From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 302

Suddenly, Adolphus climbed off Laurinda and grabbed the blanket from the side, wrapping her up without saying a word. He marched straight to the bathroom, not even looking back, his movements quick and decisive.

Laurinda watched him retreat, stunned for a second. Then she just started laughing. That man... they’d gotten this far and he could still stop himself on a dime.

When Adolphus came back from the bathroom, Laurinda was still sitting on the bed, laughing like she didn’t have a care in the world.

He walked right up to her and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

“You’re going to be the end of me,” he grumbled.

Laurinda stopped laughing and shot him a teasing look, her eyebrow quirked in a challenge.

“Don’t worry. Even if you break, I’ll still want you.”

Adolphus just stared at her, not even trying to hide how much she got to him. He pulled her into his arms, took a long breath, and after a while, whispered, “Just wait until you’re older. You’re really in trouble then.”

“We’ll see when I’m older,” Laurinda shot back, grinning even wider. She couldn’t help feeling smug. Now she was sure—Adolphus really did care about her. This wasn’t just a physical thing.

***

On New Year’s Eve morning, Laurinda woke up early. She teamed up with Fidelia Angelica to direct the staff, filling the whole manor with festive decorations.

Adolphus, Harrell, and Josh had just finished putting up banners. When they came back, they found Laurinda telling the staff where to hang lanterns.

Adolphus walked over, wrapped her up in his coat, and took her hands, making sure they were warm before he relaxed.

“It’s freezing out here. Don’t stand around too long.”

“Okay, I’m coming in soon.”

Baal was taking forever. She’d done so much already, but there hadn’t been much progress from his side. If he didn’t act soon, she was going to handle it herself.

Adolphus took her hand and started leading her back to the villa, talking as they walked.

“His overseas company already filed for bankruptcy. The company here looks fine on the surface, but it’s a mess underneath. Both The Gates Group and The Charles Group have been hit by Aileen. The latest news is that Aileen’s been exposed for giving investment money to The Charles Group, and all her cash is dirty. The Charles Group is done for this time.”

“As for the Gates family, Aileen might deny investing in The Gates Group, but that won’t hold up under investigation. Finn is already getting ready to transfer his tech company to try and recover some of his losses.”

“He’s selling his tech company?”

Laurinda was shocked. Finn had built that company from scratch before he ever got involved with The Gates Group. It was his pride and joy—he’d devoted everything to it.

Now he was actually going to let it go? Laurinda had a feeling there was something bigger going on.