The morning sun over City X was bright and unapologetic, streaming through the tall windows of Ruby's bedroom.
She lay still for a long moment, watching the way the light caught the different textures of the fabrics draped over her mannequin in the corner.
Usually, the sight of a new project, a half-finished silk jacket she was working on for her senior showcase gave her a sense of peace. But today, her mind was stuck on a different texture, the dark, heavy knit of the sweater the stranger had worn, and the cold, flinty look in his eyes that had felt more real than anything in this house.
A soft, hesitant knock came at the door.
"Ruby? Breakfast is on the table. Your father is asking for you," her mother called out. Elena's voice always sounded like it was fraying at the edges, worn thin by years of playing the perfect wife to a powerful man.
Ruby rolled over and pulled the blanket higher. "I'm skipping, Mom. I have a huge project due at the university, and I need to get to the studio early. I'll just grab something on the way."
There was a silence on the other side of the door. Ruby knew her mother was probably worried about Marcus's reaction, but eventually, the sound of retreating footsteps echoed down the hall. Ruby waited until the hallway was quiet before sitting up.
She loved her fashion studies at the city's most prestigious arts university. It was a world of color, shape, and expression, everything her father's world was not.
While he dealt in cold hard facts and national security, she dealt in the way a certain cut of fabric could change a person's entire presence. It was her own way of being defiant.
She dressed quickly in a simple, stylish outfit; loose trousers and a structured top and grabbed her sketchbook.
She needed to focus on her designs, but as she headed downstairs, she realized she wouldn't be able to escape the Director's House that easily.
Marcus was standing in the grand foyer, checking his watch while a guard held his briefcase. He looked like a man who hadn't slept, his face a mask of stern concentration.
Steve was nowhere to be seen; her brother had made a quick exit back to his own apartment the night before, likely wanting to avoid any more talk about 'shadow forces' and 'underground threats.'
Marcus looked up as Ruby reached the bottom of the stairs. His eyes swept over her outfit, not with pride, but with a silent calculation.
"You're leaving early," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Studio time is hard to come by, Dad. Everyone is working on their mid-term collections," Ruby said, keeping her voice light.
"A moment," Marcus said, stepping into her path. "The National Security Charity Gala is in exactly one week. It's an important night for this family. I've already arranged for a designer to come by the house tomorrow afternoon for your measurements. I want you in something that reflects our status. Nothing too... experimental."
Ruby felt a familiar weight settle in her stomach. The gala. A room full of stiff suits, fake smiles, and people trying to get her father's attention. "I can design my own dress, Dad. I am literally a fashion major."
"This isn't a school project, Ruby. It's a statement. Be here at three o'clock tomorrow. Don't be late."
He didn't wait for her to argue. He turned and walked out the door, his security detail following him like shadows.
Ruby stood in the quiet foyer for a moment, feeling the familiar prickle of irritation. He didn't care about her what she did; he only cared about how she looked in a photo next to him.
The University of City X was a beautiful campus, a mix of old stone buildings and modern glass studios. When Ruby stepped into the fashion department, the air changed.
It smelled of steam, fabric dye, and industrial sewing machines. It was loud and messy, and for a few hours, she managed to lose herself in the work.
She spent the morning at her cutting table, but her sketches kept coming out wrong. Instead of the soft, flowing lines she usually preferred, her hand kept drawing sharp angles and dark, heavy silhouettes.
She found herself sketching the jawline of the man from the club over and over again in the margins of her notebook.
"Wow, who is the mystery man?"
Ruby jumped, quickly flipping the page of her sketchbook. Her friend Maya was standing there, holding two cups of coffee. Maya was the opposite of Ruby, loud, colorful, and completely unimpressed by the Mariposa name.
"Just a character study," Ruby lied, taking the offered coffee. "I'm thinking of doing something more structured for the gala."
"The gala? Oh right, the 'Most Boring Night of the Year,'" Maya joked, sitting on the edge of the table. "I don't know how you do it. I'd lose my mind if I had to stand around all those old generals and CEOs.
Did you hear the gossip, though? My cousin works in the city planning office, and she said there's a massive company called Vanguard that's basically buying up the whole industrial district. People are saying it's a huge deal for the city's economy."
Ruby's heart skipped a beat. "Vanguard? I think my dad mentioned them."
"Yeah, they're everywhere suddenly," Maya said, taking a sip of her coffee. "But nobody knows who the boss is. Some people say he's a billionaire from Country V, others say he's some kind of tech genius who hates the spotlight. Either way, he's got everyone talking."
Ruby nodded, trying to look only casually interested. "Sounds like just another rich guy."
"Maybe. But a rich guy with a lot of secrets is always more interesting, don't you think?" Maya winked and headed back to her own sewing station.
Ruby looked back at her sketchbook. A rich guy with secrets. She thought of the way the man had looked at her. He didn't look like a guy who cared about money or spotlight. He looked like a man who was carrying a heavy burden, something dark and old.
The rest of the day moved slowly. Ruby stayed in the studio until the sun started to set, but she couldn't get her work done. The image of the man raising his glass kept flashing in her mind. It felt like a puzzle she had to solve and couldn't shake off.
When she finally returned home, the house was quiet, but the atmosphere was tense. The guards at the front gate were more alert than usual, and she saw a few extra black SUVs parked in the back.
Her father was in his study with the door closed, and her mother was in the living room, staring blankly at a magazine.
"Steve called," Elena said as Ruby walked past. "He said he's staying at his place tonight. He's got a lot of work to catch up on."
Ruby nodded. She knew 'work' was just an excuse for her brother to stay away from their father's brooding energy. She felt a wave of loneliness hit her. In this giant house, she felt like she was the only one who wanted to scream.
She went up to her room and threw her bag on the chair. She didn't want to think about the gala or the designer coming tomorrow.
She walked out onto her balcony, looking out at the city. The rain started to fall, a soft, steady drizzle that made the lights of City X look blurry and soft.
She thought about the man again. Where was he now? Was he in one of those tall glass buildings, or was he somewhere in the shadows of the industrial district?
She pulled out her sketchbook and opened it to the page she had hidden from Maya. The drawing was rough, but it captured the intensity of his eyes. She traced the lines with her finger.
'Some things, once lost, have a way of finding their way back.'
The words he had said felt like a thread, pulling at her. She didn't know who he was, but she knew that her life in this house, this quiet, perfect, boring life, wasn't enough anymore.
She wanted to know why he had looked at her like that. She wanted to know why his presence felt like a memory she had forgotten how to speak, and why he felt so familiar yet not at the same time.
She looked at her dark leather jacket hanging on the back of her door. Her father wanted her to be a doll in a pretty dress for his gala, but Ruby knew she couldn't wait a week.
The mystery was right there, just beyond the walls of the estate, and she was done sitting in the dark.
She wasn't a child anymore. She was a woman who knew how to find what she was looking for.