Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 737

Harper Thompson, who had been fuming just moments ago, was caught off guard by Lavinia Roberts’s suggestion.

“‘Take her down’? What do you mean by that?”

Seeing that Harper didn’t immediately object, Lavinia’s smile turned sly. “She’s always so focused on your mistakes, right? But what if, this time, the mistake is hers…?

Then tell me, what could she possibly say?”

The implication was clear as day, but Lavinia worried Harper might be too timid to actually go through with it. She pressed on. “Harper, you’ve been chasing after Benjamin Torres for years, haven’t you?

A woman’s youth doesn’t last forever.

Other women your age are already mothers to several children.

And you? Has anything ever come of it with him?

Are you really willing to keep wasting your time like this?

If you keep dragging things out, have you ever considered that you might end up alone?”

Her voice softened, coaxing, “If you help me sincerely, I can support the Torres family, and maybe have a word with their elders about the two of you.

You know better than anyone how desperate the Torres family is to restore their reputation.

Whether you can marry into their family—it’s up to you now.”

Her words were like a seed of temptation, impossible to unplant once sown.

And Harper Thompson felt it take root in her heart.

Because Lavinia wasn’t wrong.

Harper was already over thirty; a third of her life had slipped by.

She’d fallen for Benjamin Torres the moment she met him, back in her first year of college. Ever since, she’d chased after him, year after year, watching herself grow older, always waiting for something that never came.

Was she really supposed to end up an old maid?

She refused. She couldn’t accept it.

Lavinia’s plan made sense.

She’d tried everything to win over Benjamin himself, and it hadn’t worked. Maybe it was time to try winning over his family—maybe that would give them a real chance.

Harper made up her mind in an instant. Without hesitation, she said, “Ms. Roberts, I’m willing to help you.”

The answer Lavinia wanted. Her smile deepened, satisfaction shining in her eyes. “Then I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

When the call ended, a spark of triumph flashed across Lavinia’s face.

Camila Davis, just you wait.

Just thinking about work soured Camila’s mood all over again. But the fresh scent of pine on Dennis’s jacket slowly helped her relax.

Funny how being around someone who truly cared made it so much easier to let your guard down.

She’d always thought she could handle things herself, but hearing Dennis’s gentle concern, she found the urge to vent rising up.

“What happened?” he asked, tapping her cheek lightly with a finger.

So she told him about Harper’s constant nitpicking these past days.

Before Dennis, she never would’ve complained—she’d just swallow her frustrations and move on. But now, she knew that keeping things bottled up only made him worry more.

So she let herself grumble a little. “Can you believe someone like that? She makes a mistake, but instead of owning up to it, she acts like she’s the hero and tries to force me to take the blame. Has she no sense of right and wrong at all?

I’m only asking her to be professional, to keep her personal drama out of our work. Is that so unreasonable?

She knows as well as I do—if even one step goes wrong, it could ruin everything we’ve worked for.

If it were just our team losing time, fine. But what if we drag down the whole department? What happens when management comes down on us?”

A place like a national research institute burned through funding at a terrifying rate. One mistake, and the losses could be catastrophic—damage they might never repair.

Harper Thompson, honestly, was just beyond help.