Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 366

By the time they arrived at the Grayson estate, the place was already swarming with people—so packed that not even a breeze could slip through the crowd.

The ever-resourceful internet sleuths had somehow dug up the Grayson family’s private address, and a horde of outraged locals had shown up, many wielding whatever makeshift weapons they could find. They clustered at the gates, voices rising in a furious chant: “Hanley cheated on his wife and stole the family fortune! Gennifer is greedy, she stole what wasn’t hers! Apologize! Apologize!”

The shouts surged in waves, deafening and relentless.

Gennifer’s face drained of color, turning ashen.

Just then, the villa doors swung open and Hanley and Frieda stepped outside—only to be immediately engulfed by the mob, shoved from all sides, some even raising objects as if ready to strike.

“Miss Grayson said herself—her good-for-nothing father abandoned her, and her blind mother sided with outsiders. She asked us to demand justice for her!” someone yelled from the crowd, rallying the others.

The protestors surged forward, arms raised in righteous indignation.

Terrified, Gennifer let out a piercing scream, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please! Don’t hurt my parents!”

She pushed her way into the throng, desperate to reach Hanley and Frieda, but a wall of bodies blocked her path, impenetrable.

Hanley and Frieda were trying to defend themselves over the roar: “It’s all Ruby’s doing, she’s been scheming from the start! These are just lies—she’s always been a liar…”

Their protests were drowned out by the cacophony. Cassian lingered at the edge, brow furrowed, but he reached out and grabbed Gennifer’s arm.

Her eyes flickered with hope as she struggled to break free. “Cassian, please—I beg you, call my sister. She’ll listen to you! Maybe she’s misunderstood Mom and Dad, but that doesn’t mean she should send people to hurt them!”

Her plea was desperate, yet the implication was clear: she was blaming Ruby for the mob.

Cassian’s jaw tightened, his expression cold and severe. “It’s not Ruby,” he said flatly, then shot a look over his shoulder at Bennett.

Bennett understood immediately, signaling the bodyguards to restore order.

But the crowd, incited further, only grew more frenzied.

“Look at her! Ruby’s stepsister, a nobody who lived off her sister’s wealth and now has a scandalous relationship with her own brother-in-law—she’s a disgrace to all of Westbridge!” someone spat, eyes blazing with contempt as they glanced at Gennifer’s ghostly face, though none dared to linger on Cassian for more than a second.

Hearing the insults hurled at Gennifer, Frieda’s heart twisted. She wanted to defend her daughter, but found herself unable to refute the accusations. Still, she tried. “You’re all being deceived by Ruby! Gennifer isn’t illegitimate. I saw Violet’s body myself in the hospital!”

“Who believes anything you say, Frieda? Haven’t you always favored her?!” someone jeered back from the crowd.

“Hanley seems so sure of himself. Maybe Ruby really has been manipulating public opinion online…”

“Are you out of your mind? Did you forget why we’re here?” someone hissed from the shadows, but their voice was quickly lost in the uproar.

A sudden, icy glare cut through the crowd, silencing any further whispers.

Cassian stood motionless, the air around him growing tense and cold.

“Cassian, since everyone’s saying something different, maybe we should just let Ruby come out and clear things up. Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding. Maybe we can go back to how things were,” Gennifer said, her tone tentative, eyes shining with a mixture of hope and anticipation.

Cassian’s heart was a knot of conflicting emotions.

He wanted to defend Ruby, but he couldn’t reconcile the woman he knew with the rumors swirling around Gennifer.

Finally, he pressed his lips together and stepped aside.

As he did, the bodyguards relaxed their hold, and the crowd surged forward once more.