From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 348

Laurinda glanced at the people trailing behind Derek. Her face stayed perfectly calm, her tone laid-back as she spoke up.

“So, Derek, you brought a lawyer with you. Doesn’t really look like you’re here to make peace. Good thing I’m not interested in settling either.”

Derek hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. He let out an awkward cough. Honestly, reconciliation hadn’t crossed his mind when he showed up. If anything, he wanted to give Laurinda a hard time. But as soon as he heard she was planning to take Candida to court, with a recording as evidence, he realized his daughter didn’t stand a chance. Suddenly, he just wanted to smooth things over, maybe talk Laurinda out of pressing charges.

When Derek stayed quiet, Laurinda’s lips curled into a slight, icy smile. Her voice got even colder.

“If I didn’t have proof on my side, would you still be talking to me like this? I doubt you’d care about my relationship with Adolphus then. So, tell me, why should I be the one to back down?”

“You…”

Derek was getting pissed off by how stubborn she was. He dropped the nice guy act, pointing his finger straight at her.

“Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because Adolphus has your back. You should remember, this is Cabinda.”

“And? What’s so special about Cabinda? Are you saying the law doesn’t matter here? Also… I really can’t stand when people point at me.”

Before Derek could move his hand away, Laurinda caught his finger and bent it back hard. The sharp crack echoed through the room.

Derek’s face went ghostly white. He stared at his now-bent finger in shock.

Derek, sweating from the pain in his finger, looked nothing like his usual composed self. “Adolphus, you’re just in time. Can you please talk to your girlfriend? How could she do something like this? We’re all family here. Why would she sue Candida? This could really mess things up for her.”

Adolphus lowered his eyes, unwrapping a lollipop and handing it to Laurinda before finally looking at Derek.

“Derek, I remember telling you this morning to keep Candida in check. What did you say to me? That she’s young and doesn’t know any better.”

“Well, my girlfriend’s even younger than Candida. She’s at that rebellious age, can’t help her temper sometimes. So, what can I do? I just have to spoil her. If I don’t, I’m the one who pays for it. That’s just how it is.”

“One more thing. Candida’s the one who made this mess, not Laurinda. Did Candida think about her reputation when she started throwing insults? Why shouldn’t she be held responsible?”