Chapter 132: A Little Princess of the Political Circle?

Jason Rivers leaned lazily against the hood of the car. The gentle breeze brushed past his cheeks, carrying away the slight buzz of alcohol. “Rian, want to grab a bite later?”

Hearing this, Rian Sinclair checked the time on her watch and nodded. “Sure, where to?”

Ulysses Shepherd joined the conversation, and they discussed what to eat.

Nearby, no one knew what was going on with Wyatt Winslow. Ruby Forrest simply huffed the moment she saw him, turning her head away and refusing to meet his eyes.

Confused by the scene, Rian looked at Noel Sutton. “What’s going on with them?”

Noel threw his hands up in helplessness. How would he know what kind of fit Wyatt was having? He had probably teased Ruby again and made her mad.

Seeing Ruby like this, Rian walked over and asked, “Ruby, what do you want to eat?”

Ruby’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. “Let’s eat at my family’s restaurant! It’s super delicious, Rian!”

After everyone agreed, they headed toward their destination.

A short while later, they arrived at the entrance of the restaurant. Rian was slightly stunned. She remembered Ruby saying they were going to her family’s restaurant, so had this place been acquired by the Forrest family?

Her head was full of questions. Beside her, Noel explained, “Don’t be surprised, Rian. This restaurant also belongs to Ruby’s family. Connor Shaw is Ruby’s biological brother. She took her mother’s last name.”

She knew of Connor, but his status was akin to the crown prince of the political circle. So, did that make Ruby the little princess of the political sphere?

Thinking about how Wyatt’s older brother, Cedric Winslow, frequently hung out with Connor, could it be that Wyatt’s crush on Ruby was a long-premeditated scheme?

It seemed Ruby’s identity was well-hidden. However, recalling Ruby’s natural propensity for getting kidnapped, it suddenly made sense.

Ruby felt a bit embarrassed for not telling Rian earlier, but she didn’t know where to start explaining. She was just about to ask Wyatt for help, but remembering what he had just done, her pleading gaze bypassed him and landed on Noel instead.

Sensing the glare from his good friend, Noel completely ignored it. He didn’t want to be dragged into their petty lovers’ tiff, but anything that could annoy his best friend was an opportunity he would gladly seize. Acknowledging Ruby’s cry for help, he explained.

“Connor’s father and Ruby’s mother have some misunderstandings, so Ruby’s mother has always raised her on her own. Her parents don’t live together. Even now, the issues between them haven’t been resolved, and a lot of the news has been suppressed by Connor’s grandfather.”

Noel glanced at Ruby, leaned in, and whispered, “Rumor has it, Connor’s grandfather really likes this daughter-in-law, so he stands on her side. But he doesn’t want the two families to divorce. First, he’s worried she’ll become someone else’s daughter-in-law, and second…

“Those wealthy aristocratic family matters… if you know, you know.”

Ruby didn’t hear the rest of his words. She nodded from the side and said, “Noel is right. Even though I don’t know what happened between my mom and dad, Grandpa and the rest of the family treat me very well.”

Rian didn’t have much of an opinion after hearing this; after all, it was someone else’s family matter. She looked at Ruby and chuckled softly, “Let’s go. We should eat first.”

Ruby’s eyes curved into a smile as she took Rian’s hand and led her inside. The restaurant manager recognized their young miss and guided the group to a private room.

Being a regular here, Ruby ordered all the signature dishes before suddenly remembering that there were other people present besides Wyatt.

Feeling a little shy, she handed the menu to Rian, who was sitting next to her. “Rian, take a look and see what else you’d like to eat.”

With her cheeks flushed red, Ruby muttered under her breath, “Oh, Ruby Forrest, Ruby Forrest. Rian, Noel, and the others are all here. How could you just hog the menu and order away? That’s so rude!”

Her voice was very quiet, but her thoughts were written all over her face. Rian chuckled, “Why don’t you give us some recommendations, Ruby?”

Ruby’s expression brightened at the suggestion. There were still many delicious items she hadn’t ordered initially. Looking at the dishes on the menu, she said, “Rian, let me tell you, this is incredibly delicious! And these pastries, Officer Uncle makes them so well! Plus, this drink is super tasty!”

Rian watched as Ruby’s little hands pointed eagerly across the menu, her brows and eyes filled with excitement.

To Ruby, these dishes were truly amazing!

Afterward, her soft, sweet voice filled the private room. Wyatt sat nearby, frowning as he listened to her. It wasn’t long before he couldn’t help but speak up, “Ruby, you’re ordering too many sweets. It’s bad for your teeth. And with all that spicy food, your stomach won’t be able to handle it.

“And look at this, you’re allergic to ginger but you still ordered shredded ginger. Your time of the month is almost here and you’re eating ice cream? Do you have any idea how bad that is for your body!

“You even ordered it extra spicy. What, do you want to end up in the hospital on an IV drip? Is your mouth expiring tomorrow? Why are you ordering so much all at once?”

Wyatt’s scolding echoed through the private room. He criticized her with sound reasoning, and Ruby’s expression visibly dimmed.

Pouting her small mouth and lowering her head, her body began to tremble. To the others, it looked as if Ruby had been scolded to tears by Wyatt. But Rian, sitting in her chair close by, had a perfect view of the sly gleam in Ruby’s eyes. Rian’s lips curled up slightly, but she didn’t make a sound.

Ruby turned her head and met Rian’s teasing gaze. She was just about to look up when Rian shook her head.

She didn’t know what it meant, but out of trust for Rian, she kept her head down, her shoulders trembling with exaggerated fake crying.

A moment later, a pair of hands rested on the top of her head, followed by Rian’s gentle and concerned voice.

“It’s okay, Ruby. You can eat whatever you want, but you have to take care of your health too. If there’s something you can’t eat, skip it, and if it’s too much, just have a little.”

Hearing the caring words beside her ear, Ruby was momentarily stunned. Rian clearly knew she was faking it, yet she still played along. Ruby had never experienced anything like this before.

Was this what it meant to have a friend who would act crazy and goof around with you? It felt truly very warm.

At that thought, tears slipped out before she even realized it. Rian turned to see golden teardrops rolling down Ruby’s face one after another. Not knowing what had happened, she hurriedly tried to comfort her in a panic.

“Be good, Ruby, don’t cry.

“Tell me what happened, and I’ll avenge you.

“Good girls don’t cry. Look, you’ve shed so many precious tears.”

Rian didn’t know the real reason Ruby was crying, but she could hazard a guess. It was probably over something sad.

However, Rian genuinely had no experience comforting people. In the past, whenever Ash Sinclair was upset, a good beating would immediately cure him. As for her best friend, she had never cried over anything other than scumbag men.

So Ruby’s sudden tears completely threw her off. Flustered, she stood up and bent over to wipe Ruby’s tears.

She wiped for who knew how long, but Ruby just kept crying. She couldn’t even give a clear answer when asked what was wrong. In any case, whenever they made eye contact, Ruby would cry even harder. Completely giving up, Rian slumped back into her chair, sprawling lazily against the backrest.