The Bad Plan
Tin tun...
Ruby gasped and woke up from her sleep when she heard the sound of the bell ringing. She looked at the clock on the wall which showed 3.30 pm, she did not know how long she had been asleep on the couch. But in her sleep, she dreams of her past, the time when she and Lucien first met.
"I fell asleep, is Lucien home yet? But it's still 4.30pm, he never comes home at this time." She muttered.
Ruby stepped towards the door of the house and opened the door, but the face of the man standing at the door made her a little surprised.
"MisterVictor?" She said. She believes this man is Victor Scheneider, Lucien's ex boss who gifted them a luxury car at their wedding.
"Hi Ruby? How are you?" Victor smiled, showing his strong charisma. Ruby felt nervous, she didn't know what business this man had to come to her house when Lucien wasn't home.
"I'm fine. Do you want to see Lucien?"
"Yes, we have promised to meet. He asked me to wait at his house!"
"Is it true?" Ruby hesitated. She knew Lucien would not allow another man into his house when he was not there. Lucien is very over protective, this is not his habit.
"But he didn't tell me about it. I'd better call him and-"
"That's not necessary, Ruby! Lucien really trusts me. We've known each other for years and I'm the person he trusts the most. We're going somewhere and he asked me to wait for him at home. So can I come in?" Victor began to push a little, he knew that he would definitely get everything he wanted.
Even though he was doubtful, for some reason he had no choice but to trust Victor. Ruby knows that Lucien worked with Victor for years before he finally quit and decided to work as a mechanic."
"All right, please come in!" Ruby said while opening the door and inviting Victor to enter her house.
Victor smirked, he didn't expect it would be this easy to gain Ruby's trust. Since he first saw her two years ago, he has been attracted to Ruby, a beautiful girl of Chinese descent with very beautiful eyes.
"I will make tea, please wait here!" She said as she walked towards the kitchen leaving Victor waiting alone in the living room.
Ruby felt uneasy, she didn't know what kind of man Victor really was. Even though she knew that Lucien was very close to him, she remembered that Lucien had told her that Victor was a dangerous man.
Ruby quietly took out her phone and tried to call Lucien. But his phone is not active.
"Why isn't it working? Is it running out of power?" She thought. She was starting to get restless, every man around her other than Lucien scared her. She has not been able to forget the terrible incident three years ago where she was almost raped by five drunken men.
Ruby took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly. She was sure that Victor was not the type of man who would seduce his friend's wife. He is handsome and very rich, he can get any woman he wants.
Ruby served Victor a cup of tea and maybe chatted him up while he waited for Lucien to come home. She knew exactly what time Lucien would usually be home, around 5.30pm he would be home if he didn't stop by the gym for an hour or two before dinner.
"Please drink the tea!" She said while serving a cup of black tea on the table.
"Thank you, I really like tea!" Victor immediately took the teacup and took a sip, this was the kind of tea he liked, black tea without sugar.
"If you want to add sugar, I'll take it first-"
"No! That's not necessary. I prefer tea without sugar. Sit down, I've wanted to talk to you for a long time!"
Ruby took a place on a different part of the sofa while smiling awkwardly. Victor kept looking at her and she easily noticed that.
"How was your wedding? Are you happy with Lucien?"
"Yes, of course. I'm very happy with him. We've been together for almost three years and there's nothing happier than being married to someone we love."
"Yes, you're right. There's nothing happier than getting married and living together with someone we love. You know? Lucien is a very stubborn man, I knew him when he and his friends were caught by the police when they were using the road highway as a wild racing arena. I had often heard about his prowess and that night I was really interested in meeting him in person."
"So, you finally met him?"
"Hahaha...I saw that match. He won it and at that moment I knew he was playing for someone else. Someone would use his services as a jockey and place a bet and if he won, he would be rewarded with 30 percent of the bet amount. He was very young then, maybe only 17 years old, I'm not sure."
"How did he get away from the police?"
"I paid the ransom and gave him the conditions for him to work with me. But he refused because he didn't want to be the only person released. I was forced to participate in ransoming his five friends too. Very troublesome!"
"You're a good man!"
"You think so?"
"Yes! Lucien has always told me that he owes you a great debt. You gave him hope when he had no one to rely on but himself. Lucien lost his mother when he was very young and he never saw his father's face. That's why he considered you like his own brother."
"He said that to you?"
"Yes, he did say that!"
"Hahaha...Lucien is my lucky card, like an ace. Thanks to him, I was able to master everything this time. That's why I want him to come back to work with me as my lucky card."
"I don't think he wants to do that job anymore, because of that-"
"What's wrong with the job he does? I didn't make him kill someone, I didn't make him sell drugs, I didn't make him sell firearms. I gave him a special place, in the casino. He was the best jockey ever and no one can beat his record. Listen, Ruby. If Lucien comes back to work with me, the two of you will be living in a bigger and fancier house. Even in one month's time he will be able to buy a luxurious mansion."
Victor starts influencing Ruby, obviously this is his main goal, to persuade Lucien back using his beloved wife. Ruby was nervous, she didn't know what to say because all this time she had entrusted everything to Lucien.
When Lucien decided to stop working with Victor two years ago, he started a new life after returning all the money Victor gave him. He got an ordinary job as a mechanic in an auto repair shop with an average salary. But he really enjoys his job because he is surrounded by good colleagues who are like family to him.
"Mr. Victor, I'm really sorry. But, me and Lucien, we are very happy with our current life. We don't need a mansion and also a luxury car. We are quite satisfied with our current life." Ruby said. She knew what he and Lucien wanted. If wealth had been their goal from the start, Lucien would still be working with Victor now. But they don't want that.
Hearing Ruby's statement made Victor feel disgusted. That is a naive remark that comes from the mouths of hypocrites. For him in this world who does not want to be rich? Everyone is competing to show their status and presence on social media. Flaunt gaua's luxurious life, private planes, cruise vacations, parties in lavish mansions and buy goods at exorbitant prices. Who doesn't want a life like that?
Victor got up from his place and stepped toward Ruby. He knelt in front of Ruby while holding both of her shoulders. Ruby was shocked, instantly her body felt paralyzed and couldn't be moved. There was a panic attack that began to spread through his body.
Victor looked Ruby in the eye, he made an offer he knew would not be easy to refuse.
"Listen to me, Ruby! I don't know whether Lucien has told you about this or not. But Lucien is still under contract with me and I came here to force him to finish his contract until 2025. That means, there are three more years he has to pay for it."
"C-contract? That mean, Lucien still has to work with you for another three years, is that it?"
"He was supposed to work with me for another five years from 2020, he was under contract with me but he just left for you. I know you influenced him to stop working with me!"
Victor became more and more aggressive, his touch on Ruby's shoulder turning into a rough grip. Ruby was terrified, this wasn't a good situation as Victor was clearly showing anger at her.
Victor accuses him of being the reason why Lucien decided to break his contract which he must live on until 2025. Ruby knows that she once suggested that Lucien stop working at the casino because she felt that Lucien was unhappy.
Lucien had told her about his dream of having his own little family and moving from Las Vegas to Henderson, living in a modest house that had a large yard. Lucien really wanted a family and he knew that he would make that dream come true with Ruby.
"I-I didn't know about that contract at all!"
"He didn't tell you?" Ask Victor. Ruby shook her head slowly. She was sure that Lucien had his reasons why he kept the contract secret from him.
Seeing that his prey was starting to fall into his trap, Victor stepped up even more to make Ruby weak. He had money and power, it would be easy for him to get helpless people like Lucien and Ruby into his clutches.
"Lucien owes me, but because he is my friend, I let him have fun these two years. But this time I won't let him anymore. Can you persuade him?"
"I-I, I'm not sure about that-"
"Okay, I understand. So, you must be able to do something to save your husband, right?"
"S-saved? W-what did you say?"
"You know what? I won't hesitate to eliminate him if he doesn't change his mind soon!"
"You're going to kill him?"
"It's possible! I've been waiting for two years, coaxing him with gifts. But he's acting like I can't force him!"
"No...! You can't do that! I-I, I will-"
"Why not? I can do whatever I want, even just to kill one life!"