Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 732

Secondly, this whole mess is bound to tarnish Dennis’s reputation.

The Williams family has always been seen as above reproach, and the patriarch, Mr. Williams Sr., is especially obsessed with keeping up appearances.

He was already against Dennis dating Camila in the first place.

Now, after all this drama, Eric Morris is probably going to make trouble for them.

“Hold on a second…”

Sarah Brown finally caught up, her eyes widening. “So you’re saying someone’s stirring the pot behind the scenes?”

She wasn’t slow to catch on and quickly guessed, “Could it be Cynthia Lee?”

Larry Adams shrugged. “Who knows for sure? But in situations like this, someone always stands to benefit. Whoever has the most to gain is likely the one pulling the strings…”

At this point, he might as well have just named her outright.

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. “What a scheming witch! I thought after last time she’d finally learn her lesson and keep her head down, but it turns out she’s been hiding in the shadows, plotting all along.”

She looked over at Larry and asked, “So, do you think there’s a way out of this mess?”

Larry grinned. “Why bother? It’s just a bunch of sore losers, bitter because they can’t have what they want. Let them talk. When Dennis and Camila finally end up together and she becomes Mrs. Williams for real, watch how fast those same people change their tune. They’ll be tripping over themselves to suck up to her.”

He gestured at himself. “Look at me. When I first got back to Cabinda, everyone stepped all over me. People whispered behind my back that I was the son of a murderer, that if they were me, they’d be too ashamed to show their faces—let alone fight for their inheritance.”

“But then Dennis stood up for me. He backed me up, no matter what. After that, no one dared say a word to my face. Sure, maybe they still look down on me, but now they only gossip behind closed doors. Out in public, they have to treat me with respect. You have no idea how gratifying it is, watching people who despise you realize they can’t do a thing about it.”

Sarah burst into laughter at that last remark.

Thinking it over, she had to admit Larry made a lot of sense. That’s exactly what was happening with Camila—everyone might resent her, but they couldn’t take her down, so all they could do was talk trash behind her back.

She felt a lot better after that!

But then, as she listened to Larry talk so openly about his own past, a strange feeling crept over her. After a brief hesitation, she blurted out, “When you came back, all that malice you faced—was it your family spreading the rumors?”

Larry gave a careless smile. “Who else could it have been?”

But as he spoke, a trace of bitterness flickered in his eyes.

It was only now that Sarah realized Larry seemed a little off tonight. Normally, around her, he was just as easygoing as he’d been back in Harrisburg. But tonight there was a cold, shadowy look in his eyes.

Sarah was never good at hiding her feelings. She asked directly, “Larry, are you okay tonight? You don’t seem like yourself.”

Larry lifted his gaze lazily. “Don’t I?”

“You don’t,” Sarah said, nodding earnestly.

Those usually warm eyes of his now seemed clouded and distant.

Her heart softened unexpectedly. She clapped him on the shoulder without hesitation. “We’re friends, aren’t we? If something’s bothering you, you can tell me—just like I always unload my problems on you.”

Her open, cheerful manner brought a flicker of warmth to Larry’s heart.

He managed a genuine smile. “It’s nothing, really. I just feel like having a drink or two. What do you say—let’s not stop until we’re both tipsy tonight?”

“Deal!” Sarah agreed without a second thought.

They were friends, after all. If he was feeling down, she’d stay and keep him company—what else were drinking buddies for?