From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 252

“Me? Worried about that? I just thought she might be too nervous to come over. Honestly, this is all your fault. You’re way too intimidating. People hear about our family and get scared, so of course Laurinda would be nervous.”

“Right, right, blame it all on me. I guess my reputation in Cabinda is just too much for her to handle.”

Out in the courtyard, Adolphus and Laurinda could hear the older couple talking. They glanced at each other, both a little stunned. It was hard to imagine that the same man who could make all of Cabinda shake with a single word was now joking like this.

Ashby, standing nearby, looked at Laurinda and wanted to explain that the family wasn’t always this dramatic.

“Felix, Tanya, Adolphus is back, and he brought his girlfriend,” Ashby called out.

The conversation inside instantly stopped.

Adolphus gave Laurinda’s hand a gentle squeeze and led her inside.

As soon as they walked in, Tanya stood up to greet them. She took one look at Adolphus and Laurinda standing together and just knew they belonged as a couple.

The moment she saw Laurinda’s face, Tanya understood why her son had finally fallen for someone. Laurinda was genuinely beautiful.

“Come on, sit next to me,” Tanya said, reaching for Laurinda’s hand and pulling her down beside her. She couldn’t take her eyes off Laurinda, as if she just wanted to keep looking at her.

Laurinda wasn’t put off by Tanya’s enthusiasm. She actually found Tanya’s down-to-earth energy kind of adorable, so she spoke up first.

“Tanya, I’m Laurinda. I’m from Apex.”

“Oh, look at me, getting all carried away. I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Adolphus’s father. He might seem strict, but he’s actually a really good guy.”

If Laurinda hadn’t already heard about Felix, she might have believed Tanya. But she had, so she knew better than to treat him like just anyone.

She gently slipped her hand out of Adolphus’s, stood up straighter, and greeted Felix with extra respect.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Felix. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh really? You’ve heard of me?” Felix looked surprised. Laurinda didn’t seem like someone who would just say things to flatter people, so he was genuinely curious.

“When my parents were still alive, they used to bring me to Cabinda all the time, so I heard a lot of stories about you and your family. Later, I spent a lot of time at the Larsons’ place. Beatrice and Tanya are close friends, and I heard even more stories from them.”