Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 221

A glint of cold malice flashed in the driver’s eyes.

He snuck another glance at the humiliated woman, teeth clenched in silent rage.

What an idiot, he thought.

Humming tunelessly, he started the car again, the engine’s rumble masking his satisfaction.

But most of these little exchanges didn’t escape Ruby, who caught them in the rearview mirror.

The words “a slab of meat” kept echoing in her mind, strange and chilling.

She’d never heard anyone describe a person that way before. The oddness of it sent a shiver through her, unsettling her to the core.

Only when she was sure the driver had lowered his guard did Ruby cautiously slip a hand into her pocket, searching for her phone.

Since getting out of prison and giving birth to Mira, life at Northridge Manor had grown comfortable again, but she no longer favored delicate dresses. She preferred practical clothes with pockets—her nerves could hardly handle empty hands anymore.

Luckily, her phone was nestled in her pants pocket.

Ruby glanced at her purse on the passenger seat—snatched away by the driver earlier. Afraid of making a scene in the quiet suburbs, he hadn’t even bothered to search it before forcing her into the car.

Her fingers found the phone easily. She fumbled for the emergency alert, repeating the process as she’d tried to memorize in the past.

After several tries, she quietly set the phone down and withdrew her hand.

“Isn’t there a public restroom somewhere along the road?” she complained, her voice petulant, her pretty face almost innocent.

To the driver, though, she just sounded stupid, and his contempt deepened.

He couldn’t fathom how someone could be raised so clueless—imagine all the privilege she must have enjoyed to end up like this.

His irritation gave way to a twisted sense of amusement.

No matter. Her misery was going to be his handiwork.

“Stop the car! Please, I can’t hold it anymore!” Ruby’s face flushed, embarrassment and urgency mingling in her tone.

The driver shot her a look of utter exasperation. Her childish helplessness was giving him a headache.

“Get out!” he barked, his voice booming, as the door popped open.

Ruby didn’t budge. She bit her lip, visibly hesitating.

“What now?” the driver snapped, impatience flaring.

“I… I don’t have any tissues.”

He scoffed, grabbing her purse and tossing it onto her lap. “Use leaves if you don’t have any!” he growled.

Ruby ducked her head, seething but saying nothing.

But her eyes flashed with determination as she looked down.

Carefully, she slipped her phone—previously hidden in her sleeve—back into her purse and fished out a small, decorative pack of tissues to keep up appearances.

If this man didn’t plan to feed her to the sharks, he’d sell her to a brothel in Soltria…

The thought of never seeing Mira again, of being forced to survive by selling herself in that hellhole, nearly crushed her spirit.

But she still had too much left undone, too many debts unpaid. She couldn’t die in humiliation, not here.

With that thought, Ruby ran the opposite direction from where the car was facing, as if monsters were snapping at her heels.

It was a while before the driver realized something was wrong.

He checked the time—she’d been gone half an hour.

He vaulted out of the car, scanning the endless sea of weeds. Ruby was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn bitch!”

His face twisted with rage as he roared.

He leapt back into the car, spinning the wheel and barreling off the gravel, careening straight into the wild grass.

***

Veyne & Co., President’s Office.

“Mr. Veyne, we have news!”