From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 264

“So what if she’s wearing a puffy jacket? She’s standing next to Adolphus. She could show up in rags and no one would dare say a thing.”

The crowd was still murmuring when Adolphus walked straight over to the girl, took her hand, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.

Every socialite in the room was practically green with envy. No one had ever seen Adolphus act like that for anyone. The Lane family girls had always tried to get his attention by leaning in, even standing on tiptoe just to get a little closer. But here he was, bending down for someone else.

“It’s crowded in there,” he murmured. “If you get tired of it, we can just head home.”

Laurinda answered with a quiet “mm,” lifting her hand to smooth her hair. As she moved, a flash of green caught the light on her wrist—delicate, pale, and unmistakable.

Everyone who saw it froze. No one could believe what they were seeing.

That bracelet… wasn’t that the matriarch’s? The one from the Lane family? How could it possibly be on this girl’s wrist?

Did this mean Felix had really decided to hand the family over to Adolphus?

The news hit the crowd hard. Almost everyone there had tried, in one way or another, to cozy up to the different branches of the Lane family, but nobody had managed to get close to Adolphus.

Ignoring the stares, Adolphus and Laurinda intertwined their fingers and headed for the hotel entrance. York glanced over the crowd and followed right behind them, his steps relaxed and natural.

Inside, Laurinda unzipped her jacket and let the collar fall, revealing features so beautiful that the whole room seemed to stop and stare.

“Oh my god, she’s stunning. I always thought Adolphus was the definition of gorgeous, but she’s even prettier than he is. Whose daughter is she?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never even heard of someone this beautiful in Cabinda.”

“Adolphus, long time no see. I stopped by Ashby the other day and heard you’ve been in Apex.”

Sam shot his dad a look, rolling his eyes at the obvious small talk.

“Yeah, I’ve been in Apex lately. My mentor lives there, so I’ve been staying for a bit.”

Catching his son’s silent message, Seth just smiled and turned to Laurinda.

“And Laurinda, thank you for helping us out so much. I’ve been meaning to thank you in person, but things have been so busy. It’s an honor to have you at my father’s birthday banquet. When things calm down, you have to let me host you properly.”

“Seth, you’re too polite. Sam and I are good friends. It was just a little favor, really. No need to make a big deal out of it.”