Chapter 135

"Mr. Ashford's battle at Moon Goddess Mountain was truly something else. I will never forget the way he fought that day."

"If he hadn't been so loyal and wiped out over a dozen of Moon Goddess Temple's strongholds for the Wells family, Ruby would probably be dead by now. That's a debt I can only hope to repay someday."

These words, a classic move of false modesty wrapped in showing off, made Amelia burn with jealousy.

She could see right through it — Ruby was flat-out bragging.

By the time dinner was over, Amelia was seething.

What made it even harder to stomach was that Ruby had been given the guest room right next to hers.

This was basically Ruby rubbing her face in it.

Amelia decided she needed to set things straight with Ruby, face to face.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.

Makoto stepped in. "Ms. Martinez, Miss Wells would like you to meet her in the garden. She says it's important."

Amelia paused for a moment.

She hadn't even gone to find Ruby yet, and Ruby was already summoning her?

A cold smile crept onto Amelia's lips. "Fine. Let's see what she has to say."

Amelia took a deep breath, smoothed her skirt, and walked out with her head high — every bit the daughter of the Martinez family.

When she reached the back garden, Ruby was already there.

Ruby had changed into a casual modern athletic outfit.

Gone was the soft, graceful look of the long dress. She looked sharper now, more no-nonsense — nothing like the photos Amelia had seen in the files.

"Ms. Martinez, without that gown, I'm just an ordinary woman," Ruby said, her tone calm and flat.

"I wore the long dress as a disguise for the shop. I just hadn't gotten around to changing — things have been hectic lately. That's all there is to it."

Amelia gave a cold snort. "Is that so? I think that look suits you just fine."

"You flatter me." Ruby smiled, unfazed. "Though I imagine you'd love to tear that version of me apart. After all, I am the woman who tried to poison your fiancé."

Amelia's eyes sharpened. How did Ruby know she'd looked into that?

"Don't be surprised, Ms. Martinez." Ruby's expression didn't waver. "Shura Sanctum has several spy satellites covering the entire globe. Tracking Lord Shura's movements in real time is easy. It's no surprise you were able to dig up my background."

Since everything was already out in the open, Amelia dropped the pretense.

Her eyes went cold. "Then you should understand exactly why I can't stand you."

"A woman who tried to poison my fiancé is living under my roof, acting like she owns the place — what kind of welcome did you expect from me?"

"I understand completely," Ruby said with a slight nod, meeting Amelia's gaze without flinching.

"If I were in your position, I'd be far less restrained than you are right now."

"Then since you understand—" Amelia began.

Ruby cut her off. "But I need to make one thing clear. I am genuinely committed to serving Mr. Ashford now."

"You're a smart woman, Ms. Martinez. You know that a man in his position will always have more than one woman in his circle."

"But you're his fiancée — the real one. Why let unfounded suspicions throw you off balance?"

Amelia frowned slightly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The Wells family was once one of Riverton's most prominent names. I grew up in that world. I know how to play the long game."

Amelia knew full well that any family that had risen to that kind of standing in America had serious depth behind them.

But hearing Ruby bring up her background like this only made Amelia more irritated.

"Are you trying to tell me you deserve a place by his side?"

Ruby let out a soft sigh. "Ms. Martinez, you've got it wrong. That's not what I mean at all."

"I'm just saying I'm not some clinging vine that survives by depending on him. I'm a blade — one that can fight on his behalf."

"Whether Victor needs your blade is another question entirely. Shura Sanctum is full of talented people. You're not irreplaceable."

Ruby nodded agreeably. "Fair enough. But since I haven't shown what I can do yet, how would you know whether I'm worth keeping around or not?"

"Then I'll be watching," Amelia said, her gaze razor-sharp. "But you'd better remember every word you said today. If you ever get any ideas you shouldn't be having, don't expect any mercy from me."

With that, Amelia turned and stormed off on her heels, her skirt swirling behind her.

Ruby watched her go and shook her head with a helpless sigh.

Amelia's possessiveness was something else.

Though Ruby couldn't really blame her.

A man like Victor — that dazzling, magnetic — had a way of making the women around him constantly afraid of losing him.

When Ruby returned to the living room, Victor was leaning back on the sofa, casually sipping a cup of coffee.

"Done talking?" Victor glanced up at her.

"Done. It didn't go well. Ms. Martinez has a pretty low opinion of me."

"Expected." Victor set down his cup, his voice even. "If you hadn't poisoned me, she'd probably be trying to be your best friend right now."

Ruby avoided Victor's eyes and steered the conversation elsewhere without missing a beat.

"Lord Shura, let's talk business. Any new developments with Eric?"

Victor shook his head. "Not sure yet. I just got back from the States — haven't had a chance to go through the intelligence reports."

"Does Shura Sanctum have any presence or assets in New York?" Ruby pressed.

"No," Victor said. "But the four major families in New York, along with the Murphy family, are all allies of ours. The Martinez family has always had a solid relationship with me too."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Then this is easier than I thought. Instead of waiting for them to come at us, we should hit first."

"Mr. Ashford, we can strike the Allen family's assets in New York directly — before they make their move."

"Ideally, we root them out completely. Wipe them off the map in New York entirely. That way, they lose any ability to threaten your allies. As for your personal score to settle — once Eric has no foundation left to stand on, the people around him are nothing. They won't be able to cause any real trouble."

A flicker of appreciation crossed Victor's eyes.

Ruby was sharp. In just a few sentences, she had cut straight to the heart of the problem.

"Good thinking. I'll leave this in your hands."

As he spoke, Victor flicked his wrist, and a black token appeared in his palm. He held it out to her.

"This is Shura Sanctum's Sanctum Token. It speaks for me."

"With this, you can call on the resources of every family in New York that's allied with me."

Ruby accepted it with both hands. Her fingertips trembled, just barely.

She hadn't expected Victor to hand her this much authority.

She took a slow breath, and her eyes hardened with resolve. "Trust me. Within one month, the Allen family will be finished in New York."

"Good. I'll be waiting for the good news."

The next morning, Ruby packed her bags and left the estate without any fuss, heading straight for New York.

From the second-floor balcony, Amelia watched Ruby's figure grow smaller in the distance and let out a quiet sigh.

"I hope your trust in her isn't misplaced."

The words had barely left her lips when Victor's voice came from behind her, somewhere between amused and pointed.

"Before you worry about that — shouldn't you explain to me why you're so hostile toward her in the first place?"