“What? A ball?” she began to panic, her voice trembled with urgency as she confronted Stephan. "Why are you just telling me now?" she demanded, her eyes wide with alarm.

Stephan’s brows furrowed in confusion, his voice calm as he explained, "I just found out myself, Ruby."

But Ruby’s hysteria only intensified as she bombarded him with questions about her appearance for the ball. “What am I going to wear? How should I style my hair? And my makeup?” she exclaimed, her voice bordering on frantic as she handed Ethan over to his nanny and rushed away.

Stephan called after her, his voice gentle yet firm. “Where are you going?”...