Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 808

“Alright,” Carlson agreed without hesitation.

As he hung up, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Arkle scratched his head, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

—

A busy chain coffee shop just off campus—

The line of customers picking up their orders made the place buzz with a low, constant chatter.

By the time Roseanne and Mamie arrived, Carlson was already waiting at a small table.

“Hey,” Mamie greeted him, walking over with a friendly wave.

Carlson stood up, glancing at both of them with a hint of awkwardness. “What would you like? I’ll order.”

They didn’t stand on ceremony.

Mamie said, “A small butter latte, no extra sugar. Note: just three ice cubes, please.”

Roseanne chimed in, “Large iced citrus Americano, no sugar.”

“Got it.”

As they spoke, Carlson tapped their orders into the app on his phone.

But instead of paying straight away, he pulled up a group-buying platform and grabbed two discount vouchers first. Only then did he return to the coffee app and check out.

Instantly, the total dropped by half.

The whole time, Carlson shot a sideways glance at the two women across from him, half-expecting a look of judgment or disdain. But Roseanne and Mamie looked perfectly unbothered.

In fact, Mamie even leaned in to share a tip. “Next time you’re hunting for vouchers, try checking TikTok’s deals too. Sometimes they pop up with those official promos, and you can grab a drink for under four bucks!”

Clearly, she’d done this plenty herself.

“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” Carlson nodded, whatever embarrassment he’d felt evaporating.

While they waited for the drinks, Roseanne asked, “How’ve you been these past few days?”

Carlson nodded. “About as I expected, honestly. The only surprise was how fast the administration responded. I thought it’d take them a week or two to make a statement.”

Mamie snorted. “It’s all over the news—did you really think they could drag their feet? There’s the golden four-hour rule for PR crises: if you don’t respond quickly, the backlash just builds online. By the time you finally release a statement, it won’t matter how well it’s written.”