Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 252

Garrison’s gaze clung to Ruby’s retreating figure, her steps uncertain, still dazed, but something in her body language revealed she wasn’t truly resisting Cassian’s forcefulness.

He curled his fingers into a fist, fighting the urge to run after her.

His eyes swept over the bewildered guests below, and he forced himself to maintain his polite, distant smile. “Ruby is, without a doubt, Selina herself. This charity gala was organized to clear up the rumors about her identity. That’s the official stance of C Collective—and my own.”

With Ruby gone, most of the warmth drained from Garrison’s face. The corners of his mouth still held a faint, practiced curve, but the authority and coldness of a man accustomed to power now radiated from him.

His words sent a fresh wave of tension rippling through the room, shattering the brief calm. All eyes turned to Garrison, stunned into silence, trying to process what he’d just announced.

The CEO of C Collective, hosting a gala just to clear Ruby’s name? The very idea was staggering.

Garrison met their astonished looks head-on, but, like Cassian before him, he soon handed the remainder of the evening over to his assistants and slipped discreetly away.

Moments after his tall figure vanished around the corner, the ballroom erupted into feverish whispers.

“I thought Ruby and Mr. Veyne were finished—so why is he so intent on reopening that old investigation from a year ago? Wasn’t he the one who insisted on getting her locked up in the first place?”

Speculation about Ruby and Cassian’s relationship took center stage.

As the gossip spiraled, the guests grew more cautious, lowering their voices and glancing nervously around.

After all, Bennett was still present. If word got back to the Brown family, the fate of their daughter—dragged away in silent disgrace only moments before—would be a warning to them all.

A few people couldn’t help but stare at the spot where the Brown family’s daughter had just been. The family’s staff had come to quietly but firmly escort her out, their grim faces impossible to ignore.

The message was loud and clear: those who dared speak ill of Ruby would share her fate.

The gossipers exchanged uneasy glances and, anxious to avoid any trouble, quickly switched to another favorite subject—Gennifer.

“Wasn’t Mr. Veyne supposed to be so taken with Gennifer? Some people said he was ready to cast Ruby aside for her. But tonight? Gennifer fainted and he didn’t even spare her a glance.”

Understanding flickered in their eyes as they realized they might have misread everything.

As the evening drew to a close, the donation round passed by in a blur—a mere formality.

Meanwhile, Cassian’s car had already pulled up before Northridge Manor.

His words struck hard, a slap in the face.

Her cheeks went pale, then livid. She pressed her lips together in a bitter smile. “Of course. Mr. Veyne always gets the last word.”

Sarcasm laced her voice, but underneath it all was a deep, unspoken hurt.

How naive she’d been, to think Cassian might ever understand, much less believe her.

“Ruby, what do you gain by provoking me?” Cassian’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing in cold disdain. “You’ll never shed your past. No one but me would ever accept you. Not Victor Hargrove. Not Garrison. Who else would want a woman with a criminal record?”

He suddenly grabbed her wrist.

The moment their skin touched, he felt her trembling.

“Get out. Acceptance? Tolerance?” Ruby wrenched free, eyes blazing with a fury so raw that red veins streaked her gaze.

She laughed—a sound both desperate and unyielding, like the last brilliant flare before the end of the world. “I don’t need anyone’s acceptance or tolerance. Not even yours, Cassian.”