Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 453

"I want to go home with you..."

Landon looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes—like a puppy left out in the rain, all wounded and forlorn.

Fanny felt as if her entire worldview was unraveling.

On stage, Landon was all effortless charm and self-possession—a gentleman, cool and distant, his piano playing edged with a feverish brilliance. But right now? He was just a stray, desperate for someone to claim him.

Was this really the idol she’d admired for so long?

Fanny pressed her hand to her forehead in disbelief.

"Then you need to tell me why you came to Stormhaven. And what’s with that photo you keep carrying around?"

"If I tell you," Landon’s eyes lit up hopefully, "will you take me home?"

Faced with someone who couldn’t go three sentences without talking about “going home with her,” Ruby’s mouth twitched. But her curiosity was stronger than her exasperation, so she nodded solemnly. "Alright. I will."

"My grandfather passed away five months ago," Landon said all in a rush, as if afraid she’d lose patience and leave him behind. "I was finishing up my world tour and only learned the news afterward. He left me just this one photo, and his last request was for me to find the woman in the picture and visit her."

He let out a shaky breath, watching Ruby anxiously.

Ruby’s brows knit together, a strange heaviness settling in her chest.

She let out a long sigh. "My grandmother... she’s already passed away."

Landon’s fingers froze mid-motion.

Ruby turned to leave, not wanting to linger any longer.

Realizing what was happening, Landon hurried after her. "You promised! I told you, so now you have to take me home."

Maybe it was the mention of her grandmother, but Ruby suddenly felt suffocated, as if some invisible weight pressed the air out of her lungs. Her expression grew somber.

"The person you’re looking for is gone. There’s really no reason for you to stay in Stormhaven."

"No!"

Landon’s eyes went wide. He rushed forward and clung to Ruby’s sleeve. "Red, I’m here to find you, too."

"She’s not who you’re looking for."

A low, cold voice sliced through the air, sharp as a drawn blade.

The familiarity of it made Ruby freeze in her tracks.

She turned, and saw a face she hadn’t expected.

"Cassian?" Her frown deepened. "What are you doing here?"

Her gaze flicked up and down, suddenly frosty. "Were you following me?"

Cassian pressed his lips together, his denial quick and tight. "No."

Maybe he’d said it too forcefully, because he dropped his gaze, voice softer now. "I have business in Stormhaven, too. I didn’t expect to see you here, but then I noticed someone bothering you."

Ruby’s skeptical stare lingered on Cassian’s face for a long moment before she finally looked away.

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