Chapter 690
690:
They knew exactly who lived in the area and acted swiftly on their instructions, showing no regard for Alec’s supposed ties to the owner of the house.
Without hesitation, the guards forcibly escorted Alec out of the area. Ruby, still furious, cursed Alec out for a while before she finally calmed down.
Later that evening, she and Isabella made a point to book a table at a refined, upscale restaurant for their meeting with Brenna.
When Brenna arrived, her eyes briefly caught a figure loitering near the entrance. The lighting made it hard to see clearly, and she figured it was just a homeless person.
“Brenna, this way!” Ruby stood up quickly when she noticed Brenna, waving with exaggerated excitement before hurrying over and linking arms with her.
The gesture was new to Brenna. During her time in the Barrett household, Alec had been the only one who had shown her anything close to kindness. Ruby and Mack, on the other hand, had never treated her well.
Brenna pulled her arm away. “I’m really not used to this.”
Ruby came to the dinner with one goal—to win Brenna over. Still, beneath her polished exterior, bitterness simmered. She’d cursed Brenna in her thoughts more times than she could count, but her face wore the picture of grace. That cool, indifferent look Brenna always wore made her want to scream, yet she didn’t let it show.
With a dazzling smile, she launched into small talk. “We shared a home for so many years. It’s been months since I last saw you, and I honestly missed you. You’ve changed; you look more polished and beautiful now. The Harper family clearly knows how to raise someone right.”
Brenna let Ruby lead the way to their table, her face unreadable. She said nothing, just watching Ruby put on an act.
“Skip the performance. What do you want?” Brenna’s tone was sharp.
Ruby let out a light, awkward laugh. “I only invited you here because I missed you. That’s all. I just thought we could share a meal and talk about the past.”
𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓾𝓹𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓼.𝓬𝓸𝓶
A faint smile tugged at Brenna’s lips. She knew Ruby was skilled at pretending. Back when she had lived with the Barrett family, Ruby had been the perfect picture of kindness and care whenever outsiders were around.
Yet the moment the guests were gone, Ruby’s demeanor would shift. Ruby would lash out, calling her ungrateful, a burden, and constantly whining about how she didn’t make enough money for the family. None of it had faded from Brenna’s memory. She didn’t understand why Ruby seemed to have forgotten all about that.
“The past? You mean when you yelled at me, starved me, and forced me to make money for you?” Brenna’s voice was calm as she glanced at the dishes on the table. They were all dishes she used to like when she had lived with the Barrett family.
For just a second, Ruby’s smile cracked, but she quickly composed herself, even as her insides churned with frustration over Brenna’s bluntness.
“Oh, don’t be like that. I’ll admit I wasn’t perfect, but that’s all behind us now. I did raise you, didn’t I? You can’t deny that. The Harper family may treat you well now, but they weren’t there when you were a child. You can’t pretend my family and I didn’t give you a home when you were young. We helped shape you into who you are.”
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