From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace novel Chapter 11

The car rolled to a stop inside the estate. Laurinda had barely stepped out when an older man with silver hair, dressed neatly in a high-collared suit, hurried over to her. You could tell right away he’d been waiting for her, probably for a while.

She met his expectant gaze and gave him a polite smile. “Fraser, thank you for waiting. Let’s talk in the study, shall we?”

She gestured for him to go ahead. Fraser seemed to understand this wasn’t the place for serious conversation and followed Laurinda into one of the villas.

Inside the study, Laurinda asked the butler to bring Fraser some hot ginger tea to warm him up. “Sorry for making you wait, Fraser. What brings you here today?” Her tone was gentle, even though she already knew this wasn’t his first visit.

Fraser didn’t waste any time. “Laurinda, you refused to go to Cabinda before, saying your situation made things complicated. But now that you’re no longer tied to the Austin family, can’t you go back?”

Just as she expected. He was still trying to get her to return.

Laurinda sat down across from him. “I’ll go back to Cabinda, but not right now. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the institute, I can find someone to assist you.”

Fraser sighed, clearly frustrated. He’d really hoped this would be the visit that convinced her to go back with him, but she still wasn’t budging.

“Laurinda…”

She cut him off gently. “Don’t try to guilt me with my parents. They were willing to give up everything for their research, but I can’t do that. I’m not like them. I want my own life.”

“If you’re not in a rush to leave, you’re welcome to stay for dinner. But I have no plans to return to the capital right now.”

Laurinda stood up, glanced at Fraser, who looked more disappointed than ever, and quietly left the study.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify