Chapter 2 Violet assumed it would take a while before anyone answered , but the call connected on the very first ring . " Violet , " came a deep , clipped voice , " you're not playing games with me , are you ? " She said nothing . " I chased you for seven years while you chased after Gabriel . You froze me out like ice that entire time . And now , out of the blue , you're throwing me a lifeline ? What changed ? " Xavier Drake . The man she almost chose . A powerhouse in Velmora's elite circles . He'd waited for her - pursued her- 1/9 Chapter 2 + 5 Points relentlessly . She nearly gave in . But on the night she was supposed to make her decision , Gabriel had given her a flicker of hope . And she chose wrong . Now , hearing Xavier's voice again , she exhaled slowly . " I wasn't thinking . Just … pretend I never called . " A loud thud rang through the line , like something heavy had crashed to the floor . " You think I'm the kind of guy you can call on a whim and hang up on when it suits you ? " His voice cracked with heat . " Not this time , Violet . You made your choice . And I'm not letting you back out ." He didn't pause . " One month . Tie up loose 2/9 + 5 Points He wandered over and peered inside one of the boxes . It was filled with clothes and trinkets he'd given her over the years . " You're calling this stuff junk ? " " They're old gifts , " she said evenly . " They take up space . She turned around and found Ruby standing beside the bookshelf , a shattered sculpture at her feet . Her expression was pure innocence , like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth . " Oops … sorry , Gab , Vivi . I didn't mean to. " Gabriel didn't even glance at the broken piece . He brushed past Violet like she wasn't even there and went straight to Ruby , inspecting her from head to toe . " You're not hurt ? Good ," he said , eyes finally relaxing . " Nothing matters more than you . " But that wasn't enough for Ruby . Her gaze flicked to Violet , lips curling sweetly . 5/9 + 5 Points Chapter 2 bridled a boine saibnet d , do you , Vivi ? " sutaload her eyes to the mess on the senibrista vd 19 งาม ดุ lsmit pture had been a custom piece from eir trips - crafted with both her and " of п69ms likeness . There'd only ever been ord entfe da sit was reduced to rubble . 901 upon a time , Violet would've been pisua m bus . She might have demanded an logy . But now , she only lifted her gaze Ted replied softly , " It's fine ." flash of something unreadable passed Over Ruby's face before she masked it with a sugary smile . 6/9 + 5 Points " Sixww , you're really too nice . " Then she turned to Gabriel without missing a beat . " Since my sister's so generous , I'm sure she won't mind what I'm about to ask next ." Gabriel didn't even look at Violet as he responded . " Rue just got back to Velmora . Her parents are overseas , and she's not used to staying alone . Let her stay here for now . " " And your room gets more sun . You know how she gets when it's cold . Switch rooms with her ." 7/9