From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 101

The butler slipped out of the game room as fast as he could, worried Laurinda might rope him into staying longer. She was already on her way to emptying out his secret stash of cash.

“Laurinda, there’s someone named Baker at the gate asking to see you.”

Laurinda paused, bills in hand, frowning as she tried to place the name. Baker? It didn’t ring any bells. She couldn’t think of any reason the Baker family would want something from her.

“The Baker family? What could they want with me? Maybe they couldn’t get to the Austins, so now they’re coming after me. Or is Aiken’s compensation still dragging on?”

“I’ll go check it out,” Adolphus offered, frowning as he stood up, clearly concerned.

Laurinda reached out and held him back by the wrist. “No, let me handle it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? If he managed to track me down here, he must really want to see me. And come on, this is my house. No way am I letting someone come in and push me around.”

She told Adolphus and Sam to wait in the game room and went out by herself, asking the butler to bring their visitor inside.

Baal followed the butler in, carrying a gift. When his eyes landed on Laurinda, he smiled in that warm, affectionate way older relatives do when they see someone younger.

Laurinda stood up and nodded politely. “How did you find this place, Baal? What brings you here today?”

Her voice was courteous but clearly kept some distance, which only seemed to make Baal’s smile grow. He nodded back.

“I heard you’d been hurt, so I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. How’s your recovery going? Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Laurinda’s smile was polite but didn’t reach her eyes. She didn’t buy his concern for a second. As far as she knew, she had nothing to do with the Baker family. The fact that Baal managed to find her here was more than a little suspicious.

“I’m curious how you even found this place. Hardly anyone knows I live here.”

Baal watched her quietly, accepting a cup of tea from the butler and taking a sip.

“This is good tea. Your father loved this blend too. I can’t believe it still tastes the same. Laurinda, would you like to hear how I met your parents and what happened back then?”

His tone was kind, almost like he was talking to his own child.

But Laurinda knew he’d never treated Adelaide this gently.

She sat across from him, her eyes sharp as she watched this man who seemed a little too at home.

“Go ahead, Baal. I’m actually pretty curious about how you all met.”

Baal met her gaze, searching for any sign of emotion and finding none. He nodded in approval. She really was their daughter, calm and controlled in a way most people her age could only dream of.