Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 263

His voice was calm and steady, every word clear as day.

Still, Ruby picked up on a trace of exhaustion beneath his composure.

She frowned, unable to hide her concern. “Are you asking me to be your attorney?”

“Yes,” Victor replied, his tone unusually resolute.

“The other side’s HQ is right here in Veytura. We plan to take this to court on their home turf. And I can’t imagine anyone better than you to represent us in Veytura—you’re the best lawyer I know, bar none.”

The faith and admiration in his voice left no room for doubt.

But Ruby hesitated.

The truth was, when she'd been sent to prison a year ago, her license to practice law had been revoked. She couldn’t step foot in a courtroom as the person she used to be—the woman whose heart would race at the chance to fight for justice.

She told him as much. On the other end of the line, silence stretched for a moment before Victor offered, “Or... I could bring in another attorney. You could join as a junior associate, assist in the proceedings?”

Ruby bit her lip, torn. In the end, she nodded. Victor had helped her so much—there was no way she could just stand by while he needed her.

Once she gave her answer, the call ended.

Victor’s gaze settled on his computer screen, where headlines and photos of Ruby flooded the news. The web had gone from mocking her relentlessly to celebrating her comeback; it had been a spectacular reversal.

But Victor’s eyes lingered on a particular photo—Ruby standing by the pool. In the water, Gennifer was thrashing in panic, her beauty washed away by fear, while guests hovered nearby in a flurry of confusion and gossip. Ruby, though expressionless, had a numb look in her eyes.

Victor couldn’t quite put his feelings into words.

He prided himself on being a rational man, grounded in facts and reason—yet at that moment, his first instinct was a wish to go back in time.

If only he’d been there, he would have pulled Ruby away before any of it happened.

Someone like her—so dazzling—should have soared above the rest, outshining everyone. She didn’t deserve to be dragged through the mud by a pack of jackals.

Truth be told, asking for Ruby’s help this time wasn’t entirely selfless.

When Ruby arrived in a hurry, Victor was dressed all in white as usual, though now a pair of thin gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, giving him a slightly more refined—if rakish—air.

“I’ve reached out to another lawyer. He should be here any minute. You two can discuss everything together.” He arched his brow in a rare, easy smile, and rummaged through a drawer, producing a tin of fruit drops. “Have some candy while you wait.”

Victor always had a certain distant chill about him, like a pine tree clinging to a mountain peak—strong, self-possessed, untouched by the world around him.

But with Ruby, all of that melted away. He was as gentle as an old friend from next door.

Ruby stared at the candy tin, momentarily stunned.

It was the very same kind she used to keep stocked in her office, for days when work made her skip meals. She’d stash them to guard against low blood sugar during long, stressful trials.

“Mr. Ramsey Blake?”

“That’s me,” replied the older man.

Victor glanced at the profile on his desk, squinting slightly. He looked no older than forty—how did he have so much white hair?

He didn’t press, instead passing a file across the table. “Here’s everything we’ve got. You can review it with Ms. Grayson. She’ll be assisting you as a junior associate.”

Ramsey nodded, but when he turned and got a good look at Ruby, his eyes went wide. “Wait—you’re Ruby?!”

Ruby felt a flush of embarrassment.

Her name had become a scandal in the legal world. It was no surprise to be recognized.

“I’m just here as a junior associate. No pressure, really,” she said quickly.

“Pressure?” Ramsey looked utterly confused, then turned to Victor, beaming. “With Ms. Grayson on our side, our odds just went way up!”

Listening to Ramsey’s unreserved praise, Ruby realized she’d misunderstood.

She rubbed her nose, puzzled.

The events of a year ago had left a permanent stain on her reputation. The scandal in Quinborough had been the talk of the town. So why did Mr. Blake seem completely unaware?