To the Love of My Life

–

The press conference called by Ruby was short and quickly concluded. Steve Burton was still holding the tablet, staring straight at the screen, even after it switched to an advertisement.

Ms. Taylor and Rusell Henris, standing behind Steve, exchanged a glance, both remaining silent.

About half a minute later, Steve handed the tablet calmly to Ms. Taylor, speaking in a cold tone as if nothing had happened, “Bring today’s schedule to my office.”

He then turned around and walked back into his office, slamming the door shut.

–

After the press conference, Ruby hailed a taxi and headed to the hospital. On the way, she kept refreshing the news in her browser, seeing her announcement quickly make the headlines everywhere, while Pristine’s Enterprises Inc.’s stock stopped its decline and began to rise slightly. This settled her internal panic a bit, but she still felt a sense of unease inside her.

By the time Ruby arrived at the hospital, Maxwell Gregory had already regained consciousness.

Ruby heaved a sigh of relief and walked up to Maxwell, grasping his hand, speaking with a slight whine, “Dad, you scared me to death.”

Maxwell patted Ruby’s hand with a smile, acting as if it was no big deal, “It’s nothing serious, just a sudden rise in blood pressure. I just needed to sleep it off for a bit.”

Ruby knew that passing out from high blood pressure is tantamount to a stroke and that her father only said this to make her feel at ease. Her heart grew heavier, but she pretended to believe her father, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Maxwell and Lady Gregory had already watched Ruby’s press conference in the hospital. After chatting about family affairs, Lady Gregory finally asked a serious question, “Ruby, by stepping out and making The Gregorys take all the responsibility, did Steve call you?”

Asked by Lady Gregory, Ruby belatedly realized why she felt uneasy after absolving Pristine’s Enterprises of any involvement and helping them recover in the stock market. It turned out that she was bothered by the fact that Steve hadn’t contacted her yet.

Ruby’s expression momentarily faltered, confused as to why she yearned for Steve to call her after everything happened.