Chapter 37 I'm here
CHAPTER 37
I'm here.
The late afternoon sun poured through the tall glass windows of Leo’s luxurious apartment, casting long golden shadows across the marble floor. The place was quiet, almost too quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner.
Ruby sat curled up on the couch in the living room, a book resting on her lap though she hadn’t turned the page in several minutes. Her thoughts were distant, wandering somewhere between the past and the present. Living here with Leo had given her a strange kind of peace she had never known before, but memories still found their way into her mind when she least expected them.
Carl stood a few feet away near the entrance, his posture firm and alert. As Ruby’s personal bodyguard, he rarely allowed himself to relax. His eyes scanned the surroundings instinctively, always prepared for trouble.
Suddenly, the silence shattered.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The loud pounding on the apartment door echoed through the room.
Ruby looked up slowly, her brows knitting together in confusion. Carl immediately straightened, already moving toward the door with cautious steps.
“Stay where you are, Miss Ruby,” he said calmly.
Ruby nodded, though something uneasy stirred inside her chest.
Carl reached the door and checked the security monitor mounted beside it. The moment he saw the man standing outside, his expression hardened. Anderson. Ruby’s father.
Carl opened the door slightly but blocked the entrance with his large frame.
“What do you want?” Carl asked coldly.
Anderson looked irritated, his expensive suit slightly wrinkled as if he had come in a hurry. His eyes tried to peer past Carl into the apartment.
“I’m here to see my daughter,” Anderson said sharply. “Move aside.”
Carl didn’t move an inch.
“You’re not allowed inside.”
Anderson scoffed loudly. “Excuse me? I don’t need permission to see my own daughter.” Inside the living room, Ruby had already heard the voice. She could already tell that was her father’s voice.
For a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes but it wasn’t longing or love.
It was resentment.
Ruby slowly stood from the couch and walked toward the hallway, stopping just far enough to see the doorway.
Carl still blocked Anderson like an immovable wall.
“Let me through,” Anderson snapped. “Ruby! Ruby, I know you’re in there!”
Ruby folded her arms calmly.
“I’m here,” she said flatly.
Anderson’s eyes immediately found her.
For a second, relief crossed his face. “Ruby. Finally.”
But Ruby’s expression remained completely cold.
“Carl,” she said quietly, “don’t let him in.”
Carl nodded. “Understood.”
Anderson’s jaw tightened in frustration.
“Ruby, what nonsense is this?” he said.
“Tell him to move. I came to talk to you.”
Ruby didn’t take a single step closer.
“Talk?” she repeated, her voice laced with bitter amusement. “Now you want to talk?”
Anderson frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Ruby laughed softly, though there was no humor in it.
“You disappeared for years,” she said.
“Left me with that woman you married. Your lovely wife who treated me like I didn’t exist.”
Anderson’s expression shifted uncomfortably.
“That’s not—”
Ruby cut him off.
“You left me with my stupid stepmother,” she said firmly, the anger finally surfacing in her voice. “And now you suddenly remember you have a daughter?”
Carl remained silent but his presence alone made it impossible for Anderson to move forward.
Anderson ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Ruby, things were complicated,” he muttered.
Ruby shook her head.
“No,” she replied. “You were just selfish.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
Anderson’s eyes hardened.
“You think living here changes anything?” he said, glancing around the expensive apartment. “You think that man, Leo, can replace your family?”
Ruby’s expression turned icy.
“He already did a better job than you ever did.”
Carl almost smirked.
Anderson looked so furious, that almost let out a loud cry.
“You’re coming home,” he said suddenly. “This nonsense ends today.”
Carl stepped forward immediately.
“That won’t happen,” he said firmly.
Anderson glared at him. “You’re just a bodyguard. Don’t forget your place.”
“My place,” Carl replied calmly, “is protecting Miss Ruby. And right now that includes keeping you outside.” Anderson clenched his fists.
“Ruby,” he called again, his voice rising with anger. “Stop this childish behavior and come here.” But Ruby didn’t move.
Her heart felt strangely calm. There was no guilt or regret just the cold clarity of someone who had already mourned the relationship long ago.
“You don’t get to order me anymore,” she said quietly.
Before Anderson could respond—
The elevator at the end of the hallway opened with a soft ding.
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Carl’s eyes shifted slightly.
Leo had arrived.
He was dressed in a dark suit from a long day at work, Leo walked toward the apartment with his usual composed stride. But the moment he saw the scene at the doorway, his expression darkened.
Carl was blocking the door, Anderson was standing angrily outside, and Ruby watching from inside.
Leo’s sharp gaze flicked between them.
“What’s going on?” he asked calmly, though the authority in his voice was unmistakable. Anderson turned immediately.
“You must be Leo Carter,” he said.
Leo stopped beside Carl, slipping one hand casually into his pocket.
“And you are?” Leo asked coolly.
“Her father,” Anderson replied.
Leo’s eyes briefly glanced at Ruby. Her face remained cold and distant. That alone told him everything he needed to know. Leo returned his gaze to Anderson.
“If Ruby wanted to see you,” Leo said calmly, “you’d already be inside.”
Anderson scoffed. “This is a family matter. Stay out of it.”
Leo’s expression hardened slightly.
“She lives here,” he replied. “That makes it my matter.”
Carl remained silent but clearly approved.
Anderson’s patience was nearly gone.
“Ruby,” he said again, trying one last time. “Come with me.”
Ruby looked directly into his eyes.