Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 51: His Best Friend Helped?

He stood, holding out his hand toward her. "Come on, Ivy. Dance with me."

Ruby hesitated for only a moment before placing her hand in his. His grip was sure, gentle but firm, and he pulled her to her feet easily.

There was no music — just the soft hum of the night outside, the faint creak of the house settling — but somehow, it didn’t matter.

Stefan found her waist with surprising accuracy, his other hand sliding up to rest lightly at her shoulder.

"Tell me if I step on your toes," he said with a grin.

"I’ll scream," Ruby promised, laughing.

They moved together slowly, a makeshift waltz in the middle of the bedroom, careful and clumsy and absolutely perfect. Ruby guided them gently, letting Stefan take the lead as much as he could, her hands steadying him when he faltered.

He couldn’t see her smiling, but she smiled anyway, feeling lighter with every awkward step they took.

And somewhere in the middle of their dance — somewhere between the laughter and the stumbles — Ruby realized she wasn’t thinking about lies or fears or regrets.

She was just... happy. Even if it was only for a little while, she was happy.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

"Now that you’re fine, how about you tell me a little about what’s going on with your friend and I’ll see what I can do?" Stefan asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Ruby shook her head. "You don’t have to do anything—"

"I know. Trust me, I know but I still want to help," he said and Ruby looked at him for a moment, thinking and wondering if it was a good idea to do that.

After contemplating, she decided it was probably best she told him. Maybe he could help in a way or two. She told herself as she went on to tell him about the lawsuit.

The following day, the morning sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains, casting a soft golden glow across the bedroom. f(r)eew(e)bnovel.(c)o(m)

Stefan sat at the edge of the bed, phone in hand, his expression unreadable as he listened to the dial tone. The room was quiet, except for the faint rustle of sheets and the distant hum of traffic outside.

briefly in the direction of the bathroom where he

had to say about Rayna’s case, he had decided that he’d help out the way he

stared at his phone as he waited for Ethan to pick up. Soon, the line clicked. "Morning, man," Ethan’s voice came through, slightly groggy. "Everything alright? Why are you calling me so

that I need a favor," Stefan said, straight to

movement in the background indicating he was sitting up. "A favour? Alright, shoot. What is it? That you have to call me so early," Ethan asked, wondering exactly what it was that Stefan wanted to say this early that he

you to help," Stefan said

person? Most be important to

Ivy. Ivy’s friend is

trouble is Eliana in this time that the almighty Eliana couldn’t claw

to burst your bubble. But it’s

brief pause.

Stefan explained, rubbing his temple. "Apparently, her worker posted something based on an unverified source, and now the person she wrote about flied a case and isn’t going easy on

Ethan asked, now fully alert. "Is the

lawyer. See if there’s any chance of settling this

moments. "Alright, I’ll look into

I’ll ask Ivy and

out a short exhale. "Okay, I’ll see what I can do. But I gotta ask—why the sudden interest in your wife’s friend? It’s so unlike you to get

around the phone. "I know. But she’s really troubled and I want her to be happy. I have to

inside the bathroom, Ruby who was about to open the door stood

hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, not really—she was just about to enter the

want her to

for her? Because of how worried

over her chest, as if that could quiet the guilt storming inside her. Her knees felt weak. It was getting harder and harder to pretend—to lie. Stefan was good to her. Better

voice whispered in her mind. You’re deceiving him too. You’re standing in Ivy’s shoes, reaping love that isn’t yours. You’re pretending to be a woman who walked away, and you’re falling for him while you’re

them away. This wasn’t about her feelings. This was about doing the right thing. She took a deep breath, forced her legs to move, and opened the

the sound. His expression softened as he turned

inside, her hand still trembling slightly as she closed the door behind her. "Yeah,"

his head. "You

now.

in front of him, her gaze flicking to his face—the face of a man who couldn’t even see the betrayal written all

her throat. Her fingers curled at her sides. "Stefan, I need to tell