This was music to Larissa\u2019s ears. It meant she could be the one to interrogate Thatch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent,\u201d she thought. \u201cI love making scumbags suffer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The memory of all the horrible things Thatch had done to Haskell made her eager to get started.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaskell, leave it to me tomorrow,\u201d Larissa said, giving him a heads\u2013up. \u201cI never flinch when it comes to dealing with trash. I\u2019ll get your brother\u2019s whereabouts out of Thatch. Just promise me you won\u2019t get soft\u2013hearted and stop me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t. I\u2019ve completely lost faith in him. Besides,\u201d he added, a glint in his eye, \u201cI quite enjoy watching you take out the trash.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haskell wasn\u2019t lying. His initial attraction to her had been sparked in the countryside, but he had truly fallen for her in that abandoned factory, watching her systematically dismantle Finley. The scene had been both terrifying and beautiful, a masterclass in violent artistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaking himself from the memory, he asked, \u201cHow did things go on your end tonight? What was your grandfather\u2019s motive for having Paxton\u2019s family over for dinner?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me to cure Finley,\u201d Larissa explained. \u201cAs you know, there\u2019s only one real cure for that poison. I didn\u2019t give it to him, but as long as he doesn\u2019t do anything stupid, I can guarantee the poison won\u2019t act up again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense,\u201d Haskell said. \u201cIt\u2019s better this way. Finley will think he\u2019s cured and hopefully won\u2019t bother you again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I was thinking. I\u2019ve tormented him enough. Any more and he might actually kill himself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t that Larissa felt sorry for him, but his crimes didn\u2019t warrant death. Besides, he was her grandfather\u2019s grandson. If she was indirectly responsible for his death, she couldn\u2019t guarantee her grandfather wouldn\u2019t die of grief and resentment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLarissa,\u201d Haskell said, changing the subject, \u201cyour birthday is in about two weeks. This is your first one back with the Judson family. How are you planning to celebrate?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents are already planning a party for me,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cMy mom even designed a gown for me. It\u2019s stunning, just as beautiful as the one from my welcome banquet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cAs for how I want to celebrate, I told them about my old birthdays in Spire Village. The villagers there would always celebrate with me, but instead of giving me gifts, each person would teach me a new survival skill every year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne taught me how to identify medicinal herbs, another taught me a foreign language,\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:00\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 555\u00a0<\/p>\n
another taught me about insects\u2026 It started when I was six and continued until I was twenty. So while I didn\u2019t learn classical arts like piano or painting in the Haven Loft like Honora, the skills I have are just as valuable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haskell listened intently as she spoke. He noticed how her entire being lit up when she talked about the villagers, a stark contrast to the cold indifference or sarcasm she showed toward Finley\u2019s family. It was clear that the love and care from those villagers had shaped her into the brilliant person she was today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey believed in giving you skills, not just things,\u201d Haskell said approvingly. \u201cThey genuinely wanted you to have a safe and prosperous future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He then added playfully, \u201cSo that means you\u2019ve learned at least fourteen different skills.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than that,\u201d Larissa nodded. \u201cSome of them might seem outdated now, but I found them fascinating. Things like origami or even marionette theater.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haskell was intrigued. \u201cIt sounds like the villagers were all old\u2013world artisans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are,\u201d Larissa said with pride. \u201cEvery one of them is incredibly talented. That\u2019s why I told my mom I want to invite them all to the Judson estate for my birthday. I didn\u2019t invite everyone to the welcome banquet because my position here wasn\u2019t stable yet. But this time, I want them all to come. I want to show them that I\u2019m doing well here in Regal City. And I want them to meet you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\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 553 This was music to Larissa\u2019s ears. It meant she could be the […]<\/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-31078","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\/31078","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=31078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}