From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 352

“Want to grab a drink tonight?”

Irvin was practically glowing. He could barely hide his excitement, and honestly, he was so pleased with himself that he wanted to drag Laurinda out to celebrate right then and there.

Laurinda just shook her head. “No, you should use the time to prep for your competition. Once you nail that early admission spot, the research institute will be waiting. There’s still plenty for you to do.”

Irvin stared at her, a little stunned by how ruthless she sounded. He’d only ever done those little research projects for fun. If it became his job, he wasn’t even sure he’d like it anymore.

“Laurinda, you know you’d make a great slave driver, right?”

Laurinda raised an eyebrow and didn’t bother to deny it. “I’m only pushing you because I want you to do well. Come on, you’ve got this.”

Around them, people kept sneaking glances at Laurinda. Most of them had come just to get close to Adolphus, but Laurinda was clearly catching their interest too. Ever since those wild rumors started spreading around Cabinda, she’d become even more of a mystery.

Even though the gossip had died down, it still left a mark on Laurinda’s reputation.

Finally, someone couldn’t help themselves and spoke up, sounding casual but clearly fishing for information. “Laurinda and Irvin look pretty close, don’t they?”

Adolphus was chatting with Sam but caught the comment. He glanced over at Laurinda and Irvin, his voice steady as he answered, “Laurinda and Irvin are classmates.”

“Oh, really? I heard Irvin transferred to Apex High for his senior year. Does that mean Laurinda’s still in high school too?”

Adolphus didn’t seem bothered at all by the question. He nodded. “Yeah, she’s already got a special admission offer from Cabinda University. She’ll start next September.”

His tone was calm and matter-of-fact, but everyone picked up on the warning hidden in his words. Adolphus clearly didn’t appreciate their nosiness.

After that, no one else dared to say anything, even if they wanted to. People had already been kicked out of the group for less, and everyone knew they had to watch their words if they wanted to stay.

Egan came over, draping an arm around Sam’s shoulder and speaking quietly, “You and her were never right for each other. With Earl, she’s genuinely happy. You can see she’s finally living for herself. All you can do now is wish her the best.”

Sam tried to smile, but it came out a little bitter. He nodded, because what else could he do? What was lost was lost, and all that was left was to let her go.

“Yeah. I get it.”

“Good. Tonight, we’ll drink as much as you want. Tomorrow’s a new day.”

At the hotel entrance, Carla said her goodbyes to Laurinda. “Aunt Laurinda, Quentin and I are heading home. The baby’s still little, and we can’t be gone too long.”

Laurinda smiled. “Of course. Let’s meet up again soon. I’ll probably be in Cabinda for a few more days anyway.”

So much had happened lately, she didn’t have plans to head back to Apex just yet. It’d be better to settle things with the Charles family before she even thought about going home.