CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT

Ruby noticed the tension in the air and decided to address it directly. "Stephan, are you... jealous?" she asked, her voice soft with mock concern.

Stephan laughed awkwardly, attempting to brush off her question. "Jealous? Me? No, of course not," he replied, his tone unconvincing.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, her intuition telling her otherwise. "Are you sure? You seem a bit... off," she pressed, her expression curious.

Stephan paused a short while before saying "no" with a small shake of his head. "Oh, it's ok," he replied, his voice lacking any confidence, "nothing to fret about."

Sensing that Stephan wasn't ready to speak up, Ruby opted to change the topic. "All right. If you settle for that. Anyway, are you willing to discuss something else?" she asked in a whisper.

Stephan shook his head again. "Nope, I'm fine", he replied curtly his irritation being manifested in his voice.

Ruby paused and sighed inwardly, she felt discouraged at their inability to communicate. "Oh, let me enjoy my d