Julian Crestwood murmured, a hint of indescribable melancholy in his voice.
Ruby Grant didn’t catch the deeper meaning in his words, assuming he was just surprised.
She chuckled softly.
“Life is unpredictable.”
Her voice trailed off breathily, dissipating into the air like a wisp of smoke.
Julian Crestwood’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.
The car fell silent again, filled only with the sound of Ruby Grant’s low whispers as she soothed Ceci.
“We’re here.”
The car stopped in a quiet, long alley.
At the very end stood a small house with its courtyard gate wide open.
“It’s an old house.
I hope you don’t mind, Lawyer Grant.”
Julian Crestwood helped Ruby Grant with her luggage, scratching his head shyly.
Ruby Grant waved her hands dismissively.
“Ceci and I should be thanking you for taking us in.”
“Oh, and please, call me Ruby.
‘Lawyer Grant’…
I’m not a lawyer anymore, so it feels a bit strange.”
Ruby Grant’s smile was gentle, but Julian Crestwood could see the fragility and sorrow behind it.
He pressed his lips together and didn’t object.
“Okay, Ms….
Ms.
Grant.”
Julian Crestwood said the name, a little embarrassed.
Ruby Grant’s eyes curved into a smile, which he took as her acceptance.
“There are plenty of empty rooms inside, Ms.
Grant.
You can pick whichever one you like.”
He spoke as he pulled Ruby Grant’s suitcase toward the house, his second time calling her the name already much more familiar.
Julian Crestwood led the two of them to the door, where he suddenly stopped.
“Ms.
Grant, even if you never practice law again, you’ll always be the greatest lawyer in my book.
You’re my idol!”
He spoke with solemn sincerity, his eyes burning with passion.
Ruby Grant was almost amused by his dead-serious expression, but more than that, she was touched.
“I’m honored.”
After helping Ruby Grant with her luggage, Julian Crestwood rushed back to his company.
It was only then that Ruby Grant learned that although Julian Crestwood had established his own private law firm, he was still employed by the Lawford Group.
He rarely went in, usually just spending an hour or two there in the afternoon.
According to Julian Crestwood, the Lawford Group was the first company he’d ever officially worked for, and it wasn’t easy to let go.
Once everything was settled, Ruby Grant finally had a moment to breathe.
Ceci had drunk her formula and fallen asleep, seemingly lost in a sweet dream.
Ruby Grant tiptoed to the window, her expression dazed.
Julian Crestwood had humbly called it an old house, but the interior was filled with natural light.
Ruby Grant chose a room close to the bathroom.
It was fully furnished, and unlike the hard cots in the staff dormitories, the bed had a soft mattress.
She rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window, her eyes fixed on a branch where two small birds were perched.
A sudden thought struck her, and Ruby Grant took the divorce agreement she had signed before going to prison out of her suitcase.
Worried she might wake Ceci, she quietly went to the living room and spread the divorce agreement out on the coffee table.
Her gaze fell on her own signature at the bottom of the page, and her vision blurred for a moment.
‘If I hadn’t run into Julian Crestwood by chance, I’d probably be on the streets right now, holding Ceci.’
Ruby Grant glanced at the crimson-streaked sky outside, and an image of her and Ceci wandering helplessly on the streets flashed through her mind.
A shiver ran through her, and the image merged with the memory of herself at Lawford Private Hospital that day.
Ruby Grant lifted her head, her eyes filled with determination and defiance.
‘I’m going to find Caleb Lawford and get him to sign the divorce papers!’
From now on, there would be nothing between them.
Only by cutting ties with him completely could she find a job with peace of mind and live a quiet life with Ceci.
After calling to get Julian Crestwood’s permission, Ruby Grant used the printer in the house to draft and print a new divorce agreement.
She once again signed her name on this new agreement.
The two words, “Ruby Grant,” were forceful and resolute.
But her state of mind was completely different from a year ago.
A year ago, it had also been an evening.
It was raining, and she had sat in Mount Sinclair Villa, staring mournfully at the banana leaves after the downpour until night fell.
Back then, she still loved Caleb Lawford, but the heart that had once beaten so fervently for him had grown weary.
Now…
Ruby Grant brushed her fingers over the large word “Divorce” on the agreement.
Her eyes were so indifferent they were almost devoid of emotion, softening only when she thought of Ceci sleeping in the other room.
It wasn’t so much that her heart had died, but that she had finally woken up.
“Ms.
Grant!”
There was a knock at the main door.
Ruby Grant put the divorce agreement back on the coffee table and went to open it.
“To celebrate our long-overdue reunion, how about we go out to eat?
My treat.”
Julian Crestwood stood at the door, dressed sharply in a suit, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright.
‘I didn’t expect him to be back so soon.’
She was even more surprised by his words and instinctively tried to refuse.
“I’m already so grateful that you’ve taken my daughter and me in.
How could I let you spend more money treating us to dinner?”
“If you’re going to put it that way, then I still owe you.
Back then, you were a top lawyer in the industry, yet you took the time to patiently guide me.
It was like getting private lessons.”
“Ms.
Grant, are you treating me like a stranger?”
Julian Crestwood feigned anger, which made Ruby Grant chuckle.
Seeing the friendly atmosphere, Julian Crestwood made the decision on the spot.
“It’s settled then.
Ms.
Grant, you go get Ceci, and I’ll go start the car.”
Since he had put it that way, Ruby Grant couldn’t very well refuse.
She smiled, her eyes curving, and went to the bedroom.
Julian Crestwood let out a satisfied sigh of relief and walked into the living room to wait.
But just as he sat down on the sofa, his sharp eyes noticed a document on the coffee table.
Curiosity got the better of him.
He picked it up and saw that it was a signed divorce agreement.
Just then, Ruby Grant came out holding Ceci, and her eyes met Julian Crestwood’s.
Julian Crestwood rubbed his nose in embarrassment and held up the document.
“This is…”
“Ms.
Grant, have you made up your mind?”
He glanced at the signature again, still finding it hard to believe.
Ruby Grant and Caleb Lawford…
one was a legend in the legal world, the other a titan of the business world.
At the time, their marriage had been a celebrated story.
But those who knew the details were well aware of Ruby Grant’s obsession with Caleb Lawford, and of Caleb Lawford’s cold indifference toward her.
Ruby Grant pursed her lips.
She didn’t intend to hide it and nodded frankly.
“I was too obsessed before.
I’ve thought it through now.”
A faint smile played on Ruby Grant’s lips.
She lowered her head slightly, a strand of hair falling across her forehead, looking serene and peaceful.
She was like a solitary, resilient orchid on a cliff’s edge, exuding a gentle toughness that made Julian Crestwood’s heart race.
His mind felt chaotic, and he instinctively lowered his head to hide his unnatural expression.
‘Can a year in prison change a person this much?’
Julian Crestwood glanced cautiously at Ruby Grant.
In his memory, although Lawyer Grant had been gentle and strong, she was always heartbroken over Caleb Lawford.
Back then, she had been as radiant as the morning sun, but her eyes only held that one man.
Now, she had shed her sharp edges, leaving only a gentle, reserved woman who had clearly been wounded time and again.
“It’s good that you’ve figured things out,” he murmured, then changed the subject.
“Ceci will probably get hungry.
I’ll bring her bottle.”
The two of them didn’t dwell on the past.
Julian Crestwood took Ruby Grant and Ceci to a new restaurant by Rivenhall.
Ceci, who had been drowsy in the car, was now wide-eyed, her eyes like dark grapes looking all around.
Seeing the man beside her mother, she seemed to sense his kindness and gave him a sweet smile.
When Julian Crestwood saw it, his heart stirred inexplicably.
‘Maybe raising a child…
wouldn’t be so bad after all…’