Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 182

"You're not lying to me? That's really Cassian's wife?"

He eyed her suspiciously, voice low and doubtful.

Gennifer bobbed her head up and down. "Yes! Ask anyone at the company! They all know her!"

At that, the man in the suit glanced across the lobby, sweeping over the reception desk and the security guards. Some faces had changed over time, but a few, catching Gennifer's subtle signal, nodded in agreement.

After all, everyone knew Mr. Veyne favored Miss Gennifer. They were just staff—they understood who to please.

The suited man shoved Gennifer back toward his crew, who held her in place. He signaled, and a handful of his people surged toward the exit.

"Didn't expect the address to change," Victor quipped, his tone mock-serious. "I parked in the underground garage, so if this lovely lady wouldn't mind showing me the way?"

Ruby couldn't help but laugh, the tension in her chest easing for the first time in days.

"You're Ruby?!"

The shout came out of nowhere—a deep, rough voice echoing in the marble lobby.

Before Ruby could react, a thick arm lunged toward her.

Victor moved fast, knocking the hand away and pulling Ruby behind him. His eyes narrowed, sharp and alert. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"This has nothing to do with you! We're here for Ruby!"

The man waved his hand, and his people rushed forward without another word.

Victor's jaw clenched. Without hesitation, he kicked the nearest man square in the chest.

The attacker stumbled back, hitting the ground with a startled yelp that dissolved into a scream of pain. The blistering summer sun beat down outside, turning the pavement into a searing grill—his exposed skin sizzled on the burning stone, angry welts already rising.

The others hesitated, unnerved by their companion's agony. They scrambled to haul him up, but their feet stayed rooted in place.

"I don't know any of you," Ruby said, laying a calming hand on Victor's arm, signaling him to hold back.

Victor, still wary, shifted just enough to let Ruby face the man leading the group.

"It's all over the internet—you're Cassian's wife! Don't act clueless now!" The suited man spat, jabbing a finger right at her nose.

Ruby looked at the chaos before her with icy detachment, her gaze slicing past Gennifer like a shard of glass.

"I haven't worked at Veyne & Co. in ages. I'm only ‘family' on paper. Whatever's happening now has nothing to do with me. If you think your rights were violated, hire a lawyer and go to court. Don't stand here acting like a thug."

She stared him down, perfectly calm. The man faltered, caught off guard by her composure.

But the embarrassment of being intimidated by a woman only made him angrier. "You're Cassian's wife! Who am I supposed to go to if not you? I want you, and I want Cassian down here too—he can explain himself!"

Ruby, unfazed by his childish demands, tugged on Victor's sleeve.

Victor glanced back, catching the anxious tilt of her mouth and the words "let's go" mouthed silently.

He understood immediately and took her hand, inching them both toward the exit.

But Gennifer's sharp eyes caught the movement. "Stop them! They're trying to escape!"

The suited man snapped out of his daze, lunging for Ruby and yanking her wrist. "You bitch! Trying to run, are you?"

"If I don't see Cassian today, you're not leaving either!"