Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 578

Gennifer seethed, the fire of her jealousy almost impossible to contain. But Ruby and Sylas were approaching, and she had to force it down. She dug her fingernails into her palms, using the sharp pain to ground herself.

“Ruby, you’re here!” Hanley hurried forward to greet her, his eyes inevitably flicking toward Sylas. “And… Mr. Cunningham, what a surprise.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. “I’m not sure we’re prepared to host you properly.”

Sylas shot him a dismissive glance and said nothing.

“He drove me. Don’t worry about it,” Ruby said, cutting through the awkwardness.

Hanley feigned a look of relief and nodded eagerly. “Well, come in, Ruby. Your mother is inside. She hasn’t been feeling well, so she didn’t come out to meet you.” He plastered on a smile and gestured for Ruby to follow him, leading the way.

Gennifer took a deep breath and forced a smile of her own. “Yes, sister, we’ve been here for a while. Come and take a look.”

Ruby remained expressionless, but she started walking.

When they entered the high-end custom furniture store, they found Frieda not resting as Hanley had claimed, but chatting animatedly with a salesperson about a beige vanity in the corner.

“Yes, my daughter’s vanity is getting a bit old. I was thinking of having a new one custom-made for her,” she was saying sweetly, the very picture of a doting mother.

Hanley quickly walked over, shot a glance at Ruby, and said loudly, “See? Even though your mother didn’t wait outside with us, she’s already in here thinking about how to decorate for you.”

Catching Hanley’s cue, Gennifer scurried over to get Frieda’s attention, but her mother heard the footsteps and turned around first. “Gennifer, what do you think of this? After Ruby makes her choices, we can have this sent over for you as well.”

Just as she finished speaking, a pair of long, slender legs appeared from behind a display. Frieda’s gaze traveled up to see Ruby standing just a few feet away. She had clearly heard every word.

Frieda’s face went pale.

Hanley couldn’t believe her stupidity. He shot her a furious glare before turning back to Ruby with a practiced smile. “Your mother, you know, she has such a big heart, always trying to treat everyone equally. Gennifer’s room is already finished, so there’s no need for anything else. Today is all about you, Ruby.”

He spoke gently, his eyes fixed on Ruby, but out of her line of sight, he directed a look of pure exasperation at Frieda. *This woman is a lost cause,* he thought. *Ruby is already sensitive about how we always favored Gennifer, and on the one day that’s supposed to be all about her, Frieda just had to bring Gennifer into it. The woman is an idiot.*

Frieda bristled with indignation but remembered her objective and mumbled, “That’s right. I just don’t want either of you to feel left out.”

Ruby’s expression didn’t change. Their words seemed to have no effect on her at all. A calm, serene smile remained on her face.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify