Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 268

The flight was just two hours, but Townsend couldn’t sleep a wink. Eventually, he gave up and yanked off his eye mask.

He rubbed his chin, his eyes flickering with restless thoughts.

Truth be told, he felt a little guilty.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Ruby had a child. Sure, there had been a few reports, but he’d always chalked those up to the tabloids exaggerating as usual.

But what really threw him was that this revelation only made his brother more convinced that Ruby was the perfect choice for the rest of his life.

Utterly ridiculous.

Lost in thought, Townsend propped his head on his hand until a gentle voice caught his attention. “Excuse me, are you Townsend Caldwell, the designer?”

The woman’s voice was cautious, almost shy. Townsend instantly switched on his signature grin, cocky as ever. “That’s me. Want an autograph?”

Renee’s eyes crinkled with amusement as she glanced at his impeccably tailored clothes, her smile deepening.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “If it’s not too much trouble. Are you headed to Quinborough as well?”

Townsend blinked, running through his itinerary in his mind, trying to remember if this flight was a direct one.

Renee realized her mistake as soon as she’d spoken, and quickly changed the subject with a polite laugh. “I’m actually from Quinborough. If you need anything while you’re there, just let me know.”

Townsend took it as a pleasantry, chuckling. “So, do you want the autograph or not?”

His eyes sparkled with mischief, and Renee couldn’t help but smile, handing over a notepad and pen.

When Townsend finished signing with a flourish and handed it back, she barely glanced at it before tucking it in her bag, putting on an expression of exaggerated gratitude. “Thank you so much!”

She seemed like she wanted to say more, but Townsend, now that his duty was done, clearly wasn’t interested in chatting further. Just then, the plane began its descent, and the moment passed.

The moment the plane landed, Townsend practically bolted for the exit. He’d barely set foot in the terminal when his phone rang.

A calm, steady voice came through. “The driver’s already taken care of your luggage. Miss Grayson and I are waiting for you.”

Townsend didn’t even slow down, striding forward without a backward glance.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes followed his every move.

Meanwhile, Garrison had just ended his call.

“He’s off the plane. Just a moment.”

He smiled, his tone warm and courteous.

Ruby looked a little flustered, waving a hand as if to say, “We’re old friends. Waiting a bit is nothing.”

Garrison simply smiled and said nothing more.

“Ruby? What are you doing here?”

Ruby paused, considering heading somewhere else to wait for Townsend, then turned back, her gaze icy.

She finally realized it.

Trying to keep the peace only made some people push harder. The only way to deal with them was to put them in their place.

“Apologize?” she echoed, a mocking laugh slipping out.

Renee hadn’t expected the usually docile Ruby to talk back and stared, momentarily stunned.

“If you don’t apologize, I’ll leak everything to the press! Selina’s a public figure, isn’t she? With that kind of arrogance, who would still support you?”

Renee’s chin jutted upward, triumphant as if she’d finally caught Ruby in a scandal.

Ruby just stared at her and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, “Are you serious right now?”

She was a designer, not a pop idol.

Renee’s face turned pale, then twisted in frustration. “What’s with that look?!”

At that moment, a confused male voice broke in.

Townsend appeared, lugging a giant suitcase stuffed with plush toys in one hand and an armful of snacks in the other, a lollipop sticking out of his mouth so his words came out muffled.

The sudden arrival froze the sneer on Renee’s face, but she quickly tried to recover her composure. “Oh—Mr. Caldwell, what are you doing here?”