Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 271

Cassian pressed his lips together in silence, surrounded by a wall of bodyguards as he strode away.

Only then did Renee dare to step forward, casting a wary glance at the man’s retreating figure. “Gennifer, about Mr. Veyne…”

Gennifer felt as if a hole had been punched through her chest, emptiness and fear radiating outward. Still, she swallowed and forced herself to say, “It’s fine… It’s fine… Cassian’s just upset because of Ruby. Give him some time to cool off…”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, and even she wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure Renee or herself.

Renee said nothing, her gaze lingering on Gennifer with a faint crease between her brows.

A sharp chime cut through the quiet—an incoming message. In the empty corridor, it sounded almost deafening.

Gennifer glanced at her phone, and her eyes lit up the instant she saw the name “Cassian” flash across the screen.

Her face broke into a radiant smile as she waved the phone excitedly at Renee. “See? I told you! Cassian just messaged me!”

She unlocked the screen, and her smile grew even wider as she read the text. “Cassian says he’s decided to attend the charity event the company had scheduled. He wants to go to the children’s home with me!”

Renee’s mood lifted too. “Really? Just like you said, Gennifer! If Mr. Veyne wants to reach out, he always comes to you. Ruby only ever manages to put him in a bad mood for a while—she can’t really shake him.”

Gennifer straightened her back, basking in the praise.

Meanwhile, in the back seat of a black Mercedes, Cassian’s face was clouded and grim.

Bennett, up front, nervously wiped his brow.

Peeking at Cassian in the rearview mirror, he asked carefully, “Mr. Veyne, are you sure about this?”

He’d been at the scene earlier, organizing the crowd and checking everyone’s phones for video footage, so he’d gotten a pretty good sense of what had happened.

Still…

Bennett had his doubts.

Maybe, because of old feelings, the lady of the house still harbored some affection for Mr. Veyne. But after everything that had happened, if he were in her shoes, Bennett doubted he’d have any hope left.

And yet, his boss couldn’t seem to let her go.

He just refused to admit it.

Bennett kept his thoughts to himself.

“Yeah,” Cassian muttered, clenching his fists.

He remembered, back when he and Ruby had just gotten married, how office gossip would inevitably reach her ears. She’d always try to ask him about it, in her roundabout, gentle way.

Back then, he’d felt something for her—something different from how he treated others—but his resentment over being forced into marriage made him cold and cruel toward her.

She would be startled, like a frightened animal, but she never gave up. Next time, she’d always try again.

Just imagining her own daughter, Mira, growing up alone in an orphanage made her throat tighten and her eyes sting.

She’d spent her childhood with her grandmother, almost entirely deprived of her parents’ love. Her grandmother had given her every ounce of affection, but even so, most of her memories of growing up were colored in shades of gray.

What about the kids who had no one at all?

“Of course,” she said, nodding firmly.

Townsend exchanged a quick glance with Garrison, arching his brows in triumph.

Garrison, meanwhile, discreetly glanced at his phone screen, where his recent chat with Townsend was still open.

Townsend had written: “Now that Ruby has a child, trust me—any single mom’s top priority is how the next man will treat her kid! You need to show her you’re patient and caring.”

Garrison: “Like what?”

Townsend: “Donate to the children’s home. Spend time with the kids. Let Ruby see you’re a man she can count on!”

Garrison wasn’t entirely convinced, but when he remembered the warmth in Ruby’s eyes whenever she looked at her daughter, he’d decided to follow Townsend’s advice for now.

As soon as he suggested visiting the children’s home, he watched Ruby closely, noting every flicker of emotion on her face—sorrow, empathy, and even a flicker of hope.

Maybe, he thought, his troublesome brother had finally given him a genuinely good idea.