Two days.
Ruby hadn't seen the captain in two full days. Not properly.
She changed her schedule where she could, slipped out of team briefings early, kept her eyes glued to her clipboard during inspections. If she heard the word "captain," she turned the other way.
She wasn't scared. She was furious.
Every time she thought about his voice accusing her, his eyes filled with disgust, that damn word "gold digger", her stomach twisted. And yet somehow, the worst part wasn't even what he'd said. It was the cold conviction in his tone. As if condemning her was just another executive decision. Efficient. Final. Unshakeable.
So no, she wasn't ready to look at him. And she wasn't ready to forgive. Which made it all the more infuriating when she found him waiting for her outside the entertainment office.
He stood with his arms crossed, his face impassive, uniform crisp as ever. Like he hadn't spent two days avoiding her just as deliberately.
She froze mid-step.
~ Evander: "Miss Walker. A word."
Her jaw tightened. Her fingers flexed against the edge of her clipboard.
~ Ruby: "I'm on break."
~ Evander: "Then you have time."
She exhaled sharply through her nose and stepped off to the side, out of the hallway's traffic. Her arms folded. Her stance said, "say what you came to say and make it quick."
He paused, looking at her longer than necessary. His expression wasn't cold exactly, but it was unreadable. Cautious.
~ Evander: "I owe you an apology."
Her brows arched, slow and cynical.
~ Ruby: "Do you?"
There was venom in her voice, light but sharp. His jaw flexed.
~ Evander: "I made assumptions about what happened on the upper deck. I should've spoken to you before reacting."
He kept his voice even, as if trying to preserve whatever scrap of professionalism was left between them.
She tilted her head slightly, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Then she laughed bitterly.
~ Ruby: "Wow. That's it? An apology? Two days later? Clean and easy."
He said nothing.
~ Ruby: "Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated by someone who outranks you? To be accused of something disgusting in his office like you're dirt under his shoe? And now I'm supposed to nod and say thank you for your… what, mercy?"
~ Evander: "That's not what I meant..."
~ Ruby: "No, you just meant to remind me of my place. Loud and clear. Captain."
Her voice dripped with venom.
~ Ruby: "You don't get to insult my dignity, accuse me of manipulating guests, and then think it's all wiped clean because you finally looked at the security report."
He stiffened at that. The apology died in his throat, replaced by something harder.
~ Evander: "You don't think I regret it? That I don't realize I misjudged the situation? But you want blood, is that it?"
Her eyes narrowed.
~ Ruby: "No. I want respect. And maybe next time, the benefit of the damn doubt."
His composure cracked.
~ Evander: "You want to talk about respect? Then start by acting like a member of my staff instead of someone auditioning for a tantrum."
~ Ruby: "Funny, considering how quick you were to treat me like a problem, not a person."
He stepped forward slightly, towering over her now. Not to intimidate but the air between them sparked all the same.
~ Evander: "Watch your tone, Miss Walker. I'm still your superior officer."
She laughed again, this time louder and harsher.
~ Ruby: "There it is. The mask slips, and suddenly the captain speaks."
She straightened to her full height, green eyes fierce.
~ Ruby: "What are you going to do? Write me up for being insubordinate? Fire me for not kissing your boots after you dragged my name through the mud?"
~ Evander: "You're out of line."
~ Ruby: "And you're out of excuses."
Silence pulsed between them. A slow, burning silence where the line between resentment and something more volatile blurred.
~ Ruby: "Go ahead. Try it. I'll file a report so fast your head'll spin. I'll name the guest. I'll list the witnesses. You think your precious cruise line has a flawless reputation? Wait 'til people hear how harassment gets punished with accusations instead of support."
He flinched, not visibly, but enough. Enough for her to see the hit land.
~ Ruby: "But I'm a nobody, right? Just the entertainment girl with the red hair and the temper. Easy to blame. Easy to discard."
Her voice cracked from rage, deep and exhausted.
Evander's face was a mask of restraint, but something glinted behind his eyes. It's wasn't just guilt anymore. It was offense and pride.
~ Evander: "You think I enjoy this? That it's easy for me to be surrounded by people who second-guess my judgment at every turn? You think it's fun playing executioner when I barely got the full story?"
~ Ruby: "Then maybe you should try asking before throwing the axe."
His teeth clenched. His hands dropped to his sides, fisted tight.
~ Evander: "You're arrogant."
~ Ruby: "I learned from the best."
She stepped back, pulse racing, breath shallow. She was shaking, but she didn't care. She had never felt so exposed or so clear.
Evander looked at her like he didn't recognize the woman standing in front of him anymore. Or maybe he finally did, and it scared him more than he'd admit.
The hallway echoed with the sharp sound of her retreating footsteps.
The captain didn't move. He stood perfectly still, shoulders tense, jaw locked, eyes fixed on the space she had occupied just seconds ago, the fire in her voice still ringing in his ears. The bite of her accusations. The fury in her expression.
She'd looked at him like he was filth.
No one had ever spoken to him like that. Not in years. Not since he'd taken command. And the worst part? It had worked. She'd gotten to him.
He exhaled through his nose, a low, barely audible sound of frustration. One hand rose to his collar, straightening it as if he could physically smooth the tension out of his chest.
How the hell had it gotten so far?
She was emotional, reckless and young. But he had come to her, face to face, privately, to extend a rare thing from a man like him: an apology.
And what did she do? She spit it back in his face.
"So easy, clean and neat" she'd said, like he hadn't wrestled with every word, like the decision to apologize hadn't cost him something.
He paced a few slow steps, but his thoughts chased him faster than his feet could move: her defiance, her accusations. He'd offered a chance to mend the working relationship. She'd turned it into a war.
And now? Now she'd pushed him. Publicly, he would do nothing. He couldn't afford to. He wouldn't let rumors about internal disputes spread. But privately?
He was done extending leniency. She want to be treated like she's untouchable? Fine. But she can't expect him to shield her when it counts."
He stalked back into his office, door clicking shut behind him like a judgment. The familiar walls of polished wood and brass offered no comfort, only silence.
She'd claimed he insulted her integrity. But what about his? What about the uniform he wore? The decades of discipline? She had thrown his authority back in his face like it meant nothing. And worse? He had let her.
He stared out the porthole at the endless stretch of blue. His fingers curled around the edge of his desk.
It wasn't just anger. It was betrayal.
"She doesn't respect you. She never did. And now the rest of the staff will see it too." the thought hissed.
He clenched his jaw. He would not let this spiral. Not on his ship. From now on, Ruby Walker would be nothing more than a name on a roster. A subordinate, a liability kept on a tight leash.
No more second chances. She had made herself clear. So would he. He was wrong to think she had potential. He sat down at his desk, expression blank, cold.
But deep in his chest, resentment curled like smoke.
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