As the elevator descended from the top floor to the ground floor, Ruby heard a ding and lifted her head from between her legs. She raised her hand to wipe the tear stains on her face and then stepped out of the elevator.
At this point, Ruby was too exhausted to drive her car. She simply hailed a taxi by the roadside beneath Pristine's Building and went back to the Gregorys'.
When Ruby returned home, Maxwell and Lady Gregory had not gone to bed yet and were watching television in the living room.
Lady Gregory stood up immediately as Ruby walked in, "Ruby, why didn't you pick up your phone?"
Handing her bag to the housekeeper, Ruby forced a smile and told the truth, "I fell asleep in the afternoon, so I didn't hear it."
"Sleeping? You didn't go to work this afternoon?" Lady Gregory asked confusedly. Then, as if realizing something, she continued, "Ruby, don't tell me you didn't go to work all day?"
Ruby gave her mom a slight nod before heading upstairs.