Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 351

Larissa walked over to Haskell’s side and looked at Leopold. She knew he was conscious, able to hear everything around him. She wondered just how many secrets he had overheard during his time in a coma.

She turned her attention back to Finley. “Their way of waking him up is me.”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Finley, you keep calling me heartless, but compared to your family, I’m an amateur.”

Finley flinched. He assumed his father had already threatened her with Sapphira, and she had called Haskell for backup.

He felt a pang of guilt but forced a stern expression. “You brought this on yourself. Now that Leopold is back, you’re coming with us to the west wing to wake him up.” He paused, then added, “And you’ll cure me and Honora.”

Behind her sunglasses, Honora’s eyes gleamed with triumph. Once she was cured, Larissa’s days were numbered.

Larissa sighed, feigning reluctant obedience. “Fine.”

Seeing her compliance, Finley felt a rare sense of relief. “If you had just been this cooperative from the start, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Heh,” Larissa chuckled dryly. “Have you forgotten that if I had been ‘cooperative’ from the start, I would be the one who’s disfigured?”

The words sent Finley back to their first meeting, and he was momentarily speechless. “That’s in the past. Just wake Leopold and cure me and Honora. We can start over as a family, without all this resentment.”

“There’s no going back,” Larissa sneered. “Enough with the pleasantries. Do you want Leopold awake or not?”

Finley fell silent, another wave of frustration washing over him. It was clear she had no intention of making peace.

Just then, a cheerful voice called out. “Haskell! Larissa! I’m here!”

Larissa looked toward the gate, where Avril’s car was stopped. Avril was leaning out of the driver’s window, waving enthusiastically.

“Let her in,” Larissa told the guards.

The gate opened again, and Avril drove through. Another car followed closely behind her. Finley recognized it as his aunt Josette’s. Both cars parked in the garage.

Avril hopped out, followed by three of her friends. They were all from prominent Regal City families, but since they weren’t close with the Judsons or Haskell, they hadn’t been invited to Larissa’s welcome banquet or engagement party. All they knew of the drama came from online gossip. When Avril had invited them to the Judson estate for some “entertainment,” they had eagerly accepted the chance to see the legendary real heiress and the city’s most famous prodigy up close.