The whole room burst intoughter, everyone piling on with teasing remarks.
“Patricia’s already out of your way. Someone like Nina? Please, Ruby, she’s just a fresh grad–totally <b>naive</b>, not even worth your attention.”
“Seriously! You’ve had Mr. Newton wrapped around your finger for years.<b>” </b>
Ruby shed a smug, unstoppable smile. She and Theo had been together since they were kids–twenty years of history. No one was going to threaten that.
They were still gossiping when the private room door <b>opened </b>and a server stepped in, bncing a tray with just one envelope on it.
“Ms. Martin, someone dropped this off at the front desk for you,” he announced.
Ruby frowned. “What is it?”
The server shook his head. “No idea, ma’am.”
/* <![CDATA[ */
fpm_start( "true" );
/* ]]> */
“Just get rid of it. I don’t want anything <b>right </b>now.” The media had been relentlesstely, and Ruby wasn’t about to risk epting something suspicious.
“Oh,e on! It’s just an envelope. Hand it over–I’ll check it out,” said Ruby’s best friend next to her, reaching for it.
The server hesitated, looking to Ruby for the go–ahead. She nodded, so he set the tray down in front
of her friend.
Her friend tore open the envelope, but as soon as she saw what was inside, her smile froze.
“What’s in there?” someone asked, curious<b>. </b>
Her friend quickly shoved the photo back in. “It’s nothing,” she said, a little too fast.
That only made Ruby more suspicious. She snatched the envelope and pulled out the photo herself–and her heart dropped.
Two bodies,pletely naked, tangled up in bed. Nina and Theo.
Just minutes ago, Ruby had been so sure of herself, strutting around like she already owned Theo. Now, it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.
The women closest to her exchanged uneasy nces, suddenly quiet.
Someone finally mumbled, “Should we find Nina and remind her who really runs things around here?”
The server piped up, “You mean Ms. Miller? She’s here tonight.”
“Let’s go,” Wendy said, already grabbing Ruby’s arm to pull her out the door.
But as they reached the hallway, Ruby stopped short, yanking Wendy back. “Don’t. There’s no point. The Newtons are already under a microscope. If I make a scene now, it’ll only make things worse for them.”
Wendy rolled her eyes. “Wow, look at you–already putting the family first, and you’re not even married
13:28
in yet! I should call Mr. Newton and tell him how understanding you are.”
While Wendy dialed, somewhere else Theo stood outside his vi, hands shoved in his pockets. Patricia sat nearby in her wheelchair, tapping the armrest, her gaze cool and steady on him.
“Your phone’s ringing, Mr. Newton. Aren’t you going to answer it?” <b>she </b>asked.
Theo nced at the screen, then ignored the call. “Patricia, is this really it for us? There’s no chance we could fix things?”
She let out a humorlessugh. “Fix what? With your mistress, Ms. Miller? Or with your precious Ms. Martin, the one you brought home yourself?”
“Why do you always have to be so harsh? Things got this bad between us–you don’t think you yed a part?”
“I know I did. Saving your life was my biggest mistake,” she said tly. You should’ve died back then. Some debts just can’t be repaid.
She thought to herself: You should never meddle in someone else’s fate. The price is always more than you bargained for.
Theo’s jaw tightened, frustration simmering just beneath the <b>surface</b>.
He had married Patricia, once the most beautiful woman in Riverdale. He’d never even touched her, and now he was being forced into divorce, forced to pay off the fallout.
A dark, bitter anger burned in his chest. <fn124a> Checktest chapters at find~novel</fn124a>