"Cheers!" The wine glasses clinked in George’s study as Tom raised his glass, his eyes gleaming with quiet triumph.

"She must be crying right now, sitting in a corner of her room," George remarked with a chuckle and took a sip of his wine.

Mariana tried to smile at the joke. She had to, or she would be marked alien. Why was George crossing the line?

No matter what. Sienna was their daughter, too. Yes, she had been unfair to her in the past when it came to Ruby.

But that didn’t mean she wished her any harm.

Tom and George kept hugging each other while taking sips of their drink. Mariana watched as Tom held his father-in-law’s hand lovingly, "This was only possible because of you. Don’t worry. I’ll take back your company."

He patted the older man’s back and helped him sit in his seat. A pang of sadness seemed to settle on her husband’s face.

Mariana rushed to him, "George!" But Tom didn’t let her get close.

"He’s alright, Mrs. Mason," He assured her with a smile, "It’s just that... your daughter... she changed the name of the company. It’s now Siahun Constructions."

Sia changed company’s name? Since when did she get this bold?

"This is not Sia’s doing," Mariana told her husband and tried to ignore the painful twinge in her chest, "We both know it’s Hunter."

George was about to agree with her, but Tom’s sarcastic grin stopped him from doing so.

"Come on, Mrs. Mason," Tom dragged a hand down his face, "You are too innocent. Sienna is not a saint. Your daughter is the one making decisions here."

"Sienna can’t even decide what to wear for an evening party," Mariana didn’t back off. As a mom, she knew Sienna inside out.

Both men were misunderstanding her. It wasn’t like she had developed a sudden liking for her daughter, but the gentlemen needed to focus on the right things if they wanted more profits in the future.

"Hunter might take advantage of it, Tom," She warned him, "You two keep your eyes open." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

After she left the room, Tom turned back to eye George, who had a deep line in the middle of his forehead.

"You two keep chanting that Sienna never had enough exposure," Tom rounded the table and took another seat, "You should have watched her at the party."

"She attended the party?" George asked him, rubbing his hand on his thigh. The action was immediately caught by Tom.

"Yeah. She attended the party and ... tried to slander my character. Thank God some people knew me there. They defended me, and by the end of the party, she had become a clown. Ha-ha," He lied confidently.

George couldn’t laugh. His company was not only in Sienna’s hands, but she also dared to change its name.

He was sure that now Sienna wouldn’t return him the company.

Tom might be right. Sienna must be using Hunter as her shield.

He looked up when he found Tom heading to the door. A wave of disappointment flashed in his chest.

Was he already leaving?

But a spark of excitement lit up inside him when he saw Tom locking the study room door from inside. When he turned around, George grinned and nodded at him encouragingly.

***

"Ruby. Sweetie. Where are you?"

Ruby read the text message from her mother on her phone and then switched it off angrily. She had arrived at Denton Hall for the final auditions of this movie.

In her past life, she easily got the role with the help of Tom. But in this life, she needed to struggle more.

"Mrs. Ruby Blackwell! Your turn."

She quickly got to her feet when a man called her name. She fixed her hair and scurried to the stage where a mic awaited her.

After the audition, she came out with a big grin on her face. The judges seemed to like her acting, and she was very much positive that they would cast her.

Keeping her fingers crossed, she went out to an ice-cream parlor and ordered herself the most expensive flavor.

This movie’s earnings would be enough to let her afford a rhinoplasty. She thought with a smile.

"Hey. Can I sit?" A blondie asked her with a giggle and didn’t wait for permission. Before Ruby could refuse, she had already dragged the chair over and dropped into it.

"You were amazing in there?" She pointed out, taking her phone out to scan the menu, "I’ve heard they are fair in their selections."

Ruby was trying her best not to show her irritation. Right now, she didn’t need company.

After skimming through the menu, the girl tapped her phone screen, "How about vanilla custard? Can you order that for me?"

"Excuse me?" Ruby’s face twisted in disbelief.

Did this girl take her for a fool?

"And why would I do that?" Ruby asked her, keeping her gaze on her ice cream scoop. She didn’t want any bullshit at this stage.

In this life, Tom alone was enough.

The blonde didn’t seem offended. Her smile only widened.

"Relax," She leaned back in her chair, "I’m not asking for charity."

Ruby didn’t even bother to look up, "Good," She pushed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, "Because you’re not getting any."

The girl only laughed but didn’t move an inch.

With a sigh, Ruby finally glanced at her, "Okay. Fine. What do you want? Say and leave," She said flatly.

The girl studied her for a second and then spoke again, "I know people inside the industry," She said casually, "And they know the people who matter... the ones who can give us a chance..." She trailed off with a meaningful smile.

Ruby’s hand paused mid-air as the spoon hovered near her mouth.

Now she understood what the girl was trying to tell her.

"Who are you?" She asked the girl, placing the spoon back in her bowl.

"You need to decide first, Ruby..." The corner of her lips lifted further, "Are you buying me Vanilla custard or not?"

"I..." Ruby’s voice was hoarse, almost a whisper, "Sure. I’ll... I’ll do that," she tried to smile, "I’ll buy you Vanilla custard."