From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 31

“You’re the one who started this whole thing with Jared. If you don’t give the Brown family a solution they’re happy with today, they won’t just let it go. Go to the Austin family now. Ask them to step in and talk to Laurinda. Get her to let this drop.”

“You like Laura, right? If the Austins handle this well, I’ll let you get engaged to her. Laurinda grew up with them, so she’ll give them some respect.”

Finn finished speaking and walked away without looking back. He had no plans to get involved. The Gates family was right in the middle of negotiating a big deal with Frostford. They couldn’t afford to get dragged down by drama like this.

As soon as Finn left, Fabian rushed to the bathroom. He spat a mouthful of blood into the sink, one of his teeth mixed in. Staring at the bright red swirling down the drain, anger burned in his chest. Finn had never hit him before. He’d never yelled at him like that either. And it was all because of Laurinda.

Right then, Fabian wished he could erase Laurinda from existence.

“Rinse your mouth out.” Alice’s voice was gentle as she came up behind him and gave his back a soft pat. “Your father has his reasons. The Gates Group is at a turning point and can’t afford any bad publicity. Fabian, you’re the heir. You’ve always had more responsibility than most. You can’t mess this up, or your father’s going to lose trust in you.”

She wanted to comfort her son, but she knew she couldn’t interfere with how Finn disciplined him. Sometimes people needed to learn the hard way to really grow.

***

Laurinda sat in the backseat as York drove her to a small local clinic. The second she opened the car door, a strong herbal smell hit her, and she immediately pulled her foot back inside.

“This place doesn’t look legit at all. Can we go somewhere else?”

York laughed softly, watching her wrinkle her nose in protest. “The doctor here is a legend. He’s retired from a top hospital, and now he only sees five patients a day. I had to spend a fortune to get this appointment at an auction.”

He walked around and opened the door for her. “Come on, don’t be stubborn. Get out of the car. Your dark circles look even worse today.”

Laurinda covered her face with both hands, slumping against the seat. She couldn’t believe she had agreed to come. She felt ridiculous.

He didn’t bother with small talk. Just a quick look at her face and he seemed to know what was going on.

He pressed his fingers to her wrist, frowning a little. Laurinda’s body was a mess, to put it mildly.

“How long have you felt this way?”

Laurinda hesitated. “A while now. Maybe five or six years? It’s just gotten worse lately.”

“So young and already carrying so much. You need to be kinder to yourself. There’s no reason to push yourself so hard. If you can’t get past what’s holding you back, no medicine in the world will help.”

He spoke with his eyes closed, still holding her wrist. “What’s so impossible to overcome that you have to make yourself miserable like this? Do you think it’s fair to the people who love you, seeing you this way?”