Sullivan wrote that if Ruby chose to stay and build her career in Saintornia, the apartment could provide her with a sense of security.

If she decided to leave, she could sell it and use the money to start fresh elsewhere. Whatever choice she made, he would support her. Ruby knew most of the money Sullivan had used to buy the apartment had been misappropriated from Prospectus Technology's pharmaceutical research fund.

Somehow, he had managed to keep his accounts clean and avoid suspicion from the authorities. On paper, the apartment had no connection to him and hadn't been seized by the police.

With his salary, however, it would have been impossible for him to afford an apartment in downtown Saintornia outright.

At first, Ruby intended to sell the apartment and use the proceeds to repay the misappropriated funds. After a sleepless night, though, she began to hesitate.noveldrama

An apartment in downtown Saintornia was worth millions. Selling it could provide her with the means to leave the country and cut ties with her toxic family for good.

With her skills, finding a job abroad wouldn't be too difficult. At the very least, she could support herself.

She hadn't slept all night and had been preoccupied with the decision throughout the day. Her distraction was why she had kept making mistakes in the experiment.

In her mind, she felt split in two.

One part of her urged her to sell the apartment and start fresh abroad.

The other reminded her that the money came from a wrongful source, and accepting it would be morally reprehensible.

Ruby wrestled with guilt, torn between the two choices and unable to confide in anyone. The money had been stolen, and accepting it felt wrong.

Her conscience clashed with the temptation of a chance to change the course of her life completely.

...

When Ruby got home, she ate dinner while mulling over the dilemma.

The internal debate raged until midnight, leaving her tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

Just as she resolved to stop overthinking and try to rest, a strange noise came from the living room.

Her heart lurched. Sitting up quickly, she reached under her pillow for the stun baton she kept there. Gripping it tightly, she strained to listen. After nearly being abducted by a thug sent by her mother, she had taken to stashing self-defense tools around her home and on her person. The bedroom door creaked open slowly.

Deliberate, quiet footsteps moved toward her bed.

Ruby had not fallen asleep, so her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. She could make out the figure of a man looming over her, holding a cloth he attempted to press over her nose.

In an instant, she shot her hand out from beneath the blanket.

The stun baton crackled to life as she jabbed it into the man's body.

"Ah!" he screamed, collapsing to the floor beside the bed.

Not daring to give him a chance to recover, Ruby struck him repeatedly with the stun baton until he passed out. She grabbed her phone and bolted out of the apartment, dialing the police as she fled.

When the officers arrived and returned with her, the unconscious intruder was gone.

The police conducted a thorough search of Ruby's apartment but confirmed no one was inside. They took her statement in the living room.

"Ms. Jenner, we'll review nearby surveillance footage to identify where the suspect might have escaped. If we uncover anything, you'll be the first to know.

"In the meantime, try not to worry. We'll increase patrols in this area to ensure your safety," an officer assured her.

Still shaken, Ruby couldn't bring

herself to stay in the a

that

night. She packed some clothes and

the documents she needed for work,

then left with the police.