Chapter 178: My Girls Together

Benita walked right over to the sofa, looking down at May with a soft, genuine warmth replacing all her earlier anxiety.

"You know..." Benita said, her voice quiet as she looked at the sprinter. "Where I grew up in the slums, we didn’t have much. But everybody knew your name. I only managed to watch one of your races on a beat-up TV in an old shop window, but... God, you were so fast. You were like lightning."

Benita trailed off, momentarily lost for words as she looked at the world-record holder in person, the reality of how far both of them had come finally settling in.

May paused, the defensive trash-talk instantly melting off her face. She wiped the chocolate from her lip, looking at Benita with a rare, softened expression, a proud yet humble smirk playing on her lips.

"Come on," I said gently, tapping Benita’s shoulder to break the spell. "Let’s keep moving."

Before we could take three steps toward the stairs, the glass doors to the lower spa corridor creaked open. Patricia stepped out, a fluffy white towel wrapped around her wet hair, wearing a simple silk robe.

She stopped dead in her tracks the second she saw Benita standing beside me, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh!" Patricia gasped quietly, clutching her towel to her chest as her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She looked over at me with timid, frantic eyes. "Ethan, you didn’t tell me we were having a guest! I... I would have prepared a proper multi-course welcome meal instead of just simple breakfast..."

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how every powerhouse woman in this house had a completely different, unhinged way of reacting.

"Don’t worry about it, Patricia," I smiled smoothly. "She’s not a guest. She’s family now."

Benita looked at me, her chest heaving slightly as her eyes softened. "Really... family?"

"Of course," I said smoothly. "You built UncuT with me. You belong here just as much as anyone else."

Patricia smiled warmly, her timid demeanor giving way to pure hospitality. "Then that’s even more reason I should cook for you! You can’t be in this house on an empty stomach." She looked at Benita gently. "Are you hungry?"

Benita didn’t even try to hide it. "Honestly? Starving."

"Give me twenty minutes," Patricia said quickly, tying her towel tighter as her eyes lit up with focus, already hurrying back toward the kitchen workstation.

I turned back toward the grand marble staircase, slinging a casual arm over Benita’s shoulder. "Alright, that leaves Ruby. Let’s go meet her. She should be upstairs..."

Before I could even take a single step toward the landing, a pair of sharp high heels slammed against the wooden steps above us in a panicked, breakneck sprint.

"ETHAN!"

Ruby came flying around the curved landing, her freshly dyed purple hair blowing back as she leaped down the last three steps straight off the floor.

"Whoa—!"

She launched herself directly at my chest. I caught her mid-air, her slender legs instantly wrapping tight around my waist as she buried her face into my neck, swinging around with my momentum.

"Where did you go?!" Ruby grumbled dramatically into my collarbone, squeezing my shoulders like a vice grip. "You were gone for thirty minutes! I woke up from my nap and you weren’t in the room! I missed you!"

"I just went outside to walk Benita in," I chuckled, holding her securely by her hips.

The moment the name left my mouth, Ruby’s grumbling stopped dead.

She froze, slowly lifting her head from my neck. Her dark eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits as she turned her head to look down at Benita standing right beside us with her measuring tape still in hand.

Ruby didn’t even bother sliding down to the floor. She stayed wrapped around my waist, tightening her arms possessively around my neck, and glared straight at the head designer of UncuT.

"Did you touch him...?" Ruby asked softly, her voice dropping into a possessive, dangerously quiet purr.

Benita froze on the spot, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared up at the global pop star literally clinging to my torso like a human backpack.

Instead of getting intimidated or flustered by Ruby’s possessive glare, Benita completely broke character. The intense, hyper-focused head designer vanished, replaced instantly by an awestruck fangirl.

"Wait... oh my God," Benita breathed, her hands clutching her satchel as a huge, starry-eyed smile spread across her face. "You’re actually Ruby! I—I started listening to your new album on loop while drafting the Paris collection! Your vocal runs on track four literally inspired the entire silhouette for our runway finale!"

Ruby blinked, her sharp, territorial glare melting away in a split second. She looked down at Benita, caught completely off guard by the sheer sincerity in her voice.

Slowly, a satisfied, queenly smirk spread across Ruby’s lips. She finally unclasped her legs from around my waist, sliding down my body until her heels hit the polished floor, though she kept one possessive arm firmly wrapped around my elbow.

"Track four?" Ruby asked, tossing her vibrant purple hair over her shoulder, her voice softening into a pleased, purring tone. "Really? You have great taste, Benita."

She sized Benita up for another second, realizing immediately that the girl wasn’t looking at me like a romantic prize to fight over—she genuinely respected the empire we were building, and more importantly, she respected Ruby’s talent.

"Okay, I officially like you," Ruby declared, flashing a brilliant, dazzling smile as she reached out with her free hand to pat Benita’s shoulder. "Any designer who listens to my discography while creating high fashion is automatically my favorite."

From the kitchen, the rich, heavenly aroma of Patricia’s garlic butter pan-seared steak began floating into the foyer. Over on the sofa, May let out a loud groan, smelling the food and tossing her blanket aside.

"Alright, fashion meeting can wait!" May yelled over her shoulder, jogging into the dining hall. "Patricia’s cooking, and if you guys stand around talking, I’m eating all the protein!"

Ruby giggled, tugging gently on my arm while pulling Benita along by her sleeve. "Come on, designer. Let’s eat first. Then you can take my measurements for the Met Gala."

I looked down at the two of them walking alongside me, a calm, powerful smirk settling on my face as we headed toward the dining room where the rest of the circle was gathering.