Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 15

When they arrived at the east villa, Sapphira immediately took Larissa’s hand, her face beaming with excitement. “Larissa, come! I’ll show you your room.”

“My room?” Larissa asked, surprised. “Is it ready already?”

Neville smiled, his eyes full of affection for his wife. “Your mother has always wanted a daughter, so we’ve always kept a room prepared for one.”

Larissa had to smile. So, for her new mother, she was truly a gift from the heavens. A warm feeling spread through her chest. In a way, this was a perfect match.

“Okay, Mom,” she said brightly. “Let’s go see my room.”

Sapphira led her to the third floor and opened the door to the central room. Larissa stepped inside and froze. The room was decorated in a full-blown princess style, a dreamy explosion of pink.

This was so not her style.

Larissa cleared her throat awkwardly. “Mom, isn’t this… a little too pink? I’m not sure it fits my age.”

“Of course it fits! You’re twenty! The prime of your life! Pink is full of youthful energy!” Sapphira declared, then immediately backtracked. “But if you don’t like it, we can have it all redone tomorrow. We’ll decorate it exactly how you want.”

Larissa considered it. “No, it’s fine. This will do.”

It was just a place to sleep, after all.

“Nonsense,” Sapphira insisted. “You’re my daughter now, an heiress of the Judson family. You shouldn’t have to ‘make do.’ We have plenty of rooms. Why don’t you take the entire third floor? We can do one room in minimalist luxury, another in a Mediterranean style! And if you miss your old cottage, we can even create a rustic-themed room for you!”

After Sapphira left, someone brought up the burlap sack from Spire Village. Larissa closed the door, let out Shadow, Snowy, and Sage, and organized her jars of powders. Finally, she flopped onto the very pink, very fluffy bed.

“Buzz.”

Her phone vibrated. She rolled over and picked it up. It was a message from her ex-boyfriend, Torrin Dillon, with a photo of a luxurious mansion attached.

A text followed.

[Larissa, see this? This is my new home. I’m a young master of the Dillon family now. I live in a mansion. Jealous? If you regret your decision, I might be generous enough to take you back.]