Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 278

Never let the people who dislike you get too comfortable.

Ruby drained her cup in one go. “Great tea.”

Ramsey grew even more animated. “Isn’t it? Here, have some more!”

He poured another cup for her, barely waiting for her answer.

Once again, Ruby finished it in a single gulp.

After two cups, the teapot was empty.

Ramsey shoved it unceremoniously into his assistant’s arms. “Go make a fresh pot. I’m not done yet.”

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Ruby by the arm and steered her toward his desk.

The assistant stood frozen, clutching the tray so tightly her knuckles whitened.

Victor noticed her rigid posture and frowned slightly. “Why are you just standing there? Do you want me to do it?”

A flash of resentment crossed the assistant’s eyes, but she lowered her head and left, biting her lip.

Victor’s gaze flickered to Ruby.

Ruby happened to look up, meeting his eyes—her own sparkling with open mischief.

Victor shook his head with a smile, the fondness in his eyes unmistakable.

But as he lowered his gaze, he masked the deeper meaning in his expression.

He’d been in the world of power and ambition for years; subtle changes in attitude and mood never escaped him.

Still, the people in the institute weren’t his responsibility unless someone made a truly egregious mistake. He rarely intervened.

Ruby and Ramsey conferred over the defense process until nearly time for the hearing.

The assistant knocked on the door again.

“Come in.”

The new pot of tea had steeped for nearly two hours.

The look of frustration on the assistant’s face could’ve curdled milk.

“I have to get to court. Heat this up for me when I get back,” Ramsey instructed with a wave, then left with Ruby.

The assistant was so angry, she could barely stand upright.

Victor followed, glancing at her one last time before withdrawing his gaze.

The case was scheduled at the District Court of Quinborough.

As Ruby climbed those familiar stone steps, a mix of emotions churned inside her.

Back when she was the renowned Ruby, defense attorney extraordinaire, the District Court of Quinborough was as familiar to her as Northridge Manor or the offices of Veyne & Co.

She could still remember the crack in that third brick by the entrance.

But after a year away, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

She took a deep breath, ascending step by step, until finally she saw the national crest hanging high above the courtroom doors.

A surge of heat and anticipation rose in her chest.

“Ruby?”

If he could beat Victor, not only would he win the lucrative project at stake, but his institute would also lose one of its biggest rivals.

The plaintiff’s smile widened, lost in his daydream of triumph.

Ruby sat upright, her eyes glinting with a half-smile, radiating a calm that weighed heavily on Gennifer.

“I… I’m the plaintiff’s counsel… Gennifer Grayson.”

Gennifer stood and introduced herself, her voice catching just enough to make her mentor glance at her, concern flickering in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, his voice low and gruff.

Gennifer pressed her lips together. “I didn’t expect Ruby to be here.”

“So what?”

Her mentor snorted, the scorn in his tone bolstering her waning confidence.

Then Ramsey stood up. “I’m Ramsey, defense counsel for Victor.”

Gennifer let out a breath of relief.

So Ruby was only here as support.

Her mentor’s eyes locked on Ramsey, his gaze sharpening.

Ramsey met the stare head-on, the tension between the two crackling in the air.

The gavel came down. Court was in session.

“This case concerns a dispute between the plaintiff, Farrar, and the defendant, Victor, regarding allegations that the defendant’s institute’s latest public research infringed upon the plaintiff’s legal rights…”