Finley is under immense pressure at work, having faced two major failures with high-profile TV series that threaten the future of his company and his leadership. When his assistant Magnus struggles to find a solution, Finley demands results with sharp frustration. The tension in the office reflects Finley\u2019s desperate need for a successful project to prove himself.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mood shifts when Finley\u2019s brothers, Paxton and Leopold, arrive with disturbing news about Larissa, the so-called biological sister recently brought into the Judson family. Leopold recounts Larissa\u2019s aggressive and ungrateful behavior, including physical attacks on both him and Honora. Honora, who has never been treated harshly before, has been deeply hurt and emotionally distressed by Larissa\u2019s cruelty.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leopold\u2019s frustration and injuries highlight the severity of the family conflict, pushing Finley to confront Larissa himself. Despite his exhaustion and disappointment from work setbacks, Finley\u2019s demeanor turns cold and determined as he prepares to address the source of his family\u2019s turmoil.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chapter closes with Larissa in the courtyard, quietly drying herbs from her village when Finley approaches her, initiating a tense encounter between the estranged siblings. The atmosphere is charged with unresolved conflict and the promise of confrontation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you did manage that, sir, there\u2019s no guarantee they\u2019d be convinced,\u201d Magnus muttered under his breath.<\/p>\n
Finley\u2019s hand slammed down hard on the desk, making the papers jump. \u201cFind a way. If I hear one more word of excuses, you\u2019re out of here immediately!\u201d<\/p>\n
Magnus clenched his jaw to hold back a sharp reply, finally murmuring, \u201cUnderstood,\u201d before turning and leaving the office without another word.<\/p>\n
Finley pinched the bridge of his nose wearily, the weight of recent failures pressing down on him. Over the past year, the company had poured massive resources into two high-profile TV series, each starring well-known celebrities. Both projects had crashed spectacularly. If they didn\u2019t land a hit soon, the company\u2019s future would be in jeopardy\u2014and Kiernan would start doubting Finley\u2019s leadership. He needed a blockbuster success to prove he was capable of running the company.<\/p>\n
Just then, the office door opened once more.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinley.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up to see Paxton and Leopold stepping inside. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leopold, having heard that his older brother had returned from his business trip, had bypassed his own studio and come straight to Finley\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinley, you\u2019ve been gone for days. You have no idea how badly Honora\u2019s been treated at home!\u201d<\/p>\n
Finley leaned back in his chair, exhaustion flickering across his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been tied up negotiating a TV deal for our new actress, Corrina. I only just got back today. What happened? Who\u2019s been bullying Honora?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else but that so-called biological sister Mom and Dad dragged back from the countryside!\u201d Leopold\u2019s frustration boiled over as he flopped onto the sofa, stretching his legs out on the table. He launched into a detailed account of Larissa\u2019s first three days with the family.<\/p>\n
Finley\u2019s brow furrowed deeply as he absorbed the list of Larissa\u2019s supposed offenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard she was some herb-selling girl from a village. She should be shy, overwhelmed. How is it she\u2019s acting so brazenly right after arriving? She actually dared to hit you and Honora?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly! She doesn\u2019t seem to realize how lucky she is to be back here as a Judson heiress. Instead, she\u2019s been trying to push Honora out of the family\u2014and when that failed, she started attacking her at every turn. She\u2019s completely ungrateful!\u201d<\/p>\n
Leopold sat up, rolling his pant leg to reveal a fading bruise on his knee. \u201cLook at this! The kick she gave me nearly crippled me! And she slapped Honora so hard her face was red and swollen! You know Honora\u2019s never been treated like that in her life. She\u2019s been crying nonstop these past few days because of Larissa\u2019s cruelty!\u201d<\/p>\n
Throwing his hands up in frustration, he added, \u201cI can\u2019t handle her alone. She\u2019s driving me crazy. You have to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finley\u2019s expression remained calm, but his eyes grew icy cold. \u201cI see. Looks like I\u2019ll have to make time today to meet our dear sister myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was already in a foul mood after the company\u2019s failure to secure the rights to \u201cHeaven\u2019s Will,\u201d and he needed a way to vent his frustration. If this so-called sister had just stepped into his path, he\u2019d be more than willing to confront her.<\/p>\n
It was two in the afternoon. Despite it being September in Regal City, the heavy summer heat still clung to the air, making the atmosphere thick and stifling.<\/p>\n
Larissa was in the courtyard, carefully spreading out herbs from Spire Village to dry under the sun when a voice cut through the stillness.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re Larissa. My long-lost sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up slowly, her eyes meeting the speaker\u2019s.<\/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 38 Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 38 Summary Finley is under […]<\/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-30557","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\/30557","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=30557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}