From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 288

She agreed at first, but then the regret hit hard. That’s why she insisted Laurinda come pick her up. Honestly, she just wanted Laurinda to swoop in and rescue her from this whole mess.

Laurinda saw right through it, but of course she had to have her friend’s back. She glanced at Harrell, her tone cool. “Why are you acting like this is some tragic love story? Anyone watching would think Bonnie’s the one who broke your heart.”

“She did break my heart!” Harrell shot back. Right now, ‘heartbreaker’ felt like the perfect word for Bonnie. This wasn’t even the first time she’d turned on him after getting what she wanted.

He couldn’t believe he’d fallen so hard for someone so completely ruthless.

Harrell’s face twisted into a look of pure misery, like he was being bullied by both Laurinda and Bonnie at the same time. He actually looked like he might cry any second.

Laurinda rolled her eyes at him, walked to the sofa, and flopped down. She grabbed a banana from the table, peeled it, and took a bite.

“Adolphus called last night,” she said between mouthfuls. “Kendrick isn’t coming home for New Year’s with Balaam and Regan this year. He’s supposed to get back to Apex before the holiday, so Adolphus asked him to look after them for a while. We figured we’d just invite them, and Fidelia too, to my place for the celebration.”

“So let’s stop fighting over Bonnie. If you’re not heading home, just come celebrate with us.”

Bonnie hadn’t seen that coming. Laurinda, inviting Harrell? What happened to her little victory just now? Bonnie shot Laurinda a look, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Harrell was about to say yes when he caught Bonnie signaling Laurinda with her eyes. He quickly reached out and covered Bonnie’s eyes with his hand, not giving Laurinda any chance to take it back.

“I’m in!” His voice was firm and bright, totally different from the whiny mess he’d been a second ago.

“Ever thought about giving him a real chance?” Laurinda asked. She didn’t want Bonnie to be so torn up about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to give advice either. What if Bonnie regretted it later?

Bonnie unwrapped the lollipop and popped it in her mouth, her eyes fixed on Laurinda as she thought it over.

“Do you really think I could?”

“If you want to, you can. I mean, come on, X Organization can totally protect your guy. Who cares how powerful your family is? It’s not like those weapons you’re holding are just for show. Worst case, we blow them up!”

A dangerous little smile flickered at the corner of Laurinda’s mouth as she said it.