Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 356

Ruby couldn’t help but wonder if Frieda had tricked her—maybe she’d just grabbed any old thing to pass off as something special.

“This is Antinus’s ‘Flourish Symphony’?” she asked, her suspicion plain.

Fanny’s brows knit together, but her eyes sparkled with a rare intensity that contrasted sharply with her usually cool expression. “You know it?”

Ruby’s eyes lit up as well. She carefully handed the pages over to Fanny.

Fanny brushed her fingers lightly across the paper, her lips moving almost imperceptibly as if silently humming along to a melody. After flipping through the score, her excitement was impossible to hide. Her eyes glowed with a heat and fervor Ruby had never seen before.

“There’s no doubt about it—this is Antinus’s ‘Flourish Symphony.’ The only thing I can’t say for sure is whether it’s in his own hand.”

Fanny’s face was grave with concentration. “Antinus was a giant in the music world last century. Even a single handwritten page of his could fetch a fortune at auction. And this—‘Flourish Symphony’—is his most celebrated work.”

She explained this slowly, her gaze distant, filled with respect and longing.

Ruby sobered at her words, handling the score with even greater care as she tucked it back into its folder.

“You could try to have it authenticated,” Fanny said regretfully, shaking her head. “But honestly, there aren’t many people locally who could even attempt to verify it.”

Ruby nodded, accepting the advice. But deep down, she felt certain: the Grayson family would never have kept something so precious. It had to be her grandmother’s. And if it was a family heirloom from abroad, no matter its monetary value, it was a priceless treasure to her.

“Thank you, Fanny. Really, thank you,” Ruby said sincerely.

Fanny just smiled, her response short and sweet: “What goes around comes around.”

They exchanged a warm glance, the air in the car lightening with their laughter.

Pamela, lounging in the back seat, couldn’t resist chiming in with a playful pout. “Too bad you wouldn’t let me give that guy a piece of my mind.”

The “guy” was clearly Hanley.

The thought of his face turning red with humiliation made Ruby’s heart flutter with a quiet satisfaction. Really, what better revenge could there be than knocking down someone who cared so much about saving face?

Pamela raised her fist in mock triumph, sending the girls into another round of laughter.

While everything was going smoothly for Ruby, Cassian was mired in his own troubles.

At the bar, Bennett looked at Sylas, concern etched across his face.

“Can you go talk to him?” Bennett asked, scratching his head helplessly. “He’s been in there for who knows how long, drinking alone.”

Cassian had nothing to say to that. He called Bennett, learned it was a meeting he’d already declined several times, then stood and tugged at his tie, resigned to facing the music.

Outside, dusk had already settled in, painting the sky a sullen gray.

Cassian lit a cigarette, the smoke curling up to shroud his face.

Bennett hurried over to meet him. “Mr. Veyne.”

Cassian replied coldly, “We’re not late, are we? Let’s go.”

Bennett glanced back at Sylas, who was strolling out behind them, and nodded before climbing into the car.

The limited-edition Rolls-Royce tore down the road, sunset bleeding across the windshield. By the time they arrived, the sky was heavy with clouds.

Quinborough’s largest nightclub loomed ahead.

As Cassian entered the private room, the raucous chatter stilled for a moment. People clustered near him, eager to greet him one by one.

“Mr. Veyne, we figured you’d bail on us again,” joked a rakish young man, pressing a glass of mellow red wine into his hand.