From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 202

Laurinda had finally decided. She wasn't going to hold back anymore.

She wanted to see if those people actually had the guts to face her directly. All that sneaky, behind-the-back stuff? She was over it.

When Laurinda told the police to take her away, Aileen lowered her phone, her calls going unanswered. She just stared, completely shocked.

No, this couldn’t be happening. Laurinda wasn’t supposed to fight back. Didn’t she realize who she was up against? Wasn’t she scared?

“You can’t take me. Laurinda’s lying about me. I didn’t do anything!”

Aileen twisted and struggled, but two young officers held her in place while the older officer stepped closer.

“Making a scene won’t help you. Laurinda already handed over the video of you insulting her. We’ve got more evidence, too. Stop fighting and come with us.”

The older officer nodded at his coworkers, and they marched Aileen to the car.

Then he turned to Owen, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up from the ground.

“Owen, you need to come with us too. Laurinda reported you for embezzling school funds. The case is officially open. Please cooperate.”

Owen stared at Laurinda, completely blindsided by how fast she’d moved. It was like she’d been planning this for ages.

How did she know so much? Even the principal didn’t know these things. He couldn’t help but ask, “Laurinda, how do you know all this?”

Laurinda looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “I could know even more, Owen. Should I let your wife know you’ve got another family across town? Your little boy must be three by now, right?”

“From today on, the library isn’t free for you anymore. Thirty bucks a month. And the cafeteria meal subsidies are canceled.”

The crowd erupted. Some complained about getting dragged into this, others thought Laurinda was being way too harsh.

“I already warned you last time. Anyone who insults me will pay for it. Don’t think you can get away with it. The cameras at the school gate caught all your faces. I’ll have someone go through the footage and pick you out, one by one.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Bonnie said, stepping out from behind the crowd. She tugged the hood of Laurinda’s puffer jacket up over her head and gave her a gentle pat. “Their meal subsidies will be gone before dinner.”

“Thanks for handling it,” Laurinda said softly.

Seeing the sour looks on the students’ faces, Laurinda finally felt a little bit better. If she wasn’t worried about causing problems for her classmates’ parents, she would’ve banned them from the school entirely.