Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 235

Some people had even managed to dig up her private blog.

Ruby was still waiting for her ride to meet Pamela when her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. She glanced down—her blog inbox was flooded with messages, notifications piling up faster than she could process.

Every time she scrolled, it was either someone calling her shameless for wearing knockoffs or cursing her for stealing the spotlight from her sister and wishing she’d just die already.

Her breath caught in her throat. The malice from strangers hit her like a tidal wave.

Ruby’s fingertips trembled as she steadied herself, forcing a deep breath to stay calm.

She followed the trending tags, piecing together the whole story. Her face turned pale.

Her eyes lingered on the official post from C Collective, its comments section a battlefield. She felt completely at a loss.

She never expected C Collective would step in directly; the only person she could think of who might’ve helped her pull that off was Townsend.

But what shocked her even more was that Townsend’s attempt to help had somehow been twisted into something ugly.

After confusion came anger.

But before she could even process her outrage—before her cab could arrive—she was surrounded by a group of Gennifer’s so-called “fans,” both the obsessed and the career-obsessed.

“Is that Ruby? It’s really her!”

The shout turned every eye in her direction, and not a single gaze was friendly. It felt like a pack of wolves had just spotted fresh prey.

A chill ran down Ruby’s spine. Her body reacted before her mind could.

“Grab her! Make her apologize to Gennifer!”

“Teach this shameless woman a lesson!”

The jeers and insults rang out nonstop. Instinctively, Ruby bolted, sprinting a hundred yards in seconds.

Behind her, a mob of reckless young fans—loyal to Gennifer—charged after her, seeing her as nothing more than an eyesore.

When Ruby risked a glance over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of their hostile, predatory stares.

Her heart hammered in her chest, adrenaline surging. All she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She hadn’t run far before a sharp pain flared at her heel. She’d been running in heels, and the skin had rubbed raw.

The pain made her wince, but she didn’t dare stop.

Years as a lawyer had taught her plenty about the darkness in people’s hearts; she knew better than to gamble on a mob’s self-control.

“Come back to the office with me.”

Cassian seemed to materialize out of thin air, the moment so surreal Ruby almost doubted it was real.

His voice was as cool and steady as ever, but beneath it, she detected a faint, unfamiliar tension.

Ruby blinked, stunned.

Her head spun, his deep voice reverberating through her. Even the spot where he gripped her wrist burned with heat.

She looked up at him, thinking that maybe—just maybe—she’d had good reason to love him all those years.

The noise outside gradually faded, though she could still make out the grumbling of a few diehard fans.

“Even if you are Mr. Veyne’s personal assistant, this is still a public alley—”

Bennett’s voice rang out, crisp and authoritative: “If you have any complaints, you’re welcome to take them to Veyne & Co. and file a report about me!”

Silence fell. Ruby followed Cassian as he led her away.

The moment she settled into the Italian leather seat, the car filled with the cool, woody scent of sandalwood that clung to Cassian.