"I think you're arrogant," Ruby snapped, her fear turning into a protective rage. She clutched her dance bag to her chest like a shield. "You think because you have money and a name, you can just claim anything that catches your eye. My daughter is mine. Her father was a man I loved, a man who passed away before she was born. He had nothing to do with you or your family."Baron moved then, circling the table with a slow, predatory grace that made Ruby's breath hitch. "You loved him? Then tell me his name. Tell me where he's buried. Tell me why there isn't a single photograph of him in your apartment, but you have a locket hidden under your shirt that you won't let go of."Ruby's hand flew to the locket. It was a reflex, a confession in motion. She cursed herself internally. "His name was David. He was a musician. And I don't owe you his life story. I came here for a rehearsal, not an interrogation. If you're not going to watch me dance, then I'm leaving.""You aren't going anywhere," Baron said, his voice dropping to that dangerous, gravelly register that made her knees feel like water. "And we both know there was no musician named David. You were eighteen years old. Your mother was dying of stage four small-cell carcinoma. The bills at St. Jude's were three hundred thousand dollars over the insurance cap. And then, suddenly, they were paid. In full. By an anonymous trust."He stepped closer, invading her personal space until she could smell the expensive tobacco and the cold, sharp scent of the night air clinging to his suit."I was the one who signed the check, Ruby. I was the one who requested a girl who needed the money as much as I needed the escape. I didn't want a name. I didn't want a face. But I remember the scent of vanilla on your skin, and I remember the way you whispered 'thank you' when the night was over. You can lie to the world, and you can lie to my brothers, but don't you dare lie to me."Ruby felt the walls closing in. The truth was a weight she had carried alone for four years, and the pressure of Baron's gaze was cracking her shell. She thought of Mira—of her laughter, her curls, the way she looked in the morning light. If the Borons found out, they wouldn't just take her in; they would take her over. Silas Boron, the patriarch, was a man who viewed people as assets. Mira would be a pawn in their corporate wars. She would be scrubbed of her joy and turned into a polished Boron doll."It wasn't you," Ruby lied, her voice cold and hard as stone. She looked him dead in the eye, channeling every bit of acting she had learned on the stage. "I don't know who paid for my mother's care, but the man I was with that night... he wasn't you. He was kind. He was gentle. You? You're just a man who thinks he can buy a legacy."Baron's eyes narrowed, a flash of genuine pain crossing his features before it was masked by a cold, stony indifference. "Is that what you think? That I'm just looking for a legacy?""I think you're bored, and you've found a new toy to poke at," Ruby said, moving toward the elevator. "Keep your five thousand dollars. I don't want it. I'll be at the rehearsal on Thursday because I have a contract, but stay away from my daughter. If I see you or your men near my apartment again, I'll go to the press. I don't care how much power you have; 'Boron Scion Stalks Single Mother' is a headline your brother Zion won't be able to bury."She hit the call button for the elevator, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she was sure he could see it through her thin leotard. The gold doors slid open, and she stepped inside, refusing to look back."Ruby," Baron called out just as the doors began to close.She didn't answer. She didn't move."My father is hosting a dinner tomorrow night," he said, his voice echoing in the marble foyer. "The 'Perfect Bride' candidates are being announced. Your name is on the list. If you don't show up, I'll have my lawyers look into the 'legality' of your mother's medical trust. I wonder what the authorities would think about an eighteen-year-old selling herself for surgery?"The doors clicked shut, severing his voice. Ruby collapsed against the mirrored wall of the elevator, her breath coming in ragged gasps. He was blackmailing her. He was pulling her into the Boron web, and she was dragging Mira along with her.When she reached the ground floor, she ran. She didn't wait for the car. She ran until she reached a subway station, blending into the crowd of late-night commuters. When she finally got home, she burst through the door, half-expecting to find the apartment empty, but Mira was fast asleep on the sofa, the babysitter—a stern-faced woman who didn't look like any sitter Ruby had ever hired—watching a silent news broadcast on the television."She was an angel," the woman said, standing up and smoothing her skirt. "Mr. Boron said to tell you he'll see you at seven o'clock tomorrow. The dress has already been delivered."The woman left without another word. Ruby walked into the bedroom. Laying on her bed was a garment bag. She unzipped it to find a gown of deep, blood-red silk—the color of a dancer's heart.She sat on the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands. She had denied everything to his face, but Baron wasn't a man who took 'no' for an answer. He was hunting a truth that could destroy her life, and now he had forced her into a competition where she would be judged by the very family she was trying to escape.As she reached into her bag to find her phone, her fingers brushed against a small, hard object she didn't recognize. She pulled it out.It was a silver cufflink, engraved with the letter B. It must have fallen into her bag during their confrontation at the penthouse. But as she turned it over in the light, she noticed a small, hidden latch on the side. She flicked it open with her fingernail.Inside wasn't a piece of jewelry. It was a micro-SD card.Ruby stared at the small piece of plastic. Why would Baron put this in her bag? Or had he? Maybe it had been Zion? Or Zara?
