Page 115 of My Ruthless Husband

“Looking for Victoria?” He grins as though he read into my thoughts. “She went to the bathroom. In fact, she stopped me when I crossed paths with her in the hallway and asked me to be with you until she returns.”

“Really?” I ask, even though I know Vicky probably did. That girl takes her job pretty seriously. She hardly leaves my side and when she does, she makes sure I’m never alone.

For this reason, Damian always had at least a dozen men guarding me. In case one is not available, others should be.

Despite Damian’s usual precautions of having a dozen guards around me, she somehow convinced him not to send them with us to the center. Maybe Damian sees how much happier and mentally healthier I am with just her. Or perhaps Damian trusts Vicky’s capability to single-handedly guard me.

Either way, I’m happy.

“You don’t trust me?” he asks, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Trust you? Oh, absolutely,” I reply, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

The other day he came running to me in the storage room where I was rearranging supplies and told me I was needed by Laura. I obviously went but only to find out I was pranked. Laura looked as confused as I did. I was so embarrassed I ignored him the whole day.

He widens his eyes in mock offense, placing a hand over his heart. “Oh, really? Questioning my integrity now, are we?” heresponds, his tone exaggeratedly wounded. “I’ll have you know I’m hurt to the core.”

When I don’t melt by his wounded puppy look, he sighs dramatically. “Well, despite your lack of faith, I come bearing gifts,” he says, reaching into his bag and pulling out a container. The cookies. “Your favorite, and yes, even my share.”

My anger vanishes. “You know you don’t have to do this every time,” I murmur softly, my gaze shifting away. “I mean, you love Erin’s cookies too.”

He reaches out, his touch gentle as he places the container of cookies in my hands. “I know, but seeing you enjoy them makes it worth it,” he says softly. Then, a mischievous glint flickers in his eyes, and he adds with a grin, “Plus, I can always sneak a few from your share later.”

I can’t help but smile. “Well, in that case, I’ll gladly take them.”

As the day unfolds, the team of the new volunteers’ head to the second floor. Together, we prepare for the upcoming art festival. And in the blink of an eye, time flies by and it’s time to wrap things up.

After collecting our things, Vicky and I begin to make our way toward the exit. Just as we reach for the door, I feel a sudden weight around my neck, and before I can react, I realize it’s Matt and he has his arms around both Vicky and me, halting our progress.

“Where do you two think you’re going?”

I exchange a glance with Vicky and watch color spreading across her cheeks. I subtly shift and pull myself out of his embrace and give him a dry look. “Home.”

“Don’t go just yet. Come join us for a drink at the pub nearby. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

Caught off guard by his invitation, I exchange a hesitant glance with Vicky.

It’s funny, I can’t even recall the last time I went to a pub. People my age do that all the time. It’s not really my scene, but I guess it shouldn’t be a big deal if I tried it for once. I mean, it’s not like I’m going alone; there will be others there, and Vicky’s coming along too. I mean if I decide to go, she’ll be there too.

I waggle my brows at Vicky in silent question and she shrugs as if to say the decision is up to me. But I can see that she seems excited about the prospect of hanging out with Matt.

Maybe it’s time to break out of my shell a bit, even if just for a night. Who knows, it might be fun to step out of my comfort zone. And Vicky seems interested as well.

I chew on my lip in contemplation. She catches my hesitation and misinterprets it as a refusal. “River needs to eat,” she offers, breaking the silence. “She barely had anything for lunch, so perhaps we can do this another time.”

He frowns. “Wait a moment,” and fishes out his phone. After a brief pause, he looks up with a grin, “Actually, they have a dining area too. How about we grab a bite to eat along with those drinks?”

As I’m about to agree, a sudden thought crosses my mind, halting my response.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asks.

“I don’t typically venture out much, especially with the paparazzi lurking around,” I admit, my voice tinged with a hint of resignation.

How could I forget who I am? Just because I’ve started volunteering doesn’t mean I can simply overlook the fact that I’m not an ordinary girl. First, my dad overshadowed my existence then it was gone, only to be replaced by my husband’s.

He looks at me, his brows furrowing, then starts tapping on his phone. After a moment, he excuses himself and walks off, phone to his ear.

I glance at Vicky and find her deathly pale. “Hey, are you all right?”

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