Ruby's POV
Those words struck me like thunder from a clear sky.
"Sleep in your room?" My voice cracked. "But I don't understand why..."
His expression remained stone-cold, as though he hadn't just dropped a verbal grenade. "You'll remain at my side whenever I require it. The contract is explicit about this."
"Yes, but—"
"Mrs. Maxwell will handle the preparations." He pivoted and strode away without another word.
My jaw dropped. My palm pressed against my racing heart, which hammered against my ribs like a caged bird.
Mrs. Maxwell materialized in the doorway wearing her trademark motherly smile. "Miss Ross, if you would follow me."
I trailed behind her in a daze, ascending flight after flight of stairs. My quarters were on the third floor, but she guided me to the fifth—territory I'd never explored.
