Chapter 6: 5

The taste of her lips is something truly addicting, even with the lingering bitterness of cigarettes and alcohol. I can still remember the way she kissed me back, just for a moment, before she pushed me away and left me standing there, completely dazed.

Now, here I am, sitting in my office, and there she is, completely unbother, casually sipping on an energy drink like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Damn woman. Does she even think about the consequences of what she’s doing to herself? Does she ever stop to consider what could happen to her?

"I called the assistant lead in Robotics. He’ll be here soon to get you," she said without even looking at me.

I frowned, turning my attention to her. "Am I being assigned to that department?"

"No," she replied, finally meeting my gaze, "but you’ll be spending the whole day there. Make sure you don’t miss a single process or terminology. You’re going to undergo an assessment on robotics later. At exactly three o’clock, I expect you to be back here."

"Ma’am," I called out to her hesitantly. It was the first time she looked at me this morning. "About last night... I’m sorry."

Her expression didn’t waver, but her next words were firm and unwavering. "Do not bring up such things like that under any circumstances, do not mention what happened to anyone. Don’t put yourself in danger."

She stared into my eyes with such intensity that I felt like she was searching for something, maybe a hint of defiance, maybe a sign that I would disobey her. But before I could say anything else, she turned back to her paperwork, signing off on documents like nothing had happened.

While we waited for the assistant lead from Robotics to arrive, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice sharp and businesslike.

I pretended to put on my headphones and focus on my notes, but every word she spoke sent a chill down my spine.

"Make sure Andrew from Vertex is captured. That bastard has been sending too many spies here," she said, her voice laced with venom. "What does he take me for? An idiot?" She scoffed, her tone filled with nothing but pure disdain. "I will be the one to deal with him myself."

My jaw clenched involuntarily. Was she deliberately letting me hear all of this? Was she testing me? Or was she just so confident in her power that she didn’t care if I knew about her plans?

Damn it.

"Come with me," she said to me.

"To where?" I asked.

"We’re going to see someone. I want to show you just how dangerous it is to be involved with me." Her voice was firm, cold. "And I will show you how I deal with threats to my life."

I nodded. "Okay."

She stood up, grabbing her sunglasses from the desk before putting them on. In that moment, I knew, I truly understood, what kind of woman she was.

As we stepped out of the building, her secretary was already waiting by the car. The three of us got in. Karla sat in the front while I sat beside her. The tension inside the car was suffocating, heavy with unspoken words. There was a quiet madness in the air, an icy rage emanating from Ruby. She didn’t need to say anything. Her presence alone was enough.

We drove through the expressway, leaving the city behind. The road stretched endlessly ahead, leading us to a place I knew I wouldn't forget.

"Andrew is already there, Ma’am," Karla informed her.

Ruby nodded slightly. "Good to know."

The drive took nearly two hours, and eventually, we arrived at a massive warehouse in the middle of nowhere. As soon as we stepped out, Ruby adjusted her watch, strapping it tightly around her knuckles, as if preparing for something violent.

Before we entered, Karla turned to me, her expression unreadable. "Remember the rules, Sanae. What you see here, you will not speak of. Not now, not ever. Do you understand?"

I swallowed hard but nodded. "Understood."

Inside the warehouse, we walked into a small, empty office. There was only one person inside bound to a chair. I assumed he was Andrew. His face was bloodied, his wrists raw from the restraints. He looked up when we entered, his eyes filled with defiance.

"What are you going to do to him—" I started, but Ruby silenced me with a sharp look.

Without another word, we moved to a hidden corner, out of sight but close enough to see and hear everything that would unfold.

Ruby stepped forward, her heels clicking against the concrete floor. She loomed over Andrew, her presence casting a dark shadow over him.

"I know you’re the reason my men are dropping like flies," she said, her voice eerily calm. "You think you can bring me down? You’re a fool."

With a sudden, vicious movement, she struck him across the face. A sickening crack echoed through the empty room as one of his teeth flew onto the ground.

Andrew groaned, spitting blood. But even in pain, he laughed. "You’re getting desperate, Espinosa," he sneered, using her surname like a taunt. "Your empire is about to crumble, and you know it."

Ruby grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back. "I am gonna die first before the empire I built falls apart. Do you understand that, Andrew?" Her voice was laced with venom.

I clenched my fists, watching the scene unfold. My chest tightened at the ruthlessness in her actions. "She’s heartless," I muttered under my breath. Fucking bitch.

Beside me, Karla glanced at me. "She is," she said, then paused before adding, "Or at least… that’s what she wants you to think."

Rubylet out a dry chuckle. "You’re going to die on that island, Andrew," she said, her voice is calm but shivering. "You’ll rot there. And do you know why? Because someone you trust is the one setting you up."

Ruby remained still, her face unreadable.

Then, in one swift movement, Andrew spat—right onto Ruby’s pristine white polo.

"You’ll never win. One way or another, we’ll get our hands on the 8G Technology data," he sneered. "Go on, kill me. Do it, just like you killed Chelsea, Brix, and Akio."

With cold precision, she lifted her gun, pressed it against his forehead, and pulled the trigger.

A deafening gunshot rang through the air. Blood splattered against the walls. Andrew's lifeless body slumped in the chair.

The door burst open, and ten heavily armed men stormed in. They moved efficiently, dragging the corpse away. I caught a glimpse of their uniforms—emblazoned with the insignia of the World’s Federation of Technology.

My breath hitched. That logo… it meant something. And then, it hit me, it is not just something about the protectors of the World's Technology they are all composed of heartless bastards.

Even Andrew suspected that Ruby was behind my brother’s death.

I felt my entire body tense, my nails digging into my palm. Damn her. I will make her suffer.

As if sensing my thoughts, Karla’s voice cut through the silence. "Don’t believe everything you hear, Sanae. "

Ruby stepped out of the room, her expression unreadable, her movements composed as if she had just finished signing paperwork rather than executing a man. But the cold steel in her eyes—the same ones that locked onto mine the moment she met my gaze, said otherwise.

I took a step forward, my fists still clenched at my sides. The air between us was thick with tension, the weight of what I had just witnessed pressing against my chest.

"You're heartless," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, yet sharp enough to cut through the silence.

She tilted her head slightly, as if considering my words. Then, with a smirk that didn’t quite reach her eyes, she responded, "Who told you that I’m not?"

A chill ran down my spine. There was no denial, no attempt to explain herself. Just pure, unapologetic acceptance of the monster she had become—or perhaps, the monster she had always been.

She adjusted her sleeves, as if brushing away the remnants of the encounter, then turned on her heel. "Let’s go back. We have a meeting with the board members," she said, her tone businesslike, as if murder wasn’t something she had just committed.

Karla nodded, already moving toward the exit, but I stood frozen for a moment longer. My mind was spinning. The name Akio echoed in my head like a haunting whisper. My brother’s name.

Did she really kill him? Why did Akio enter this dangerous Job?

I had come this far searching for answers, but now, standing in front of Ruby Espinosa, I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for the truth.

"Sanae." Karla’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I exhaled sharply, pushing down the rage burning inside me. This wasn’t the time. Not yet.

Without another word, I followed them out of the warehouse, leaving behind the scent of blood, the weight of a dead man’s final words, and the realization that I was walking beside a woman I was eager to kill.