Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 233

Once the office door clicked shut, it was as if Townsend suddenly woke from a dream and wanted to protest. But his brother—the target of his complaints—had already vanished, leaving Townsend with no choice but to accept his fate.

After all, his older brother was a full ten years his senior and never missed a chance to pull rank. “Big brother knows best,” he’d say, and Townsend always ended up on the losing side of that argument.

He grumbled to himself, but his feet did exactly as they were told, moving obediently across the floor.

Not that he was giving in because of some overbearing, father-figure threat—no way!

Meanwhile, Gennifer had just arrived at the company. The moment she stepped inside, she sought out the PR department.

“How’s it going?” she demanded. “News about my sister wearing a knockoff C Collective gown has been trending for days. I heard it’s even reached the top brass at The Vertex Quarter—the C Collective headquarters.”

A frown creased her brow, worry shadowing her elegant features.

The moment Scales, the head of PR, heard Gennifer was in the building, he abandoned the expensive cup of tea in his hand. Wrinkles bloomed across his face as he flashed a sycophantic smile. “Miss Gennifer, surely a minor issue like this doesn’t require you to come down yourself?”

Gennifer shot him a disapproving look, but a few subtle gestures betrayed her satisfaction at the deference.

“How can you call this a minor issue?” she snapped.

Scales, still beaming, ushered her into his office. “Now there’s no one else around.”

Once the soundproof glass door shut, he personally pulled out a chair for Gennifer, ingratiating as ever. “Ruby is just a nobody, really. If Mr. Veyne wasn’t still mindful of her title as Mrs. Veyne, I doubt he’d bother cleaning up her mess at all.”

With the office door closed, the pretense evaporated. Gennifer dropped the mask she wore in front of the staff.

Scales was her own protégé, after all, and he’d been instrumental in stirring up those rumors about her and Cassian. They knew exactly where they stood with each other.

“I told you to keep steering the public narrative. How’s that going?” Gennifer lifted her chin, her demeanor a far cry from the affectionate sister act she’d put on outside.

“What is it?” Gennifer’s stomach twisted at his sudden change in expression.

Scales’s hand trembled as he pointed at the monitor. “C Collective just released an official statement!”

Gennifer rushed forward, her heart pounding.

Dominating the massive screen was the unmistakable, bold red-lettered header: “Official Statement from C Collective.”

A sense of dread washed over her as she forced herself to read on, willing her heart to slow.

“After thorough review by our in-house specialists,” the statement read, “the dress in question—worn by Miss Ruby and widely discussed online—is confirmed to be a one-of-a-kind, custom-made piece from C Collective.”

Gennifer’s eyes dropped to the bottom of the announcement, where a vivid scarlet seal was stamped for all to see.