Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 558

Bennett closed the door gently behind him and then practically sprinted back to his own office. The moment he forwarded the files to Fanny, his phone rang.

“What is this?” Fanny’s voice was tight, her knuckles white as she gripped the phone.

Bennett had been expecting the call. He put down his mouse and answered seriously, “It’s about Ruby’s case from a year ago. We’ve found evidence that can completely clear her name.”

“*Clear her name?*” Fanny’s voice was incredulous and laced with fury. “She’s already served a year in prison and just got out, and now you’re telling me her name is *cleared*? If it was just a suspicion, why was she locked away in the first place?”

Her eyes were glued to the files on her screen, her whole body trembling. She had found the truth… but the joy was drowned out by a tidal wave of rage and heartbreak. A year of her friend’s life, stolen by lies, deceit, and a false accusation. As Ruby’s friend, her first and only reaction was pure, unadulterated anger.

Bennett was silent, unable to find the words to counter her blistering accusations.

Finally, he said, “On behalf of Veyne & Co. and Mr. Veyne, I apologize to Miss Ruby. We will issue a public statement clarifying the truth of what happened. We’ll make it clear that she was framed. Everything she has lost—her social standing, her law license—we will do everything in our power to restore it. And for the suffering she endured, we will offer compensation in every form possible.” His voice was steady, his tone utterly sincere as he laid out the proposed solution. He understood his boss’s desperation to make things right, and he understood that a year in prison was a wound that could never truly be healed.

Fanny let out a short, harsh laugh. “Oh, no,” she said, her voice dripping with scorn. “You don’t get to apologize for him. You tell Cassian to come and beg for forgiveness himself.”

With that, she hung up.

Bennett stood frozen, the phone still pressed to his ear, listening to the dial tone. He instinctively glanced toward Mr. Veyne’s office, but the door remained tightly shut. He clenched his fist, debating whether to relay Fanny’s message. After a long moment, he stood up and walked toward the door.

…

Back at Southgarde Estate, Fanny hung up with Bennett and spent the rest of the night poring over the files he’d sent. At the first light of dawn, she raced over to Ruby’s house. She knocked, and the door opened almost immediately.

Ruby looked at her friend’s frantic expression with a bewildered gaze. In all the years she’d known her, Fanny was the epitome of calm, the type of person who wouldn’t flinch if a mountain collapsed in front of her.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Ruby asked, ushering her inside and gently rubbing her arm to calm her down.

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