From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 98

She pushed herself up from the floor, barely steady on her feet, and stumbled up the stairs. When she reached Laura’s room, she started slamming on the door as hard as she could.

“Laura, was it you? Are you the one making a mess at the company? You know nothing, but you still took the heir’s spot and signed off on everything. You ruined the Austin family. You’re the reason the Austin Group is finished!”

Jeniffer’s voice was raw, desperate, echoing through the hallway. Inside, Laura crouched in a corner, hugging her knees, her whole body shaking. She felt lost and terrified, completely alone.

None of it made sense. How could the Austin family’s bankruptcy be her fault? Why was everyone blaming her?

When Aiken first brought her home, he had promised her a better life. She never got a single day of that. Now, all of a sudden, she was the one everyone expected to take the fall for the company’s collapse.

The moment she heard about the bankruptcy, her mind just went blank. She didn’t know what would happen next, but she understood what it meant to be held responsible. One wrong step and she could spend the rest of her life in prison. She couldn’t accept that.

She spent the whole night making call after call, reaching out to the Gates family, the Charles family, even Laurinda. She dialed Laurinda’s number over and over. No one picked up.

She hated the idea of her life ending with the Austin family, but nobody wanted to help her.

Suddenly, Laurinda’s words from the day she left echoed in her mind. “Congratulations on becoming the Austin family’s heir…”

Laura froze. It was like her whole body went numb. She couldn’t believe it. Had Laurinda set her up from the very beginning?

Back then, she never understood why Laurinda would give up being the heir. Everyone wanted that spot. Now, it all made sense. Laurinda must have known what would happen to the Austin family. She used Laura as a shield, escaping right before the ship sank. Laura was just her scapegoat.

When he saw Laura racing down the stairs, wild with panic, Baily shouted at the butler, “Stop her! Don’t let her leave!”

The butler and the rest of the staff didn’t move. They just stood there, watching as Laura rushed out the door.

“Are you all ignoring me? Why didn’t you stop her?” Baily was half-paralyzed, but that didn’t stop his voice. He still saw himself as the head of the family, barking orders, expecting everyone to obey.

The butler walked over and stood tall beside him. There was nothing servile or deferential in his posture anymore.

“Mr. Baily, we all resigned yesterday. Once we get our last paychecks, we’re leaving the Austin family for good. Please take care of our wages.”