Larissa deliberately stepped on some shopping bags, showing her disdain for material things and the obsession with brands. Her thoughts were focused on work rather than vanity, and she dismissed the importance of clothes. As she began to leave, Honora whispered a cruel secret\u2014that Larissa was brought back by their parents only to replace Honora and marry Haskell, whom Honora refused to marry because he was disabled.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa responded with sarcasm and confidence, mocking Honora\u2019s bitterness and revealing that she planned to help Haskell recover. She also accused Honora of hiring a fugitive the previous night, which visibly unsettled Honora. Despite Honora\u2019s anger, Larissa remained unfazed and left, leaving Honora seething but following her downstairs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, Sapphira warmly invited Larissa to choose some clothes, showing a caring side as Larissa accepted. Honora, feeling out of place, announced she was leaving, but Larissa coolly warned her to stop humiliating herself by coming around. Honora left silently, while Sapphira expressed concern over what had been said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa explained Honora\u2019s accusations, which angered Sapphira and Neville. They realized the parents\u2019 plan was to use Larissa as a replacement bride for Haskell. Neville reassured Sapphira that Larissa was their daughter now and vowed to protect her from being used as a substitute, showing a strong family bond and determination to defend Larissa.<\/p>\n
Chapter 19<\/p>\n
Larissa deliberately stepped on one of the shopping bags, a small smirk playing on her lips. \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d she said coolly. \u201cAre these clothes supposed to be special? Honestly, I don\u2019t usually bother with things like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her thoughts were always consumed by her work, leaving little room for vanity. To her, clothes were merely ornaments\u2014worn when necessary, then quickly forgotten. The obsession with brand names seemed utterly ridiculous, almost laughable.<\/p>\n
Without another word, Larissa began to make her way down the stairs.<\/p>\n
Just then, Honora leaned in close, lowering her voice so only Larissa could hear. \u201cDid you really think Mom and Dad would have brought you back if it weren\u2019t for me?\u201d she whispered, a sly edge in her tone.<\/p>\n
Larissa paused mid-step, turning her head slowly. \u201cOh? Done pretending already?\u201d she asked, raising an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
A smug smile spread across Honora\u2019s face. \u201cDo you even know why they brought you here?\u201d she challenged.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Larissa played along, her eyes narrowing slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I refuse to marry that cripple, Haskell,\u201d Honora spat out, her voice dripping with disdain. \u201cMom and Dad couldn\u2019t stand the thought of my future being ruined, so they decided to use you as a replacement. Isn\u2019t that just pathetic?\u201d She finished with an exaggerated sigh, clearly enjoying herself.<\/p>\n
Larissa\u2019s expression shifted to one of feigned excitement. \u201cWow, really? That\u2019s fantastic news! The Palmers are such a prestigious family, right? I\u2019d be thrilled to marry Haskell,\u201d she said, her tone light but cutting.<\/p>\n
Honora\u2019s taunt fell flat. Larissa showed no sign of being hurt, which only fueled her frustration. Still, she assumed Larissa was just putting on a brave front.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat? You don\u2019t even know the truth. Haskell is a cripple now,\u201d Honora added, her voice sharp.<\/p>\n
Larissa leaned in closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes. \u201cOh, a cripple? That\u2019s fine. I can fix his legs,\u201d she said softly. \u201cBut you\u2014well, you rejected him just because he\u2019s disabled. You\u2019d better hope you don\u2019t regret that when he\u2019s healed.\u201d Her voice dropped to a whisper. \u201cBy the way, you were the one who hired that fugitive last night, weren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
At the mention of the fugitive, Honora\u2019s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
Larissa shook her head with a sigh. \u201cHe was as useless as you are,\u201d she said, her voice thick with disdain. \u201cYou should be careful. I\u2019ll be returning that little gift you sent me last night, piece by piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a light hum, she skipped down the stairs, leaving Honora standing there, fists clenched and eyes blazing with hatred.<\/p>\n
After a moment, Honora bent down, gathered the trampled shopping bags, and followed her downstairs.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cLarissa, come take a look! Which of these outfits do you like? What size are you? Pick a few for now, and I\u2019ll have the boutique send them over tonight. We can go shopping properly tomorrow when you have more time,\u201d Sapphira said warmly, looking up from her tablet as Larissa descended the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, thanks, Mommy,\u201d Larissa replied, wrapping her arm affectionately around her new mother\u2019s shoulder before taking the tablet.<\/p>\n
Honora, who had quietly followed them down, caught sight of the display and forced a tight smile. \u201cUncle, Aunt, Larissa, I\u2019ll be leaving now,\u201d she said stiffly.<\/p>\n
Neville grunted in acknowledgment. Sapphira glanced up briefly, nodded, and remained silent.<\/p>\n
Larissa turned toward Honora with a bright, confident smile. \u201cYou might want to stop coming here to humiliate yourself in the future,\u201d she said coolly.<\/p>\n
Honora\u2019s smile froze instantly. Without another word, she quickly exited the villa.<\/p>\n
Once the door closed behind her, Sapphira looked at Larissa with concern. \u201cWhat did she say to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Larissa scrolled through the clothing options on the tablet, her voice steady. \u201cThe usual provocations. She claimed that Uncle Paxton and Vivica only brought me back to marry Haskell in her place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sapphira\u2019s expression hardened, her gentle eyes now flashing with fierce anger. She exchanged a glance with her husband. \u201cSo that was their plan all along! How could they be so heartless?\u201d<\/p>\n
Neville wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his voice calm but resolute. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Larissa is our daughter now. I won\u2019t let her be used as a substitute for their adopted daughter\u2014not on my watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 19 Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 19 Summary Larissa deliberately stepped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-throne-of-thorns-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}