From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 544

All four of them went stone-cold silent, eyes wide with shock. Just when they thought Laurinda couldn’t possibly surprise them more, she revealed a whole new layer that no one had seen coming.

“Laurinda, you really are full of surprises!”

“Thank you, but I’m just the founder—I don’t manage anything myself. I leave all that to others.”

Laurinda had grown weary of hearing the same astonished remarks again and again. If she had her way, this subject would never come up again.

The others picked up on her mood and wisely dropped the topic. Once their curiosity was satisfied, they steered the conversation elsewhere, falling into easy small talk.

Before long, the engagement party began in earnest. Rodney took charge of hosting duties, while Nelly was conspicuously absent. Without her, the whole event felt notably peaceful, even warm. No one dared resurrect old scandals, and everyone offered sincere well-wishes to Earl and Cathleen.

When it came time for toasts, Earl made his way over to Adolphus’s table. His manner was effortless, the awkwardness from before nowhere in sight. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he chatted easily, even dragging Adolphus into sharing a couple of drinks with him.

“Earl’s acting strange tonight. Do you think getting engaged suddenly made him grow up? He’s nothing like before.”

“I doubt it. Looks more like he’s given in and accepted his fate. Seems like he’s finally stopped fighting.”

Sam and Egan whispered about it while Laurinda quietly peeled a shrimp and held it out for Adolphus. He leaned in, taking it from her fingers with a playful look in his eyes.

The others at the table let out half-joking sighs of envy, but Laurinda and Adolphus were lost in their own world, undisturbed by the ribbing.

Across the room, Earl glanced over just in time to see Laurinda fussing over Adolphus. A sharp pang twisted in his chest. He’d thought he’d moved on, but that small, tender gesture proved he was only lying to himself. If there was blame to be had, it belonged to his own cowardice.

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