From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 506

“I’ll call my mom later and see what’s up.”

“No need. That’s all old news now, happened about two weeks ago. If they haven’t said anything by now, chances are their little forced-marriage plan didn’t work out. Last time I saw them, they both looked like they’d sucked on a lemon.”

Laurinda could pretty much guess what had gone down and let out a cold chuckle.

“It doesn’t really matter. After that birthday party, I doubt Jed would let Cathleen marry Earl. Who would shove their own granddaughter into a mess like that?”

“Exactly. If Jed has any brains at all, there’s no way he’d want his granddaughter involved with people like that.” Regan was already putting two veggie dishes on the table, her voice casually calm.

She couldn’t exactly spill the details about Adolphus and Nelly, but she knew how Nelly operated. Always had to compete, always needed a reason to push Earl to get married.

“Alright, enough about other people’s drama. Dinner’s ready. Foley, Egan, bring the rest of the food. Let’s eat.”

Foley and Egan popped right out with more dishes. The table was packed with food, and Laurinda’s stomach growled. She barely said a word before dropping down next to Fidelia, looking forward to being spoiled.

Fidelia watched Laurinda quietly, smiling at how she ate with such focus and sweetness. It reminded her of when Laurinda was a little girl.

She reached out and brushed a few loose strands of hair from Laurinda’s face, eyes gentle and warm. Laurinda had grown up, but she was just as cute as ever.

After dinner, Adolphus and Laurinda hung out for a bit, chatting with Regan and Fidelia before heading out when it got late. In the car, Laurinda couldn’t stop thinking about what Fidelia had said about Earl.

“In her eyes, I was never all that valuable. She wanted me with Adah just to throw me under the bus. Adah is Odette’s sister, and Nelly is always looked down on Odette, but she had to pretend to like her because of Patten.”

“Honestly, I don’t think Adah cared about me at first, since I was barely around in Cabinda. When she started showing interest, it caught me off guard. Later, I realized Nelly had set the whole thing up, making sure Adah noticed me.”

“She wanted to ruin my chances. That way, nobody would compare me to her son anymore. And Len, well, he figured if I was with Adah, she’d control me, and I’d be easy to boss around, no threat to his fight for the family head.”

Laurinda snorted, unable to hold back a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Knowing Patten and Nelly were twins just made it even more outrageous.

“When your mom had those two, do you think God forgot to give them a survival instinct, or did they just lose their brains at birth?”