Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 718

He was starting to regret coming here tonight. Why had he subjected himself to this humiliation?

“That’s enough, you little Palmer girl,” Paxton snapped. “Don’t push your luck. Mind your words, they might cause trouble.”

In the past, he would have feared the Palmers, but now that he had aligned himself with the Lincolns, their sworn enemies, he felt emboldened.

“Oh?” Haskell’s calm voice cut through the tension. “And what kind of trouble could possibly come from my cousin’s words?”

Though his tone was light, it carried an unmistakable weight of authority that Finley, in particular, remembered all too well.

Avril looked at Haskell, her eyes welling with emotion. Her cousin was defending her! He was so cool!

Paxton, who had been about to issue another threat, found his words caught in his throat as he met Haskell’s gaze. The eyes were gentle, but behind them lay a chilling glint of danger. Even as a disabled man, Haskell’s presence was still overwhelmingly intimidating.

“I wasn’t aware,” Zoltan said, his voice dripping with condescension, “that a stray dog from the Judson family had the audacity to speak to a Palmer like that.”

“Grandpa, I think it’s because they have nothing left to lose,” Avril added. “You know what they say about a cornered rat.”

“A cornered rat?” Zoltan sneered. “It still gets crushed.”

Fearing Paxton would drag the entire family down with him, Kiernan quickly interceded. “My apologies, Zoltan. I have failed in raising my son.”

“Kiernan,” Haskell said gently, “you don’t need to apologize for him. Perhaps you should simply be preparing for a parent’s worst nightmare, because it seems your son and his family have a death wish.”

Lucius swirled the wine in his glass, a vicious glint in his eyes. “Good. The show is about to begin.”

Livia, sitting beside him, nervously tightened her grip on her glass.

…

At the main gate of the Judson estate, Vivica stepped out of a taxi and hurried toward the entrance. She was clean now, but her face was still gaunt, her cheekbones sharp and pronounced, giving her a harsh, severe look.

“Open the gate!” she yelled at the staff inside. “I’m here for my daughter’s birthday party!”