From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 260

Suddenly Finn realized he didn’t really want Fabian to come back after all. He waved to the butler. “Go find Harden.”

Alice blocked his way, her voice sharp. “Why are you calling for Harden? Finn, Fabian is your son!”

Finn’s face darkened. “Move. Who said you could question me? Alice, if you can handle this position, stay. If you can’t, then leave.”

Alice tried to grab his arm, but Finn pushed her aside, frustration written all over his face. He was bone-tired and had no patience left for this clueless woman.

She had raised a perfectly good son into someone completely useless. Harden, who grew up outside the family, had turned out to be a much better choice.

Finn had already given Fabian a chance. He blew it. He had no one to blame but himself.

Just then, Harden walked in and caught the tail end of the scene. He paused, his eyes narrowing for a second, then he quickly put on a gentle, obedient look and walked over to Finn.

“Finn.”

“Come with me to the study.”

Finn stood up, a little shaky on his feet. Harden stepped forward and grabbed his arm, steadying him as they walked out together.

A wave of relief washed over Finn. He couldn’t deny it anymore. Harden was just better than Fabian.

***

Laurinda sat in front of her computer, finger hovering over the enter key. She pressed it and a sly smile spread across her lips. Since everyone was so bored, she figured she’d give them something to keep them busy.

After tweaking the Gates Group’s software, she turned her attention to Stonehaven. She upgraded the virus she’d brought back from Northland and sent it into the executive’s computer. Soon every department’s system would go into sleep mode.

“I was hoping to let things blow up first, then get some influencers to livestream an interview with the siblings. Ask them why they’re out here in the middle of nowhere, how they found Baily, stuff like that.”

Adolphus watched her closely. He realized Laurinda was setting up a trap, but he couldn’t quite figure out who she was aiming for.

“So, you want to reveal their true identities?”

“It’s more than that. I want to use them to expose Aileen’s scandals, maybe even drag the Charles and Gates families down with her. And at the same time, I can finally cut ties with the Austin family for good.”

“Even though the Austins have already said I’m not part of their family anymore, there are still plenty of people out there who think I owe them something. They think that because the Austins took care of me when things were good, I should forgive and forget now that they’re struggling. They think I shouldn’t be so heartless.”

“So, I’ll let Aggie handle it. Once people start blaming her, they’ll stop coming after me. After all, there’s a big difference between the real granddaughter and the fake one.”