Chapter 4 John:Stay Away from Austin

Ruby's POV

John leaned in closer to Austin, clearly not ready to drop it.

"So come on, who was she?" he asked, laughing. "Don't leave me hanging."

Austin didn't answer right away.

Instead, he stepped toward me.

My breath caught.

I lowered my gaze, heart thudding, pulse fluttering in my throat. I didn't dare look up. I didn't trust my face not to give everything away.

The elevator was too small. Too bright. Every second dragged out like it was meant to torture me.

Then Austin's voice broke through the silence.

"Tell your father," he said casually, "I'm not coming back tonight."

His tone was calm. Cool. But there was something sharp under it-like a blade wrapped in velvet.

John blinked. "Okay," he said, not really processing it.

The elevator chimed.

We had reached the lobby.

Austin stepped out without another word, not even glancing back.

The doors slid shut again.

John turned to me with a little laugh. "Wow. You're really stiff around him, huh?"

I didn't say anything.

He nudged me. "Are you scared of my big bad brother or something?"

I kept my voice flat. "A little."

John smirked. "You should be. Austin's no good. Always stirring up trouble. Women, money, fights... everything. Stay away from him, alright?"

I nodded once, still not meeting his eyes.

But inside, my thoughts were spiraling.

Too late.

We walked through the lobby side by side. I kept my steps steady, ignoring the heat still crawling under my skin from the elevator ride.

John was about to start the car when his phone rang again.

He sighed and answered without looking. "Yes, Mom?"

He put it on speaker. I heard her sharp voice immediately.

"John, where is your wife?" she snapped. "It's already morning and she didn't come pay her respects. Does she think she's above tradition now?"

I froze in my seat.

John glanced at me but said nothing.

His mother kept talking, but he finally cut the call and pocketed the phone.

My jaw was tight. "Are you seriously just going to let her talk to me like that?"

"She's old-fashioned. You know how she is."

I turned to face him. "No, John. That wasn't tradition. That was an insult. She's been like this from the start-and I've done everything I could to stay respectful."

He didn't look at me.

"I know she feels insecure because of Austin's mom, and I get that she craves respect-but that's her issue with your father. Why should I be her punching bag?"

I continued after a breath, "Seriously-what does her broken marriage have to do with me?"

"You're being aggressive again," he muttered.

My chest burned.

"I'm asking you to stand up for me. That's not aggression, John. That's your job-as my husband. You're supposed to be the bridge between your mother and me, but all you do is stand back and let me take the fire."

His face tightened. "You have no idea how much pressure I'm under. The company, my father, the board... now this."

Right.

It always came back to his stress.

His career.

His image.

Never once about me.

The silence in the car was heavy after our argument, but I wasn't the one to break it.

John's phone lit up again on the dash.

He glanced at it, hesitated, then answered. "Lisa?"

His voice changed immediately-soft, careful. "What happened? Slow down... no, no, it's okay. I'm listening."

I looked out the window, my nails digging into my palm.

He kept his tone low, soothing. "It's okay. I'll come find you. Just wait for me, alright?"

When he ended the call, he turned to me.

"Ruby... I'm sorry. I have to go check on Lisa. She sounded really upset."

I let out a breath of disbelief. "Seriously? You're leaving me on our first day after the wedding... to go see your first love?"

"It's not like that," he said quickly. "Lisa went through a lot for us. She only married that guy to help us with the company's image-she was trying to support what we built. And after the wedding, everything fell apart. She lost the baby. Her husband became abusive."

"And that's my fault?" I shot back. "I didn't ask her to do any of that. She made her choices. ."

John's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I'm not abandoning you. This is just something I need to do."

"No. This is you guilt-tripping me again." I turned to face him fully. "Lisa's misfortune isn't a chain around my neck. I didn't force her into anything, and I'm not going to be emotionally blackmailed because your ex can't handle her own mess."

He didn't respond.

He didn't defend me either.

I didn't wait for him to say more.

I opened the door and stepped out, slamming it behind me.

He drove off.

Just like that.

I stood on the side of the road, the morning sun already hot on my skin. My heels stabbed into the concrete, every step a painful reminder that I hadn't planned to walk anywhere today.

And all I could think was-

How the hell had I been so blind all these years that I ended up marrying a man who put his ex above me?

I shifted my weight, trying to relieve the sharp ache in the balls of my feet.

Then a sleek, black luxury car glided to a stop in front of me.

A sleek, black luxury car glided to a stop in front of me.

The tinted window lowered with a soft hum.

Austin.

His eyes met mine-calm, unreadable, but just a little amused.

"You look like someone who could use a ride."

Austin looked straight at me, not blinking.

It wasn't just casual interest in his eyes. It was something sharper. Deeper. Like he knew something I didn't. Like he could see through me.

Even here, with city noise and daylight all around us, there was still that wild glint in his gaze.

Predator.

I felt it again-like I wasn't a woman standing on a sidewalk.

I was prey.

He opened the car door and stepped out slowly, unhurried but focused, his eyes never leaving mine. The movement was smooth, deliberate. Every inch of him controlled.

My pulse kicked up.

I forced myself to look away. "I'm fine," I said quickly. "I don't need a ride."

I turned on my heel, face burning.

Then I stepped right into the street.

I didn't even hear the engine-just the screech of tires.

I turned my head too late.

A car was barreling toward me, horn blaring. My body froze, instinct locking me in place. I closed my eyes, bracing for the hit.

It never came.

Instead, I felt wind.

A sharp rush of movement. Then a loud thud, metal scraping against metal.

When I opened my eyes, Austin was standing in front of me.

He had one hand outstretched where the bumper had been-and the car that nearly hit me was now skidding sideways, its front end crumpled like it had hit something solid. The driver stared, wide-eyed, slamming the brakes.

Austin didn't move.

Just turned slowly to look at me.

"You okay?" he asked, voice low but steady.

I nodded numbly, still not breathing.

I stared at him.

He'd been half a block away. There was no way he could've reached me in time.

But he had.

"Austin," I whispered. "How did you...?"

He didn't answer.

Just looked at me with that same unreadable intensity.

And for a moment, I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of what had almost happened-

Or how he had stopped it.