A trip to city Z
A trip to city Z
Chapter 175
Ruby's POV
“Hey! Red Devil, Dom asked that you meet him in his study!” Clara’s voice rang out from the other side of the room door. I slowly stood up from the painting board where I had been working, carefully placing my brush down beside the palette. I gave one last thoughtful look at the pair of blue eyes I was almost done painting. The expression in them was still not perfect, something was missing, but I would return to it later. With a small sigh, I stalked toward the door and pulled it open.
Clara was nowhere in sight, though her voice had just echoed down the hall moments ago. I didn’t bother calling out to her. Instead, I made my way down the stairs calmly with each step echoing slightly through the long empty corridor.
Little Black had left the room earlier that morning, and now it was almost evening and he still had not returned. It wasn’t surprising today was one of his class days. Thanks to the noticeable progress I had made and the help I had provided Dominic, he had finally agreed to allow Little Black to be tutored alongside the rest of the heirs, some years back.
“Dominic sent for me,” I announced when I reached the door of his study. Two guards stood silently on either side, their faces expressionless, not even glancing my way. Without saying a word, one of them stepped forward and pushed the heavy door open for me. I stepped inside, my shoes making soft sounds against the polished floor as I entered the room.
“Over here!” Dominic’s voice called out from a corner of the room. There was a small table and chair that had been set up near a window where a long black ck curtain blocked the view outside. I walked toward him still unsure of what this meeting was all about.
“Sit,” he commanded simply. I obeyed without a word, settling into the chair opposite him. My mind was already racing, trying to figure out why he had called me here, why it had to be in his study, the last time i was here hasn't exactly been a plesant memory.
“The Purple Party underground tournament will begin soon,” Dominic began, his tone casual as he turned his attention to the piece of meat on his plate. He was carefully slicing it into small, precise pieces. “And this year, it will be held in City Z.”
“Little Black had mentioned something similar in passing,” I replied calmly, even though something inside me had already begun to twist with unease. “Is there something you want me to do?” I asked, my voice steady, though in truth, I was just a breath away from grabbing the knife on the table and driving it into his cold, calculating eyes.
“Black will be one of the contestants,” Dominic said, and with those simple words, my worst fears were confirmed.
My back stiffened immediately, and my hands clenched tightly in my lap to stop them from shaking.
“Little Black is still weak,” I said firmly, though my voice remained controlled. “He is still young, not of age yet, and he won’t be able to compete on the same level as the other heirs. They’ll hurt him badly.”
“You already know why the two of you have been allowed to stay alive all this time,” Dominic said, pausing to place a piece of meat in his mouth and chew loudly. “I always had a feeling that Mr. Ice wasn’t truly dead. Even if he is, his legacy, his influence, might still be out there. You and the boy were nothing more than bargaining chips.”
He paused for a moment, pausing slightly to watch my expression then added, “I thought that if Mr. Ice was alive, he would eventually come for you both. But it’s been seven long years. He’s never shown up. Meanwhile, the other Mafia bosses have grown bolder and more suspicious. They believe the boy is a threat.”
Dominic’s gaze sharpened as he concluded, “And honestly, I agree with them. It’s too dangerous to keep a child alive when he carries that man’s blood in his veins.”
“Think of the brighter side,” Dominic said smoothly, a slight smirk curling his lips. “You can always have another child. You’re still young, beautiful, and desirable. And besides… my offer still stands, for you alone.”
He ended his long speech with ease as he picked up his glass of wine and took a long deepe gulp. I sat frozen in place, not moving a muscle. His words rolled around inside my head, refusing to settle. Anger burned at my fingertips, itching for release, but I forced myself to remain calm and to stay composed. I couldn't have him being on guard now.
“Little Black is still my son,” I said slowly, letting my voice quiver with pain. “I can’t bear to see him die just like that.” As I spoke, I whimpered and tried as best as I could to make my voice crack. It wasn’t difficult after all, I was an actress, and pretending to be broken came as naturally to me as breathing.
“Don’t make this harder on yourself,” Dominic said quietly, his eyes sharp as they stared at me from under the rim of his wine glass. “This arrangement might just be your chance at freedom.”
“I can’t just come to terms with this…” I choked out, forcing the emotion deeper into my voice. My hands clenched into fists in my lap as I turned my face slightly away. “Please… give me some time to think this through…”
With a little effort, I brought tears to my eyes. The hot liquid welled up and then spilled over, running down my cheeks like a damn was let loose. I didn’t even bother wiping them away.
“The underground tournament is in one week,” Dominic said, his voice turning colder than ice. “You don’t have a choice, Ruby.” He slowly placed the wine glass back on the table with a soft clink.
“Then at least permit me to travel to City Z ahead of time,” I pleaded, my voice soft and cracking with each word. “Let me spend some time with my son… even if it’s only for a few days…”
Silence filled the room. Dominic didn’t speak. He simply stared at me, watching my act, and for a moment i feared he was going to refuse my request. The quiet stretched so long that I could hear my own heartbeat thudding hard in my ears.
I needed him to approve of my movement. I needed time. I needed to go ahead and set things in motion for my plan to go smoothly.
Finally, Dominic leaned back in his chair. “Just remember,” he said slowly, his voice low and threatening, “if you try to escape… it’ll only get him killed faster. And your life?” He let the words hang in the air. “It won’t be guaranteed either.”
Then he nodded slightly. “That said, you may leave for City Z.”
My head dropped lower, and I sobbed into my lap, hiding my face from him. But beneath the curtain of my hair, hidden from Dominic’s cold eyes, a different expression crept across my face. A cold, calculated smile curled on my lips, and my tear-filled eyes lost all warmth as they became as cold as ice.