From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 517

“Relax, I’m not letting them off the hook. It’s just a guy, right? If I have to, I’ll drag him here myself. Whatever you want, I’ll make sure it happens.”

Peter looked at Theodora, heart tight as he took in the red, puffy mark on her cheek. You could see the anger in his eyes, sharp and burning.

Theodora was a true lucky charm for the Dale family. They’d never let anything happen to her, not even the tiniest scratch. Yet she’d only been in Apex for six months and someone laid a hand on her. Whoever did it, they might as well have slapped him.

Outside the emergency room, Foley and Nine exchanged glances, almost ready to clap for Peter. Neither of them had ever heard anyone talk so boldly before. Just a man? If only Peter knew, this wasn’t just any guy… not someone ordinary people could mess with.

“And you absolutely have to help me take care of that woman,” Theodora said. “I’ve heard of her before. She used to be the Austin family’s precious daughter, but then they found out she wasn’t actually related to them. They kicked her out. Now she’s nothing but an orphan and she dares to hit me.”

“The Austin family?”

Peter looked puzzled. He’d been moving in Apex’s business world for a while now and he’d never heard of that name. “There’s an Austin family in Apex? This is news to me.”

“That’s because they went under a long time ago,” Theodora replied. “People say it was all because of Laurinda. Rumor has it she took all the Austin assets for herself…”

Peter’s eyes lit up. He moved closer to Theodora’s hospital bed and lowered his voice. “So… since she was raised in a big family, what does she look like?”

Theodora could already tell what he was thinking. A little idea popped into her head, and she couldn’t help but smile—though it made her cheek throb so badly she winced.

“She’s stunning. The kind of beauty you can’t look away from—flawless, porcelain skin, just gorgeous…”

Peter gently pried her hand off his arm and headed for the hospital exit. Foley and Nine watched each other for a second before Nine quickly followed after Peter.

In a private room, Thurston sat across from Adolphus, who’d been quiet for a while now. It was only after finishing his third cup of tea that Thurston couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

“Adolphus, I’m just wondering, why did you call me here today?”

Adolphus finally set down his drink and looked up. His dark eyes gave away nothing, deep and unreadable as ever.

“Adolphus…” Thurston said again, and as he got a proper look at the man across the table, his eyebrows creased. He hadn’t expected someone with Adolphus’s reputation to be so young. A little doubt crept into his mind—could this really be the infamous Adolphus everyone talked about?