"Drunk loser?' Ruby arched her brow in mock surprise. 'Did this shameless slut just call one of the most handsome and successful young billionaires in the country, a drunk loser? Oh Bailey.' She chuckled bitterly.
To think she was the one who singlehandedly brought Bailey into Drubick Edges and groomed her in the field of creative designing was worse than a slap across her face.
Taking a deep breath to mask her rising fury, Ruby looked Bailey in the eyes and said calmly.
"Go ahead."
Bailey raised a brow in confusion, her smug smile faltering slightly. "Go ahead with what?"
"Your resignation," Ruby said calmly, her eyes devoid of any humour. "You just said you will resign, and I think it is the best decision for this company, considering your conflict of interest. Have your resignation letter on my desk in the next hour."
Silent gasps filled the reception rooms as everyone exchanged stunned glances.
Bailey's jaw dropped in astonishment. When she mentioned resigning, she never meant it literally. Her widened eyes flickered to Derek, and he immediately stepped forward to her defence, his voice mild and yet strained.
"Come on, Ruby. You can't be serious about firing your cousin. She is an important member of this brand and we need ..."
"This fashion brand..." Ruby continued in her cold but calm and authoritative tone, cutting Derek off without sparing him a single glance. "...was built on the principles of creativity, hard work and integrity." Her eyes swept across the room, reinforcing her dominance as a woman of undeniable power.
"We can withstand competitions, endure losses and survive occasional scandals. But what I will never tolerate are idlers or traitors slithering around the corner, faking loyalty. Now...everyone, get back to work. The show is over."
Immediately those last words left Ruby's lips, everyone quickly scurried back to their respective work stations, eager to bury themselves in work and out of her line of fire.
"Ruby..." Derek blocked her path, as she tried to leave for her office.
"Can you let me through?" Ruby shot Derek a nasty glare that could torch an entire building. "I have work to do."
"We need to talk in my office, now." Derek grabbed her right hand but she immediately snatched it out of his hold.
"Watch yourself, Mr Bishop." Ruby lashed out fiercely. "I'm not your subordinate that you can push around. Remember, we own this company equally. So I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from you."
"But cousin..."
"No one asked for your input in this matter, Bailey." Ruby snapped at her, but Derek quickly intervened again.
"Bailey, go back to work right now and let me handle this."
"Does that mean I get to keep my job?" Bailey chirped happily.
"Now, Bailey." Derek boomed.
"Okay, boss." Bailey rolled her eyes at Derek. "I'm not deaf." She carefully dropped the cake on the nearest table and swiped a little bit of the sugary frosting.
Meeting Ruby's bone-chilling gaze, Bailey stuck the frosting-coated finger into her mouth. "Mmm....yummy. You will love it, sis." She turned on her heels and left, humming a love song.
Ruby chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. She tightened her hold around the duffel bag which seemed to be getting heavier by the second.
When she tried to move again, Derek stopped her.
"Can you stop being stubborn and let us talk privately in my office? We need to address certain important issues; otherwise, it might affect the growth of this company. Or is that what you want?"
"Fine...." Ruby exhaled. "I'll join you after I drop my bag."
"Thank you." Derek cleared from her path and watched her disappear into the operations department.
Thirty minutes later, Ruby made her way upstairs to the only executive office on the floor which happened to be Derek's office.
"Good morning, Madam Ruby," Derek's secretary, Maureen, stood up, smiling politely. "Mr Bishop is waiting for you inside."
"Thank you." Ruby knocked on the door and pushed it open, only to find Derek standing close to the entrance, he's left hand hidden behind his back.
"Thanks for coming." He moved aside, ushering her in like a gentleman.
Ruby's cold expression didn't falter as she stepped into the tastefully furnished office while Derek shut the door.
"Here... I got this specially for you." He revealed a beautifully wrapped gift box, smiling.
"I don't need it." Ruby's voice was clipped. "Let's go straight to the point. You said you needed to talk. So let's talk."
Derek's face dampened as he lowered his hand. "Can we at least sit down?"
"I'm fine standing." Ruby crossed her arms over her chest, her patience wearing thin.
"About Bailey..."
"Please, let's not talk about her or I will leave this office this minute." Ruby threatened, interrupting Derek.
"Fine, can we at least talk about us?"
"There is no us, Derek. You made it abundantly clear when you got involved with my cousin."
"And I said I was sorry. How else do you want me to express my sincere apology?" Derek's forehead furrowed.
"You don't need to," Ruby stressed. "Let's just focus on work and moving this brand forward. At least we owe that to ourselves and the people who work tirelessly for us."
"So you're not going to change your mind even if I have Bailey fired from this company?"
"Even if you extinguish her from the face of the Earth, nothing is going to change." Ruby spat out. "It's over between us."
Derek's eyes suddenly darkened as he demanded in a steely voice.
"Is it because of that jerk you were kissing in the car? Is he the reason why you're willing to throw away everything we've shared including turning your back on your own family?"
"What?!" Ruby let out a bitter laugh. "You know what, I'm not going to do this. We have important clients to attend to. And let's not forget the Velvet Ashes Autumn runway show coming up in less than two weeks. We can't afford any form of distractions. So I'll suggest you get your head out of the cloud and focus on our partnership and this business. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be returning to my office."
Ruby turned her back and walked away, slamming the door shut behind her.
Derek hands balled to fist, his eyes darkening as he stormed back to his table, tossing the gift box in the trash.
He picked up his phone and dialled a number while sinking into his seat.
The line clicked and a male voice rapped in Derek's ears.
"Good morning, Mr Bishop."
"Have everything changed like we discussed earlier?"
"Are you sure about this, sir?"
"Yes." A wicked grin curled up the side of his cheek as his eyes flickered to the door. "This is the only way to get her back to her senses."