Ruby
I was in an odd place; there was an old house beside the oak tree. The walls of that one-story house were decaying, giving it a haunted look.
I managed to trace River's phone and reached there, with the hope to find him. I had a gun on my waist holster; the gun Newana gave me for my safety.
I should have brought guards along, but I decided to use a cab. I wanted to handle the things on my own, after all, I was the Gladiolus queen. I couldn't afford to be a wimp.
I couldn't call Vexon, either, because my battery died on me. Unfortunately, I really had bad luck. Besides, I didn't know why I was getting a very bad feeling; as if something was going to be wrong. But I had to help River because he was a friend.
"Ruby?" I snapped my head in the direction I heard my name. River was standing there in a suit, looking fully fine.
"River, what's wrong?" I asked with concern. "What was the emergency?"
"What?" He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and let out, "You texted me telling it was an emergency, Ruby."
"What? No. Why will I-" I stopped midway when River engulfed me in a hug.
"Thank you for helping me out. I could attack the Gladiolus and do harm because of you. You are the best," he muttered all of a sudden.
"What the hell? What are you saying?" I tried to push him away. "River?"
Bang!
I screamed when River's weight fell over me. My knees felt weak, letting my legs give up. River's blue suit was now painted with crimson color. I tried to push his heavy body away.
"How dare you?" Vexon yelled and grabbed River's neck, pulling him away from me. Taking it as a chance, I stood up.
Vexon threw him harshly on the ground, before shooting him straight in the head. When I saw River lying in a pool of blood, I screamed out, covering my ears with my hands.
Mysa, one of the Gladiolus executives, held me on gunpoint and said, "Kneel down and put your hands on the back of your head."
I froze at that sudden moment, unable to understand what was going on. "I-" I tried to speak but Mysa interrupted me.
"I said kneel down, you traitor!" she shouted at me, and tears started to gather in my eyes. "Do as I say, otherwise, I won't hesitate to shoot you, you backstabber."
Instantly, I kneeled down and placed my hands on the back of my head.
Hot tears started streaming down my face. I could realize and notice my tears now, which I couldn't even notice earlier each time I cried. Mane and everyone else was there, trying to pull Vexon away, but none could stop Vexon from shooting the already dead person, River Brown.
How did everything go wrong within a jiff?
All of a sudden, someone harshly pulled my hair, making me in pain. When I looked at the person, my lips quivered. It was Vanera, who hollered at me, "Stop him. Only you can do that." I couldn't open my mouth, even though I wanted to. "Now!"
I flinched at the tone of her voice.
Pulling my hair, she pushed me forward, making me almost hit my face on the ground. My hands were cold and my body was shaking with fear. The helpless feeling was surrounding my heart. Somehow, I managed to utter my husband's name, "V-Vexon..."
Immediately, Vexon stopped shooting the dead body, breathing hard. His head snapped in my direction. His eyes were bloodshot red, while his lips were trembling as he tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out.
The following second, he changed his expression. The expression on Vexon's face was the most dangerous look I had ever seen. It scared me to death. Vexon's blue eyes orbs into mine, demanding an answer. "Why?" Even though he wanted to act cold, his eyes held hurt; as if he was betrayed by the person he loved the most. It felt like he wanted to ask something more, but he couldn't find the courage.
I knew everyone was misunderstanding me. I wanted to explain everything to Vexon. I tried to clarify, "Vexon, I didn-"
"Time's up, vermin," Mysa deadpanned, grabbing my arm after Vanera left my hair. "It's a lock-up time."
I stood up with my trembling legs, being afraid to say a single word. With one mistake, I would end up being dead.
With tear-filled eyes, I glanced at Vexon, who was staring at the ground, refusing to look at me. But I could feel he wanted me to scream out that I wasn't the traitor. Even if I did scream, no one would believe me, and neither would he.
"Vexon..." I murmured, hearing which, he looked into my grey orbs. I just shook my head, while tears refused to stop streaming down my cheeks. Before I could say anything else, I was roughly pushed inside a car.
My last wish was, confessing my love to Vexon before getting executed.
___
I was seeing the real face of everyone��the dangerous Mafia face. No one was sugar-coated anymore; each one of them continued showing their devilish look.
Everyone was glaring at me with an accusing look. I was in an empty room, tied with a chair. I cried so much, the tears felt sticky to my cheeks.
For the first time, I felt alone, despite having my entire family here. I knew none of them; all of their masks had fallen. This was the real them.
"How could you? I thought of you as my own daughter," Vanera let out. "Oh, my mistake. I shouldn't have trusted anyone but my own blood."
"Ruby... You used to call me your friend. How could you do this?" Cason asked me.
I couldn't utter a word because there was a cloth in my mouth.
I looked at Vexon, who was playing with a sharp knife on his hand, without saying a word. What if he cut himself?
"What the hell is going on?" Newana barged in the room hollering. "Oh, my God, Ruby?" She approached me seeing my condition and mumbled, "Tell me, you didn't."
I shook my head, trying to say to her it wasn't me.
Newana seemed like trusting me because to turned to Vexon and told him, "You can't punish her without solid proof, Vexon. You know she didn't��"
Vexon let out a humorless chuckle and said, "I want to talk to her. Alone."
"Ve��" Vexon interrupted Newana.
"Newana, get out."
Everyone left one by one. Soon the room was empty, just me and Vexon. He turned towards me; his footsteps sounded like the calling of hell as he approached me.
He cut the ropes with his knife, freeing my hands, and removed the cloth from my mouth.
"I know, you didn't do anything. I know it in my heart. You can't ever deceive me, Gem. I know and I trust you. You won't break my trust. You can't do that. I know. I know..." he kept mumbling to himself as if he was trying to make himself believe it.
I cupped his cheeks and made him look into my teary eyes. "Vexon, I didn't do this."
Vexon nodded his head and spoke, "I know, you didn't. I know you can't."
"Vexon, I swear. I didn't do anything wrong."
"Someone is trapping you. I killed River because he was one of them and he touched my wife. No one has the right to touch my wife. I am sorry you are going through all of this. But for now, you are a traitor in the eyes of the Gladiolus. But don't worry. I will find the real tr��" I cut him off.
"I know who the real traitor is, Vexon."
"Who?" His eyes lit up. For the first time today, his eyes held hope, which got lost the moment I uttered the name of the traitor.
"It's Orson."
He let out a fake chuckle. "You are lying, aren't you? How dare you accuse my brother? My own brother?" Vexon forcefully made me sit on the chair and started tying me again. "Now I think you can really be the traitor since you are blaming it on my brother."
"Vexon, no. I��"
"Fucking shut up, Ruby."
I continued speaking, "I have proof on my phone. Just check it. I have no problem staying here. Just... go check it. The password is the date of our anniversary and��" He stopped me from talking by putting the cloth over my mouth.
Then, Vexon got out of the room, leaving me alone.
God, please fix everything.
___
Opening my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling. I slowly got up to see I was in my own bedroom.
How did I get here?
All of my injuries were covered with a bandage. I touched my cheek to find it sticky with tears. My hair was a mess. I looked at myself in the mirror, only to see my eyes were red and puffy.
I felt weak, yet I forced myself to go downstairs.
"How dare you, Orson?" I heard Cason's angry voice.
I hurried my movement to the ballroom, where the voice came from and saw many people in there.
"What's the punishment?" Beckham asked Vexon, who was standing still at one corner.
"Will the boss even punish his own traitor of a brother?" another member questioned.
I looked at everyone, to find all of their eyes were glaring at someone. Newana noticed me and gave me a small smile.
I couldn't understand anything properly yet, so I went closer to get a good look.
"Bro, I am sorry. I will never do it again. I swear on my life," Orson pleaded in front of Vexon with tears flowing through his eyes. He was begging to Vexon on his knees. Then he glanced at Vanera. "Mom, believe me. I won't do anything bad ever again."
"Shut up!" Kace yelled at Orson, pulling him from the ground. "Since Vexon won't punish you, I will. I will kill you. It's in the rules, the traitor gets killed."
Kace rested the muzzle of his gun on his forehead.
Gasping at the scene, I ran towards Vexon, who was awfully quiet. I said to him, "Stop Kace, please. Don't let him kill Orson. I beg you."
Vexon didn't even look at me. He just entwined our hands. I didn't fail to notice the tears gathered in his eyes, which he was trying not to let down.
Newana stood there, doing nothing. Everyone just kept glancing at the sight, not doing anything to stop it.
Suddenly, Kace pulled the trigger, and blood scattered on the floor. Orson was lying in a pool of his own blood, getting the worst death ever.
I put my hands over my mouth, preventing a scream, but my tears were flowing like a waterfall. I just saw a dead body of a child. I just saw a child getting killed and I couldn't do anything to save him.
All the old memories got into my head. I couldn't spend much time with Orson, but he was so lovely. He lost his life in his sixteen years old self, just because he got confused between the right and wrong path.
Why is life so cruel?
