\u201cTime to get ready! I can\u2019t look like a mess in front of my hero!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Larissa put down her phone, Sapphira teased from across the table, \u201cChatting with Haskell so early in the morning?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s not Haskell. It\u2019s Avril.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAvril?\u201d Sapphira looked surprised. \u201cHarriett\u2019s daughter?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sapphira knew a bit about the Palmer family dynamics. Harriett, the second child, had always remained neutral. Her daughter befriending Larissa seemed like a clear signal that she was now siding with Haskell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was good news. Haskell had just been betrayed by his own brother, and his father, Thatch, was more of a hindrance than a help. Haskell was isolated and outnumbered. Even with his brilliance, he was vulnerable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Larissa and Haskell were married, she would also become a target. Having another Palmer family member on their side would offer an extra layer of protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was also something else\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa noticed tears glistening in Sapphira\u2019s eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d she asked, putting down her spoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sapphira shook her head, embarrassed. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing. I\u2019m just so happy that you\u2019re not only getting married soon but also making new friends. I was so worried you wouldn\u2019t adjust to life here, especially with Paxton and Vivica trying to slander you. I was afraid you wouldn\u2019t be able to fit into high society.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa was touched by her mother\u2019s concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, this is just the beginning,\u201d she said warmly. \u201cI plan on making many more friends in Regal City.\u201d Sapphira beamed. \u201cI know you will. A girl as wonderful as you deserves all the friends in the world.\u201d After breakfast, Sapphira asked, \u201cSo, what are your plans for today?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A mischievous glint appeared in Larissa\u2019s eyes. \u201cYou forgot about my bet with Aunt Josette, didn\u2019t you? First, I\u2019m going to have Grandpa witness her apology. Then, I\u2019m heading to the auction house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the west wing villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr\u2026 Mr. Kiernan\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The west wing\u2019s steward answered the doorbell to find not only Larissa and Sapphira, but also Kiernan and his butler, Jett. He quickly opened the gate. \u201cMr. Kiernan, what brings you here so early?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
09:12\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 294\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other night, you were incredibly disrespectful to me,\u201d Larissa said with a cold smile. \u201cI told you! would have you thrown out of the Judson family. Well, here I am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The steward paled. He glanced at Kiernan, who said nothing, confirming Larissa\u2019s words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Kiernan, I\u2026\u201d he began, desperate to explain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Kiernan cut him off. \u201cJett will settle your final wages. You can leave now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Knowing there was no room for negotiation, the steward didn\u2019t argue further. As he left, however, he shot Larissa a look of pure resentment. He thought to himself, \u201cJust wait. When Paxton takes over, he\u2019ll hire me back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When they entered the main hall, Vivica was descending the staircase, dressed impeccably and carrying a luxury handbag. Seeing Kiernan, Larissa, and Sapphira, she felt a sense of foreboding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, what are you all doing here so early?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Josette?\u201d Kiernan asked, his voice low as he took a seat on the sofa.\u00a0<\/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 294 \u201cTime to get ready! I can\u2019t look like a mess in front […]<\/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-30813","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\/30813","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=30813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30813\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}