Ruby
I couldn't stop grinning. My cheeks hurt, but I was still grinning like an idiot, looking at the door.
I pushed the door slightly, different emotions were engulfing me. But I was only sure of my one emotion. Happiness.
I found the emergency exit. What else could be nicer than this?
But my happiness didn't last long when I saw a small dial pad type thing on the door. It said, 'Enter the pin.'
My grin was instantly replaced with a frown. We needed a password. Damn it!
"I know you're upset about your mom," Vexon's voice brought me out of my trance. I turned to face him. "See? I told you to come here when you're upset. This place will cheer up your mood. Was it helpful?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
I wanted to shake my head, but seeing his smile, I nodded.
"Let's get inside now or you might catch a cold." He held my hand. I tried to wriggle out of his touch, but he just dragged me with him.
___
I was still wondering how to get the pin. It definitely needed a four-digit number, and there was no way in hell I would turn my back now. I found the door and all I needed was a pin.
"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Pearl's voice echoed through the hallway.
"Just walking." I continued walking and Pearl matched her pace with mine.
"You know, I'm so excited! I went to the furniture shop and our new home. It felt heavenly!" Pearl's grey eyes were shining brightly as she said those words, making me smile.
"That's cool." I thought this might be a nice chance to ask a question, she would normally never answer. So I asked, "When are you both planning to settle there?"
Pearl was beaming in happiness. "After the coronation. As you know, rival gangs think that Kendrik is going to be the Mafia king, as in Gladiolus king, they will try to harm him. Once Vexon becomes the king, the rival gangs will turn into a joke, knowing they were trying to attack the wrong person, but it will be too late. So once the coronation is finished, we will leave from here," she explained to me in one go.
As expected, she answered anything we asked if she was happy. I smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Pearly."
"If your lovey-dovey sisters' moment is done, then move. I need to go to my room," Newana snapped at us, breaking us from our hug. She was, as usual, in a pissed off mood.
"Jealous bit-" I interrupted Pearl before she could complete the sentence.
"Sorry, Newana."
Newana eyed me before nodding. "At least she has got brains," she mumbled and pushed Pearl slightly, before heading back to her room.
___
I was thinking about how I would get the pin code. Should I try simple digits? 1234? 4321?
No, Vexon wouldn't give a simple pin. The person I knew as he would give a pin which was simple but it would never cross one's mind. In order to grasp that, I needed to understand the pattern of the password he usually gave.
I was currently sitting in the living room near a landline.
Landline.
"Maya!" I called one of our maids. She came running towards me, rubbing her hands on her skirt.
"Yess, boss lady?" She bowed.
"Can you call Vexon from this landline?" Maya looked at me in confusion at first. But nonetheless, she abided.
"Here." She handed me the call and waited for me to dismiss her. I nodded, which she took as a sign to leave.
The phone was ringing until he picked up the call. He spoke with his deep husky tone, "Hello?"
"Ah, hello." I greeted him with a small smile.
"Gem? Is that you? What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it an emergency or-" I interrupted him.
"Geez, I am fine."
"Ah, well. You see, I wasn't expecting your call," he said.
"I wasn't even expecting to call you," I retorted.
"You are calling me for something and that's a lot for me."
Stop acting cute, Vexon.
"Anyways, I called you to know the password of your MacBook." I was playing with the hem of my blue shirt, which I wore with a white skirt, reaching up to my knees.
He cleared his throat before speaking, "Why would you need that?"
I came up with the best excuse I ever could. "I need to do online shopping as you showed me earlier."
"Are you gonna buy that thing?" he asked. I could feel the seriousness in his tone.
My cheeks instantly heat up. "Oh God, No! Stop talking about it."
He chuckled. "Then the password is 2018," he said, making me furrow my eyebrows.
"Why 2018?" I asked curiously.
"Because it's a year?"
"Of course, I know it's a year. I meant why this year?" I tried to push the conversation further.
"Because I bought it in that year and-" he paused for a second and mumbled a few things to another person in his office. "We will talk once I get home. I gotta go, and I will be checking what you're ordering. Bye."
I rolled my eyes before cutting off the call. I walked towards the bedroom, thinking about the password. The password of his MacBook was 2018, the year he bought it.
I assumed he gave the pin based on the year. Does this mean, the pin of the door is the year he bought it?
I needed to be sure. For that, I needed to know the password of his iPhone. If it was a year as well, I could create a pattern. But for that, he had to come home first. I decided to take a nap until he came. I need a calm mind.
___
"What's the password of your phone?" I held his phone on my hand, looking at the screen of the pin.
Vexon narrowed his eyes at me. "What's with you asking me the password of my electronics, today?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to call my mom." I scratched my head.
"Then give me the phone. I'll unlock it for you, " he said as he tried to take his phone away from my hand.
"No!" I reacted instantly. He was taken aback at my sudden tone, which made me clear my throat. "Ah, I mean, why don't you just give me the password and I will unlock it myself?"
"But what's wrong with me-" I stopped him from talking.
"Are you going to tell or not? Or, do you have Catherine's texts, which you don't want me to see? That's why you are preventing me from unlocking it myself, aren't you?" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
Vexon's eyes grew as big as a saucer. "What the hell? Of course not."
"Or you may have some other woma-" he cut me off.
"Ruby. It's 2019."
I grinned and instantly unlocked his phone. I was about to go to the contacts but a notification brought me back to the home menu.
Catherine:
Hey, Vex! Do you miss me? I'll be coming soon, don't worry. Mwah.?
This was a notification from Instagram.
Damn, I miss my Instagram! I was a social media freak and so was Pearl. Nonetheless, I groaned.
"What happened?" Vexon asked, peeking to the phone from my back.
"Your love just texted you." I handed him his phone and got up from the couch.
"You don't have a phone," he said softly.
I looked at him. He gritted his teeth as soon as his eyes fell on the notification. "That bitch."
"Stop cursing!" I said in a stern voice. "And now I know why you were not giving me your password."
He instantly shook his head.
How dare is Catherine to send this kind of text to a married man? Not like I care. But she shouldn't!
Why do I care? I will run away soon.
"No, Gem. I swear I don't even see her texts. You just saw it, argh. Now she'll call me and ask why didn't I reply and what not!" Vexon huffed in annoyance.
I wanted to laugh at his situation now. But I kept a straight face. "Why do you use Instagram?" I asked.
"Because it's the 21st century and everyone uses it," he replied casually.
"Then why aren't you giving me my phone? I want to use my Instagram too!" I whined.
"Geez, woman. Let me tell you. You can use Instagram on my phone until your phone arrives. It was supposed to come within this week," he mumbled and stood up from the couch as his phone rang.
What did he mean by that?
Will my phone arrive within this week? Will it knock on my door and say, 'Hey, Ruby! I'm your phone. Miss me?'
And why would I use my Instagram on his phone? I would rather wait. I love my privacy.
With that, I went inside to have a long bath. Soon, we will be called for dinner.
___
I was walking across Orson's room, wondering about the pin thing.
As expected, Vexon gave the year he bought that thing as the password. So if I wanted to know the pin, I needed to know the year he bought those doors, or the year he adjusted those doors.
"Damn! Why is this door jammed? I swear I'm gonna tell Vexon to change it as soon as possible. It has been 18 years as far as I know. Old door," Orson's voice was heard as his door was slightly opened. The moment he said that I knew he solved my puzzle.
A grin took over my face while I kept running upstairs using the stairs, in happiness.
"I found the pin! I can't wait for tomorrow!" I mumbled under my breath in excitement. I opened the door of the bedroom and sat on the bed, still grinning.
"What made you so happy? Are you okay?" Vexon's voice brought me out of my trance.
I simply nodded.
He closed his laptop and sat beside me. "Well, I wanted to ask. Do you have trouble breathing now? I'm sorry for bursting out yesterday. I was so scared of seeing you like that. It's just that, the thought of losing you makes me go crazy," he whispered, holding my hand in between his.
I looked at his blue orbs with my grey ones. Concern and fear were visible in his eyes.
"I-" I stopped talking when I felt something cold on my hand. I looked at him. He was putting the engagement ring on my ring finger. The big diamond, shining with tiny diamonds on the ring.
"I want you to keep this ring on your hand. The coronation is two days from today, and I want the world to know that before you're the Mafia Gladiolus Queen. You're Mrs. Ruby Vexon Bevine." His sweet words were like a melody to my ears. He kissed my hand, where he put the ring on. "Good night," with that, he laid down on the bed.
I was still sitting there, not moving an inch. Why would you do that the day before I was escaping? Why, Vexon Bevine?
