Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 220

The usually steady Maybach was weaving through traffic at an accelerating pace. As Cassian gripped the steering wheel, Bennett’s call came through.

“Talk.”

Cassian’s voice was clipped, his words taut with a tension and anger he barely managed to mask.

He kept his eyes glued to the road ahead, but his mind was miles away.

“Mr. Veyne, I’ve checked with the hospital. It was Mrs. Veyne herself who arranged for the staff to delay notifying us about her discharge.”

“Ridiculous!”

An angry shout burst from Cassian, his irritation echoing through the line.

Bennett nearly jumped.

Mr. Veyne was notorious for his cold detachment. As a consummate businessman, his control over his own emotions was almost frightening. This sudden outburst of feeling was so out of character, Bennett could hardly believe it.

Was this really the same unflappable Mr. Veyne?

Then again, every time Cassian’s composure had ever cracked, it was always because of his wife. And now, with her out there in God knows what danger, his agitation was understandable.

“Have you pulled up the security footage yet? She must have taken a cab somewhere. Focus on tracking the direction she left in.”

Cassian’s barely-suppressed anger cut through Bennett’s distracted thoughts, snapping him back to the task at hand.

“Do it as fast as you can.”

Cassian’s urgency was unmistakable.

Bennett nodded quickly, relaying the orders without delay.

Meanwhile, Ruby had no idea that Veyne & Co. had mobilized half their resources to search for her—her only thought was how to escape.

“Been in this job a long time—anyone who’s tried to cross me never had a good ending!” The driver smacked the steering wheel, his voice rising as he recalled the confrontation with Ruby just days before. His anger simmered barely below the surface.

His small, sharp eyes fixed on her in the rearview mirror, calculating, as if already weighing what he’d do next.

Ruby shivered under his gaze. “You know this is a country of laws, right? Have you thought about what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Consequences?” he sneered, a twisted smirk spreading across his face. “I’ve got a doctor’s note—says I’m mentally unstable! How do you think I get away with it every time?”

A chill crawled down Ruby’s spine. As she stared at his smug expression, a sickening dread wormed its way through her body.

How absurd. If he were truly insane, how could he be out here picking up fares? And if he wasn’t, then he was getting away with everything on a fake diagnosis.

“Fine.”

He slammed on the brakes.

His eyes never left her in the rearview mirror, watching her reaction closely.

Ruby’s face darkened as she looked out the now-lowered window.

Her reaction sent him into another fit of laughter.

They’d stopped in a secluded spot—no pavement, just gravel and stones, surrounded by thick woods and weeds almost knee high.

“Well? Get out,” the driver said, his tone oily.

Ruby bit her lip, rolling the window back up. “Where are you taking me? I’m not about to do this in the wild.”

He snorted. “Rich women are all the same—so fussy. But once we get there, you’re just another piece of meat.”

Seeing that Ruby wasn’t insisting on getting out, the driver’s predatory gleam faded a little.

He knew her type—women like her valued dignity above all, and would never willingly relieve themselves outdoors in broad daylight. If she insisted, it could only mean one thing: she was planning to make a run for it.