From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 49

After sitting through the whole match, Laurinda had to admit it—Harden was seriously impressive. Way better than she’d expected. The guy had killer instincts and raw talent, like he was made for the pro gaming world.

York caught the look in her eyes and lowered his voice. “So, you thinking about signing him?”

Laurinda gave him a look that basically screamed, Are you out of your mind? She said, “Not just anyone is worth my money, you know. Especially not the son of my enemy. Let’s just go.”

She walked out of the esports center without looking back, totally unaware that someone in the shadows had been watching her the whole time.

Once they were in the car, Laurinda popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth and spoke in that easy, careless way of hers. “Find someone to tip off Finn. Tell him there’s a gamer who looks a lot like him. And then, just casually let something slip about Harden’s mom and her past.”

York glanced at her in the rearview mirror, already picking up on her plan. “Are you sure Finn will actually acknowledge them after what Graham did?”

Laurinda gazed out the window at the glowing city lights. “I doubt Finn knows what Graham’s done,” she said, her tone cool. “And from what we’ve heard, the Baker family isn’t looking to let that secret out either. They want to keep things quiet for now, avoid any more drama. So the truth stays buried, at least for a while.”

“If Finn claims them and the truth eventually comes out, well… that’s just his bad luck. If his kids end up with his genes, maybe trouble just runs in the family.”

Laurinda had a gut feeling the Bakers would lay all the blame on Aiken. No way they’d let it leak that Graham was the one who started it all.

The more she thought about it, the more she saw an opportunity. What if the Baker family’s leader found out Graham was Finn’s secret son? That would really shake things up.

Let Finn take Graham back, then leave the Baker family to deal with the fallout. Handing them the knife, so to speak. What happened next was their choice.

Laurinda’s smile grew as she glanced out at the dim evening sky. “I bet we’re getting a big snow tonight…”

***

The next morning, Laurinda woke up to find the whole estate blanketed in white. She raised an eyebrow, hoping Fabian wouldn’t let her down. It would be a crime to waste such perfect timing from the weather.

York had barely pulled up at the school gates when the back door swung open. Laurinda paused, her hand halfway to her bag, and looked up—straight into the face of a ridiculously handsome man.

She couldn’t help herself. Biting her lip, Laurinda felt a rush of happiness she couldn’t quite hide.