Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 642

Sapphira nodded in agreement. “He’s right.”

“You’re my parents. I trust you,” Larissa said with a smile. “There’s no need to keep secrets. Besides, everyone who needs to know about Rigby’s identity already does.”

“I see,” Sapphira said, though another worry surfaced. “But what about all those terrible rumors about him online?”

“They were fabricated by his rivals,” Larissa explained. “Rigby grew up as an orphan, raised by a scavenger named Sire. He got his break in entertainment because of his looks, and when he suddenly became famous, his more well-connected competitors got jealous and started spreading lies. Once ‘Heaven's Will’ starts filming, I’ll find the right time to clear his name.”

“So that’s what happened,” Sapphira murmured. “To think he’s actually Haskell’s brother. No one in the industry will dare to cross him now.”

“Exactly,” Larissa said with a sigh. “It just goes to show how difficult it is for an ordinary person with no connections or resources to make it in any industry these days.”

Her own organization was filled with geniuses, most of whom came from humble backgrounds. Without her, they might have spent their entire lives struggling for pennies, their talents forever unrecognized.

Sapphira’s eyes welled up. “Larissa, to have achieved so much, you must have worked so hard and endured so much pain.”

“Mom, there are plenty of people who work harder than I do,” Larissa said gently. “I was just lucky. Lucky to have met my adoptive father, lucky to have found Zendar and the others, and lucky to be found by you and Dad.”

Sapphira’s eyes turned red.

“Larissa, if you keep talking like that, you’re going to make your mother cry again,” Neville teased.

“Got it, Dad,” Larissa nodded.

After stowing the device safely, Larissa spent some time with her mother finalizing the party decorations and menu. Before she knew it, it was ten o’clock.

Back in her room, Sage and Snowy were already asleep at the head of her bed. Shadow, however, was nowhere to be seen, probably off enjoying its invisibility somewhere. She gently stroked the heads of her companions, whispering, “You’ve all worked hard,” before grabbing her pajamas for a shower.

When she came out, she saw a missed video call from Haskell on her phone. She lay down on her bed and called him back.

He answered on the first ring. “I talked to a few of my friends today,” he said immediately. “Told them I’d bring you to meet them sometime.”