Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 574

Ruby’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Hanley rubbed his hands together, his tone eager and a little rushed. “You always loved wearing white dresses when you were little, so I thought you must love the color. We had all this specially prepared for you. Come in, have a look. Do you like it?”

“Yes, miss,” Flora chimed in, ever the opportunist. “The moment Mr. Grayson heard you were coming back, he went out to hand-select and custom-order all these furnishings and linens, just for you.”

Hanley chuckled, looking at Ruby with a fatherly expression. “It’s what I should do. I’m her father, after all.”

He reached out to take Ruby’s hand. “Ruby, I know I was neglectful before, but I want to do everything I can to make it up to you now. I hope you’ll give me that chance.”

But Ruby pulled her hand back just in time, leaving Hanley’s to grasp at empty air.

His smile froze for a second, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand. “Right, well, haha,” he laughed nervously, stepping into the room first.

Ruby followed, her face a blank mask. The air was thick with tension, and even Flora seemed to move with a new, stilted caution.

“You can both leave. I’m going to rest,” Ruby said, stepping onto the plush carpet. The overwhelming whiteness of the room was almost blinding.

“And have all of this changed to blue.”

At her words, the forced smile on Hanley’s face fell. “You… you don’t like it? I thought white was your favorite color. You always wore white dresses as a child.”

Flora looked just as confused, pointing to a photograph on the nightstand. “Miss, in this picture, you’re wearing a white dress too.”

Ruby lifted her gaze, her eyes cold and empty. She looked at Hanley, a faint, humorless smile on her lips. “That’s because it was the only time you ever saw me as a child. And yes, that one time, I was wearing a white dress.”

A muscle in Hanley’s brow twitched. Ruby’s slight smile now seemed utterly mocking.

“I’ll have the staff change it tomorrow. That was my mistake,” he said quickly, trying to recover.

But Ruby was already waving him away, unimpressed. “I’m tired.”

There was no room for them to stay. Hanley’s attempts to curry favor had all backfired, and he had no pride left to continue the charade.

“Alright, you get some rest then. I won’t disturb you.” He pulled Flora out of the room with him, his face grim.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify