Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 523

523 /526

He finally saw things clearly.

The old man and woman couldn’t go a minute without mentioning Ruby. It was obvious they’d come all this way just to back her up.

Right now, Ruby watched with a faint, mocking smile as the old man scolded Hanley, and their eyes met across the room.

She squinted slightly, the tilt of her lips tinged with scorn and ridicule.

So, they're not really planning to cut her off after all?

Ruby laughed coldly to herself. Hanley’s sudden change of tune struck her as nothing short of absurd.

“Hmph!” The old woman, never one to hold back, marched over and grabbed the old man's cane, pressing it down hard on Hanley’s shoe. “Do you take me for a fool? You think I can’t see what kind of child she is? Disobedient? Scheming against her own sister? As far as I remember, Frieda only has one daughter. Since when did she get a sister? I arrived in Quinborough yesterday. Ruby had no idea who I was, yet she was nothing but considerate and kind to me. Where's the trouble in that? The only one blind here is you!”

She cursed as she spoke, grinding the cane down for good measure.

If she weren’t so old now, she might have pulled a riding crop from her belt and given him a proper lesson, just like she would’ve in her younger days.

Hanley winced in pain, his face twisted, but he still tried to maintain his dignity. Soon, he was so exhausted from the effort that even the corners of his mouth drooped, sweat beading on his brow.

Watching the two elders berate Hanley, Frieda’s chest tightened with a storm of conflicting emotions.

“That’s enough!”

Her voice rang out sharp and clear as she stepped between Hanley and the others.

“Aunt Pearl, Uncle—how far are you planning to take this? Ruby isn’t just a Steele, she’s a Grayson. She’s cruel and malicious, and Hanley’s only trying to set her straight. What’s wrong with that?”

As soon as the pressure on his foot eased, Hanley let out a shaky breath, slumping weakly against Frieda.

“Cruel and malicious?”

Pearl frowned, echoing the words.

She tapped her heel on the floor—a sharp, crisp sound in the otherwise silent room.

Standing nearly eye to eye with Frieda, she looked her up and down. Back when Frieda left home, they had been about the same height, with Frieda maybe even a bit taller. Now, though they were face to face, Pearl found herself staring at Frieda’s eyebrows instead of her eyes.

It wasn’t that Pearl had grown taller, or Frieda shorter. It was the way Frieda unconsciously hunched in on herself, shoulders drawn in even as she tried to stand up straight for Hanley’s sake.

Pearl took in the sight, unable to reconcile this fragile, diminished woman with her memories.

She remembered Frieda as bold and spirited—a woman born into privilege, spoiled beyond measure, with all the pride and confidence that came with it. Now, she was like a stalk of straw, bent and ready to break, trying to support herself while letting someone else cling to her for dear life.

Pearl’s gaze slid past Frieda to Hanley, who was still catching his breath.