From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 486

Ladd actually liked the fire in Lucas’s personality, but he knew better than to let someone like that loose in his lab. Trouble followed guys like Lucas, the same way it used to follow Ladd himself.

“Why did I hit him? Because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Sure, it already sucked when he was trash-talking Laurinda, but even after she left he kept running his mouth, saying all this nasty stuff about Laurinda and Teddy. I can’t stand people who make up rumors about girls, especially garbage like that. Laurinda wouldn’t even give my brother the time of day, so how could she possibly go for Teddy?”

Lucas’s voice dropped a little at the end. He knew Laurinda hated when people tried to link her and Kenny together.

“Did he really say that?” Ladd’s eyes suddenly brightened. If Lucas was telling the truth, maybe Lucas was defending Laurinda for good reason.

“Of course! If you don’t believe me, check the cameras. He’s the one smearing Laurinda, and honestly, I went easy on him. If I let myself go, I’d have made sure he’d never talk again.”

Thinking about it just made Lucas angrier. How could Leon dare ruin Laurinda’s name? Did he not care about the consequences?

Ladd looked at him and took a moment, watching how riled up Lucas was. He reached out and patted him gently on the head.

“I’ll look at the cameras. If everything checks out, I’ll take care of it. You’ll get your spot in the lab. But if I find out you’re lying… then whatever punishment the school dishes out, I won’t lift a finger. And you can forget ever joining my lab.”

“I swear I’m not lying, Ladd. I know right from wrong. I’m sorry about the fight, I didn’t want to cause trouble in your lab, but he just pushed it way too far. I’ll pay for any equipment that got busted, don’t worry.”

Lucas looked up at Ladd, his big, expressive eyes so sincere that Ladd felt his sternness melt just a bit. He gave Lucas’s head a playful smack, unable to stay annoyed.

Leon noticed Teddy was losing his patience, but he didn’t know when to quit. He just kept going, his face smug. “Look how badly I got hurt. This isn’t just on Lucas. You all have a part in it.”

Teddy actually laughed. It was ridiculous. In that moment, he realized something—sure, education could change your life, but it couldn’t fix your personality.

“So what, since this happened in Ladd’s lab, Ladd’s responsible too?”

Leon was surprised at how fast the conversation turned toward Ladd, but he tried not to show it. He thought maybe his complaining was finally paying off.

“It’s good that you realize you were in the wrong too,” Leon said, almost too casually. “I’m not asking for much. I got beat up in Ladd’s lab, so asking for a researcher spot isn’t unreasonable, right? As for you, I don’t care about student council, just put me up for an award or something.”