Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 431

"I told you, I already gave Finley his chance to be cured. He threw it away for Honora. His current suffering is a consequence of his own choices. And as for you, Leopold, if you ever dare to harbor ill intentions toward me again, I guarantee your fate will be far worse than his."

Her eyes turned to ice. "Now, get out of my way. Or I won't hesitate to hit the gas. As long as I don't kill you, I can afford to pay for the damages."

Leopold knew she meant it. His sister was a woman of her word. She had promised to strip their family of everything, and now they had been ruthlessly cast out by his own grandfather. If he stayed in front of the car, she would drive right through him. She would.

To avoid making things worse, he stumbled to the side, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Larissa floored the accelerator, and the car shot past him. As it sped by, Leopold reached out a hand, his lips moving, but the words were lost in the roar of the engine. He watched her car disappear down the road, the breakfast bag slipping from his grasp.

He sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands, his body wracked with silent sobs.

What could he possibly do to earn his sister's forgiveness? How could he ever make their family whole and peaceful again?

From her rearview mirror, Larissa watched his shrinking figure with an impassive expression. She didn't feel pity, only a dark amusement.

Leopold's anguish wasn't born of remorse; it was born of ruin. If they had successfully inherited the Judson fortune, they would never have admitted their mistake, even after learning of Honora's deception. They would have made excuses, claimed Honora was just desperate to stay with the family.

Their regret was a sham, a selfish reaction to the disastrous consequences of their actions. They didn't deserve forgiveness. If every wrongdoer could be absolved simply by feeling sorry for themselves, what about the scars left on the victims?

Delayed justice was no justice at all. She would never, ever forgive her so-called family.

...

When she arrived at Starlight Media, Larissa opened her laptop and logged back into Twitter. She found that Leopold's fans had started a new hashtag: #Please Forgive The Best Leopold. In the process, many had dug up information about her.

[Larissa, a village girl who sells herbal medicine.]

[Larissa, please forgive Leopold!]

[Larissa, please forgive Leopold!]

"Knock, knock, knock."

A rap on her office door pulled Larissa away from the screen. "Come in."

Her secretary, Ursa, entered and handed her a document. "Ms. Judson, this is the revised work schedule for the remaining staff after the twelve resignations."

"Just leave it on the desk."

Ursa hesitated for a moment. "The HR department mentioned that you haven't asked them to post any new job listings?"