Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 416

“Where’s their innocence coming from?”

Ruby Grayson hadn’t even spoken when Sylas Cunningham’s dry, mocking laugh crackled through the phone.

Ruby’s brows knit together, a rare uncertainty flickering in her usually clear eyes. There had to be something going on behind the scenes she wasn’t privy to. What, exactly, had changed Hanley Grayson’s mind—and Gennifer’s, too?

She narrowed her eyes, turning the situation over and over in her mind, but still couldn’t piece together a clear answer.

“Fanny, keep a close eye on them,” she finally instructed.

At a time like this, even the faintest whiff of trouble demanded her full attention.

Fanny replied almost instantly. With a quick glance at her phone, Ruby shifted her focus back to Sylas on the other end of the line.

“Do you know where they’re holding Violet’s funeral?” she asked, gathering up scattered papers on her desk.

Sylas’s tone sobered, all traces of ridicule vanishing. “I heard they’re using the largest cathedral in Quinborough.”

Ruby’s expression changed at once.

The largest cathedral in Quinborough… Of all the places, why choose that one? Was Hanley being calculating, or was it just a coincidence?

She remembered something her grandmother had told her.

Back when Frieda Steele married Hanley, The Grayson Group was just starting to gain traction. Hanley wasn’t on par with the city’s old money, but between his own assets, the Steele family’s generosity, and Frieda’s dowry, throwing a lavish wedding would’ve been no problem.

They’d planned to hold the wedding at that very cathedral—yet, in the end, it never happened.

Ruby pulled up the livestream footage from earlier, eyes fixed on Frieda’s face, feeling as if reality had turned surreal.

What could Hanley possibly have said to make Frieda trust him, even after all those photos and videos?

Ruby pressed her fingers to her brow, frustration tightening in her chest.

On the other end of the line, after a brief silence, Sylas spoke first. “Are you going to the ceremony?”

“Of course.” Ruby’s answer was crisp, almost without hesitation.

Still, Hanley was making a spectacle out of Gennifer’s release, baiting the press with rumors that he was throwing a funeral for Violet. He’d clearly gone to great lengths—and Ruby knew that, with her reputation, getting inside wouldn’t be easy.

She voiced her concern, and Sylas’s delighted, ringing laughter echoed through the phone.

“Rue, you really underestimate me. Relax, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go together.”

Gennifer shot a look at the closed door. Frieda had always doted on her, treating her like a precious gem. But since Gennifer’s release, Frieda had barely looked her way, hadn’t offered a single word of comfort. The change unsettled her. What had happened in the family while she was gone?

“Because… she’s backed by the Steele family,” Hanley whispered, casting another wary glance at Frieda’s door. Greed shimmered in his eyes. “The Steeles claim they’ve cut her off, but when I brought in an appraiser last time, I saw it myself—the Steeles left her a wedding dress, and it’s worth over thirty million.”

“Thirty million?” Gennifer’s eyes went wide, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle her gasp.

Thirty million—for a wedding dress?

She’d attended countless auctions with Cassian Veyne and had never seen a dress with that kind of price tag.

Her heart pounded. The Steele family’s power left her awestruck.

“So…” She gripped Hanley’s hand tighter.

Their eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them—equal parts calculation and anticipation.

Hanley leaned in, whispering in her ear, “Your mother’s already on board. What matters now is that we’re all on the same page. Before we leave the country, we need to secure every advantage we can.”

Gennifer nodded, eyes shining with excitement.