Instead of getting angry, Ruka merely said patiently, “You know, Miss Parfait, I’m going to leave you some sage advice: before I walk out of here-stop wasting your youth by trying to force someone to love you because that will never happen.”
A dark look passed over Victoria’s face as she seethed, “What gives you the right to tell me that, Ruka?”
“As I said, it was only sage advice, and it’s up to you whether to take it or not,” Ruka answered calmly, then spun on her heels to leave.
Victoria stood up as anguish washed over her. She had found sweet revenge in picking on Ruka the way she had, but the rush was short-lived, and she still could not have Ren to herself. At the end of the day, Ruka might have left, but Victoria felt like the biggest loser.
Meanwhile, Ruka headed down the sidewalk while gripping onto her bag. She had left her job, but it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
As she walked, she decided that she was going to call Ren and tell him about this. She fished her phone out of her bag and found her way to the park, then sat on a bench as she called his number. His husky, magnetic voice filled the other line immediately after he picked up. “Hello?”
“Are you busy?” Ruka asked. “No, I’m on my way back to the house.”
“I have something to tell you,” she said openly. “I quit my job.” “Why did you do that?” Then, he asked icily, “Did someone make you?”
While Ruka was technically forced into quitting, she did not want him to pick on Victoria over this, so she chose to evade his question instead by saying, “I decided to quit all on my own.”
“Where are you now?” “Walking around the park. I’ll go back to my parent’s place in a while,” she replied.
“I’ll have someone pick you up.”
“And where will I be going?”
“To see me.”
She wanted to see him badly as well, so she nodded and said, “Okay then. I’ll send you my location.”
Twenty minutes later, she slid into the backseat of the car Ren had sent for her. Soon, the car drove out of the bustling cityscape and into a well-guarded area.
Ruka saw Ren immediately when she arrived at a teahouse. He was sitting at an ornate table that looked like it dated back to the olden days, making him look like a prince or a king as he went through his documents.
Next to him, Elijah was helping him sort out the paperwork. When he registered Ruka’s arrival, he smiled and greeted politely, “Miss Singed, have a seat.”
Ruka’s heart careened from beat to beat when she saw how imposing Ren looked as he worked. She then took the seat next to him. Just as Elijah rose to leave and accord them some privacy, Ren glanced up and said, “Do as I say.”
“Yes, sir, I’m right on it,” Elijah replied while giving Ruka a meaningful look before closing the door behind him when he left the drawing room.
Ruka looked around the ornately decorated place and asked curiously, “Is this one of your workplaces as well?”
Ren gave her a sympathetic look and handed her a cup of tea. “Here, have some tea to warm yourself up.”
“But I’m not cold-” She paused mid explanation when he grabbed her hands, which were freezing. At that moment, he had caught her lying. She flushed but did not try to pull her hands out of the warm cusp of his.
