0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.15 | Rule Number One: Table Etiquette

Ruby closed the door behind her and got down the steeper stairs thievingly. While taking smaller steps toward her room, she mulled over her final decision that she had given her word and there was no going back starting today. She had big shoes to fill.

Her fingers closed around the door's knob and she pushed it a little. An odor of stuffy room hit the back of Ruby's nostrils, her face scrunched up for the briefest of moments until she stepped in.

The small room was in a spick and span condition. As she recalled Joseph's words in her mind, the room corroborated his description perfectly. The light coming from the foyer guided her to the bed. Ruby chose to leave the door slightly open ─ to allow the satisfying quality of air to ventilate the room.

She took off her jacket along with her boots and adjusted the spaghetti straps of the small cotton dress that she had on before calling it a night.

Ruby curled up and felt compelled to switch her nervousness with a sound sleep. Again, this was not her independent choice. In some crevices of her mind, Emily's name ricocheted way too loud. She dreamt of breaking all sorts of relations with Madame Tào and believed this proposition would open avenues for a delightful life.

On the other hand, Joseph wrestled with insomnia and seemed fairly sober as he stared out at the cup. His callous gaze averted on the phone kept right beside it, extending his hand to grab it.

Despite knowing that Anshuman or any other normal person in his place would be sleeping at this time. Nevertheless, he called him over and over again. Until the phone started burning his fingers. And after fighting a losing battle that went on for ten minutes, he tossed the phone on the bed out of frustration.

Joseph's phone buzzed in no time and he picked it up steadily.

"No problem, mistakes ought to happen by humans to prove its universal inheritance in our genes. I'll let it slide this time. Now, switch off your phone and have a good night!" Anshuman concluded in his raspy voice and his finger nearly swiped to end the call but missed the target as he heard a growl detonated from Joseph's mouth.

"Ruby is with me," Joseph took her name in haste as if taking her name would cause an inveterate infection to grow in his mouth. Contrary to the calmness that washed over his face a while later. He continued after a silence that held his tongue, "She's staying in her allotted room like before. She said she wants to work for me and─and─ on the whole, will adhere to my rules." He rubbed his eyes, exhaling through his nose.

"You think she's serious? Well, I don't think you are serious in the first place," Anshuman spoke carelessly and squared his shoulders as he lifted his upper body, tilting his head a bit far from Sarah who was peacefully sleeping next to him. The purple quilt that hardly covered his body was crumpled up on her side mostly and that helped him to separate himself from establishing any contact with her.

"Listen, I don't really know what convinced her but she was dead serious," Joseph told, as he wrapped his thick fingers around the cup and headed over to the washroom, kicking out his shoes.

"Yes, got you, big brother. It's a piece of good news that my babe's plan worked out really well. Now can I go back an─" Anshuman instantly slapped a hand over his mouth, in the realization that he was not supposed to unveil his girlfriend's partnership with Emily to basically bring Ruby closer to Joseph.

"Babe's plan?" Joseph's eyes widened precariously as they fell into the basin and his eyebrows knitted into utter confusion. "Wait - does Sarah have anything to do with this? Did she induce Ruby to get back here? What do you people think you are doing? This is my game, she's my weapon. Then why are you people meddling? Who has given you the bloody right? Speak up!" Joseph grunted, enraged to find his friends involved in this risky game plan.