Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 306

Ruby froze, every muscle tensing as a chill raced up her spine and seeped into her limbs.

So this is what they were after all along.

Not long ago, someone had secretly intervened in the case. Combined with the damning evidence she and Ramsey had meticulously prepared, public opinion had swiftly shifted in their favor, drawing a surge of media attention. With the second trial coming up, victory for Starseek Research Institute was almost inevitable.

Now, cornered and desperate, they’d set their sights on her.

A bitter, scornful smile tugged at the corner of Ruby’s mouth. So this was their answer.

Her unflinching calm only seemed to enrage the man with the gravelly voice. In a flash, he crouched down, shoving aside his sleazy companion, and seized her face in one rough, oversized hand. “What are you smiling at?!”

His palm was coarse but her skin was smooth, making him hesitate for a heartbeat—then his grip tightened viciously.

A burning red mark spread across her cheek, revealing a faint white scar.

“No wonder Cassian turned his nose up at you. Underneath it all, you’re just a scarred-up freak!” the sleazy man jeered, clutching his mouth in mock surprise, his voice shrill and grating.

Ruby’s eyes flickered, but she pressed her lips tightly together, refusing to let a single emotion slip.

The gravelly-voiced man let his gaze linger on the scar marring her delicate features—a brief flash of regret in his eyes. Such a beautiful face, ruined. What a waste.

But he quickly looked away. “We’ve already emailed Victor. Not sure how much you really mean to him,” he sneered, forcing Ruby to tilt her chin up and meet his gaze. “Let’s see what matters more—his precious Starseek, or you.”

His voice rose at the end, sending a chill through her heart.

Arrogant bastards. Her stomach twisted in dread.

“Starseek is his life’s work. I’m just a nobody—you’ll get nowhere with this,” Ruby managed, keeping her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.

“Oh, really?” he shot back. “If we can’t bet on your friendship, we’ll bet on human nature.”

He laughed low in his throat, the sound rumbling in her ears like distant thunder.

Ruby repeated his words in confusion, not understanding his twisted logic.

But before she could catch her breath, his hand released her face—only to clamp mercilessly around her neck.

Her eyes flew wide as she was yanked violently by the throat, her body dragged roughly across the floor. Her long hair caught in his fist, sending stabbing pain across her scalp.

“Move it, you idiot!” the gravelly-voiced man snapped, his patience worn thin.

Ruby curled up on the floor, struggling for breath. This time, the darkness behind the blindfold was absolute.

Yet she could still feel their hostile stares burning into her.

She kept up the act, gasping and trembling, though inside her mind was racing. In that brief flash of sight, she’d memorized the room—the faces, especially the sleazy one’s grotesque scar slashing across his nose, nearly splitting his face in two.

Click, click.

The camera shutter snapped, accompanied by blinding flashes. Even through the cloth, Ruby could sense the harsh light.

She scowled, realizing every humiliating detail was being captured.

“If Victor has even a shred of decency, do you think he’ll choose the lawsuit—or abandon you after seeing you like this?” the gravelly-voiced man taunted, waving a stack of instant photos in front of her.

“Send everything to Victor,” he said coldly, tossing the order at his companion.