After the note incident, the atmosphere in the Sterling Estate grew even colder. Arthur Sterling made his displeasure known without ever speaking a word to me directly. If I was cleaning a room he needed, he would simply stand in the doorway, his arms crossed over his broad chest, fixing me with a glare so heavy and bitter I could feel it in my bones. I would pack up my supplies and leave, my heart hammering against my ribs.

On a rainy Tuesday, the tension finally snapped. I was polishing the bookshelves in the east corridor, assuming he was in his usual boardroom meeting. I turned around and accidentally knocked a heavy bronze bookend to the floor with a deafening crash.

"Damn it," I muttered, scrambling to pick it up.

"Leave it." The voice was like gravel and cracked ice.

I froze. Arthur was standing in the archway. He was even more intimidating up close. His dark hair was peppered with silver, his face lined with exhaustion and deep-seated anger. He wore a dark navy cashmere sweater, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sterling. I thought you were—"

"You're not paid to think," he cut in harshly, his gaze dropping to my tattooed arm before snapping back up to my face with obvious disdain. "You're paid to be invisible. Try harder."

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me trembling. He was completely closed off, a man furious at the world and determined to punish everyone in it. But beneath that volatile anger, I thought I saw a flash of something else. Something cornered. Something terrified.

"You're paid to be invisible. Try harder." 🥶 Arthur is SO mean right now! Do you think his anger is just a shield to hide his pain? How is Ruby going to crack this icy billionaire? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇 Hit ❤️ if you love a fiercely grumpy MMC, and share this with your romance book club! 📚