Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 249

“Cassian, were you looking for me?”

Gennifer appeared, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Cassian’s expression barely changed. Though he hesitated, he gave a small, obliging nod. After all, it couldn’t look like he was searching for Ruby.

His palm clenched and then relaxed again, but his face remained closed and unyielding.

Gennifer sensed something off about his response, but with so many eyes watching, she still managed a radiant, grateful smile. “Cassian, you’re always so good to me.”

“Have you seen your sister?” Cassian rubbed his brow, deliberately ignoring the saccharine tone in her voice.

The question wiped the smile right off Gennifer’s face. Her lips froze mid-curve, and she struggled to maintain even a semblance of cheer.

“My sister… I heard she came as Mr. Cloud’s date tonight. I haven’t seen Mr. Cloud either, but I did spot his car outside. Who knows what the two of them are up to—alone—somewhere in the hotel.” Gennifer’s eyes flicked up to gauge Cassian’s reaction, her words carefully chosen, each one tinged with implication.

Predictably, Cassian’s gaze shifted to her, scrutinizing every nuance, as if weighing her honesty. When he saw the nervous yet steady resolve in her eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. A surge of anger flared in his chest, hot and sudden.

His wife—choosing to be another man’s partner tonight? The thought alone sent his nerves snapping tight, an almost destructive urge seething beneath his calm exterior.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining us this evening.”

A deep, resonant voice echoed through the hotel’s grand hall, amplified so everyone turned toward the stage.

Standing at the far end, Garrison cut a commanding figure in a moon-white suit, a crimson beaded pin at his lapel lending him an air of rakish charm. Though already in his forties, his sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes only made him more magnetic, the kind of presence polished by time, not diminished by it.

As the CEO of The Vertex Quarter at C Collective, his introduction drew a round of enthusiastic applause.

Garrison briefly explained the purpose behind the charity gala, but as he reached the end of his speech and mentioned Ruby by name, Cassian—who had been simmering with impatience—finally straightened, his gaze fixing on the man with narrowed eyes.

Garrison seemed to sense it but skillfully ignored Cassian’s glare.

“Everyone, rumors and controversies have been swirling online about my friend, ‘Selina.’ As her friend, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I came to Quinborough specifically to introduce this mysterious designer friend of C Collective. Only recently did I discover—Selina is none other than Ruby, the woman at the center of all this speculation.”

“I designed it myself,” Ruby replied, her chin lifted gracefully, swan-like in her poise. “If you doubt me, or C Collective’s official word, then let my work speak for itself.”

Cassian watched from a nearby velvet sofa, unable to look away. Something tangled and unspoken twisted inside him; he tried not to stare, but every inch of her skin seemed to draw him in all the same. His brow furrowed, frustration simmering beneath the surface.

Gennifer, sensing the shift in his mood, caught his uncertain glance. A heaviness pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

The room was utterly silent now.

There was no better way to prove her identity as Selina than through her own designs.

Even the most accomplished designers in the room stared at Ruby, searching for a hint of imitation or familiarity. But her gown’s bold, innovative lines were unmistakably Selina’s—impossible to fake.

The experts exchanged glances, a hint of awe—and even intimidation—in their eyes.

“But Ruby’s a convicted felon! Why should we believe a word she says? Maybe Selina just mailed her the dress to wear!” an indignant voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd, dragging Ruby right back into the mire.