands. “You must feel overwhelmed.”
Ruby tried to smile but her lips barely moved.
“It’s alright,” Mrs. Gale whispered softly. “You’re safe here.”
But Ruby didn’t feel safe.
Not yet.
Not with the way the maids looked at her, not with the way Leo looked through her, not with the way the mansion felt too big, too cold, too perfect.
Mrs. Gale excused herself to fetch warm socks and tea.
Ruby sat alone, listening to the faint sounds of the mansion—soft footsteps, distant doors closing, muffled whispers.
Whispers about her.
She could still hear those earlier words echoing in her head.
She doesn’t belong.
He brings strays now?
Look at her clothes…
Her eyes stung.
She blinked fast.
Don’t cry.
Not here.
Not where people already think you’re weak.
A maid entered suddenly—one of the whispering ones, the younger one with narrow eyes. She placed folded towels on the dresser, then looked at Ruby with poorly hidden disdain.
“You,” the maid said. “Don’t touch anything unnecessary. This is a mansion, not a shelter.”
Ruby’s breath hitched, but she said nothing.
The maid smirked. “Of course you won't speak. You look like you’re scared to breathe.”
She left the room with a scoff.
Ruby’s heart cracked a little.
Her throat burned.
But she stayed quiet, folding her hands on her lap as tears slowly, silently fell.
___
Meanwhile, Leo walked down the mansion steps and entered his car, every muscle in his body tight with anger and exhaustion.
His brother was in trouble. Always trouble.
But for some strange reason, his mind drifted back—not to Trent, not to the meeting, but to the girl he left standing in the foyer.
He clenched his teeth.
He didn’t have time for softness, or have time for complications.
He didn’t have time… for her.
And yet, as the car pulled away…
He thought about the way she shivered.
The way she tried to shrink herself into nothing.
The way she didn’t speak a word.
He looked out the window, hiding the flicker of something unspoken.
He forced it down.
He had no room for feelings.
Not now or ever.