Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 574

I paused in my tracks, turning to face Karina. Her words harbored a hint of provocation, but I believed if Lucas were still alive and knew how unreliable Karina could be, he would've made the same choice.

"So what? I don't need your judgment, thanks," I said, unfazed, before walking away from Karina without a second glance.

What I hadn't expected was to find Karina blocking my car just as I was leaving the parking lot.

"My driver asked, “Ms. Finch, it seems that woman is trying to stop our car.”

"Just drive around her," I instructed, not in the mood to deal with Karina's drama.

But then a sudden stop almost sent me crashing into the back of the front seat. "What happened?" I snapped.

"Ms. Finch, that woman dashed in front of the car out of nowhere. We nearly hit her!" my driver exclaimed, still shaken.

Looking through the windshield, there was Karina, arms spread wide, blocking my way with a daredevil stance that baffled me.

I was already irritable. The research project I was overseeing had hit a snag at its final stage, essentially back to square one, and dealing with Karina was the last thing I needed.

I stepped out of the car, and as soon as Karina saw me approach, she stepped aside.

I leaned over to my driver, "Find somewhere to park and wait for me."

"Understood." He nodded and drove off.

It was autumn, and the hotel was lined with a street filled with towering maple trees. Even at noon, the street carried an air of desolation unique to the season. A breeze sent a cascade of red and yellow leaves fluttering down, covering the ground in a beautiful mosaic.

Walking along the leaf-strewn pavement, Karina followed.

The stunning scenery was marred by her presence, a real mood killer.

"Why are you stopping my car? If you're looking for a thrill, go jump into a river," I said lightly, tossing at her one of the usual taunts.

Karina's face paled, a mix of anger and resentment flashing in her eyes, "Irene, you don’t have to keep bringing that up. I've heard about your desperate attempts to win over Neil. At the end of the day, we're not so different."

"We're nothing alike," I cut her off. "Karina, don't lump us together."

"Really?" Her eyes sharpened. "Truth be told, Irene, without me, you wouldn't have had those kids. There'd be no chance for you and Neil. I've really dug my own grave here."

I remained silent, my gaze steady on her.

Perhaps Serena and Brandon wouldn't be here without her intervention, but so what? I paid her well for her services; it wasn't charity.

And now, she was still perpetuating the lie that Hiram was Neil's biological son, suggesting my children were obstacles to their securing a place in the Whitmore family.

"When you wedged your way into the Whitmores, using your family's connections, you took five years of my life, my status!" Karina's voice was laced with bitterness, her jealousy unmasked.

"What happened?" A wave of unease washed over me.

"He showed up at the hospital today, wanting to visit your dad. But you know how your dad feels about him, tossed out everything Neil brought. It was quite the scene!" Just picturing the ordeal made me cringe.

Neil, always so proud, being rejected at the hospital, was painfully embarrassing.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but laugh, which puzzled my mom, "What's so funny? Your dad is furious!"

"Last night, you insisted on having Russel over, and Neil ended up coming too. Some things happened, and he found out about my dad being sick," I confessed.

"What? Neil was at our house last night?" my mom’s voice pitched higher, incredulous.

"It was pouring cats and dogs, they couldn't leave, so they ended up crashing at my place for the night." I wanted to teach my mom a lesson. Every time I get mixed up with Neil or Russell, things just go south. So, I hoped she'd quit trying to set me up with them.

Mom fell into a silence, and after a couple of minutes, she let out a deep sigh. "Let it be. Anyway, have you been keeping up with that new skincare line we're developing?"

Just mentioning it weighed heavy on my heart. I gave her the rundown, short and to the point. Sure enough, she fell silent again.

Finally, she said, "That was Lucas's last project before he passed away. He was so hands-on with it..."

I didn't know what to say, but something inside me screamed that Karina was bad news.