Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 303

Helena’s gaze turned terrifyingly grim, a darkness forged not by momentary anger but by years of accumulated power and ruthlessness. An innocent young person wouldn’t be able to withstand such a look for more than three seconds.

But Larissa was unafraid. She met Helena’s stare head-on.

“The Lincolns, on the other hand, started as a criminal enterprise before going legitimate. Your family’s founder broke half the laws in the book, amassing a fortune through illicit means before finally cleaning up his act and moving into legitimate business, slowly growing into the powerhouse you are today in Regal City.”

“Now, your domestic operations—high-end clubs and hotel chains—are mostly clean. But your international assets… well, they still seem to exist in a bit of a gray area.”

The first Lincoln patriarch had blood on his hands, though the family had been steadily laundering its image since the previous generation. The current head was working tirelessly to sever all ties with their shadowy past and become completely legitimate.

The more Larissa spoke, the darker Helena’s expression became, as if she were looking at a dead woman walking.

Yet Larissa remained perfectly composed, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Jagger, your family has gone to great lengths to clean up its image. If your older brother found out you were using the family’s old dirty tricks to threaten me, who do you think would be in more trouble: me, or you?”

Jagger froze. His brother forbade any discussion of the family’s past. If his brother found out, he might very well break his legs.

Helena’s expression shifted from grim to calculating. She knew her husband and eldest son were adamant about leaving their criminal history behind. She had allowed her younger son to threaten the Judson women purely to intimidate them into backing down, never intending to use any illicit methods. But from the sound of it, Larissa knew everything about their family. This girl was far from simple.

Josette listened, her heart pounding. She had no idea about the Lincoln family’s origins; the image they projected to the public was that of a normal, powerful dynasty.

“What are you doing?” Jagger shrank back against the couch, his hand secretly reaching for the intercom to call for more guards.

Four bodyguards couldn’t handle her? Fine. Ten or twenty surely could.

Josette, sitting nearby, flinched as she watched the men on the floor still twitching.

In three quick steps, Larissa was in front of Jagger. She raised her hand and brought it down hard across his face, a face that screamed of debauchery.