Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 287

Farrar slammed his hand on the table, springing to his feet in a fury.

Gennifer’s smile froze; she hadn’t expected Farrar to catch on so quickly for once.

He turned a steely gaze on her. “And why should I trust you?”

The smug tilt of Gennifer’s lips vanished. She quickly recovered, lifting her chin. “You don’t trust me? What about Mr. Veyne? Do you trust him?”

Her eyes locked onto Farrar’s without wavering, and for a moment, he hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his expression.

Farrar straightened up. “Then I’ll wait for Mr. Veyne to say his piece.”

After all…

He rubbed his hands together, a strikingly beautiful face flashing through his mind.

Gennifer bit her lip, cursing Farrar’s stubbornness, but she could only keep up her pleasant façade. “I’ll speak to Cassian soon.”

In the end, it was the mention of Cassian that forced Farrar to drop the issue.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Fanny had arranged to meet at the revolving rooftop restaurant in Quinborough’s tallest building.

Fanny set down her freshly served drink first. “What do you want from me?”

Ruby arched a brow, surprised by her directness.

She set her own glass aside, her gaze earnest and sincere. “The rumors swirling online are hurting my career—and my friends. I was hoping you’d help set the record straight.”

Fanny’s grip tightened around her cup. “But there were so many people present. Do you know why the rumors have only gotten worse?”

She looked up, studying Ruby’s reaction.

“I do,” Ruby replied with a soft chuckle, calmer than Fanny expected.

She met Fanny’s eyes. “And you? Did you go along with it too?”

A brief hush fell between them. Fanny shook her head, breaking the silence. “As Chief Justice, I don’t have to play along. But if I step forward to clear your name, I’ll be going against my superiors and making enemies of my colleagues.”

Ruby’s heart sank at that.

She sighed. “I didn’t think it through. I’m sorry for putting you in this position.”

Fanny frowned, her delicate features tensed into something far more intimidating than her youthful face suggested.

With nothing more to say, Ruby didn’t push further. She called the waiter to speed up their meal. “Let’s just treat this as a get-together, then.”

She gave Fanny a warm, friendly smile.

But to Ruby’s surprise, Fanny’s expression was puzzled, even a little lost, as she looked at Ruby—something about it made Ruby’s heart skip.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Fanny stood.

With Ruby under so much scrutiny, any further involvement would only drag Fanny down.

Her words were sharp and cold, cutting off any hope of kindness.

Sylas opened his mouth, stricken.

He’d never helped her for Cassian’s sake—it had never been about his uncle.

She knew that, and yet…

Pain flickered in his eyes, but he refused to let go.

“Ruby, is it really because of my relationship to Cassian that you won’t accept my help?”

“If Cassian weren’t my uncle—”

He stared into her eyes, as if desperate to find an answer she wouldn’t give.

Ruby’s heart lurched at his question, but she forced herself to look away.

“There’s no ‘if’, Sylas. Please, stop getting involved with me.” After everything—the betrayals, the prison sentence—how could a woman like her ever love again? All she had left was Mira.

She remembered those endless, suffocating nights behind bars, when only Mira’s presence had kept her going. She’d once loved with all her heart, only to be betrayed and cast aside. She’d trusted, only to be thrown into hell.

The memory of those wounds made her avert her gaze, her voice heavy with weariness and disgust.

Sylas’s grip slackened; he stood frozen, stunned.

“Say that again?”