From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 333

Laurinda followed the directions Adolphus had sent and found the private room. Even before she reached the door, the sound of laughter and conversation drifted out into the hallway.

As soon as she stepped inside, everything went quiet. Laurinda paused in the doorway, feeling a bit out of place, unsure if she had just interrupted something important.

She was about to say something, but everyone stood up at once, greeting her politely. “Laurinda.”

Adolphus got up too and walked over, slipping an arm around her waist and giving her a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry. These are my oldest friends. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Come on, let me introduce you.”

He introduced everyone around the table. When he got to Edison and Hale, they both looked a little awkward, like they didn’t quite know what to do with themselves.

“Laurinda, Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year, Laurinda.”

Laurinda smiled. “Happy New Year to you too. And thank you for the gifts you sent through Orville. I really liked them.”

Hearing her say that, the tension in the room eased, and both guys finally smiled.

“Glad you liked them.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Laurinda chatted with them for a bit, then Adolphus led her over to the main seat at the table and pulled out a chair for her. He turned to Orville.

“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s eat.”

Orville nodded. “On it. Food will be out in a minute.”

He sent a quick message to the waiter. Soon enough, the table filled up with all kinds of dishes. Everyone started eating and talking, the atmosphere getting warm and easy again.

“Alright, let’s keep what happened tonight to ourselves. You might have noticed the group chat’s been a lot quieter lately. I kicked some people out. They crossed the line, said things they shouldn’t have. You can mess with me all you want, but Laurinda is off-limits. You’ve all seen how Adolphus is with her. Don’t risk your future by testing how far he’ll go.”

The room went quiet. Some of them had already sensed something was up, but they hadn’t realized it was this serious.

“We’re all adults here. We’re responsible for what we say and do. I’m only warning you because I see you as brothers.”

“I understand. And I never believed those rumors anyway,” someone chimed in.

One after another, the group spoke up and promised they’d be careful. At the far end of the table, three guys stayed quiet. They’d already learned their lesson with Adolphus and almost lost his friendship. There was no way they’d risk that again, especially since Laurinda had been forgiving and hadn’t blamed them.

Meanwhile, in the car, Adolphus glanced over at Laurinda, who was lost in thought while staring out the window.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly.