From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 351

Laurinda arched her brow, surprised to find herself in the middle of some unexpected drama. Honestly, it was kind of entertaining.

Adolphus noticed the look on her face and could tell exactly what she was thinking. He let out a soft laugh. “You’re not going to see much of a show. Sam knows when to stop. He won’t upset Cathleen.”

When Laurinda’s interest started to fade, Adolphus smiled at her with obvious affection and gently took her hand. “It’s freezing out here. Let’s head inside.”

“Laurinda! You’re finally here!” Irvin’s face lit up the moment he spotted her. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting. I’ve got something for you.”

He made his way toward Laurinda, but before he could reach her, Adolphus casually stepped in, holding out an arm to block his path.

Irvin frowned, confused. “Adolphus, what are you doing?”

“Whatever you want to say can wait until after dinner.”

Without paying any attention to Irvin’s frustration, Adolphus slipped his arm around Laurinda and guided her into the main hall. As they passed by Earl, he offered a simple congratulations.

Outside, Carla and Quentin finished parking. They walked over together, chatting about how the parking lot looked like a luxury car show. It was obvious that everyone invited tonight was someone important.

Earl hadn’t expected Quentin to show up. Taking Cathleen with him, he walked over to say hello.

“Quentin. Carla.”

Cathleen greeted them softly, “Quentin, Carla.”

“You’re here too? Let’s all go in together.”

Carla grinned, responding to Earl, then naturally slid over to Cathleen’s side. The two of them linked hands and walked upstairs together, laughing and chatting like old friends.

Over by the entrance, Sam looked around and saw almost everyone had arrived. He asked Orville to let the kitchen know it was time to start serving. It was getting late, and people could eat and chat at the same time.

Irvin managed to snag the seat right next to Laurinda. He handed her a small tube of scar cream, his eyes shining with excitement.

“This is the newest formula from the research institute. My aunt tested it a bunch of times. It really works. You should try it.”

Laurinda slipped the cream into her pocket and leaned in to quietly tell Irvin about Adah.

Irvin’s eyes went wide. “She’s really gone?”

Laurinda nodded. “Yeah, she’s gone.”

Irvin looked like he wanted to set off fireworks. He let out a breath, grinning. “Serves her right. Karma always catches up, doesn’t it?”