Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 383

The moment Ruby saw him, all her earlier anxiety vanished, replaced by a slow, deliberate calm that settled over her every move.

She descended the stairs, unhurried.

“That door cost ten grand,” she said coolly. “Any dents or scratches, and you’ll pay full price.”

Her eyes lifted, gaze icy.

As expected, Hanley froze mid-motion, forced to swallow his frustration and halt.

He turned on Ruby, eyes blazing. “What are you trying to pull? Will you only be satisfied when you’ve destroyed the entire Grayson family?”

He’d barely sat down at his office that morning, fresh from meeting with Violet, when disaster struck.

Just yesterday, Ruby’s shares in the Grayson Group had barely scraped five percent. Overnight, they’d soared to forty. And he, the largest shareholder and chairman, held just forty-two.

Hanley’s hands shook, whether from fear or fury he couldn’t tell.

He’d called Frieda the second he heard the news.

At the same time, word reached him that Ruby had bought an office building downtown.

Taken together, it was hard not to see Ruby’s intentions—she was out to bring down Grayson Group and set up on her own.

Panic and rage warred inside him as he rushed over.

“Miss Grayson,” a reporter called, shoving a microphone toward her, “is it true you’ve been acquiring Grayson Group shares? You’re the Graysons’ only daughter—why start your own company? Are you worried Gennifer will inherit the Group because your parents favor her more? Do you really need to destroy it?”

“Miss Grayson, what about the rumors online? That you slandered your parents, lied since childhood, behaved appallingly—do you have a response?”

“Miss Grayson, who is your daughter’s father? There are claims you and Mr. Veyne are divorced. Has her biological father come back into the picture?”

Microphones crowded in, a barrage of voices nearly drowning Ruby out.

That’s when she realized: Hanley hadn’t just come to make a scene—he’d brought half the major press outlets in the city with him.

The noise around her was deafening, but Ruby’s expression stayed cool, almost detached. Until someone mentioned her daughter. Then, her eyes flashed, sharp as a drawn blade.

“Anyone who drags my daughter into this,” Ruby said, her voice cold as steel, “will be prosecuted for slander and defamation. I promise you that.”

Her gaze swept over the roomful of reporters, merciless and unflinching.

The chill in her tone silenced the crowd. The journalist who’d asked the question stood frozen, microphone limp in his hand.

Ruby stared him down. “Get out.”

The words had barely left her lips before Sylas stepped forward. With a single movement, he grabbed the man by the collar and tossed him out the door.

The whole thing happened so fast and smoothly that the building seemed to fall under a spell—dead silent, not even a whisper.

Ruby stood at the center of it all, a white dress hugging her slender frame, radiating a cold strength.

The smile vanished from Ruby’s face, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

The words were brutal, and Gennifer’s face went pale.

Violet wasn’t dead, and Gennifer had surely known as much.

Ruby glanced at Hanley out of the corner of her eye. He stood there, fists clenched, glaring at her, but unable to muster a single retort. The satisfaction was almost intoxicating.

“She’s right,” Sylas drawled from the doorway, leaning against the frame and casting a lazy, contemptuous look at Gennifer. “You’re just the adopted daughter. Since when do you get to speak for the family?”

Gennifer had never been so humiliated. Her cheeks burned scarlet.

“Gennifer isn’t some outsider—she’s the Graysons’ adopted daughter!” Frieda snapped, stepping forward and pointing a trembling finger at Ruby. “As far as we’re concerned, Gennifer is our real daughter. You’re the one we cast out, Ruby.”

The words were unexpected, especially coming from Frieda, her own mother.

Ruby’s expression barely changed, but her fingers curled tight, hidden from view.

Sylas seemed to sense her tension.

He reached over and wrapped his hand around hers, warmth spreading through her chilled skin.

Ruby looked up, startled, meeting his gaze—teasing, but earnest.

His look seemed to say, That’s all it takes to shake you? Or maybe: I’m here. You’re not alone.