Ruby crossed her arms, watching the shift with mild amusement.
"Well, well," she murmured, tapping her fingers against her elbow. "It looks like your little act has fallen apart, Levi."
Levi clenched his jaw, his entire face red with humiliation and rage.
His hands shook with suppressed anger.
She saw the way his eyes burned not just with anger but with hatred.
Ruby’s red eyes darkened as she took a step forward, her sharp gaze locking onto Levi.
"It was you," she said coldly. "You set me up. You made Julian believe I was cheating on him."
Then, she turned to Lyra and Celeste with the same icy gaze. "And Lyra and Celeste? You two were helping Levi all along."
The two witches froze.
"Celeste drugged me," Ruby continued, her voice growing deeper and more serious. "And Lyra, you were the mastermind behind everything."
Lyra clenched her jaw, trying to maintain her calm expression, but her fingers trembled. Celeste, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to disappear.
Then, Ruby turned her piercing gaze back to Levi.
She tilted her head, smirking. "Tell me, Levi. How could I have taken advantage of you when you were with Julian?"
Levi’s expression twitched.
The murmurs around them grew louder.
But before he could respond, Julian spoke.
"And you also hit me," Julian said suddenly, his voice calm but laced with quiet rage. "You threw a stone at me. I remember feeling something hit my head."
"But you weren’t the only one involved." Julian’s mossy green eyes flickered with realization. "There was someone else... another person behind this whole scheme."
He exhaled slowly, his voice dropping lower. "She also has white hair."
Ruby nodded thoughtfully.
Loudly. Hysterically.
His laughter echoed through the space, sending chills down the spines of those around him.
His entire body shook as he clutched his stomach, his laughter full of mockery and madness.
Then his eyes snapped back to Ruby.
"Just marry me, Ruby!!!" Levi shouted, grinning like a lunatic. "We all know you don’t love any of your husbands! You don’t even touch them! Otherwise—"
His voice dropped to a low, venomous whisper.
"Why aren’t any of them pregnant yet?"
The crowd went dead silent.
A sharp gasp escaped someone.
Levi’s father staggered backward, gripping his head in shock.
"Levi...!" his father whispered, looking at him as if he was a complete stranger. "What are you saying...?"
But Levi’s mother immediately nodded.
"Yes, yes!" she chimed in quickly. "If you don’t love them, then divorce them! Marry my Levi! He will keep you happy!"
She turned to Julian with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Julian doesn’t know anything. I’m sure you’ll like Levi more! He’s cuter than Julian!"
That was the final straw.
Pillu’s eyes widened in horror.
Then he dramatically pretended to throw up on the ground.
"Argh! Argh!!!" he groaned, bending over. "Levi and cute?! ARGH—he looks VICIOUS!"
His exaggerated disgust made the crowd erupt into awkward laughter.
Karl smirked and burst out laughing as well. "Brother Pillu, I think you just killed him with that reaction!"
Levi’s face twisted in rage. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
"DON’T MAKE FUN OF ME!! I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU! ALL OF YOUUUU—!!" Levi roared, his voice shaking with rage.
But before he could finish, a loud SLAP echoed through the air.
Levi’s head snapped to the side, and his father stood in front of him, his hand trembling from the force of the slap.
The entire crowd fell into stunned silence.
Levi’s father’s eyes burned with fury, but more than that there was deep, crushing disappointment.
His lips quivered as he shook his head. "I... I thought Ruby had really taken advantage of you." His voice cracked. "But I never thought—you were the one scheming against an innocent person!"
His eyes turned red as he looked at his son—the son he had raised, the son he had once trusted.
"Tell me, Levi." His voice broke. "What did you ever lack in life? Tell me!"
Levi’s face darkened, but he didn’t say a word.
His father continued, his voice rising with every word.
"From childhood, you had EVERYTHING! New clothes, daily food! Even though we were poor, we still gave you a roof over your head!"
"And Julian—" His father’s voice wavered with guilt. "I didn’t treat Julian well because YOU told me you were afraid he’d replace you. You made me believe he was a threat to you! And I—I listened to you!"
Tears welled up in his father’s eyes. "But now... I see it. I see what you’ve become."
He slapped Levi again.
"You... and your mother... you ruined our whole family with your greed!"
His voice broke completely. "I TOLD YOU ONE DAY—your plotting, your greed, your endless scheming would ruin my house!"
But his expression had turned cold, empty like someone who had already lost everything.
His father sucked in a shaking breath and pointed a trembling finger at him.
"You rejected Ruby’s marriage proposal before because she was homeless! YOU were the one who turned her away!"
Another Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"So I let Julian take your place." His father’s voice turned bitter. "And now that she has money, NOW you suddenly want her back?"
His hands curled into fists. "You lost everything, Levi. EVERYTHING!"
And with that final cry—he SLAPPED Levi one last time.
Levi staggered back, his head spinning from the force.
But before he could recover—
"DON’T HIT MY LEVI BABY!"
Levi’s mother lunged forward, shoving her husband to the ground.
The old ghost hit the dirt hard.
A few people in the crowd gasped softly, some even feeling pity for the father who had lost control of his own son.
For a brief second there was nothing but tense silence.
Her voice broke through the thick, suffocating air.
"Well... this is getting interesting."
She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly, watching the disaster unfold before her.
Julian, standing beside her, was quiet. But his clenched fists trembled as he watched Levi’s mother choose her selfish, twisted son over her husband.
—To be continued...🪄