Chapter 25 An invite
CHAPTER 25
An invite
“Well, isn’t this lovely?”
Leo stiffened immediately.
Ruby turned her head and saw Stella, Leo’s stepmother standing beside them in a deep emerald gown that practically screamed money. Her hair coiled perfectly at the base of her neck, diamonds glittering like they were afraid not to shine for her. Her smile was wide, polite, and meant to intimidate.
Ruby felt Leo’s hand tighten around hers.
“Stella,” Leo said flatly. “We’re in the middle of something.”
“I can see that.” She stepped closer, her perfume, something expensive and suffocating filling the air. “But dear, the party doesn’t stop because you’re dancing with your… companion.”
Ruby swallowed.
Stella’s eyes flicked to her with a smile that never touched her eyes. “Ruby, yes? Lovely dress. Very… youthful.”
That was rich, considering Stella’s dress looked like it belonged in a museum of royal arrogance.
Ruby offered a small, polite nod. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” Stella laughed lightly. “My dear, I’m not that old. ‘Stella’ is just fine. We’re practically… family.”
Leo let out a humorless breath. “Is there a reason you’re here?”
Stella’s expression sharpened for a fraction of a second before smoothing back into silk. “Of course. I wanted to speak to you privately. Someone important wants to see you.”
Leo didn’t move. “I’m busy.”
Stella’s painted lips curved. “It’s about your growth, Leo oh I mean your image. If you want to shine in the business world as you should, you need… refinement.” She touched his arm lightly, in a gesture too polished to be affectionate. “You should let me boost you properly. That’s what family does. After all, the media is watching.
Ruby saw it immediately—the tactic, a knife disguised as advice.
Leo didn’t even glance at her. “Ruby and I are dancing.”
Stella ignored that. “After the party, during dinner, a very important guest will be attending. I strongly advise you to sit close. Speak properly, present yourself well. No… unnecessary distractions.” Her eyes landed on Ruby again.
Ruby felt a sting she refused to show.
Leo’s jaw clenched. “Ruby isn’t a distraction.”
Stella raised one eyebrow. “Everyone can see she’s not from our social circle, Leo. I’m simply advising you out of concern that tonight is critical for your future. You should behave accordingly.”
Ruby’s stomach twisted, she knew Stella wasn’t wrong about her lack of status, but the way she said it felt like a slap wearing white gloves.
“Stella,” Leo said slowly, voice dangerously calm, “walk away.”
Her smile froze. “Leo—”
“I’m not telling you again.”
Stella exhaled through her nose and straightened. “Fine. But remember what I said. After the party dinner, no mistakes tonight.” She leaned forward slightly. “We can’t afford you embarrassing us.”
Ruby expected him to snap, but he didn’t, his silence was colder.
Stella gave Ruby a tight smile. “Enjoy the party, dear.”
And she walked away, her gown sweeping behind her like a tide of poisonous green.
Ruby exhaled shakily once she was out of earshot. “She… doesn’t like me.”
“She doesn’t like anyone she can’t control,” Leo said.
Ruby bit her lip. “She’s worried I’ll embarrass you.”
“I don’t care.”
“But she does.”
He finally met Ruby’s gaze, eyes darkened with something heavy. “You’re not the problem, Ruby. Stella just hates that she can’t curate my life like I’m a product.”
Ruby wasn’t entirely reassured. “Leo, maybe she’s right about the dinner. You should sit with whoever that important person is. You shouldn’t let me come in between something that could help your position.”
“I decide who I sit with,” he said sharply.
“I know but—”
“No.” He placed his hand gently on the side of her face, forcing her eyes back on him. “You’re not leaving my side tonight. Stella can choke on her own advice.”
Despite herself, Ruby smiled.
The music swelled again around them, drowning out the whispers. Leo resumed the dance, pulling her close, tighter than before as if reinforcing that Stella’s interruption meant nothing.
But Ruby still felt uneasy.
“Leo,” she said softly, “why is she so adamant about your image? You’re already powerful.”
“It’s not enough for her,” Leo muttered. “She wants influence through me. She wants the media to worship her as the brilliant woman who raised me into a golden boy. She wants control.”
“And you’re refusing to play along.”
“I stopped playing along years ago.”
As they spun gently in place, Ruby’s eyes roamed the ballroom. The chandeliers reflected in the glossy floor like pools of stars. The guests wore smiles as brittle as old china. Everyone seemed to glide through the room with a practiced elegance Ruby knew she didn’t share.
She had never felt the difference between her world and theirs so strongly.
“Do you wish I wasn’t here?” she asked quietly.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he lifted her hand, turning it lightly on his own. His eyes studied the small scars along her knuckles—the ones she always tried to hide. Then his thumb traced them slowly.
“No,” he said. “I want you here more than I want any of them.”
Ruby blinked rapidly.
“But this isn’t my world,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to talk like them, walk like them, fake confidence like them.”
“Good,” he said simply.
“Good?”
“Yes. Because all they know how to do is fake. You’re real.”
The sincerity in his voice nearly broke her.
“Sir… ma’am… Madam Stella asked me to remind you that the after party dinner will begin in twenty minutes.” A waiter interrupted them.
Leo didn’t even glance at him. “Tell Madam Stella that I heard her the first time.”
“Yes, sir.” The waiter practically bowed before scurrying off.
Ruby sighed. “She really wants you to follow her instructions.”
“She wants control,” Leo corrected. “She’s not getting it.”
Ruby’s eyes lowered. “This dinner sounds… big. Important. Maybe I should sit somewhere else so you don’t—”
“No.” His tone was firm again. “Ruby. Look at me.”
She did.
“You’re staying with me. At dinner. At the table. In the chair next to mine. And if Stella doesn’t like it, she can leave her own party.”
Ruby couldn’t help smiling, though her nerves still prickled. “You’re impossible.”
“Good.” He smirked. “That makes two of us.”
The song ended slowly, the last violin note melting into the air. Applause rippled gently across the room, but Leo didn’t release her until the clapping faded.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let’s take a break before dinner starts.”
As they stepped off the dance floor, Ruby felt eyes on them—curious, jealous, calculating. But for once, she didn’t shrink beneath the attention. Leo’s hand rested firmly on her back, guiding her toward a quieter corner where golden curtains rippled with the air.
“What happens at dinner?” Ruby asked.
Leo exhaled. “A performance. Everyone tries to out-talk each other. Stella parades me like a trophy. The media eats it up. Investors pretend we’re all a happy, powerful family. It’s exhausting.”
“And me? What should I do?”
“You stay beside me.” He looked down at her. “You don’t need to impress anyone. Just be yourself.”
Ruby hesitated. “And Stella?”
Leo’s expression hardened. “She’ll try again, but she won’t succeed.”
Ruby nodded slowly.