Chapter 12
Winona poured a cup of coffee for Sienna and said. “Laurel is the kind of person who always follows her parents‘ lead. It can be a strength, but it’s
also a bit of a trap
“She’s strong–willed and smart. Still, she feels so much pressure as a daughter that she often lets the Lambert family influence her decisions, Honestly, it’s hard to tell if she actually likes George or not.”
Sienna shook her head as she listened. “Grandma, a woman like that bn’t right for Roderick.”
Winona reassured her, “Don’t stress. I was just talking about the old Laurel. She’s changed”
“Changed How do you know that?” Sienna asked, intrigued,
Changing the topic, Winona said, “I heard that Regina is filling in as the bride for her engagement party with George tolay”
Sienna nodded, laughing a bit. “Yeah, apparently an intimate video of George and Regina got leaked. Laurel had to back out of her engagement to her sister just to save face for the Lambert and Lynch families.
Even though she’d been invited to the engagement party, Sienna chose to skip it because she was still upset with her uncle’s family.
But now that she heard the news, she felt a mix of ridiculousness and regret for not being there.
When her dad was alive, her uncle was really supportive of their family and cared about her and Roderick.
But once her dad passed away unexpectedly, her uncle’s attitude shifted completely. He seemed eager to take over the family business that her father had built from the ground up.
Luckily, her grandfather stepped in and made things right, or else her uncle would probably be running the Lynch family by now.
Sienna felt a deep anger every time she remembered how her uncle’s family had taken advantage of their situation. But more than just anger, she knew she had to endure it
In this big family, after losing their parents, Sienna and Roderick really relied on their grandparents. Without their support, they might not have made it this far.
But her grandparents were getting older, and their health wasn’t what it used to be, leaving her anxious about what the future held.
derick was still young, and their grandfather was worried he wouldn’t handle the family dynamics well, so he hadn’t handed over control yet. These thoughts only added to Sienna’s worries.
Winona had a different take. “Honestly, it doesn’t look like she reluctantly backed out. She’s probably thrilled about it.”
“Grandma, that’s–Sienna started to say, but then she caught on. “You mean that video was intentionally set up by Laurel?”
Winona shot her a knowing glance. “Finally got it, huh?”
Sienna didn’t buy it. She heard about how sad Laurel was at the engagement party.
‘Laurel and George have been together for ages. Wouldn’t she be upset if she found out her sister was involved with her fiance‘ Backing complaints! Sienna knew she definitely couldn’t handle that
Winona poured herself a coffee, took a sip, and said, “Think about it who’s gaining the most from all this?”
Sienna was just about to say Regina and George when she suddenly remembered the gossip swirling around.
It looked like Regina and George’s secret affair had come to light now, but their solid reputation had taken a big hit because of that video.
Everyone was rallying behind Laurel, bashing them. Public opinion was totally on her side.
Sienna had a lightbulb moment. “Now I get why you admire her. I can’t help but admire her 100.”
Winona chuckled softly. “Always composed and prepared–that’s a tough combo to beat.”
Sienna was about to respond when she heard Winona say. “The engagement party was just step one. There’s more to come.”
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Chapter 12
“What’s next?” Sienna asked, intrigued.
“Breaking away from the Lambert family”
Sienna was puzzled. “If she discovered George is a jerk, why would she want to cut ties with the Lambert family? She’s blood–related to them. How can she just walk away?”
“I’m guessing it has something to do with herself and Roderick, ton. Honestly, the only people who know what’s going on are those two.”
“Wait, Roderick knows about all this!”
he would go along with this plan if Laurel didn’t let him in on it.”
Winona nodded. “There’s no way h
Sienna sighed, feeling a bit annoyed. “So Laurel is trying to use Roderick for her own gain”
to do it. But Sienna
Whatever Laurel’s reasons for wanting to distance herself from the Lambert family, marrying someone was the quickest way to wondered if it was really that easy for her to just choose Roderick.
“It’s all about win–win. You know how your brother is. He won’t go along with anything unless there’s something in it for him.”
“That makes sense, but Grandma, if you see this so clearly, aren’t you going to do something about it? What if Laurel turns our family upside down!”
“If only she could manage that? Winona sighed. “When things get murky, the people hiding behind will finally come to the surface.”
“Sienna, if Laurel really married Roderick, your grandpa and I would totally be relieved,” Winona said.
“Grandma, you think she can actually help Roderick get a foothold in our family?” Sienna replied, not convinced. “You have too much faith in her.”
Winona smiled softly. “You’ll see.”
Sienna looked at Winona’s calm expression and decided to drop it.
She thought, Grandma’s always had a good read on people. If Laurel can really help Roderick with the Lyrich family, I need to find a way to make that happen
After a moment of thought, she grabbed her phone and dialed Roderick’s number.
It didn’t take long for him to pick up. “Roderick, come home tomorrow,” she said. After a brief pause, she added, “And bring Laurel with you”
She hung up before he could respond. She knew Roderick well enough. If she let the call drag on, she’d definitely hear a “no”
Roderick held his cell phone and leaned slightly to glance at the sleeping g woman in the passenger seat,
chuckling to hin
to himself
It had only been a few minutes, and Manfred and the others had told Sienna about him and Laure. Clearly, they hadn’t had enough to drink yer today. He was definitely planning to make it up to them later
He opened WhatsApp to message Sienna, planning to clarify that he and Laurel weren’t in a relationship.
But then he remembered they were actually set to get a marriage license tomorrow. It was about to be official. There was nothing to clarify.
He set his phone down on the nearby box and suddenly realized he had no idea where to take Laurel. Glancing at the control screen, he saw it was just past midnight.
Laurel was so drunk. If he took her back to the Lambert family, it would be telling them he got her drunk. He wasn’t scared of dealing with them. but he definitely wanted to avoid that drama if he could.
After some thought, he figured it would be best to just take her back to his place. Right as he was about to start the car, he remembered Laurel wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, so he leaned over to buckle it
Just as he did so, Laurel’s eyes suddenly flustered open and locked onto his, Roderick’s breath caught in his throat. He instinctively froze.
They held each other’s gaze, their noses just a breath away from touching, their warm breaths mixing in the small space–his scent of fresh sandalwood blended with her light floral notes, creating a heady mix
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Chapter 12
At that moment, it felt like time stood still. He couldn’t think straight. All he could focus on were her thick, curling eyelashes, sparkling eyes, high nose, and those tempting red lips
