A personal contract

This is an introduction to a story that I am writing. If it gets good feed back then I will post more. Please review or rate.

(All content listed is for this chapter or future chapters and is subject to change.)
___________________________________________________________________________________

Ruby knocked on the large wooden door of the townhouse before her. A bit of a flutter in her stomach as she waited. She couldn’t remember the last time that she had visited her Uncle Jack, it had to have been years between this visit and the last. She smoothed out her blouse under her jacket and ran a reassuring hand down her slacks. She was a little over dressed for the occasion, but being with her Uncle always made her feel a little…. unsure.

Her Uncle wasn’t really her Uncle per say. Jack Wilson, Uncle Jack as she had always called him, was the owner and president of the large company that her father worked at. Once they had been partnered together, but Jack , unlike her father, had wanted more and risen quickly up the success ladder. Though throughout most of her childhood Jack was her fathers boss, he was still in some of her more cherished memories.

Ruby plastered a smile on her face as the door swung open, revealing a well dressed older gentleman.

“Good evening Ruby. I’m so glad you could make it on such short notice. Please come in.” A smile on his handsome face as pulled he door open further.

“Uncle Jack!” Ruby smiled, leaning in closer to give a polite kiss on the mans cheek. “I have to say it was a pleasure to hear from you.” A small smirk dawned her Uncles face and she stepped into the house, taking in the sight of the high ceiling and marble floor. Her Uncle has a man of money, and everything about his life said so. She shrugged off her jacket as he pulled at the lapel, taking it from her.

“Yes well we have something to discuss.” He turned, hanging the jacket on a coat rack beside her, then turning back to her. “How is school going? I hear you are tops in your class.” Ruby smiled again as she pressed her hands against each other, rubbing them together to rid herself of the chill she felt.

“School is going well and I assume father told you that last bit?” They moved through the front room into a large dinning room with a table big enough to seat fifteen. “Well he is almost on the money, I’m not top of the class just yet, but mark my words, I will be.” On a small table against the far wall sat their dinner, under silver covers. She could smell the food and knew that it would be amazing.

“That’s good to hear, because we have legal matter to discuss.” Another smile on his face as he pulled out her chair. “Please sit. Something to drink?” Ruby took the seat he offered and ran a hand down her slacks, smoothing them out.

“No thank you.” Ruby cocked her head to the side, giving her Uncle a strange look. “Legal matters? You know I would be the worst to give you advice, I haven’t graduated just yet. And I don’t think it has anything to do with divorce court.” She laughed a little to herself knowing that he had never been married and as far as she knew, never planned on getting married. She looked up as he brought the food over to her seat, licking her lips in anticipation.

Her Uncle, ignoring her earlier response, pored her a glass of wine. Next to the glass he set a manila folder, the tab marked Daniel Harris, her fathers name.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news Ruby.” Ruby looked from the folder to the man standing beside her, a puzzled look marring her features.

“What is it?” Her Uncle moved around the table, taking his place opposite of her.

“I’m afraid your father has betrayed my trust. It seems that he has been taking from me, more then he is do.” He paused, his face showing no emotion. “You will find the pertinent documents in the folder I have given you.” Ruby looked back at the folder, then to her Uncle.

“If this is a joke then it is in bad taste Uncle.” His face never changed, staying calm and passive.

“No, not a joke Ruby.” It was then that his face changed, but only to show the anger that he felt. “I intend to see that he pays for his betrayal.” Ruby opened the folder then, hoping that he had lied and that it really was a joke. But as her eyes fell on the papers before her, one after the other, she knew this was real. Her face showed the shock, disgust, then despair that she felt coursing through her body.

“This cant be right!” Ruby looked to her Uncle, his words sinking it. “Y..you can’t turn him in. Surely this has to be an misunderstanding. A big misunderstanding.”

“No, it is as it shows.” His face was hard and his voice was determined. “In a way you shouldn’t be surprised, you’re partly to blame.” Ruby let out a low growl, her expression promising to kill.

“Me? Partly to blame?! How could you say such a thing?”

“Your father has been embezzling funds for years. Funds he used to give you all the things you wanted. Clothes, trips, the finest schools. How do you think he managed to pay for all of that?”

“I..I well I just figured that he made good money. I mean it was only a few months ago that he told me he got that raise he had been asking for." Ruby looked at her Uncle, her eyes pleading with him. "He did get that raise, right?" She searched her mind, knowing that her fathers raise had come right during the time that she needed new school books, and that trip to the cape with a few of her girlfriends. She didn’t know what she would do if she was the one to blame for all this.

“I'm afraid that was just another one of his lies. Lies he'll be able to contemplate while in prison.” The smirk on her Uncles face made him look so damn evil and she couldn’t help but look away. As desperation took hold, Ruby reached her hand across the table, grabbing her Uncles arm.

“No! You can't do that, he would be ruined! Surely you can find it in your heart to forgive him!” Curse that look that marred his handsome features, the look that told of darker thoughts. He pried her fingers from the hold around his wrist, smiling at her.

“Forgive?” The smile grew bigger, bringing back that flutter to Ruby’s stomach. “I prefer revenge.” Ruby, forgetting herself and the manners that were instilled in her as a child, growled at the man across from her.

“Revenge? Are you so heartless that you wont find another way?" She sighed, the next words whispered more to herself then her Uncle. “Not prison.” He stood then, making his way around the table to stand behind her chair. The weight of his hand felt like the weight of the world to Ruby, a world that was crashing down around her.

“Oh, there is another way.” Ruby felt like she had been thrown a life jacket while she was drowning in the middle of the ocean. The hope that swelled within her chest, shown plainly on her face. She twisted her head around to look at her Uncle.

“Oh thank you Uncle Jack!” Her Uncle’s hand slide from her shoulder down the rest on her right breast. It was then that the ocean opened up and swallowed her.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t thank me just yet.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

Please tell me what you think. Critique is always welcome.