Chapter 56 You seem happy
CHAPTER 56
You seem happy.
The late afternoon sun dipped lower as Ruby stepped out of the mall, shopping bags neatly gathered in her hands. The air outside felt warmer than inside, filled with the distant hum of traffic and the soft buzz of people moving about. She paused near the entrance, adjusting her grip on the bags, her eyes scanning the parking area thoughtfully.
Jane stood beside her, arms crossed, watching her with narrowed eyes. “You’re not calling him, are you?”
Ruby shook her head quickly. “No.”
Victor raised an eyebrow. “That confident?”
Ruby smiled faintly, but there was a hint of secrecy in it. “I just… don’t want him to know." Of course it's a surprise.
Jane leaned closer. “Ooooh,” she whispered dramatically. “Secret mission.”
Ruby laughed softly. “Something like that,.you should know,” she replied slowly.
Victor shook his head. “You’re planning a surprise and already acting suspicious.”
“I’m not acting suspicious,” Ruby said.
“You are,” both Jane and Victor said at the same time. It's written all over your face, Victor added.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’ll head home from here.”
Jane hugged her quickly. “Text me when you get back.”
“I will.”
Victor gave a small nod. “Try not to get caught.”
Ruby laughed. “I won’t.”
They said their goodbyes, and Ruby stepped slightly away from the crowd, pulling out her phone.
She hesitated for a second, then dialed Alex's number.
“Hello, Miss Ruby,” came the familiar voice.
“Alex,” she said softly. “Can you come pick me up at the mall?
“Of course, Miss. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Thank you.”
She hung up and exhaled lightly. A small smile tugged at her lips. This felt… exciting. Like she was doing something just for Leo, without him knowing.
××××××××××~~××××××××××
Fifteen minutes later. Ruby stood for some minutes and immediately she received a phone call from Leo and they talked for some minutes, as she almost forgot she was standing near the road when a car horn brought her back from reality and she ended the call immediately. It was a sleek black car pulled up and stopped immediately across the road. Ruby spotted it immediately. The window rolled down slightly.
“Miss Ruby,” Alex said with a polite nod.
She walked toward the car, opening the back door carefully so the shopping bags wouldn’t fall.
“Hi, Alex.”
“Good afternoon, Miss.”
As she settled inside, she noticed someone else in the front seat. Carl.
He turned slightly, giving her a respectful nod.
“Miss Ruby.”
“Hi, Carl.”
The door closed, and the car pulled smoothly into traffic. For a few seconds, everything was quiet.
Alex glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “You called for a pickup today.”
Ruby nodded casually. “Yes.”
Carl crossed his arms, his tone calm but slightly teasing. “Master Leo didn’t come?”
Ruby blinked, focused on her phone.“No.”
Carl and Alex exchanged a funny look and smiled. Then Alex spoke again, his voice light, like a whisper.
“That’s unusual.”
Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly. “Why is that unusual?”
Carl answered this time. “He usually insists.”
Ruby tried not to smile. “He’s busy.”
Alex hummed thoughtfully. “Or…”
Ruby already knew where this was going. “Or what?”
Carl turned slightly, a faint smirk on his face. “Maybe there’s a problem.”
Ruby stared at him. “A problem?”
Alex nodded slowly. “Between you and Master Leo.”
Ruby let out a small laugh. “Oh there’s no problem, at all.”
Carl raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Alex continued casually, “Because usually when a lady refuses to be picked up…”
Ruby groaned softly. “Oh my God.”
“…it means she’s upset.”
“I’m not upset,” she said, trying not to laugh.
Carl leaned back slightly. “Then why didn’t you call him?”
Ruby hesitated for a split second. “Because I didn’t want to.”
Both of the exchanged a quick glance again. Alex smiled faintly.
“That sounds like something someone hiding something would say.”
Ruby’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m not hiding anything!”
Carl’s smirk deepened. “Miss Ruby.”
“Yes?”
“You have… a lot of bags.”
Ruby looked down at them..“Yes… so?”
Alex added, “And you didn’t want Master Leo to see them.”
Ruby froze for half a second. Then quickly recovered. “I just… didn’t want to disturb him.”
Carl let out a quiet chuckle. “Of course.”
Ruby pointed at him. “Don’t start.”
Alex joined in, his tone still polite but clearly amused. “We’re just concerned.”
“Concerned about what?”
Carl answered calmly, “That you and Master Leo might be having… disagreements.”
Ruby leaned back in her seat, covering her face briefly. “You two are unbelievable.”
Alex smiled. “We take our duties seriously.”
“You’re not my relationship advisor,” Ruby said.
Carl shrugged. “We are observers.”
Ruby laughed despite herself. “Well, observe this, there is nothing wrong.”
“Noted,” Alex said. “But still suspicious,” Carl added.
Ruby threw her head back slightly. “I’m going to regret calling you both.”
“No, Miss,” Alex said smoothly. “We are very reliable.”
“Too reliable,” she muttered.
After some time Carl again, “ And making this more suspicious, he turned to Ruby, you seem happy.”
Ruby blinked.
She hadn’t expected that. She looked out the window for a moment, watching the city pass by.
“I am.”
Alex caught that through the mirror. “That’s good to hear.”
Ruby smiled faintly. “It is.”
Carl nodded once. “Then we’ll stop interrogating you.”
“Thank you,” Ruby said dramatically.
“But,” Alex added—
Ruby groaned. “What now?”
“If Master Leo asks…”
Ruby leaned forward slightly. “Yes?”
“We’ll tell him we picked you up.” Her eyes widened. “No!”
Carl chuckled. “Relax. We won’t mention the bags.”
Ruby narrowed her eyes. “You better not.”
Alex smiled. “We’re professionals.”
Ruby leaned back again, shaking her head with a small laugh. “You’re both trouble.”
“Only when necessary,” Carl replied.
The car continued down the road, the golden light of evening stretching across the city. Ruby rested her hand lightly over one of the bags beside her. And as she smiled to herself, one thought stayed quietly in her mind—
He’s going to love it.