Ruby Grant took a step back, a chill running down her spine.
The distance between them instantly widened.
Miles Spade’s eyes darkened, and his voice grew hoarse with disappointment.
“You just quit your job.
Are you so unwilling to bend a little and ask me for help, even if you can’t find a place to live?”
His tone was low, and by the end, it was tinged with a deep bitterness.
Ruby Grant had already steeled herself against having any contact with these people.
She turned her head away, her expression cold, completely unwilling to waste her breath.
But when she heard his last words, she snapped her head up, her eyes wide with anger.
“Are you spying on me?
Or did you have someone follow me?”
She instinctively scanned her surroundings, searching for any suspicious “passersby.” She looked terrified, like a startled rabbit.
Seeing her like this, Miles Spade felt his heart clench, a dense ache spreading through his chest.
“You…
think of me that way?”
Ruby Grant’s eyes were still wary and guarded, but hearing this, she relaxed slightly.
‘It seems I really overreacted.’
But she felt no guilt toward Miles Spade!
“Lawyer…
Grant?”
Suddenly, a faint, questioning voice called out.
Ruby Grant looked toward the sound.
The door of the law firm directly across from them was being pushed open by a hand.
Her gaze traveled up from the pale, slender fingers to a face she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Their eyes met mid-air.
The man’s eyes lit up, his expression a stark contrast to the staid, somber black suit he wore.
He looked boyish and earnest.
“Lawyer Grant!
It really is you!”
“Julian Crestwood?”
Ruby Grant couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, then she looked him over in surprise.
He was different from the shy, awkward young man she remembered.
He’d shed his immaturity, and the black-rimmed glasses that had once hidden half his face were replaced with gold-rimmed ones, giving him a gentle, scholarly air.
It was like a reunion between long-lost friends, and Ruby Grant’s eyes began to burn.
She truly never expected to meet Julian Crestwood again.
Before she went to prison, back when she was still a top lawyer, Julian Crestwood had been a rookie under her.
He always kept to himself in a corner and rarely spoke.
The few tasks she assigned him weren’t completed very well, and everyone thought he would be the first intern to be let go.
But she had discovered his extraordinary talent.
Although he wasn’t good with people or words, he possessed a sharpness and attention to detail that was especially rare in this fast-paced era.
So she made a point of mentoring him, even bringing him along to her debates to learn firsthand.
‘In just a year and a half, he’s already established his own private law firm?’
Ruby Grant couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling in her heart.
Perhaps it was the pride of a mentor, or perhaps it was the melancholy of an ordinary person now so far removed from that profession.
A year ago, she had been a top lawyer, a veritable legend in her field, before she was thrown in jail for stealing commercial secrets, acquiring a shameful stain on her record.
Now, reuniting with her former “student,” she couldn’t help but feel awkward.
“Congratulations.”
Ruby Grant quickly adjusted her mindset and extended a hand to him, offering her sincere congratulations.
Julian Crestwood froze, his gaze fixed on Ruby Grant’s outstretched hand.
He felt a hot, itching sensation in his chest.
“Thank you!”
He bowed slightly and took her fingertips with both of his hands.
Just like the socially awkward intern from a year ago that no one ever noticed.
A prickle of emotion stung Ruby Grant’s nose.
“Lawyer Grant, I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation just now.
Are you worried about a place to live?
I have an old apartment.
It can’t compare to President Spade’s villa, of course, but it’s a place to stay.
As for rent, just pay whatever you think is fair.
If you don’t mind, that is…”
He looked at Ruby Grant with bright, expectant eyes, while cautiously sneaking a glance at Miles Spade’s expression out of the corner of his eye.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, that handsome face, usually as refreshing as a gentle breeze, turned cold.
He glared at Julian, his eyes filled with displeasure.
Julian Crestwood clenched his fists by his sides and deliberately avoided Miles Spade’s gaze.
Despite the considerable pressure, he continued to look at Ruby Grant with exceptional patience, waiting for her response.
“Well…”
Holding her child, Ruby Grant hesitated.
Miles Spade took a step forward, as if wanting to push Julian Crestwood aside.
“Ruby…”
“Okay.
Thank you, that would be a huge help.”
Ruby Grant no longer hesitated and gave Julian Crestwood a grateful smile.
Two patches of red immediately spread across Julian Crestwood’s cheeks.
Ruby Grant chuckled.
‘Even after becoming a lawyer who can stand on his own, he’s still the same easily embarrassed Julian Crestwood.’
“I’ll take you there right now!”
Julian Crestwood eagerly turned and went back into the law firm to delegate some tasks.
As soon as Julian Crestwood left, a persistent Miles Spade stepped forward and tried to grab Ruby Grant’s wrist.
“Ruby, no matter how much you resent me, the child is still young.
She needs good living conditions…”
He gritted his teeth inwardly but had no choice but to bring up the child.
He’d disliked Caleb Lawford and Ruby Grant’s child from the moment he first saw her.
But he also knew that right now, the only way to make Ruby Grant yield was to use the child as leverage.
However, the gentle expression Ruby Grant had when facing Julian Crestwood vanished in an instant.
Her eyes were icy with loathing as she looked at Miles Spade.
“Let go!
You’re filthy!”
“My apologies, President Spade.
If you’ll excuse me, I need to get Lawyer Grant settled in first.”
Julian Crestwood came out quickly, having changed into a comfortable, simple set of casual clothes.
Ruby Grant wiped the harsh look from her face, flung Miles Spade’s hand away, and nodded at Julian Crestwood.
Julian Crestwood’s car was parked outside the firm.
After helping Ruby Grant put her suitcase in the trunk, the two of them drove off without so much as a glance at Miles Spade.
Miles Spade stared hard at the departing car, his gaze intense enough to burn a hole through it.
He didn’t lower his head until the car had completely disappeared from sight.
His flirtatious, liquid “peach blossom” eyes were obscured by his bangs, making him look gloomy and obsessive.
Ruby Grant sat in the back seat, holding Ceci.
The blush on Julian Crestwood’s face didn’t fade for the entire drive.
Through the rearview mirror, his gaze paused on the baby in Ruby Grant’s arms.
“Lawyer Grant, this child is…”
At the mention of Ceci, Ruby Grant’s previously tense expression softened.
She gently poked Ceci’s chubby cheek.
“My daughter.”
Julian Crestwood’s hands froze on the steering wheel.
Even though he had guessed as much from the maternal aura radiating from Ruby Grant, hearing the confirmation from her own lips still gave him a jolt of surprise.
‘Lawyer Grant…
How could she have a daughter?’