"Papa... see," Ruby walked in, holding a glass, "I made you a banana shake. Just the way you like it," She placed it carefully on the table in front of him, trying to sound cheerful, "You like it cold, right? With a scoop of vanilla ice cream."

George didn’t respond and sat there like a lifeless mummy, his eyes fixed on some invisible spot.

"George," Mariana rushed to his side, "Should I help you here? See. You always had a thing for the banana shake she made."

Ruby frowned as she also sat at the edge of the bed, "At least say something, Papa," she nudged the glass towards him, "Please drink this. We’re in this together."

There was still no reaction from him.

"He’s scaring me now," Mariana told her daughter tiredly. Ruby squeezed her mother’s hand. She also knew that soon George would fake his own death. This time, she planned to take advantage of it and get his remaining assets.

Last time, he took some time to accept that Sienna didn’t need to live anymore. He wasn’t convinced to kill her, but later he agreed because he wanted Manor property.

"I..." George licked his parched lips, "I don’t want the shake."

The thought of eating or drinking was enough to make him gag.

"I ... I messed up," He whispered as his breathing got uneven. Ruby’s eyes were on his hands in his lap, which were trembling.

Ruby held his hands tightly, "No one will harm you, Papa. I don’t know why Tom is harassing you, but..." She got quiet.

In her last life, too, Tom was after her father, but she could never know the reason. Why was he blackmailing her father?

What did her father do? Was it something illegal?

Drugs? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Women?

Or worse?

"That man..." George leaned back against the headboard, pressing his palms against his face, "He’ll ruin me... he’ll ruin all of us..."

Mariana grabbed his arm, trying to suppress her rage, "What did you do, George?" She asked him sternly, "Why is he after you?"

But George had again gotten quiet and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to eat anything and was getting weaker day by day.

He looked exhausted.

Before Ruby could wake him up and make him drink the banana shake, George’s phone started ringing.

"Tom?"

She glanced at her father’s pale face and then picked up the phone, "Yes?" Mariana had just headed out to make some soup for her husband.

Tom’s voice came cold, "Put your father on the phone. Ask him to stop ignoring my calls."

"He’s resting now, Tom. You can talk to me. What’s going on? Why are you after him?"

A scoff came from the other end, "Be careful," Tom’s voice had a dangerous edge now, "Don’t forget who you’re talking to."

Ruby closed her eyes as she tried to control her temper. Tom just transferred a good amount into her account, and she couldn’t risk losing it.

"I ..." She sighed, "I just wanted to know if you said something to my father and..."

Tom’s humorless chuckle cut her off, "You’re in no position to question me. Stay in your lane, Ruby."

Ruby wished she could grab his dick through the phone and chew it raw. Bastard!

"And tell your father," He added, his voice turning colder, "That hiding won’t save him."

When the line went dead, Ruby stared at her father’s phone as if she could see her husband through it.

The good thing was, she wasn’t jealous of Tom and Sienna anymore. If she had money, she could buy a husband or even a boyfriend for herself.

I can even buy a legitimate Levisay heir.

She thought with a smirk and absentmindedly took a sip of the banana shake she had made for her father.

Umm, perfect.

She stared at the tall glass and licked her upper lip, then decided to empty it. After all, she also needed energy.

She was working on different fronts, and after a few days, her movie shoots would start. She needed to stay fit and glowing.

When Mariana stepped inside, her eyes widened watching Ruby taking the last sip from George’s glass.

"Ruby!" She warned her daughter, who smiled and placed the glass on the table top after winking at her mother.

***

Sienna was humming some random song under her breath while signing some of the files. Ever since she returned from Tom’s office, Hunter could see how happy she was.

The constant smile on her face when she thought no one was looking was making him go crazy.

He didn’t ask any questions, nor did he discuss the upcoming meeting.

"Hunter," He was busy with his laptop when he heard her calling his name, "I need to go home early. Got to attend a meeting at the Royal hotel," She told him busily.

Hunter hummed but didn’t remark. He had the idea that this meeting had something to do with Tom, but he didn’t know it was arranged in a hotel room instead of a conference space.

Sienna started packing her files, still singing a Shakira song.

"I’ll leave now. Better cancel the meeting," She grabbed her bag and got up from her seat, "Can you take me home, Hunter?"

Hunter nodded without looking up. The drive back home was quiet. Hunter kept throwing casual glances her way, and he didn’t like it.

What was going on exactly?

After reaching home, she got out without waiting. Hunter followed her and watched her disappear into her room and shut the door.

Brian wasn’t home, so he sat down on the sofa and thought of watching TV. He was still trying to decide which channel to pick when suddenly Sienna’s door opened.

Hunter looked up and froze.

Sienna stepped out in a fitted off-shoulder crimson dress that hugged her figure perfectly. The heart-shaped neckline was giving a bold view of her half breasts. The dress ended mid-thigh, with a slight side-cut, showing off her long, perfectly shaped legs. Her red hair fell softly over her shoulders, and the bold red lip color only made her stand out more.

She looked... breathtaking. For a moment, he forgot how to blink.