From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 15

Wanda couldn’t believe Laurinda was still acting so bold. She let out a cold laugh.

She’d never liked Laurinda, but before, she’d been careful because of Laurinda’s powerful background. Now, Laurinda was just an orphan, cast out from her wealthy family. What was there to be scared of anymore?

“Go ahead. Report me to the education board if you want. I’d love to see what someone like you thinks she can do to me. I won’t let you in my classroom because I don’t want you disrupting the other students. Honestly, the air feels so much cleaner in here without you.”

Wanda stepped down from the podium, walked right over, and shoved Laurinda away from where she was leaning against the doorframe. Then she slammed the door shut.

Laurinda stood there for a second, just staring at the closed door, then let out a short laugh, half annoyed, half amused. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed toward the main building.

In the principal’s office, Malcom had just finished quietly asking the principal to look out for Laurinda, to make sure she wasn’t getting picked on at school. Before he could say more, the office phone started ringing.

The principal answered. As he listened, his face fell, and he shot an uneasy look at Malcom, who was still sipping his tea.

“Malcom, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you have any connections at the education bureau?”

“The education bureau?” Malcom set down his tea, clearly confused about why the principal would bring that up.

“Yes. That was them on the phone. Laurinda just filed a complaint against Wanda, saying she was stopped from going to class and insulted by her teacher. They want me to deal with Wanda right away.”

This was the first time the principal had gotten a call like this. Usually, the bureau would notify them of an investigation first, then give instructions. Today, the order was straightforward—solve the problem with the teacher, and do it now. That kind of directness meant this wasn’t just some ordinary issue.

Malcom immediately shot up, his face serious. “What did you say? A teacher isn’t letting Laurinda into class?”

The principal was startled by Malcom’s sudden intensity and quickly tried to calm him down. “Malcom, let’s not jump to conclusions. I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. Let me go see what’s going on. Please wait here for news.”

Noticing Malcom’s worried face and hearing Laurinda’s name, Adolphus figured something bad must have happened.

“I’m not sure of all the details. The education bureau called just now…”

The butler explained what the principal had told him. He understood Laurinda’s temperament—she wouldn’t pull strings unless she was truly angry. Whatever happened must have really pushed her over the edge.

Adolphus set his folder on the principal’s desk. “Don’t worry. I’ll go check things out.”

“Thank you, Adolphus.”

He nodded slightly, buttoned his coat, and headed toward the classroom buildings. It didn’t take long before he spotted a familiar figure near the flowerbeds—Laurinda, standing there in her thin school uniform, looking small and a little lost.