Chapter 36: Always Proving Something
The door closed behind them with a soft click as Stefan and Ruby stepped back into his office. The walls, still echoing the earlier tension, now felt heavier with silence.
Stefan let out a quiet breath and walked slowly toward his chair, his fingers brushing against the edge of the desk as Ruby guided him with gentle touches.
He didn’t say anything at first. He simply sank into his seat, leaning back like a man who had just walked through fire.
Ruby remained standing, watching him. Her heart was still pounding—not from fear, but from the adrenaline of watching him command a room that had nearly turned against him.
It was both exciting and fulfilling. Though she didn’t know why, not that she cared why, all she knew was that she felt really proud of him.
"You really were incredible in there," she said softly, walking over and kneeling beside his chair.
He tilted his head in her direction, lips curving into a tired smile. "You think so?" he asked with a sigh.
She nodded. "You were composed, precise... and you didn’t let emotion cloud your judgment."
"But I was angry," he murmured. "So angry I could barely think straight when we got in there." His hand found hers on the armrest. "It just... infuriates me. That people like Richard are waiting for me to fail. What infuriates me more is the fact that he’s even family. How could he be waiting so eagerly and planning for my failure?"
Ruby squeezed his hand gently, her voice low. "But you didn’t fail, baby and you’re not going to anytime."
He didn’t answer right away. He simply let the silence stretch, staring at nothing—not that he could see anything— his mind elsewhere.
Ruby saw the shift in his expression. A flicker of something deeper than frustration—something that looked like pain.