Toby did not expect Hackett to say this right off the bat in such a direct manner. After thinking for a while, Toby replied politely, "Yes, Mr. Hackett. I would like to woo Ruby."
When Liam heard Toby's answer, he was stunned.
Liam thought, 'I treated him as a good friend, but he wants to date my sister? What is he thinking? He's hidden it pretty well... but why do I feel like I brought danger to our doorstep? Wait. He hasn't succeeded yet. Dad found out about it.'
Toby had already graduated but had come to the school today to look for Liam. Toby had also been planning to take the opportunity to ask about Ruby while he was there. Thanks to Frank's information, Hackett could meet Toby at the front gates and not make a wasted trip.
"You want to woo Ruby... Sure." Hackett said.
When Toby heard this, his eyes were filled with surprise. A few seconds later, Toby's eyes began to darken and turned into a look of worry.
Hackett stared at Toby with a faint smile, almost as if he was going to swallow him alive. Toby guessed that there would be something else Hackett wanted to say. He was sure things were not that simple.
Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence, once the cigarette in Hackett's hand burned out, Hackett handed the cigarette butt to his son and instructed, "Throw it away. Be polite."
Liam was unable to react immediately because of Hackett's abnormal behavior. Liam formally answered after a while, "Okay..."
As he spoke, Liam took the cigarette butt from his father's hand and walked towards the trash can. Even so, Liam could not contain his curiosity and kept looking back with every few steps, almost tripping.
After Liam had walked a distance away, Hackett said, "I won't stop you from wooing Ruby, but Ruby is the apple of our eye. I'll tell you a few conditions I have. First of all, my future son-in-law has to be Athana's richest man, or at least ranked as the second richest man in Athana. This is my lowest requirement. Secondly, he cannot be a rich second-generation heir. I need someone who can protect Ruby, not a rich second-generation heir who will take over the family business. A second-generation heir was merely born into a rich family, but it doesn't require any sort of abilities. A person like that won't be able to protect Ruby well."
Toby thought, 'Does this mean I have to become the richest man in Athana all on my own before I can try to date Ruby? That's practically impossible.'
Little did Toby know Hackett just wanted him to give up on trying to woo Ruby. A moment later, Toby understood Hackett's purpose and politely said goodbye, "Mr. Hackett, I won't go to the studio anymore. Goodbye, Mr. Hackett."
Hackett felt that Toby was quite polite. At least, he was more polite than Jasper. "Kid, you're not bad. It's just that you're not suitable for Ruby. Good luck."
Toby smiled awkwardly and thanked him. "Thank you, Mr. Hackett. Goodbye."
Hackett, who had succeeded in his plan, was in a good mood. Hackett bent down and looked into the rearview mirror as he tidied his hair, a victorious smile on his face. When Hackett saw his son coming over, he smacked the back of his son's head and scolded him, "Are you stupid? He's interested in your sister, and you brought him right to her? Do you want your sister to get married that badly?"
Liam felt he had been wrongly accused since he wouldn't have known Toby's thoughts unless he could read minds. "How would I know? Toby and I got to know each other through basketball. How would I know that he was interested in Ruby?" Liam protested.
If Liam had known, he would never have brought Toby to see Ruby. However, Liam felt that Toby was a good person. He was polite and cheerful, and he could even make Ruby laugh. "Dad, I think you're setting too high a requirement for my future brother-in-law. Why don't you ask her to marry the president, then? Ruby can immediately become the president's wife, and you'll be the president's father-in-law. How great..."
Before Liam could finish speaking, Hackett kicked him. Hackett glanced at his son in disdain. "Get in the car."
Liam really missed his grandfather. Liam thought, 'At least when Grandpa comes, he takes me somewhere to have fun. Dad hardly comes, and now that he's here, he even hit me so many times. I should do a DNA test next time.'
At the studio that night, Ruby lay in Jasper's lap. She held his hand and played with it. "Do you apply hand cream? Why is your hand as delicate as a girl's hand?" Jasper's hand was so fair that it did not look like a boy's hand at all.
Jasper answered in a serious voice, with no hint of modesty, "No, I was born this way."
"You're not even going to be modest about praising yourself," Ruby answered.
Jasper said, "Excessive modesty is hypocrisy. I don't lie."
"Jasper, I realize that you're getting more and more shameless. Your usual cold expression is all an act, huh?" Ruby said.
Jasper's other hand was helping Rudy tidy up her curly hair that was spread out on his lap. His five fingers were intertwined with the soft ends of her hair. He was very careful, afraid that he would hurt her. "No, you're an exception. Have I ever been cold to you?"
Ruby lay flat on her back and stared into Jasper's deep eyes, which were full of love for her. Ruby asked, "Haven't you? I just don't argue with you. Jasper, can I ask you something? When did you start to have feelings for me?"
"I don't remember. It was a long time ago." Jasper said.
After a while, Jasper asked, "What about you?"
"I don't remember. I only remember that the only person I was willing to do anything for was you." Ruby answered.
Jasper spoke, "There won't be a second person's name on my marriage certificate." Jasper was sure that he would not marry anyone other than Ruby.
Both their eyes were filled with emotions. Jasper lowered his head as Ruby raised hers. Just as their lips were a few centimeters apart, suddenly, the door was pushed open. Afraid he would see something he shouldn't, the bodyguard had covered his eyes while reporting to Ruby, "Miss Ruby, Mr. Blackwell will be here soon. His car has already driven into the parking lot."
The ambiguity in the air dissipated in an instant. Ruby did not panic. She had imagined her father's sudden appearance countless times. Ruby calmly told the bodyguard, "Go outside. I'll be right out. When my father comes, tell him I'm changing before I leave."
Ruby knew that this way, her father would not come in immediately. After giving her bodyguard instructions, Ruby got up from Jasper's lap. There was no trace of panic, and Ruby was very calm. Jasper was not panicked either. He had always known that Ruby's emotions were stable and that she would not panic no matter what happened.
Seeing that Jasper was smiling at her, Ruby patted his arm. "You're still smiling? Do you want to get caught? I'll leave first. Help me close up later."
Jasper patted her curly hair and quickly pecked the corner of her lips. "Alright, go on."
To prevent her father from coming in, Ruby tidied her hair as she headed for the door. She slung her bag over her shoulder and quickly turned off the lights in the studio.
After Trevon's reminder, Jasper knew better about how to behave on dates, so Ruby did not need to change her clothes today.
When Ruby opened the door with her bag slung over her shoulder, Hackett was already at the door and was about to open it. Ruby's bodyguard had not had time to tell Hackett what Ruby had instructed him to say.
Ruby looked a little surprised, her expression pleasant. Ruby smiled and asked, "Dad, why are you here?"
The bodyguard felt it was a waste that Ruby had not become an actress since she had superb acting skills. A second ago, she had been all loving with Jasper, and now, she had transformed into a good girl who was surprised by her father's appearance as she was on the way home.
Ruby was amazing.
In the darkness, Jasper sat alone on the sofa, his hands clasped behind his head, laying down with his legs crossed leisurely. No one would guess that they had almost been caught. He listened to the conversation outside with interest, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a beautiful smile. For some reason, he felt that Ruby was very cute.
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