Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 308

Victor ended the call, his heart still pounding against his ribs.

Almost immediately, another unfamiliar number flashed across his phone.

“Send the photos to me.”

The man’s voice on the other end was low and gruff, his commanding tone enough to spark resentment in anyone else. But Victor didn’t dare hesitate for even a second.

He reopened his laptop, forcing himself to save those photos—each one making his pulse spike with dread—before forwarding them to Cassian.

Soon after, Cassian stood ramrod-straight beside his car, his entire body tense, radiating a chill more biting than frost on a mountaintop.

Bennett instinctively shuddered and snuck a glance at the photos. His eyes widened in shock.

“Weren’t you the one who insisted she return to Northridge Manor, promising to keep her and the baby safe?” Victor’s usually detached tone now brimmed with anger.

His naked accusation made Bennett’s brow twitch. Was he out of his mind, daring to speak to Mr. Veyne like that?

But Cassian, for once, didn’t show a flicker of rage. He just pressed his lips into a thin line, his chiseled features as cold and emotionless as stone.

A dull beep sounded—Victor stared at his phone, realizing Cassian had already hung up.

Cassian tossed the phone to Bennett, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Find out where these photos were taken. Was it the abandoned auto shop you mentioned?”

Bennett didn’t dare slack off. He edged away and started calling the tech team.

Cassian strode to his car and slammed the door so hard it echoed down the street.

The noise made Bennett flinch and glance back in distress at the car door. That was a limited-edition Maybach—the kind of luxury car money couldn’t buy, and a single dent would cost a fortune to fix.

But…

As he issued precise instructions to the technician on the other end of the line, Bennett couldn’t help but steal another look at Cassian’s sharp, icy profile through the window.

Cassian had always kept his emotions tightly in check, but that little outburst made things suddenly clear.

Whoever threatened Mrs. Veyne had crossed a line no one should ever touch.

Bennett had worked at Cassian’s side for years, but he’d never seen him lose control—not even enough to vent anger on something as trivial as a car door.

“Mr. Veyne, the scene in the photos almost certainly matches the interior of the address we identified earlier.”

Bennett hurried over to the window, blurting out the results.

“Lock in the location—we’re going now.”

The car door slammed shut, exhaust billowing behind them as they sped away.

At the same time, Victor was on the phone with the courthouse, pushing to move the hearing forward.

He couldn’t be sure his enemies would keep their word, but he knew every minute lost put Ruby in more danger.

But Ramsey stood rooted to the spot, balling his fists.

He’d waited years for a case this high-profile and fiercely debated.

Victor noticed Ramsey lagging behind and glanced back, shaking his head with a trace of helplessness.

“I know what this means to you. But tell me—what matters more than a person’s life?”

Victor put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and suddenly noticed a strand of gray hair.

He found himself at a loss for words.

He knew some of Ramsey’s story, and he wouldn’t have asked him to defend him otherwise.

But in the end, Victor would have to let him down.

They each had their burdens to bear, but for him, Ruby would always come first.

“If you regret it, I can make it up to you. But today, our side must lose the case.”

His voice grew cold. “If you can’t accept that, I won’t hire a defense attorney at all.”

He turned and strode up the courthouse steps, never glancing back.