Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 548

Pearl froze, her eyes darting to her father’s grim face. She quickly reached out and took her mother’s arm. “Mom? What’s wrong? Did you and Dad have a fight?”

The old woman shot a glare at her husband, who had followed her. “A fight? I was just coming to find you. Hurry up and find out that adopted girl’s room number for me.”

Pearl’s eyebrow twitched. She glanced back and saw her father’s exasperated expression, and she immediately understood the situation.

“Mom, you’re not thinking of confronting Gennifer, are you?” she asked, gently guiding her mother to a chair.

The old woman didn’t deny it. “Of course I am. Frieda has always been a poor judge of character, spoiling that adopted girl while neglecting Ruby. Now that we’re here, we can’t let her continue to be treated that way. We have to back her up.” She thumped her chest with the air of a righteous warrior, her eyes sharp.

Pearl wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her brow. Even at her age, her mother was as spirited as ever.

“Pearl, don’t let your mother do something foolish,” the old master said, leaning on his cane as he sat down beside them. “This is Quinborough, not the Capital. We are guests here. We need to act with restraint.”

The old woman scoffed. She had never been one for restraint. Age had only made her more selective about her battles.

Pearl listened to her father’s warning but didn’t immediately respond. After a moment of thought, she turned to her mother. “Alright, I’ll have the Cunningham boy look into it right away.”

The old master was aghast. “Pearl! Your mother is getting senile. Are you losing your mind, too?”

Pearl simply smiled at him. “Dad, in this matter, I think Mom is right.”

The old woman’s chin shot up, and she threw a triumphant look at her husband. She patted Pearl’s arm. “Go on, hurry!”

As the sound of Pearl’s heels faded down the hall, the old master slumped back in his chair, defeated.

“Reckless,” he muttered, but said no more, resigning himself to the inevitable.

…

Night fell, and heavy clouds blanketed the sky.

Ruby rocked Mira in her arms, humming softly until the baby’s eyes closed. Then, she began to pace the living room, restless.

Her gaze drifted to the dining table, and an image of Sylas’s face from a few hours earlier flashed in her mind. He had looked like he was in pain, his face and lips unusually pale.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She gently placed Mira in her bassinet and sent Sylas a message.

Her heart pounded as she ran in her heels from the villa to the main road, the wind whipping at her hair and coat.

“The Veyne Private Medical Center, please! Hurry!” she gasped, flagging down a taxi and pulling the door open.

The driver saw the panic on her face and didn’t waste a second, swinging the car around and speeding toward her destination.

Ruby anxiously refreshed her phone, waiting for Bennett’s message.

The taxi was silent. The driver, glancing at her in the rearview mirror, broke the quiet. “Ma’am, is a friend or family member in the hospital? You seem very worried. Must be someone important to you.”

Ruby, who had been obsessively checking her phone, paused.

Someone important?

Her expression flickered, her thoughts spiraling. Was Sylas someone important to her? He wasn’t family, and their only real connection was that he was her ex-husband’s nephew—a tenuous link at best. They had only known each other for a few months.

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