Ed opened the chapel door roughly. Forget about manners; he just wanted to confront Javier. Ed sighed when he found his brother kneeling with clasped hands, praying in front of the altar.
"Do you think I wouldn't know what you're doing?! Don't pretend to pray!" Ed snapped.
"Sssttt... Don't be rude, Ed. Sit down and wait until I finish," Javier replied.
"You..."
"Ssssttt..." Javier silenced Ed again and bowed his head in prayer.
Ed could only grumble angrily as he reluctantly sat down.
"Don't expect me to leave until we talk!" Ed hissed, warning that he would wait however long it took for Javier to finish praying. Javier wouldn't be able to escape by pretending to pray.
"Tsk!" Ed clicked his tongue, as there was no response from Javier anymore. He had to wait. Ed rested his chin on his hand and stared at the black robe-draped back. Even now, Ed can still remember his surprise when Javier first said he wanted to become a pastor.
"I didn't ask you to be infatuated with her directly, but just give Liz a chance first," Javier persuaded again after Ed still didn't respond."Do you like her that much?" Ed glanced at him in astonishment. This was the second time he had encountered someone defending Liz without hesitation."Yes. She's sweet. The other day I tried to help ease Liz's burden, and she refused, saying she didn't want to lie and cheat. She even reprimanded me---a pastor shouldn't lie. She's right about that." Javier seemed amused. It's amusing to recall the occasions when Liz had to remind him of his status."What exactly happened?" Ed inquired, intrigued by the exchange that prompted Javier to fiercely defend her."I couldn't get Tia Mia to listen to me, but I could ask Tita and the others to pretend, so Liz could still appear to be working. Or at least handle lighter tasks. However, Liz rejected that plan, and she continued to work as usual—just like any other servant
"It's not usual for you to eat here."Ruby turned to see who Mia was reprimanding. Javier, who had just arrived, was now sitting across from her."I wanted to eat with Ed. It's been a while since we ate together," Javier smiled, glancing at Ed, who was sitting at the end of the long table. Tita specifically asked Ruby, who usually sat anywhere, to sit at the far right end of the table, affirming her status as Ed's wife.It was a place Mia had never been assigned, but she wasn't saying much today. It was the first time Ruby had seen Mia not talk much. Usually, Mia would always mock or blame her for something during meals."When are you going back to Guadalajara?" Pedro interrupted Ed and Javier's conversation."Not your concern," Ed replied shortly, returning his attention to Javier.Ruby lowered her gaze, suddenly wanting to laugh. She found satisfaction in witnessing Pedro lament Ed's disregard for him. He then covered his embarrassment by
"Who?!"Ruby began to panic, then got out of bed and groped around. The light switch was quite far from the bed. There was a faint light coming in through the partially closed curtains. Ruby could see a figure crouched on the floor, but it was still dim."What do you want?" Ruby inquired, feeling a bit relieved upon finding the switch and flicking it on. The room brightened, and the strange figure was clearly startling to Ruby."Ed?" Ruby stood still for a few seconds, convincing herself that Ed really needed help. She was worried he might just be drunk. Ruby didn't want to approach Ed if he was drunk.But upon seeing Ed still hunched over with beads of sweat trickling down his neck, Ruby knew something was seriously wrong and immediately approached him."Ed? What's wrong?"As she leaned in closer, Ruby only then realized that whatever Ed was suffering from was serious. It was confirmed by the groans and short, hurried breaths."What.
"Repeat it again.""Huh?" Ruby was confused. She had already repeated herself twice, and her voice was clear enough."Repeat," Ed requested."I... am not afraid... of your face." Ruby stood up and let go of Ed's hand. The hand no longer resisted, nor did it seem like it wanted to destroy anything."I have never been afraid of your face." Without prompting, Ruby reiterated her words, sensing their impact. Ed quickly calmed down.Indeed, it had an effect, which surprised Ed as well. He didn't understand how those words eased his pain. It didn't disappear entirely because Ed still felt the pull of pain, but it no longer burned or drove him crazy."You fainted when you saw me," Ed said."Ah, that... I was surprised. I didn't know your face would... I was very surprised, and I was in pain. Nauseous and everything else. Tense, even vomited."Ruby explained that she felt embarrassed as she looked down. Earlier, Ruby didn't mind
"Leave! I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be helping here anymore. Senora Mia won't ask for this again."Tita complained desperately as she saw Ruby standing in front of the sink, washing breakfast dishes. Tita had already chased her out of the kitchen when she tried to help prepare breakfast, and apparently, it wasn't enough."Don't!" Ruby protected the plate in her hand as Tita attempted to snatch it away."Ah!" Ruby reluctantly let go while Tita sneakily tickled her waist."There!" Tita pushed Ruby away with a satisfied smirk."But what should I do?" Ruby complained. She didn't know what to do now. She had become accustomed to her routine in that house, and now she found herself perplexed. She preferred being able to work. She might not have been interested in cleaning up horse manure, but she was also not interested in simply sitting around without any tasks."How about this?" Tita shifted and handed her a tray. It held a cup of coffee and tw
"We really didn't know about this, Don Rosas. They suddenly seized the marketing territory in the west."While tapping his fingers on the table, Ed listened to the sudden report."San Diego?" Ed asked."Yes. It seems like the new DEA is really working hard." The person reporting seemed fearful."I'll take care of it later. You guys should just use another safe route. Stay away from that area. For now, use the eastern route for supplies to LA. Houston or New Mexico," Ed said."But it will be very costly. There will be expenses...""I know, but only for now. We'll raise prices later if the profit margin turns out to be small. But for now, we need a way in." Ed waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.The command should have been easy to obey, but because they were too surprised, the two standing in front of him looked at each other."What else?" Ed asked, puzzled as to why they needed to repeat themselves."Nothing. We
"I was daydreaming," Ruby apologized to Otiz, while also apologizing to Lori for ignoring her. "I'm sorry," Ruby said."Yeah... yeah," Lori, who had been running, caught her breath and then patted Ruby's arm."You should have told me you were going out. We could have gone together," Lori said, casually linking arms with Ruby."Hm?" Ruby was clearly confused by the sudden familiarity.Lori acted as if they had been friends for years, although it was clear that Ruby wouldn't confide in her about anything. Their relationship hadn't progressed that far yet. But perhaps this was just how rich girls socialized."But at least we're meeting now. You wanted to visit that new bar, right? They say it's cool." Lori pointed across the street to the colorful building. The new day was approaching evening, but the lights on the front of the building were already on, offering a lively atmosphere inside."Oh, no. "I'm going shopping," Ruby said, pointing to a
Ruby should have anticipated it, but she was still surprised when Lori opened her jacket. The dress she was wearing wasn't much different from Ruby's. From the beginning, Lori had come to visit the bar.But slowly, Ruby felt grateful. Lori's appearance at least diverted some of the attention she was getting. Since she entered, Ruby has felt uncomfortable with the stares from the patrons. They didn't bother to look away politely, but instead enjoyed ogling her body. This made Ruby realize that being beautiful and sexy also had its downsides."Did you see that? They said there would always be a new DJ every week, and they promised to bring in famous DJs. So, the music here is bound to be exciting," Lori pointed towards the dimly lit stage where someone was busy setting up and spinning various equipment in front of them.Ruby saw them directly for the first time, but she knew that the music blasting into her ears was coming from those gadgets. Ruby arrived late in