From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 527

“Who really knows? Some people are just like that. You can give them all the love in the world, but they still might never turn into the person you hoped for. And if you really think about it, you didn’t have it any easier than her, but you turned out amazing, didn’t you?”

Irvin glanced at Laurinda, his expression softening as a wave of relief washed over him.

She had a point. Cathleen was actually much luckier when you stacked things up.

Laurinda had grown up in a rough environment, but it had forged her into someone strong and fiercely self-reliant. Cathleen, meanwhile, always had her grandparents watching over her. In the end, was it really fair to lay all the blame at his parents’ feet?

“When are you guys heading back to Cabinda? Are you going to Cathleen’s engagement party?” he asked.

“Of course we are. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow. What about you? ”

“I’ll just go with you. Can you ask Adolphus to get me a ticket back to Cabinda?”

Now that things felt clearer, Irvin seemed lighter, less weighed down. Laurinda nodded.

“Alright. We’ll leave together. It’s getting late… If you’re done with your meal, why don’t you head upstairs and get some sleep?”

Irvin really was exhausted. He barely managed a reply before gathering up his dishes and carrying them into the kitchen, then he quietly headed upstairs.

Once he was gone, Laurinda left the dining room and spotted Adolphus sprawled on the sofa, looking tense. She walked over, settled into his lap, cupped his face in her hands, and grinned. “Why the grumpy face? Who are you trying to scare?”

Adolphus let out a heavy sigh. “Do you know why Nelly started all this mess?”

After hearing Seraphina explain the situation, he honestly didn’t even know how to express how mad he was. He’d never realized someone could actually be that shameless.

“Let’s talk upstairs,” Laurinda whispered, not wanting Irvin to overhear. She knew Irvin didn’t need to know everything right now.

“Does Cathleen even know what’s really going on?”

“I’m not sure. Seraphina said that at first, Cathleen didn’t want to marry Earl. But then Nelly must have said something, because out of nowhere, Cathleen agreed. Jed got so angry he ended up in the hospital. When we get back, I’ll check in on him.”

Laurinda wasn’t even mad anymore. Now she was just tired. She leaned back against Adolphus’s chest, letting out a dry chuckle as she shook her head.

“Honestly, should they just do a DNA test? I don’t see how someone could really be part of the Lane family and be that clueless.”

Adolphus smirked. “There’s actually someone even dumber.”

At the mention of Patten, Adolphus felt a headache coming on. The second he took charge of the family, clearing Patten out was at the very top of his list.

Laurinda perked up, all curiosity now. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Adolphus, clearly wanting to hear who he meant.