Chapter 323\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLari?\u201d she repeated, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. \u201cHow intimate. It reminds me of the first time you came to see me after I returned to the Judson family. You were so cold back then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finley\u2019s hand, holding the bag, froze in mid\u2013air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa glanced at the designer logo on the packaging. \u201cYou were still threatening me at the auction, yet this afternoon you show up with a gift. You couldn\u2019t have bought this for me in advance, could you? So, it must have been for Honora. Then you decided it would be more useful to suck up to me. Am I right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His thoughts laid bare so accurately, Finley\u2019s face turned red with humiliation. He didn\u2019t know whether to retract his hand or leave it hanging there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFinley, use your head,\u201d Larissa continued, her tone sharp. \u201cIf I actually accepted this bag, can you imagine how much more your dear Honora would hate me when she found out? Fortunately, I couldn\u2019t care less if she hates me, but the problem started with you, and I\u2019d be the one bearing the consequences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She waved a dismissive hand. \u201cGive the bag to Honora. I\u2019m not interested.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, I\u2019ll give you one chance to talk to me properly, but not today. Go think about what you really want to say and then come find me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finley\u2019s face grew paler. \u201c\u2026I understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He lowered the bag and turned away, his steps heavy. He had done what she asked, rescued the woman from Garrick, and all it had earned him was the opportunity to talk. What else could he possibly do to get her to give him the antidote and spare his life?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Finley was gone, Larissa turned her attention to the woman he had brought back. She was stunningly beautiful, with delicate features and skin as white as snow. She looked like a pure lotus blooming in a muddy world, untouched by its filth, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly grace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Larissa looking at her, Leila immediately bowed deeply, her attitude utterly sincere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Judson, thank you. If you hadn\u2019t sent Mr. Judson to save me, I\u2026 I would have been defiled by Garrick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa wasted no time. \u201cI had a reason for saving you,\u201d she said, getting straight to the point. \u201cI want to sign you as an artist for my company. If you agree, I\u2019ll arrange for your protection so Garrick can\u2019t bother you again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d Leila agreed without a moment\u2019s hesitation. \u201cI\u2019ll work hard and make a lot of money for you, Ms. Judson!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To her, this woman who had saved her from Garrick was a savior. She would have done anything for\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa smiled, satisfied. \u201cI\u2019m not a ruthless boss, but I\u2019m not running a charity either. I\u2019ll give you all the resources you need to become a star. In return, all you have to do is stay out of trouble and make me money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
08:51\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay\u201d Leila nodded firmly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour name? Larissa asked\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLella Baylor, she replied\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa nodded, \u201cAlright, Come find me at Starlight Media on the first of next month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, she called Nightvell and instructed her to find a safe place for Leila to stay and to arrange for her protection, ensuring Garrick couldn\u2019t find or harass her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With everything settled, Larissa went back inside the villa and found a stranger sitting on the living room sofa. At first, she couldn\u2019t tell if the person was a man or a woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing her enter, the stranger turned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Miss,\u201d the person said, their face expressionless. \u201cI am your personal bodyguard, 001.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa raised an eyebrow. Personal bodyguard?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Sapphire came downstairs from her afternoon nap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLarissa, you\u2019re back,\u201d she smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa sat down next to 001, studying it closely. \u201cMom, what\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sapphira came over and explained, \u201cThis is a robot that your father spent twenty years developing. He\u2019s programmed it specifically to protect you. From now on, 001 is your personal bodyguard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 323 Chapter 323\u00a0 \u201cLari?\u201d she repeated, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. […]<\/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-30845","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\/30845","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=30845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}